So Be Organized

Uni Task In Rapid Succession

2011-11-13T03:57:00.000-08:00

The brain doesn't get the whole multi-tasking concept.

It wants to email, create, think, text, watch OR make a phone call, not do all at the same time.

Just like a Guinness Book of Records hot dog eating champion it likes to do one thing from A-Z and then go on to the next item and do that from A-Z, which is essentially uni tasking in rapid succession.

We have a tendency to do item A, from A- F, then interrupt with item B, which we do from A-M, which gets overtaken by Item C which we do from A-T.

That's whats causing brain fog, you can pop as many Omega 3's as you want, but until you respect the brain you'll be forgetting stuff all over the place.

So do yourself a favor, identify the key items you need to take care of and take care of them in single file. Keep an ipad / note pad handy to jot down any other ideas that pop into your mind.

Just remember the record eating hot dog eater, one item at a time in rapid succession.

Your productivity will soar, your memort willl return and your brain will become your best friend and that's a really good thing.

Clutter is just a pile of delayed decision making.

2011-11-06T02:33:00.000-08:00

Clutter is just a pile of delayed decision making.
Clutter is just a pile of delayed decision making.

It makes our shoulders tense and gives us the unconscious notion that we don’t have a handle over the fundamentals of our lives. Listen loud and listen clear: get rid of your cluttered environment. It is going to suck the happiness and empowerment out of your day.

You see that pile of unopened mail on the counter? You are never ever going to find the right time, mood and lighting to really take care of it. Do yourself a favor, set the timer for five minutes, pull out the most important items and chuck the rest -- yes, even the $5 coupon to the store you’ve never been to.

You need a clean slate. Someone somewhere has a million-dollar idea for the next start up that is being squelched by the clutter on her counter; don’t let that person be you. Clear space is essential for clear thinking, don’t be held hostage by junk mail and other clutter. It is not worth it.

We are the mama birds of our nest. We need room for the chicks, the parents and a nice supply of worms. The rest is extra credit. Respect the nest and don’t fall into the trap making your nest your dumping grounds. Getting rid of stuff is your duty, letting things pile up all over the place leaves less space for the chicks and causes their feathers to get itchy.

Sobe Story :

Unable to keep her head above clImage by Sean MacEntee via Flickruttered water. Client X was advised to keep a garbage bag hung over a hanger in each of her closets. The moment an item wasn't needed anymore it got placed in the bag. When the bags were full they were brought to her favorite charity.

Strategic positioning of give away bags enables items to be sent on their way to making other peoples lives brighter while keeping aforementioned closets and counters clutter free.

It makes our shoulders tense and gives us the unconscious notion that we don’t have a handle over the fundamentals of our lives. Listen loud and listen clear: get rid of your cluttered environment. It is going to suck the happiness and empowerment out of your day.

You see that pile of unopened mail on the counter? You are never ever going to find the right time, mood and lighting to really take care of it. Do yourself a favor, set the timer for five minutes, pull out the most important items and chuck the rest -- yes, even the $5 coupon to the store you’ve never been to. You need a clean slate. Someone somewhere has a million-dollar idea for the next start up that is being squelched by the clutter on her counter; don’t let that person be you. Clear space is essential for clear thinking, don’t be held hostage by junk mail and other clutter. It is not worth it.

We are the mama birds of our nest. We need room for the chicks, the parents and a nice supply of worms. The rest is extra credit. Respect the nest and don’t fall into the trap making your nest your dumping grounds. Getting rid of stuff is your duty, letting things pile up all over the place leaves less space for the chicks and causes their feathers to get itchy.

Tweaks from the top

2011-10-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Tweaks from the top:

A good CEO doesn’t live or die by adhering to existing systems. Instead he/she knows when to tweak them to serve customers or clients.

As the CEO of your home, there are a g’zillion systems that constantly need tweaking — meals, snacks, uniforms, — so be organized and start thinking ahead now and incorporate some predetermined tweaks into your life. You know your daughter is going to lose her latest hairband and have a melt down every few weeks, so have one on hand to protect the innocent as you run for the school bus.

SoBeStory: You pull up to the school with your youngest and realize that he (he, not you, but more on that later) had forgotten his snack — again. We all know that panic isn’t in the parental toolbox, so quickly reach into the trunk for your survival satchel and finangle a quick replacement of Cheerios and raisins, complete with baggie.

A CEO-ordered tweak from the scheduling department, with a slight assist from strategic planning.

Good job Mama, you planned for the inevitable. Junior is going to have a better day and you will sleep soundly tonight.

Make sure this gets reflected in your year-end bonus.

Connecting the Dots

2011-10-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Ever had one of those days where life gets so overwhelming that we use all our energy fighting the overwhelming urge to crawl up in our beds in a fetal position ?

