Three Steps to Accomplishing your Goals: Change, Perservance and Victory

So, I have been thinking a lot this week about change, perseverance and victory.

I am coming to the end of a very long organizing project with a client and am in awe of her transformation over the past year.     I have learned a lot from her and her ability to make decisions when it was not easy.   To keep going when she did not “feel” like it and to see her standing taller and stronger embracing the victory of a long, often emotionally and physically difficult project.

Here is what I have learned from my clients, my experience and life in general.

Change

 

It is hard!   Even when the thought of change excites you, stepping out of your comfort zone is difficult emotionally and physically. 

  

As someone who has had a lot of change, some of which I could have done without, there is always something to be learned, something that can be used for our benefit.  Our mindset often determines whether or not it is a positive or a negative.   

Are you a jam side up or a jam side down person?  

We do have a choice in how we perceive adversity and change.

Perseverance

 

This is where we succeed or stand still.   One of the key things that make my life successful is that I do not give up.   

That is not to say have never had moments where I pulled the blankets over my head and sucked my thumb for a period of time, because I have.  There are time in life where you are just banged up and need to recoup but the difference is, do you let  those bashed up, banged up moments define you or do you get back out of bed, hike up your big girl panties, and go kick some “honey buns”.    

Forward moments and stickability (not sure that is even a word but I like it) are huge factors in the success of any project, organizing or otherwise.   It is not about feelings.   How we “feel” should not be the measure on whether or not we “do”.   

“I do not feel like getting out of bed today, I do not feel like feeding the kids nutritious food today, I do not feel like doing the laundry” These feeling will not move you toward victory - they have no part to play in a successful life.

Victory

 

The embracing of change, the ability to preserve, the steady forward progression is what leads us to the ultimate goal.   My client has been working on her project for over a year, it has not been a race but the steady forward progress that has led to enormous changes Whether an organizing project, a project at the office, or a huge life goal, my clients, and my life experiences, have all taught me that we can be and do anything we envision.

By no longer letting our feelings rule, by taking on step at a time and by focusing on the ultimate goal you will achieve success and “get ‘er done”.

If you need assistance in coping with change we can help you developing systems and processes to move you forward to victory please contact us for a complimentary 20 minute discussion.

 All photos are royalty free from http://www.sxc.hu

7 Simple Time Management Tips to Increase Productivity

Most of us want to be more productive, we want more hours in the day, and yet we all have the same 24 hours in which to accomplish our work and enjoy our lives.

For 2014, my word for the year is "Create".   To create all the content and programs that I have on my work flow board, this gal really needs to step up her "productivity game" and focus on the essentials.  

Reflecting on my goals and my time, I narrowed my time management tools to 7 key areas that ensure I keep my intention and plan focused

1)  Using a planner (paper or electronic) is critical.   Schedule everything!   I schedule bill payments, social media posts, client appointments, lunch with the girls, reading time, writing time, our menu plan, etc...

2)  Begin each day with a planning session.   Take the first hour of the day to establish priorities and the action plan to make them happen.   Determine the top 3 goals to be accomplished throughout the day.

3)  Stay off email and social media until #2 has been accomplished.  Set specific, intentional times each day to check email or attend to social media.   Turn email notifications off so there are no pop-ups or "dings" each time an email arrives.   Use vacation settings, or auto-responders  to let people know the email is checked at 10, 1 and 3 pm each day and full attention to their email during those times (the timing does not real matter - being intentional does).

4)  Multi-tasking kills focus.   Chunk work out and give it 100% attention during it's time slotted in the schedule.   I read recently that we should treat our days like we are being paid $1,000 per hour and act accordingly - take $1,000 per hour action!

5)  Set time limits with clear goals for items on your "To Do" list.    For big projects, break the work load into a series of smaller time line goals.    An example would be a book.   One generally does not sit down and write an entire book...it is chunked out into small bite sized pieces with an ultimate deadline in mind.

6)  Write things down!   No matter how young or old we are, our brains will fail us. Write all To-Do's, appointments, thoughts, ideas into one main notebook or an app such as Evernote or Workflowy.  

7)   Make every minute count.    Whether on the bus, waiting at the Dr., renewing the driver's license  - take your "To Read" file and get some backlog items off the list.   Write Thank You notes to clients,  birthday cards....always have a "waiting in line" file in your purse, backpack, briefcase.

