space of mind

"too good to be new" re-do

2009-03-31T10:40:00.001-05:00

the event "too good to be new"on Saturday, April 4 will now be held later in the summer - Trash2Treasure is doing their own in-house reorganizing and recycling on that day!

Make sure you take a look at their website - http://www.trash2treasurefl.org/ for a wild trash 2 art contest!

what am I paying attention to?

2009-03-27T16:30:00.000-05:00

I am an attention + organization coach, and I specialize in helping chronic clutterers (hoarders) create their space of mind, which is what I've named my company.

What I know is that clutter has very little to do with space (ie: how much space there is, what being organized "looks like"), but everything to do with our emotions (and what being organized "feels" like).

The largest factor contributing to clutter is fear. As it relates to the theory that decluttering will create space for love (a theory I fully subscribe to), these fears can include:

the fear of not having enough
the fear of not finding "it" again
the fear of forgetting to do something
the fear of letting people inside yourself AND your space (ie: many clutterers don't entertain friends, loved ones at home)
the fear of being alone

- Clutter is the result of not paying attention to yourself. -

We create physical distractions out of indecision or fear around moving forward. Physical clutter is a reflection of mental clutter, and the "tools" for organizing mental space aren't sold at the Container Store. It is inefficient to try to organize physical clutter before the mental clutter is inventoried and understood.

The most important tool in organizing mental clutter is checking in with the question, - "What am I paying attention to?" -

The most important question to ask when organizing physical clutter is, - "How is this (object) giving me/reflecting what I really, really want? -

If what we want is love, clutter is essentially a barrier keeping love - and life - at a distance. Clutter, like weight, insulates.

The key to clearing clutter: find what it is you want to pay attention to (ie: your passion, interests, goals) and "staying in motion so you can stay in focus on that goal."

There are four types of clutter:

impulsive clutter (ie: purchases we don't need, things people gave us and we didn't refuse, etc.)
overpurchased clutter (bargain bulk-purchases)
collections (CDs, photos, memoribilia, inherited heirlooms)
free stuff (freebies, ie: extra toiletries from travel, extra napkins from takeout, etc.)

Steps to declutter:

Do a braindump - organize your mental clutter first so you know what spaces you are working in (remember, we have mental space, physical space and also cyber space) and what activities/objects relate to each space. You can do this through different brainstorming tools (ie: make a mind map using a tool like http://www.mindjet.com/), in conversation with a trusted partner/coach (an objective person is best).

Prioritize your projects - before you touch anything, use your plan to help you decide which order to work in. Work with the items that relate to your daily life first. We often try to work with the "collection clutter" first, but it just prolongs the inevitable, while more "everyday clutter" builds up.

Pick some charities you want to support - knowing that discards go to good places makes it easier to part with them. Look up local "creative reuse centers" to see about donating items that may not work for traditional thrift stores but also aren't ready for recycling.

Play the matching game - sort everything first before you start to organize it. Sorting is a quick process, where you don't try to decide what to do with anything; you just put like items with like items.

Work with one sorted pile at a time.

Set reasonable expectations - and work within your attention span. The more tired we are, the harder it is to separate emotions from logic in our decisions.

Have your supplies ready to store or remove items.

Be realistic - and pragmatic. Making space for what you love means finding new ways to store what you need and release what you don't. Music can be stored online; paper can be scanned; clothing can be consigned, redesigned or donated.

If you are emotionally attached to your "stuff", working with an objective partner can be a huge relief and time saver. (Keep in mind, friends and family are usually not objective.)

I hope this is helpful - please feel free to contact me for your own space of mind.

Ali

creating a family command center

2009-03-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

1 step one: assign the space

Staying on top of what’s next for each member of your family probably feels like a daily futility workout. Too bad it doesn’t burn more calories.

Truth is: It takes a very little bit of work (and as much or as little creativity and cash as you have to spare for the project) to set up the space and systems for your family’s very own family command center.

Just like it sounds, a family command center becomes the nerve center of your household operation. It is the hub of the systems that save you from the daily earthquake that rumbles down the stairs every morning with toothpaste-stained lips, untied shoes and last minute homework assignments that involve you shopping for supplies for projects you’re going to end up doing for them anyway.