Managing the schedules of the children, Mom and Dad, the pets, the car , the home can be enough to make the best of us a little cranky once in a while.

So 2 weeks ago it was my turn to lose the plot. Seriously. Most days I can juggle things well but I just couldn't get ahead of the curve. So I did what good people do .... I consumed huge quantities of caffeine and sugar .. it didn't get me ahead of the game. So I did the next best thing and totally dumped all my troubles on the shoulders of my innocent friend Laura over at Hollywood Memorial's therapy waiting room.

I was alot better after a good therapy session and didn't have to throw the whole day in the garbage, however it wasn't until later on that day that I GOT IT.

You see, life as a parent is very much a dot to dot puzzle. Most of the time we can see where we are going with the dot to dot puzzle. We see a shoe, a flower or a giraffes foot. However, every once in a while whether the days are super hectic, a particular child is going through a rough patch or we are sleep deprived we start to lose the plot. Literally.

We lose the ability to look at the dot to dot puzzle and see the mushroom, toy car or chicken. Thats when we start to crumble, thats when we feel overwhelmed and ready to throw in the towel.

What can I say? It is an inevitable part of parenting to have rough days. Just know that if you find yourself in the same position and after consuming caffeine and sugar by the truckload you still aren't budging. And if you've chewed off a few friends ears and you still feel yucky then go ahead and take a deep breath and focus on all the good stuff you have accomplished, all the dots you have connected.

Go ahead and allow yourself to think about what is going on right here and right now. Maybe just maybe there is a specific corner of your world that is slightly unraveling and needs your concentration to connect those dots again. That worked for me, who knows, it might help someone else find that little flower on the right hand side of their dot to dot too.

Being Busy Is Inevitable ... Being Anxious Is Optional

2011-10-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

Being Busy Is Inevitable ... Being Anxious Is
Optional.

Seriously. Who would have thought ?

Image via WikipediaCoffee and milk, ice in my latte and my two new boots. Joined at the hip, never to be untwined.
Then the thought struck me ( literally) one day, that hard work and anxiety are not Siamese twins.

So many of us synthesize the two together. Where did that come from ? Since when did our busy work in the back yard as toddlers translate into anxious work as we get older ?

I think we need to work on separating the two.

I know alot of Moms and one thing I can assure you is that we are not scared of hard work. We each have alot of people depending on us to feed, clothe, empathize, validate and be kind to them.

The hard work ahead is inevitable, but any anxiety is optional.

Our brains tend to learn even if we want them to or not, so from here on I am going to work on untraining my brain to get anxious, I just find it so toxic and useless too.

So I challenge you to take the choice to separate the two and don't equate yourself with your latest mistake. Work hard and even harder just forget to get anxious ( or something like that). And you all know that I am talking to myself.

Organizing Tips for Creative Types :

2011-10-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

The System Is The Solution, Michael Gerber.

Creating more systems in our lives does reduce anxiety, however if you are experiencing a different variety of anxiety at the prospect of taking your creativity and writing it down on the back of a postage stamp know that you are in good company, same too for organizing your home.

Many of us feel initial resistance to boxing ourselves in. Think back to the time when you finally cracked the code on that perfect chocolate cake or when you finally worked out how to get your newborn to sleep. Or your morning cup of coffee, the way you explain to the barista to add the honey/splenda/ sugar when it is hot/ cold/ lukewarm and to not forget the soy and to always/ never shake it all up.

The beauty of these systems you already have working in your life is that you have discarded what does not work, you have worked out what works beautifully and you have chosen to stop reinventing the wheel.

So stick with me here, the beauty of incorporating more of these system is that it will free you up to use your mind however you feel fit to without being dragged down by the tyranny of constantly reinventing the wheel. Think of yourself magically turning into Michelangelo whose hands finally are free to paint after months of holding paint pots.

So rather than feeling constrained that you are being forced to live a life devoid of color and spontaneity feel comfort in the notion that the saved energy from not constantly reinventing the wheel will free you up to add any amount of color into your world.

The same magic that your unique way of taking your coffee gives you can spread over into all aspects of your life. And the next time you are behind someone in line at Starbucks who cant quite make their mind up as to what they want …. and you hear their ‘humming and haaing’ and feel their anxiety you will nod sympathetically and be grateful for the simple systems in your life.

From plastic envelopes for your children's puzzles to meal planning and beyond, these systems will free you up, not restrict you.

It's What You Do After You Buy The Book That Counts

2011-09-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaOrganizing Home Libraries

In a perfect world we would buy a book and put the book on our perfectly organized bookshelves. Period.

Instead, we find out bookcases somewhat cluttered, waiting for the perfect rainy afternoon to organize them the way they should be organized. And truth be told, we don't even want all the books we own anyway.

Here are a few tips that work in our home.

