“I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings.”
- Margaret Mead

I’m excited to finally announce that I have joined the faculty at the NEW SparkplugU!  SparkplugU is a new virtual learning environment brought to you by Wendy PIersall of Sparkplugging.com (formerly EMomsAtHome.com).  Here’s a SparkplugU review by Darren Rowse of Problogger.

If you work from home, or would like to (without signing up for a scam) there are some great courses and instructors to learn from!  Courses are very affordable, starting at $19.95.  There are courses about diversifying your income , podcasting and organizing your home office (presented by yours truly).

If the price of gas is driving you crazy and you have ever thought of working from home you just might find something that will spark some creativity in you.  Come blaze your own trail and join the NEW work at home generation at SparkplugU!

I had an epiphany this weekend: what if I didn’t check email all weekend?  So, I tried it out.  Guess what?  Nothing happened.  Sure, I’m not totally obsessive about email, but working from home does wreak havoc on one’s boundaries (which I discovered quite a while ago).  The other thing that can wreak havoc on the home office professional?  Technology barking at your heels.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m ALL about technology and the wonders it does for working from home.  However, if we don’t set clear boundaries about when and where we to it, consequences will arise personally and professionally.

So, do you need to step away from the laptop and engage in the real offline world?  And how can one do that?  Here’s some thoughts and tips:

You don’t always need a data package. I have Blackberry.  What I do NOT have is a data package.  Why?  Because I want to be reachable, but not that reachable.  Setting boundaries for me is much easier when you don’t have something nipping at your heels.  Like the Crackberry informing you of a new email… every two minutes… on vacation… on a bike … at the coffee shop…  You get the idea.

Take the weekends off.  Ok, so I don’t always do this.  But when my stomach gets heavy, and I’m ready to go postal on the laptop it’s time to step away.  I put everything down for two days.  I feel refreshed, honestly.  It’s hard I know, but try it.

Boundaries, boundaries, boundaries. Set hours and stick to them.  Working from home has perks, like flexible hours.  Working from home has downsides, like flexible hours.  Don’t abuse yourself, cause you’ll be sorry in the long run.

It comes down to this, don’t overstretch or burn yourself out.  Working from home doesn’t mean constantly working without a break.  We’re people, and we need time off.  So, close your browser and go have coffee with a friend. 

Our guest today was Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room.

Here’s a few notes from the show:

About decorating:

• create a lifestyle
• consider your lifestyle when putting together your rooms and purchase items accordingly
• your decorating style is like a puzzle, it develops over time
• getting started?  get rid of the things that don’t bring your happiness, and work from there

Want to learn more about Melissa?  Check her out online:

Website: The Inspired Room, www.theinspiredroom.com

Blog: The Inspired Room Blog, www.theinspiredroom.wordpress.com

Other stuff we mentioned on the show: Check out Krista’s blog for more info on the products we talked about today.

Missed the show? No worries!  You can listen or download this show and our other past shows.  Also, consider setting a reminder right there on the home page so you don’t miss it next time!

The O-Myth: www.blogtalkradio.com/theomyth

Join us next time with our guest, Wendy Piersall, CEO of Sparkplugging.com on August 1 at 10am PST.

“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”

-  Andy Warhol

“Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessaries.”

- Mark Twain

]]> http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/quote-of-the-week-get-control-of-the-email/feed/ http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/quote-of-the-week-get-control-of-the-email/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheHomeOfficeOrganizer/~3/324028134/ http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/home-office-productivity-link-roundup-2/#comments Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:00:21 +0000 Brandie Kajino http://www.thehomeofficeorganizer.com/?p=426 Here’s the latest version of my favorite links. Enjoy!

Web Worker Daily gives some great tips on using a whiteboard. One of them is for brainstorming, and I admit I do this and then put it the finished project into a Powerpoint slide.

Levenger has a great article about organizing a home office. They have some good tips about multi-use home offices if you are just setting up your office.

My Design Secrets is a developing directory of decorating sources. I read about it in my local paper, and had to share. Great place to get ideas if you are remodeling, rearranging or redesigning soon.

Zenhabits’ article about “editing” your workspace. I especially love the “quick not about productivity. It’s pretty much how I feel about productivity: it’s not that we have to do more and more and more… it’s that when we are more effective with our time and get our work done, we can spend time doing other things we love.