Your family command center will be the cure-all for your communication breakdowns. Here are a few of the things that you can include in your command center: (the complete list can be found here)

calendar(s)
what’s next lists
shopping lists
school project lists
invites + gift lists
flyers + notices
mail in/out boxes
household checklists
more here

If you wake up every morning wishing you had an air traffic controller monitoring the early morning kitchen chaos, try this:

Take a tour around your home and choose the space for your family command center. It should be a good chunk of wall and/or surface space. The ideal spot is at the family’s main entrance. Before passing go, no one collects anything or does anything or goes anywhere without checking in to see… what’s next?

Check back for more blog posts on this topic, you’ll get the next steps for designing + creating your very own family command center and the secrets to getting your family psyched up to use it.

If you’re more of a piler than a filer, you might find it easier to gather samples of items included on the list of potential family command center zones. Either way, get a good idea of who in your family does what, goes when and needs something where.

Once you know where your family command center will live and what it needs to include, check back here for the next step.

Minutes of meditation a day keeps the meds away?

2009-03-26T15:53:00.000-05:00

Transcendental Meditation® is now proven to help inattentive students, according to a new and enlightening study.

In only three months, researchers found over 50% reduction in stress and anxiety, and improvements in ADHD symptoms. “Teachers said they were able to teach more, and students were able to learn more because they were less stressed and anxious.” Exhale-ent!

Intrigued? Read the complete article from the Maharishi University of Management Current Issues in Education .

The study was conducted in a private K-12 school for children with language-based learning disabilities. Participation was restricted to 10 students, ages 11-14, who had pre-existing diagnoses of ADHD. About half of the students were on medication. The students practiced the TM technique at school in a group for 10 minutes, morning and afternoon.
After three months, researchers found over 50 percent reduction in stress and anxiety, and improvements in ADHD symptoms.

“The effect was much greater than we expected,” said Sarina J. Grosswald, Ed.D., a George Washington University-trained cognitive learning specialist, M.U.M. adjunct faculty, and lead researcher on the study. “The children also showed improvements in attention, working memory, organization, and behavior regulation.”

Click here to view an interview with participating students Click here to view PBS Feature on the TM technique and ADHD.

procrastination avoidance tactic

2009-03-26T10:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a great procrastination avoidance tactic for those who love music:

Create ipod playlists for your harder-to-tackle activities, mixing longer songs with shorter songs.

Work hard during the long songs
and take a pause to move around, dance, or just sit staring out the window for the shorter ones.

If the long songs are one genre and the short songs are another, the cue from the changing music styles will remind you to pick up and resume.

And… since we sometimes tend to forget where we left off, leave a note for yourself with the last thing you did so you can get back into your rhythm.

Send me your playlist for this tip -

word of the year

2009-03-26T06:18:00.000-05:00

According to the Global Language Monitor, the number one word of the year in 2008 was CHANGE. The year before, it was TIME.

It's a new year, and clearly we are all speaking the same language: it's TIME for CHANGE.

The words we say, both to ourselves silently and out loud to others, hold incredible power... not just in definition, but in delivery. Ultimately, our words are dedications to what we choose to pay attention to.

What word did you use the most last year? Who did you say it to? Did your word give you power or have power over you?

I struggle with words all the time – finding just the right one, wishing I had caught one as it slipped out too quickly – and sometimes I struggle to believe the words that call to me the loudest. Of course I know that believing in what feels right feels good, and feeling good makes it easier to enjoy the time that I spend changing.

When you're swirling in a blender of everyone's chaos mixing wildly with your own, it's like the absolute LAST moment you're in your simple mind. Look out, though. There's a foot coming fast at your mouth.

1. Take a breath.

2. Consult your heart.

3. Choose your words carefully.

You're about to send them to your head and out into the universe, where apparently, they are being counted.

Here's my vote for 2009's word of the year: LOVE.

Love yourself. Love your family. Love your mess.

What's your word going to be this year?

unlocking creative business ideas

2009-03-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

Now is the time small business owners, like me, are throwing away the old business model, since it isn't working in this new, scary economy.