1) Don't keep all the books you buy.

Seriously, some books are not what you thought they were, some books and an interesting 'once in a lifetime' read and others are keepers. Find friends, libraries and classrooms that want your hand me downs. Consider selling them back to the online / bricks and mortar store you bought them from, just don't keep books in your home just because.

2) Make sure you have enough room.

Sometimes we forget that bookcases are not elastic. Consider buying more bookcases if necessary.

3) One in one out.

Once you've established your bookcase set up consider implementing a 'one in one' out rule. It prevents the clutter and encourages you to keep your home library current.

4) Think before you buy

Next time you find yourself with a freshly printed tome in your hands ask yourself where it will go, what it might replace and if there are other options available to you rather than buying. Perhaps you can borrow a friends or purchase it digitally. A book in the hand will not always be worth one on your shelf.

Life-Balance. What Fruity Sugar Stars taught me.

2011-08-07T02:28:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaIs there such thing as work life balance ? Can that 'to-do' list balance perfectly on the tip of your golf clubs and playdough ? (i.e. work, relaxation and quality time with kiddies)

In my world I often have to remind myself what my priorities are. It is somewhat of a natural inclination to want to do it all. It sometimes take the self discipline and precision of a black belt karate champ to stay focused on the tasks at hand.

Here's an

exercise that often helps me visualize the need to prioritize :

The next time you go shopping take a good look at all the possible items there are on the shelves and then take a good look at your shopping cart. Clearly you will need to be making choices as you walk around those aisles as all the potential items wont fit into that cart. You get the idea already don't you ? You can't fill your cart all the way up on aisle one or you'll be in trouble around aisle 3.

Same too in life, for the majority of us it's volunteering for the PTA or heading the Food Drive just like it's fruity sugar circles or fruity sugar stars. Or if you can handle fruity sugar circles and fruity sugar circles then there is no way you have the space for fruity sugar puffs AKA heading the Annual Bake Sale.

If only those hectic weeks in our lives came with a shopping list, things would be so much easier. It can sometimes get tough deciding what those 'to-do's' of yours can be left on the shelf until next week and which ones must go into the cart this week.

I don't have a magic formula however by tweaking those 'to-do's' based on the priorities of the week or month you will have a better idea of what gets priorities.

So, is there such a thing as 'life balance' ? By being focused on our prioritized goals and cultivating our 'to-don't' lists and fully understanding that there will always be more we want to put in 'our carts' AKA our lives, we all will be one step closer towards that shiny work-life balance checkout.

Thank you dear airlines, thank you

2011-06-06T03:07:00.000-07:00

It seems that the Airlines have done us all a huge favor. Now that most airlines charge us for a second piece of luggage we are going to have to think before we pack.

We have become such 'what if' packers. What if it rains, what if it snows, what if there is a heat wave .. by the time we have finished packing we look like we are emigrating. And who even uses half the items we pack !!

Bottom line is that from now onwards we will be more inclined to think what we will really be needing, and pack accordingly. Consider this : It makes packing quicker, a more efficient use of space, less shlepping, less unpacking and much freer on the mind.

Image via Wikipedia

Worst case we can actually pick up a couple of extra forgotten items.

Flying with less fatigue and a lighter mental and physical load. Thank you dear airlines, thank you.

Don't Do Until Others .....

2011-05-31T03:22:00.000-07:00

You've heard the famous teaching about not doing something we don't like to some-one else. In addition to this stellar advice I'd also like to cut the sentence to fit this blog namely : Do not do something YOU don't like. Period.

Seriously, define what is loathsome to you and commit to get rid of it, outsource it or do it differently.

Life is too short to be spent doing things that drain you.

Is ironing boring you to tears? Barter with a neighbor. Still no luck? Call local ironing services and eat macaroni and cheese for an extra night if budgeting

is tight.

Doing things differently involves paring something really fun during the boring task or immediately after. So if scrubbing down the shower is horrific be sure to blast some awesome music or treat yourself to a Skype session with a good friend overseas.

The main point is to identify what is unpleasant and to make it go away...or at the very least be creative in ways to make it pleasant!

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-05-25T04:52:00.000-07:00

Image by jmsmytaste via FlickrWisdom is an equal combination of experience plus reflection. Take time to think about your life.

The Organized Life is A Journey

2011-05-23T05:41:00.000-07:00

They say that getting more organized is a little like losing weight. We do have to believe in the end goal but can't fool ourselves into thinking that one 'good' week will result in going down 3 dress sizes. We must be careful not to confuse the certainty that we will succeed with the discipline to confront the brutal facts of our current reality. So whether you are working on getting the kids to bed earlier, making dinners ahead or clearing the clutter from around the house, don't go looking for incredible overnight results. It's like those lego bricks the kids play with the end result is being built brick by brick.