43 Folders: “Inbox Zero” Email can rule your life, and recently I heard someone call it the bane of our existence.  What we need is a system, and some fierce, ninja-like tactics to get the stuff under control.  That, and not checking the inbox every 10 minutes.  ;)  (Check out Merlin’s talk at Google, very good stuff!)

On Thursdays I share a quote that I hope will inspire, make you think or just make you smile. Here is this week’s quote:

“Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
- John petit-senn

(photo by Savannah Grandfather, on flickr)

Feng Shui (Krista likes to call it “Mishee-Mushu”) & Organization, they work well together! We had Gwynne Warner of 10K Blessings Feng Shui. We had a good ol’ time! Here’s a few notes from the show:

• Desks: keep them big, with room for opportunities! Gwynne made it pretty clear that making space for breathing and success is so important. Krista and I were so proud of our big desks! (Does this count for
• List and then take care of your “drags”: make a list of things that are dragging you down, physically, emotionally or little projects around your office or home. Then, pull out your calendar and mark down a time to take care of them. Love that!

** Update: Gwynne was kind enough to send this great list about good Feng Shui in the home office.

Desks:

• Newly purchased so you don’t inherit predecessor chi
• Wooden (no glass)
• Must have main desk to return to if work have mobile office
• Shapes: square or rectangular desk for accomplishing tasks; circular desk for creative needs
• Receptionist desk curved at front
• Desk must be large enough (not too big, not too small)
• A full front panel

Chairs:

• Newly purchased so you don’t inherit predecessor chi
• Solid-backed
• Goes at least to your shoulders

We also talked about a great book about Feng Shui by Karen Kingston: Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui

Join us next time with Melissa Michaels, The Style Coach and the woman behind the curtain at The Inspired Room!

I was watching Donny Deutsch’s “The Big Idea” this evening. LOVE that show! He had a really interesting panel tonight on creativity. There was a link to a Creativity Inventory to determine how creative you are.  I took the inventory, and scored an 89 out of 100.

I’m the type of person that has a zillion ideas running around in my head.  So many, that it’s a challenge to keep up and make sure I capture the good ones in some way.  So, I’ve worked out ways to keep track of ideas and inspiration as they come along:

• Capture them at bedtime.  I’m a night person, and if I don’t get horizontal before a certain time at night, but brain turns on.  Sleep then evades me for quite a while.  So, I keep a small notebook at my bedside to write down the good stuff, and other random thoughts that pop up in my brain.  This calms my fears that I won’t remember stuff in the morning.
• “Morning pages”.  I use a large journal and write three pages first thing in the morning.  I keep it at my bedside so I can roll over and grab it.  It’s a great way to clear out my head in a stream of consciousness kind of way.  I’ve discovered and processed some really interesting stuff this way!
• Travelling journal.  I have a small notebook I keep with me at all times.  It has a specific section in it for “Ideas”.  Whenever something strikes me, I write it down (of course, if I’m driving I pull over to do this).  I also use this same notebook for meeting notes (with people, organizations, lectures, whatever).  Sometimes I get a brilliant idea in the middle of something, so I write it down!
• Record it.  I have a small recorder on my smartphone so I can capture ideas if I somehow don’t have paper and pen.
• Put them on the calendar!  Ideas are great, but if they are just captured and never implemented, they don’t do much good.  So, I take the ones I feel strongly about and put them on a long or short term Project or Task list.  Dates will get the stuff in motion.  (One of the ideas I captured a year ago became my new talk show, The O-Myth!)

That’s how I capture my ideas and inspiration.  How about you?

If you’d like to take the Creativity Inventory, here’s the link:

The O-Myth Contest: Share an organization tip or an “O-Myth” and you can win a whoMi wall family calendar. Leave your comment below, along with your email to be entered in the contest.

Winners will be announced tomorrow on our show, June 20th!  You have until 8:30am PST to enter, so don’t miss out!

Tomorrow, June 20th, The O-Myth welcomes Gwynne Warner of 10K Blessings Feng Shui.  Gwynne is a Feng Shui Consultant and all around fun gal!  We’re going to be discussing the O-Myth:  “A place for everything, and everything in its place”.

Join us tomorrow, June 20th at 10am (PST) on The O-Myth on BlogTalkRadio!