Most entreprenuers are big thinkers by nature, but when fears and money pressures are weighing heavy on a busy mind, creativity can be hard to come by.

That's when wheels get stuck and eventually come off the bus. Here are a few ideas for unlocking creative marketing ideas in stressful times so that you can afford to, you know, survive:

To tap the well of new ideas, take a look at what you're paying attention to. Is your focus driven by emotion or information? Stick to the facts, fears will subside, and ideas and opportunities will follow.

Stop listening to your friends and colleagues who tell you how bad it is out there! Drama is the last thing that will get you paying attention to what you really, really want!

If you stay in motion, you'll also have an easier time staying in focus. Move around the office, take a walk or keep a squeeze ball handy to keep your body moving while your brain is.

Unplug yourself from your usual work environment. Find a busy hotel lobby (usually have free internet and lots of coffee and are open 24 hours, just like you are) and see what happens to your mental space when your physical space changes.

To jumpstart the new marketing brainstorming, imagine how all of the people you're watching would fit the product/service you're offering into their now even more busy spaces and lives. How much can they afford to pay? Devote time to? Fit into their space? A few cappuccinos and hours later, you'll have come up with the conversation starters and pricing packages to…

Share what you know with everyone you know (and then find people who should know you and tell them why).

Best place to pick up those people: in the section of your local bookstore that most closely relates to your business.

cyberspace coaching will plug you in to your life

2009-03-24T14:18:00.000-05:00

"Home computers are being called upon to perform manynew functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog."

-Doug Larson

Whether it's in your head, on paper or a pda, you're trying to keep track of your busy life somewhere. And depending on your luck and direct line to the technology gods, you are somewhere inbetween getting started and getting your newest productivity tool to actually work.

(I bet that if you look around your home and work spaces, there's more than a few electronics, software programs and/or paper and time management systems that you either wish you were using better - or wish you were using at all!)

If that's you... woo hoo! cyberspace coaching is totally going to save your day!

We'll assess your technology goals and challenges, figure out what type of organizer you are, help you design the right technology solutions to manage your busy day, and coach you to use all of your new, fun tech tools right away!

To learn more, visit our web site, where you can read about all the fun stuff we can help you do (without ever having to read a manual)!

The best part... cyberspace coaching is all done either online, over the phone, or through instant messenger! That's right - you don't have to go anywhere!

If your five year-old knows more than you do about the computer, you really shouldn't wait...

whether you're a piler, filer, a paper lover or pda user, you can finally learn:

How to use your Microsoft® Outlook to brighten your outlook on life.

How to use Microsoft® Office tools to organize and present your ideas.

How to clean out and keep up your email inbox .

How to get software programs that don't work for you to work (she's got that elusive direct line to the technology gods).

How to communicate to your friends, family + co-workers online with iphones, blackberries, webcams, shared calendars and social networking.

How to produce and share your own web videos.

How to use mind maps and brainstorming software tools.

Which technology tools and toys work for your unique space of mind.

And whatever else lurking in your cyberspace that is weighing on your busy mind!

In honor of "Make It Work! March", we're offering these month-long specials so you can finally get your technology working for you:

 schedule a 1-hour technology discovery session ($65)
 or buy a 5-hour block of time and get your discovery session free ($350)

take the puppy positivity + productivity challenge

2009-03-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

This web site is guaranteed to enhance your space of mind. It's absolutely impossible for you to spend a few minutes "paws-ing" to watch this live streaming puppy-cam and not get instantly happier. And everyone knows - happy people get more done. Tell us if puppies help you pay better attention - leave a comment.

what's another name for ADD?

2009-03-21T18:00:00.000-05:00

Webinar, Tuesday, Mar. 31
Labels leave out the good stuff! There's magic that comes with having an active attention span, and a diagnosis doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. If you or someone you know, work with or love has - or thinks it's got to be - ADHD - this is the starting line for discovering your space of mind.

register for this webinar $50

Rave reviews from last webinar:
I received the email from Phyllis about calling a number and listening to your teleconference. So, I did...WOW...IT WAS FABULOUS! Thank you so much for allowing me to listen in. I am getting so much out of this. Not only are my assumptions being confirmed, but I am learning so much more. You are empowering me to work with some of my guardian ad literm children and their parents based on my own learnings. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!! XXXOOOHelga :)

It's already Flexiblity February!