Please feel free to contact us if you would like some assistance planning your schedule for the year ahead, setting priorities and streamlining your procedures.   Adventures in Organizing would love to help.

R is for Read - Making Mole Hills from Mountains

Do you have a "To Read" Mountain growing in your home?

Most of us have at least a pile, if not a mountain.

So I am sure you are staring at the mountain and wondering "where do I start"?   First, decide that today is the day to tackle and move that mountain.

It is a lovely day here in Ottawa today, and I woke up at the crack of dawn - a coffee and my reading pile on the deck and it was pretty much taken care of (other than the two library books that are pending - I don't read that quickly).   Sometimes, it is just a matter of setting an hour aside with no computer and no TV.

If you truly are dealing with a mountain rather than a pile, you will need more time.

Here are a few real solutions...

• Start at the top and get the freshest information in and out of the pile right away.   If the first item is several weeks old, decide whether or not you truly will find the time - if you have not had time in weeks, is it worth investing your time in it now?

• Set some time aside each day to do nothing but read from your pile.   If you find yourself setting an item aside in the pile to "read later" that should be a good indication that it is not worth your time investment at all - move that baby into the recycle box right away. 

• Put some reading materials into your computer bag or purse and read on the bus, while waiting for appointments and during your coffee breaks.  Recycle when done and reload your bag each evening for the next day.

• Finally come to terms with the fact that we all want to read more than we actually have time for.  Embrace technology and search for the information on line when you do have the time and let the paper documents go.   There really is nothing in a magazine or newspaper that cannot be found online. It is OK to "just let it go".

 

Make it your goal for the remainder of the month to move that mountain and make it a mole hill.  

If you need help making your mountain into a mole hill, contact us today and we will help you develop an action plan to do just that.

 

I won! Office Candy Rocks!!!

Wow,   I never win anything.... well that is not entirely true,

the only other time  I won something was in middle school and I won a pair of cordory pants from Mountain Dew.

The problem with that was, they mixed up the leg length with the waist - there are not many kids with a 34 inch waist in middle school so needless to say, while I did win, I could never wear the pants because they just fell right back off again.

But such is not the case with this great win!!!

File Totes at Officecandy.com!

Office Candy had a fun contest on their Facebook Page & website and guess won?    ME, that's right!   I love this Patent Leather File Tote so much.    It has been out "on the job" with me all month, my clients love it, and I really like having easy access to all this week's clients at my finger tips.   So what do I carry in it?

• This weeks Clients

• Extra Copies of Time Sheets and Contracts

• My agenda for booking future organizing appointments.

It is sleek and sexy (yes a file tote can be sexy) and makes me smile.

I like the product quality and how quickly it was shipped so much, I joined their affiliate program.   If you are interested in taking a peek at Office Candy and all their fun "candy" check out the link below.


File Totes at Officecandy.com!

 Thanks Office Candy!    Jennifer  

K is for Keep: Decluttering and Loving your "Keep Pile"

K is for Keep  

So many times in organizing, we talk about “letting go”, “downsizing”, “Scaling back” and “decluttering”.

Today the discussion is about the items, the objects, we choose to “Keep”!

That’s right!  In any organizing project, we have the keep, toss and giveaway piles.  While the traditional focus of those projects is the “toss” and “giveaway” parts of the job, at Adventures In Organizing, we believe the most important part of the decision process is “Keep”. 

Items that we keep are the day-to-day things that are functional and essential to our daily lives.  These are items that help us, items that enhance our existence, and items with which we love to surround ourselves. 

We should keep items we love, things that bring us joy and things that make us smile.  I have a statue that was from my Grandparents, a statue that is not practical; it serves no real purpose other than the fact that I love it.  It does not take up a lot of room in the house, it does not take a lot of maintenance, but even if it did and I truly loved it, I would still keep it.

The key to the “keep” part of any organizing project is to manage the quantity of those items to the space available to contain them and to ensuring that each component is necessary, used, and treasured!

Start fresh in 2013 – begin the year with an “attitude of gratitude” for the abundance that you do have and make smart decisions about your "Keep" items.

Do you need help with selecting your "Keep Pile",  downsizing and decluttering?  

Visit our website and subscribe today to Minute By Minute Organizing and start the year off right.