On Thursdays I share a quote that I hope will inspire, make you think or just make you smile. Here is this week’s quote:

“He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day… needs to reorganize his life.”
-George M. Adams

(photo by Joyseph on flickr)

On Thursdays I share a quote that I hope will inspire, make you think or just make you smile. Here is this week’s quote:

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.”
- Albert Einstein

(photo by Sarah Jane, on flickr)

The O-Myth Contest: Share a tip or an “O-Myth” and you can win a whoMi wall family calendar. Leave your comment below, along with your email to be entered in the contest.

Winners will be announced on our next show, June 20th!

Today on The O-Myth:

Today Krista Colvin and I had our first O-Myth BlogTalkRadio show! We were happy to have Ronnie Noize, The Marketing Coach joining us to talk about how there’s just never enough time in the day. Ever felt that way? Here’s a few things Ronnie shared with us today:

• Use systems to make life easier: Routines and tracking systems will go a long way to making life easier.
• Systems make sure things get done: Ever gone through your day and wondered what the heck you accomplished? Too many of us live life unconsciously and don’t get to the things we want or need to do. Using routines and systems help you go about your day with purpose!
• Email doesn’t have to rule your life: This was especially insightful. Ronnie shared with us that she doesn’t read every email she gets. Some people will use email to get too familiar or ask for things they wouldn’t otherwise. She heavily screens her email, and not all of them are opened (some are just flat out deleted). Very interesting, and caused me to think…

If you couldn’t make it live, you can listen to the audio here.

Don’t want to miss the next show? Scroll down on the home page, and subscribe with an RSS Reader or with iTunes. You can also have a reminder sent to your email or cell phone!

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Don’t forget to enter The O-Myth Contest: Share a tip or an “O-Myth” below to win the whoMi calendar. You can also check out the other entries on Krista’s blog. Good luck to everyone who enters!

Begins Friday, June 6th at 10am PST on Blog Talk Radio!

Yes, it’s true, I’m hittin’ the internet airwaves with my lovely co-host, Krista Colvin. The show is all about “Overcoming Organization Overwhelm”. We’re a little kooky and love to have a good time, but we also are ready to give you tips and inspiration you can use. We also have a fabulous group of guests lined up, so be sure to check out the schedule link below. In case you want a little taste of what the show will be like, here’s a sneak peak into our zany, fun and off-the-cuff style. To view the latest schedule, listen in on the show, bookmark it, get reminders about the show’s air dates and time or download audios of the show (coming soon) check out the show’s main page here:

The O Myth: it’s all about helping you overcome organization overwhelm and having fun doing it! We’re going to have a great time, so see you there!

On Thursdays I share a quote that I hope will inspire, make you think or just make you smile. Here is this week’s quote:

“I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.”

- Oscar Wilde

(photo by laffy4k, on flickr)

This guest post was written by Angela Todd of Angela Todd Designs.

Chances are good that your home office is one of the least esthetically pleasing rooms in your home. If you are like most homeowners, you probably spent as much time decorating your home office as your utility room. As a matter of fact, most people’s utility rooms and home offices have a lot in common:

• They tend to lack personality
• Disorder and clutter are a constant battle
• They are utilitarian in nature
• The color and décor of the room (or lack thereof) doesn’t support the room’s use

I don’t know about you, but I spend a lot more time working in my home office than I do in the laundry room. Halleluiah! Did you know your working environment has a large impact on your productivity, creativity and energy levels? For many of us it also effects our perception of our personal success and our confidence level. Clutter and an uninspiring space can wreck havoc on your business goals.

Convinced you need to do address your home office’s look? I hope so! Below are some design tips to get you started.

1. Clean up your clutter and get organized: If you can’t/won’t/or don’t want to/ do it yourself, stop feeling frustrated about it! Call an expert who will customize an organizational plan that is personalized to you and your workflow. You don’t have to be great at everything; you just need to know who to call.

2. Establish a floor plan that addresses function and flow: A home office floor plan gives you quick, easy access to items you need on a daily basis. A good floor plan is also compatible with your type of business. For example, my home studio includes a work area to layout floor plans, fabrics and surface materials. What is unique about your business and workflow? Your home office should address these needs. Here is a great, free tool for laying out your home office floor plan.

3. Start your home office interior design with something that inspires you: Begin with a piece of artwork, an area rug, a lamp, an accessory or an upholstered chair that speaks to you. Then build the room’s style and palette based on what you love and what you already have.

• Blues are said to be imaginative and progressive
• Yellow is cheerful and stimulating
• Red is powerful and daring
• Orange is adventurous and unique
• Green is soothing and is said to help you think
• Purple is ambitious and associated with royalty

(Here is a great link about color psychology.)