2009-02-11T15:16:00.005-05:00

"I'm so flexible.
I can put my legs behind my head.
I want to be the most flexible person in the world."
- Mo Rocca

It's already Flexiblity February!

For commitment-phobes and procrastinors, January is a rough month. For optimists, it's a 31-day party with a resolution required for admission.
I'm not a fan of the year-long resolution. If it only takes 21 days to change a habit, that leaves 344 days for coming up with reasons to start changing tomorrow.

So, to appease our short attention spans and obsessions for instant gratification, my lifelong friend and I have a tradition of assigning an easy-to-remember theme to each month.

Last month was "Just Do It! January," which was a huge mood-lifter from 2008's kickoff, "Just Get Through January."

With all the economic belt-tightening these days, this is not the time for putting off big changes in all of our busy spaces. And just to make it even harder to do hard things during hard times, this month has even fewer days!

So you'd better limber up... Without "Flexibility February", where will you be "Marching On" to?

In good space,
Ali

one bubble at a time

2009-02-11T15:08:00.002-05:00

this year, take it one bubble at a time
Is there really anything better than bubble wrap? If you're a popper too, the bubble calendar is hands down the best hands-on calendar ever! Let's see if we can resist the urge to pop the whole year at once! Can you?

BlogTalkRadio Interview with Ali Kaufman

2008-10-09T10:35:00.001-05:00

Turning ADD into Gold

2008-08-20T19:55:00.002-05:00

I'm totally obsessed with the Olympics, and like all of you, I want to BE Michael Phelps.

Thanks to my TiVo, I have seen every minute of his Olympics coverage and heard every word of commentary. (I don't really watch all of it - I just fast forward to the good parts.) But if you have been watching, too, maybe you heard what I heard: At age 11, Michael Phelps was introduced to swimming as a way to turn his hyperactive energy into a productive physical activity.

Turns out, he hit the ADD lottery and found his passion, his talent and his gifted skill set all in one. And in connecting his mind + body with an undistracted dedication of his time, Michael Phelps embodies the physical grace many ADDers struggle with.

It's no secret: ADDers are klutzy. We can't help it, but sometimes the senses are overwhelmed with distractions, and it seems like our bodies + brains aren't communicating.

Well, the truth is that for many ADDers, physical coordination takes a lot of effort. Just ask my teammates during the one season my optimistic friend, Jen, forced me to join her softball team.

Whether you are officially inattentive or just sometimes just so busy that you forget that you are walking + talking at the same time, consider that there are lots of ways to improve the mind + body connection. After all, managing one's space of mind is all about coordination.

So, as we accept our gold medals for the accuracy of our TiVo starts and stops, it's a good time to think about what we're not starting or regret that we've stopped. And if you haven't already found your passion, talent or greatest skill, what's getting in your way? Michael Phelps wasn't always Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time. He was once a kid with a lot of energy who didn't know where to put it.

Ali

Occupational Therapy: A Tool to Free your space of mind

2008-08-11T14:29:00.005-05:00

space of mind is very excited to welcome Gold Coast Pediatric Therapy into our partner network, and we invited Jennie Lewin to share some insight into why OT can be a key factor in the development of the everyday skills for organization and attention.

Jennifer P. Lewin, OTR/L Occupational Therapist Founder, Gold Coast Pediatric Therapy LLC

First of all, what exactly is Occupational Therapy?

“Occupation" means an activity which "occupies" our time, and Occupational Therapy helps children, adults and seniors to participate in the functional activities of their daily life in an independent and meaningful manner.

Occupational therapists and space of mind organizers + coaches work together to help children, adults and seniors struggling with daily activities to:

Develop personal goals, which are meaningful, functional and measurable
Align activities, spaces + systems to reach these goals in a tangible, applicable manner
Design fun + functional spaces for mastering everyday tasks

Occupational skills are components of larger life management systems. For example, knowing how to tie one’s shoe is an important factor in a child’s morning routine. In treatment sessions, an OT helps a child develop that tactile skill in order to gain independence. Of course, it is crucial that a person’s environment be appropriate to support a child’s occupational AND organizational skills, while allowing for the greatest degree of independence.