So the getting to a more organize

d stress-free life is a process and a direction not an overnight destination.

Leveraging The 80/20

2011-05-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

80% of your stress will come from 20% of your workload.

If you can identify this key 20% and strategize how to work differently, then you have just unlocked the key to a less stressful and more productive work day

Simple to suggest, tougher to implement. Do it anyway.

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-05-18T04:45:00.000-07:00

Image by oschene via FlickrSchedule time to plan every day. For every minute you plan, you save 12

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-05-11T04:42:00.000-07:00

Image by caribb via Flickr How far you’ve gone is not nearly as important as where you’re going.~Healy

The Value of Clear Headspace

2011-05-06T09:47:00.000-07:00

I often 'sell' the concept of the incredible value of clear 'headspace'. Essentially when our minds are cluttered with the mundanities of life, we are unable to think and act in a flourishing manner.

We get by on a ' gotta get this off my mind' mindset rather than a ' wow - that's an interesting idea - how can I apply this to my life?' mindset.

Today I had that exact experience. For multiple reasons I have outsourced my shopping, so today when I ran into a store I didn't have my head buried in my list, I was simply walking in to pick up some chocolate ( no comments please). So when a lady I recognized from a while back walked by me I had the clarity of mind to say hello to her.

It turns out that in the decade since I had last seen her she had become an Educational Specialist and serendipitously that was exactly what I was looking for for one of my children.

I had no idea she was even in the country still and having worked with her really nicely years ago made her the perfect fit for us. We exchanged pleasantries and business cards and I will sit down with her and hatch a plan next week.

This is was an exponential gain for me and proved to me once again the tangible value of having a clear mind.

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Wednesday Wisdom

2011-05-04T04:40:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaWhat you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals. - Zig Zigler

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-04-27T04:38:00.000-07:00

Image by jwgustavson via FlickrThere is a time to let things happen and a time to make things happen.Hugh Prath

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-04-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

Image by + Wind.com.my via FlickrAction without thinking is the cause of every failure."-Alex McKenzie,

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-04-13T04:30:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Seasons come and seasons go. But, your attitude must be non-seasonal in its drive toward the best things that life has to offer.

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-04-06T04:25:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaThe greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." - Michelangelo

Idea Lab - One Size Fits All

2011-04-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today I had the distinct pleasure of giving a time management workshop to the Strategic Planning & Innovation team over at Sloan-Kettering, NY. This is one of the more creative, intelligent and fun teams that I have met.We had the workshop in the 'Idea Lab', the title was enough to pique my curiosity ... yet when I saw the walls I was enthralled.

This team takes it's work seriously ! They had to re-design an element at Sloan -Kettering and went about it by fleshing out their walls with incredible ideas rooted in the main goals they had researched ahead of time. See the photo below - lots of pieces of paper, lots of stickers reflecting team agreement and lots of incredible ideas hatched.

The team had a fun time and incredible 'out of the box' ideas were suggested and a nice percentage will be implemented.

So here's the kicker - think of our lives ... think of the areas that need to be tweaked ..... where is our idea lab ? Where do we get to truly think outside of the box and come up with innovative ideas that are congruent with our values ?

From the children's lunches to new marketing strategies - we all need an idea lab !

I committed to creating one. I am thinking about where I am going to create one in my home, I will keep you all posted.

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-03-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

Image by MichaelDGV via FlickrIt's much more healthy to believe in yourself and the future than to worry about them

Cultivating Your 'To-Don't' List

2011-03-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaWith so much talk about battling our 'to-do' lists we rarely have time to focus on their nemesis - the 'to-don't' list. After a certain point in time, normally somewhere between baby number 2 and moving home for the third time we realize that we have to chose where all that depleted energy goes. By proactively choosing what you are not going to do, you are deciding ahead of time what you are going to do.

So, by spending an extra hour at the park in gorgeous weather you maychoose to serve non-gourmet boiled eggs, pasta and an omega 3 caplet. Or you may choose to say no to the park and make a gourmet dinner.

Here's the kicker, there is no absolute right and wrong. By allowing yourself to be human and not have to do everything you free up your time and headspace to enjoy what you have prioritized to do.

Wednesday Wisdom

2011-03-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia True strength is found not in heavy lifting but in letting go.

So Be Organized

Uni Task In Rapid Succession

Clutter is just a pile of delayed decision making.

Tweaks from the top

Related articles

Connecting the Dots

Being Busy Is Inevitable ... Being Anxious Is Optional

Organizing Tips for Creative Types :

It's What You Do After You Buy The Book That Counts

Life-Balance. What Fruity Sugar Stars taught me.

Thank you dear airlines, thank you

Don't Do Until Others .....

Wednesday Wisdom

The Organized Life is A Journey

Leveraging The 80/20

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