4. Choosing wall colors for a home office : Please trust this experienced opinion: It is easier to find a wall color to match an item than find items to match a wall color. Pick your inspiration piece and general style before you paint the walls! Next, follow these tips for selecting a great wall color.

• Just because they place a color on a swatch doesn’t mean it should ever be on a wall.
• If you want something in your office to “pop”, don’t match the walls to that item.
• Use a tint, tone or shade of a color in your palette, instead of an exact match.
• Unless you are experienced with wall colors, know that colors are more intense than they seem on a small color chip. You might want to move down the color card a shade or two lighter than your first choice.
• Complex neutrals with a touch of color are very vogue these days and are here to stay for some time. A room can be interesting without the walls screaming color. It will also have longer staying power before you grow tired of it.
• Although painting is inexpensive, it is time consuming and painful to re-do! If you aren’t sure of your choice, hire a designer for a color consultation.

5. Establish a focal point for your home office: A focal point is the first thing you see when you enter a space. It is necessary in all design, and many home offices don’t have a natural focal point like a fireplace, or a large bank of windows with a view. If your focal point is your desk (most of the time it is), give it visual impact by hanging grouped artwork, placing a bookshelf behind it, or installing a specialized wall treatment made of wallpaper, fabric or a decorative mural. You can also add an area rug or drop a chandelier to ground the space.

6. Include sufficient lighting in your floor plan: Lighting is the most overlooked area of designing a room and it has a large impact on the finished project. At a minimum you need at least two sources of light – most designers would argue three. In addition to your overhead light, consider a desk lamp. If you have extra seating, try a floor lamp or a table lamp next to the chair. If you have a bookshelf, installing lighting inside will give a great effect. Use an uplight for large trees and watch the leaf pattern dance on your walls and ceiling. Express your personality and style in your lighting. If a banker’s desk lamp isn’t your style, pick something that is you.

7. Encourage yourself every day: This suggestion looks different in visual form for everyone, but it is important for you to consider what inspires you. For some, a piece of artwork of an exotic place they vacation is a motivator. For others, it’s a whiteboard or corkboard with goals, client thank you notes, and a mission statement. Some of us are motivated by family photos or fresh flowers each week. I have also found some like to declare their business with their logo or business name. You can also place an inspirational quote that speaks to you. Vendors like Wallwords can customize a decal for you inexpensively. You can place your creation on glass, mirrors, and painted walls. Visual encouragement helps remind you of your accomplishments and goals on a daily basis.

Follow these easy tips to transform your utilitarian home office into a personalized space that inspires you every time you enter!

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About the author:

Angela Todd creates exceptional, personalized spaces for homeowners and small business professionals. For more information on how Angela can help you create an exceptional space, visit her website or her blog.

I was watching the local Rose Festival Parade last night. One of the bands reminded me of the movie, Drumline. I pulled it out and watched this scene. (If you haven’t yet seen this movie, I highly recommend it!)

Amazing, right? It got me thinking about some things…

“One band, one sound.”

The main character in the movie has to learn some lessons any young, talented and smart person has to learn about success. The group is all involved in making one sound: many drums together producing one sound that one snare could never duplicate alone. The conductor in the movie says over and over, “One band, one sound”. It’s the mantra of the movie, and a great life lesson. (He also had a great time management tip: If you’re five minutes early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late.) In order to participate in that sound, the main character and his peers have to be prepared, dressed, rehearsed and ready to go with their instrument. How much could he contribute without drum sticks or his drum?

Many great and significant changes in history have been made by organized efforts. It takes talent, dedication and systems to win a regional band contest, accomplish social change, elect a president or help those affected by a natural disaster. It takes people prepared and ready to go when the time comes.

“Success happens when preparation meets opportunity”

That’s how the saying goes. If you had an incredible opportunity knock on your door, would you be ready to answer? Could you find your best work and bring it to the table? If not, how long would it take you to find it, and would the opportunity still be there when you did?

Are you ready for your perfect opportunity to come knocking?

If not, what can you do about that now so you are ready if and when it comes?

On Thursdays I share a quote that I hope will inspire, make you think or just make you smile. Here is this week’s quote:

We do not keep the outward form of order, where there is deep disorder in the mind.

- William Shakespeare

(photo by alexthebig on flickr)