When the space doesn’t “fit” the individual living, working or playing in it, modifications can be made to facilitate independence. Occupational skills are required to live, work and play in any environment, and just like organizing skills, they need to be developed.

Working one-on-one or in small groups, Occupational Therapists comprehensively assess functional, physical, and environmental challenges and implement customized treatment plans for skill development. OTs also offer guidance, support and education to family members and caregivers so that continuity of care in developing complementary skill sets is always present.

Gold Coast Pediatric Therapy goldcoastpediatrictherapy.com provides occupational therapy evaluation and treatment to children with a wide variety of diagnoses, including orthopedic, neurological, rheumatic, congenital and developmental disorders.

Therapy emphasizes rehabilitation of the total child with a focus on upper extremity functioning, fine motor skills, visual-motor skills and sensory motor integration. Gold Coast Pediatric Therapy also services children with shortened attention span, learning disabilities, sensory processing issues, and autistic spectrum disorders.

Tools: Bridge your Time into Organized Meetings

2008-08-06T10:34:00.004-05:00

space of mind TOOLS:
suggested organizational tools to work into your creative life

You have three people trying to find a time to get together for lunch. Back and forth you go through email until you come up with a good time, only to have one of the people remember an appointment – and now you have to start all over again.

Or worse, you go to the lunch only to have the other two forget the time and place. Sound familiar? The amount of time spent on this type of scheduling can be massive.

In my work I notice many variations of this theme weekly. But now, thankfully, you don't have to go through this wild adventure of scheduling anymore, and the system is appealing to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners!

TimeBridge is a one-step scheduling system. You select who you want to invite, propose up to 5 different meeting times and send a meeting invitation. TimeBridge does the rest — your invitation goes out and each person selects which of those five times is best for them and TimeBridge collects everyone's availability and selects the best time. Everyone gets a confirmation once the meeting is set.

Did you get that? Translation: It's Easy! And there's no cost to use it.

The best part is the ability to change the meeting in one-step through the system (not having to remember who was invited and sending emails out), and getting reminders of the meeting that go straight into your Outlook or Google calendar.

I have used this system successfully for a couple of months now and I can say it has been one of the best Tools I have ever recommended. Try it out.

5 weeks you won't forget

2008-06-26T09:53:00.004-05:00

If you're like any of us, you walk into a room, put something down, thing about doing something, realize you need something from somewhere else to get what you need to do in that room done, so you walk away, pick something else up, go into another room, talk to whoever is in there, sit down, touch something else, get up, go back into the first room, feel like you were maybe supposed to do something when you got in there, but can't for the life of you remember what...

... Until you do remember what it was you were going to do, and recall that you had originally left the room to go get the thing you needed to do it... And now here you go, right back into the other rooms where distractor factors lurk everywhere to go find it.

For anyone with easy distractibility -- a student, parent, professional -- staying in focus while staying in motion is a minute-by-minute challenge. So, if you've got 5 weeks this summer, we have a challenge for you:

The (first ever space of mind)Cogmed Client Challenge is a chance for you, your child, family members or co-workers to increase working memory, decrease attention deficits and increase efficiency.

Cogmed Working Memory Training is a 5-week, in-home, computer-based training + coaching program for children + adults, and we are proud to offer it as part of our brain fitness partnership with Dr. Judith Aronson-Ramos.

summer camp shaped my space of mind

2008-06-20T09:12:00.004-05:00

Today is the first official day of summer, and being a former sleep away camper, this was always an exciting time of year. Now a round-the-year business owner, I don't take summer vacations like I used to (wait, I don't think I take ANY vacations anymore!), but I still dearly miss the thrill of getting organized and on the plane headed for camp.

Each summer, I was off on a weeks-long adventure with friends I loved and in spaces indoors and out that set the scenes for the emotional, physical and creative experiences that taught me early to how to be uniquely me. I'm a big alliterator, so I'll sum up my Camp experiences with these 5 C's:

curiosity
My initials are ASK, so curiosity has always been my WHOLE name. At camp, I had the freedom and structure to explore new things, meet different people, and answer questions I never knew I had.

courage
Camp was a place to figure things out for myself. Whether I was sailing alone on Fourth Lake or batting for a winning point for my softball team (and freaking out because I am the worst softball player ever), I learned to like being afraid... it meant I was getting somewhere.

communication
Camp was a place to ask things of myself, and others - and the place where I learned that listening was as powerful as speaking, but cheering my friends on was more powerful than anything.

contribution
Cabin living taught me to be both independent and part of a group. I was responsible for my space, my “stuff”, my actions and my emotions. I learned to act in the group’s best interest, which was also usually in my own (well, sometimes the group was up to no good, but still, I contributed ;-)

completion
I was held accountable for the projects I started, the supplies I used, and was given the room and guidance to create tangible expressions of my ideas (aka: beaded necklaces).

competition
Color War was the defining moment of every summer. And no matter who won (but of course, it mattered), it was all about teamwork, leadership, and giving it all you had , while of course, cheering the loudest and having the most fun. I think that’s what winning should always be like.

The most enduring part of camp are the memories, which exist as the building blocks of the confidence that guides me in my lifelong quest to be an explorer answering questions, building relationships and living as through each season as it were an endless summer.

Ali

TOOLS: Voice to Email Text and back again

2008-06-13T14:43:00.003-05:00

space of mind TOOLS: suggested organizational tools to work into your creative life

Here's another tool you might want to look into – especially if you are an auditory person - http://jott.com/ JOTT converts your voice into emails, text messages, reminders, lists and appointments. And the reverse – feeds and blog posts are converted into voice to listen to over your phone!

There's a joke around my house. If I ever get on the phone with a voice recognition program – it never understands what I say, and I get "I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. Please repeat." sooo many times, that I start laughing, and then it really doesn't understand me, and well, that's the end of that. I'm doubled over with that strange hysterical laughter you get and someone else has to complete the call. So I went into this with great trepidation.

Setting up an account with JOTT is very easy, and once you have it all organized one thing you can do is call JOTT and dictate a message to send to your email. I did a test, and lo and behold, it got every word right, and it even took out my ummmms and ahhhhs between my words to boot! This feature can be very handy if you need to send an email to someone and all you have is your cell phone. You can send yourself reminders, or send out a group email while on the run. Of course, you need to enter all those email addresses during the set-up procedure, or import your whole contact list using CSV or VCF files. They have a nice explanation of that process.

You can create a task list and add to it by calling messages in – then print the whole list out at a later date. I haven't tried this feature – but I would imagine that this could be very helpful to parents. Do you twitter? Just call it in – done.

One of the examples off their website is really wild. Let's say you are in your car and you hear a great new band. You JOTT Amazon with the band's name – and Amazon sends you a list of results to your email address, then you JOTT to your blog all about the band. When you get home you have all the Amazon results and your blog has been updated. Blogger heaven.

There's a new feature that uses the opposite flow. You call in and say "JOTT Feeds" and it will read to you your favorite blog posts, feeds, weather, and current news. Ali Kaufman, the Founder of space of mind, is currently testing this feature. She is in the car a lot, so using this feature keeps her up to date and she can just listen (like you would listen to a radio station) to all her favorite blogs. In fact, you could set your JOTT up and listen to this blog post!

All in all, I really like this system. It is a new habit to develop, and there are new features I still want to try, but if you find yourself in the car a lot – away from your computer - but still want to be in touch – this is the system for you.

Phyllis

Tools: Mind Mapping

2008-06-10T16:22:00.005-05:00

space of mind TOOLS:
suggested organizational tools to work into your creative life

Here's a tool you might want to look into – especially if you learn visually http://www.mindmeister.com/ Mind Meister is a mind mapping tool.

Have you ever used a mind mapping program? I have tried a few and this one is very easy to use. A mind map is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, or tasks arranged around a central key word or idea. It's used to brainstorm, generate ideas, visualize, structure, and classify thoughts. It can be very helpful in putting down random points about a central idea and start to see the structure or action to take next. It's great for problem solving!

The great thing about MindMeister is you can have as many simultaneous users as you like! Group brainstorming – sounds like fun – yes? Users can create, manage and share mind maps online and access them anytime, from anywhere.

In brainstorming mode, fellow MindMeisters from around the world (or just in different rooms) can simultaneously work on the same mind map - and see each other's changes as they happen. Using integrated Skype calls, they can throw around new ideas and put them down on 'paper' at the same time. Very cool.

They have created a great instructional video that is short and very clear.

They also have some great add-ons – one is Geistesblitz Email & SMS gateway – where you can text your great ideas straight to your mindmap from your mobile phone – I know someone who will LOVE this! I just don't want to be in the car when she comes up with a great idea and then goes to text it while driving 70 on the freeway! (You know who you are…) A better idea would be to JOTT it to yourself – but that is another TOOL Post for another day.

Phyllis

4 S's in the ATL

2008-04-21T10:25:00.004-05:00

I'm getting ready for the drive back to South Florida after an incredible week spent speaking, coaching + enjoying time with old friends and new in Atlanta. It was a big week for me both personally and professionally, and it is no accident that the trip fell in the very week that for many years has proven to be a time that kickstarted major transition + growth. This week was no exception, and I can sum up the themes from this week in these 4 S's:

Spirituality -- Organizing is ALL about understanding the complex spiritual relationships we have with ourselves, our space, our stuff and the people we share all of that with. Faith is perhaps the fundamental ingredient in achieving organization, as it is the embodiment of discipline + commitment.

Strategy -- I watched the movie "Into The Wild" this weekend (highly recommend it; Sean Penn directed, so you know it's great). The movie depicts the tragic end to Christopher McCandless' adventurous life after he took off to live in the Alaskan wild. He wasn't thorough enough in his planning to eventually save his own life when he needed to, despite how easy it would have been had he known how to access nearby resources. The moral of his inspiring, yet sad story: A good strategy won't take away from a great adventure -- but if you don't have one, it may make that adventure your last.

Systems -- ADDers are typically re-inventors. That is, we tend to think there's "always a better way" and constantly recreate the wheel each time it's time to do something we may not like to do. Having a system that is consciously designed to keep your attention + motivation intact by making the dreaded activity fun will actually save you time later. Of course, you must have mastered the first 'S', spirituality, in order to truly let go and trust that the systems will take you where you want to be.

Solutions -- Creativity is the most important tool in problem solving. It has the magical power to open your mind AND your heart to seeing the (sometimes seemingly random) path to least resistance. So next time you are faced with a problem that needs a solution: reach into your toolbag and turn on your creativity. It always worked for Maguyver.

Here's to all the space of mind I found in Atlanta!
Ali

Breathe Right... strips your distractions

2008-04-09T07:33:00.002-05:00

So, my favorite trick for focusing fast is to slap a Breathe Right strip on my nose. The strips, found in the medicine aisle at your grocery or drug store, open up the nasal passages and makes breathing effortless + rhythmic.

Of course, rhythmic breathing is the first key to aligning the mind + body. That alignment reduces the distractor factor, making it easier to pay attention.

So, next time you sit for a few hours at the computer, your child needs to focus on a long homework assignment, or you just want to relax with a good book, use a Breathe Right strip and see what happens...

back from sab-add-ical...

2008-04-03T13:36:00.003-05:00

I received this email from one of my favorite, sarcastic friends yesterday:

so, i go to your website thinking i'm going to get some useful information to help me find space of mind, and i check out your blog...it hasn't been updated in more than 6 months! i'm sure you have very good reasons for your lack of attention to the blog...

sincerely,

disappointed in massachusetts

What he didn't know was how difficult the decision was for me to STOP paying attention to it. And it wasn't an oversight, but rather a necessary step to keep on top of the higher priority things I was also responsible for paying attention to.

Being an ADD-er in business (AND in the business of coaching ADDers, no less), letting go of the time + energy I was excited to put towards writing this blog was an exercise in practicing what I preach:

1. I listened to MY coaches, who told me consistently to focus undivided attention on the core business services first.

2. I can't do everything at once, even if I think I can.

So, I stepped away, all the while staffing my team to support me so that I can have the time + energy to devote to blogging about the dance we do while we are trying to find our space of mind.

I'm excited to say that the team is on board, the ideas are flowing, and my good friend's guilt is ironically timed, as our amazing web guru, Phyllis, and I have been working on some fun blog features soon to come.

So, once again, stay tuned... I am committed to not tuning out again.

Ali

clutter chronicles: part one

2007-09-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

Guest Blogger:
Seth Turnoff, a lifelong collector of really random stuff

For the past month or so, I have been ineffectively cleaning out my house to move and hopefully quickly, sell it. I have lived in this house for almost eleven years. During this time I have shared the house with approximately nine different roommates, a rabbit, Kitty Cat, and a temporary visit from some displaced Katrina refugees (which included 4 adults, another cat, and an African pigmy goat named Chauncey).

I never really did a “clean sweep” of the place from roommate to roommate (the house has lots of storage). So now, during this process, I have been shocked, confused but mostly amused by the treasures I have been uncovering.

I had five irons in this house. FIVE! I cannot remember the last time I had a need for A iron, let alone IRONS. I found a two foot tall statue of a cowboy wearing a duster jacket. Its bronze colored and made in Taiwan. They know cowboys.

Deep in one of the bedroom closets I unearthed two large boxes filled with some of the greatest movies EVER: Fletch, Caddy Shack, Scarface, Casino, Fear and Loathing, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, just to name a few. Seriously, there are 89 amazing movies here…… ALL ON VHS. LAME… Now, I also found three VCRs, one of which is the size of a desktop computer and looks like it dates back to the early 80’s. But c’mon! You can barely GIVE VHS movies away. I said barely. I do live in a college town.

I did do a little research on the web for alternate uses for the tape inside a VHS, and all I found were some instructions on how to make a little clutch purse using #2 knitting needles. I don’t have any use for a clutch purse and I didn’t find any #2 knitting needles (although, I wouldn’t be surprised), so that option is out. I figured I could make a really ugly curtain kinda thing but that’s just dumb. So I donated them to some poor college student. I bet the chick he invites over to watch Labrynth or The Lion King will be impressed with his extensive VHS collection. She’ll think to herself, “He has tons of movies on VHS.He’s sooo retro”.

A fishbowl, an electric wok and a fire extinguisher that is from 1996. Two space heaters, a box fan, and an air ionizer. A broken vacuum, a working vacuum, and one of those old-school workout thingys – with the springs between the two handles… I’m totally buff now.

Wanna buy a house? I’ll throw in an iron for free.

staying on task is the hardest task

2007-09-20T11:11:00.000-05:00

Most ADD-ers have one foot stuck in cement and one foot floating in the clouds, which makes it hard for friends, loved ones and trusted advisors to understand why getting and staying organized is so hard.

The reason is simple: prioritizing! ADD-ers are TERRIBLE PRIORITIZERS!!!

So, how do you stay organized when you're trying to work on one thing but 1,000 things keep running through your mind?

Here are some suggestions:

1. Keep a blank piece of paper next to you and everytime something pops into your brain, write it down. Don't think about it, don't analyze it, don't even try to convince yourself it's more important than what you were already doing. IT'S NOT. Once you finish the thing you were supposed to be doing, go back to your list and prioritize the items in the following categories: Do Now, Do Next, Do Later. Put the Do Nows on your calendar and do them.

2. Use a voice recorder to speak those things that you can't do now but want to. Maybe seeing them on a list is too enticing. This way, you can either transcribe your text yourself later (once a day is good) or use a transcription service to do it for you. A few that we love that let your cell phone do the recording: www.jott.com (free) and www.speakwrite.com (not free). Then, do the prioritizing and scheduling described above.

3. Lock yourself in an empty room and try to hide from the distractions.

4. Call space of mind, and we'll help you figure out a better way to accomplish what you need done in a day.

Whatever you do, remember: You can't do everything! And there's no such thing as perfect.