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Today is Monday and it’s a new start to a new week and it’s a great day to look at your goals for your week and see if they are manageable! Are you biting off more than you can chew this week? If you are, take the time see which tasks can be eliminated by putting them off until another /better time (or possibly indefinitely). After you eliminate, then see what you can delegate to someone else to help you get ‘er done.
Be sure that your goals for the week fit in with your core values and what is truly important to you right now. Are you trying to lose weight? Then schedule some exercise and eliminate your coffee date. Would you like to create more time for yourself for a pedi perhaps? Then see if you can get your hubby to make dinner one night this week and fit that pedi in since you won’t have food prep on your “plate.”
Knowing what your goals are will go a long way toward knowing how you should spend your time this week. Do your best to make your tasks count toward helping you reach your goals. You CAN do it!
Tags: DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Motivational Monday
What can you take off of your “To Do List” plate? Look high, look low, dig deep, soul search, do whatever ya gotta do to find tasks that can be passed off. Pretend like you’re in a race and you’re passing on the baton. Go, go, go!
BUT before you even go there with delegation, start with elimination. What tasks can you eliminate that really don’t benefit you, your business or your office and that really aren’t worth anyone’s time & energy? Sometimes we just fall into a habit of doing something and sticking with it even though there aren’t enough benefits to warrant it. Is twitter good for your business or a time suck? Do you really need to overhaul your brochure again? Do you need to blog 7 times a week or will 3 times be sufficient?
Eliminating tasks will take them completely off of everyone’s plate and open up more time and energy for tasks that truly are beneficial and meet your criteria as must do’s in your business or office.
Then next step is to look at which tasks can be delegated to someone else to get them off of your plate and allow you to focus your time and energy where your talents lie. In my business I use a virtual assistant for all of my website updates, many times they only take 30 minutes or less. If I had to learn how to get in the backside of my website, I can’t imagine how long it would take me and ick, I don’t want to know how. Currently I’m working with a printer to have custom notecards made for my business, they are tweaking and changing and making them prettier than I would. I have someone prepare my taxes and I have an IT guy to fix my computer owies.
Remember to delegate tasks to someone who can do the task at least as well as you can or who can do them even better than you can. It’s OK to let them go. You are not expected to be good at every task that comes your way, you’ve got your own strength-so keep working those muscles!
Tags: DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, productivity
Have you ever heard of Parkinson’s Law? To summarize, Parkinson’s Law says we will use the amount of time we are given (or give ourselves) to complete a given task. Have you ever been without a specific deadline on a project and dawdled around? Have you ever felt like you are more productive when you actually have more to do and put your nose to the grindstone? I know I have done both. It seems like if I have office time without clear goals and deadlines, I can twitter away (literally) way too much time and still feel like I didn’t get all that much done. Then there are other days when I know I need to work quickly before a meting, a client or to have a free weekend and I just knock shtuff out left & right.
A great tool I have recently discovered to light a fire under my arse is a free tool-yeah for free tools! E.ggtimer.com provides a free online timer, just set the time, get to work and be sure to beat the clock! Only want to spend 10 minutes on twitter? Set the clock. Want to check your email in 30 minute batches? Set the clock.
It’s amazing how something so simple can make a difference. But isn’t it great that it doesn’t have to be complicated? Simple is smart!
Tags: DIY organization, email, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Parkinson's Law, productivity, time management, twitter
Today I’d like you to walk around your house like you are a visitor. Go to each door and peek in like you’re getting a tour of the house. How does your home feel? Does it feel comfortable? Is it embarrassing? Do you have white walls or warm, inviting colors on the walls? Is there a comfortable amount of clutter or is the clutter piling up?
Then, I want you to sit down and write out how you would like your house to look and how you would like your house to feel. Do you want it to feel cozy and inviting? Do you want it to feel neat and calm? Do you want to have systems in place to find things easily? Do you want to have guests over? Do you want your home to feel like an oasis after a long day at work?
Now use this list as your motivation to make change happen! Keep this list as motivation as your energy levels lag over time. Because you can make things happen! You can start working on your home one room at a time and just one space at a time. You can do it for 1 hour, you can do it for 15 minutes, whatever you have in you!
If you are feeling overwhelmed, please click on my post about organizing through a toilet paper tube. Sound weird? Then check it out! 
Tags: DIY organization, home, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, house, Motivational Monday
Admit it, you’re busy, you’re tired and you feel guilty about taking a nap. Don’t feel guilty. You just lay your pretty little head to the pillow and get some sleep-you need it, you want it, you deserve it! Does your husband have a problem sitting down to watch a game when he needs a break? Let me answer for you, “No.” I know, I know, you have five million other things that need to be done. Who knows how long ago the blinds were dusted for Pete’s Sake. Who cares? Go take a nap.
When I was a SAHM for 11 years, I kept busy, by fellow SAHM friends kept busy. But sometimes too busy. Sometimes I noticed there was guilt over reading a book or taking a nap. Well, you know what? Your work, your home, your kids are a 24/7 job, so if one of the perks is getting in a nap when you’re exhausted, then embrace the nap or the cup of coffee or the run or the bubble bath, whatever it is you need.
If you don’t take these breaks, then guess what? Burn out. Irritation. Grumpy Gus. Resentment. All because you wouldn’t take a nap. 
Seriously though, make sure you take 5, 10, 30 when you need it. At work there are mandatory breaks and mandatory lunch breaks, you now have a mandatory nap break, because I said so (see, I’m a mom).
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY AND BLESS YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO!!
Tags: balance, DIY organization, Happy Mother's Day, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog
You’re probably asking, “Extra time, what’s that?” I know, I know, you may have to draw deep into fantasyland here to grasp this one, just let yourself indulge for a moment.
Well, today I urge you to write a short list of a few things you would like to do with extra time. Now don’t overwhelm yourself with some giant list that goes back to finishing the baby books. Maybe it’s sleep, maybe it’s going for walks, maybe it’s reading a book or taking a bubble bath OR reading in a bubble bath-gasp!
The reason that I want you to think about it and write it down, is because sometimes we don’t really know what we would do with ourselves. And when we don’t know what we would do, then we just keep doing what we’ve been doing: twitter, facebook, email, mindless tasks, procrastinating, making tasks take longer than they should.
But if you know how you would rather spend your time, this can give you the motivation you need to become more efficient, get out of your rut and maybe even start delegating some things so you can have time for the things that you want to do!
So take the time today to think about what you’d like to do tomorrow and start structuring your days and your time to make that happen! The things I would like to do with my time are: more reading, more exercising, more time with my kids & boyfriend and more fun!
Tags: balance, DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, time management
WOW, what an awesome feeling! Yesterday I was on quite the kick organizing my already organized office. I already have systems in place, I have labeled files and drawer dividers, I have a label maker and I have extra shelves in my office closet for supplies. But, yesterday I went on a rampage and no paper clip was left unturned, no envelope left untouched.
I was in the “mood,” I was in the “zone,” and I was re-evaluating everything I have in my office. So, it went a little something like this:
- I consolidated supplies like notecards & envelopes and even got rid of my “least favorite” pens (they can live in the kitchen).
- I used up specialty paper by creating marketing materials with them.
- I got rid of resource books I no longer want, craft organizing-eck.
- I went through my files and was brutal about getting rid of class material I no longer plan on presenting as well as marketing materials I’m not going to use.
- I re-organized some of my business files so files I access more often are at the front instead of in alphabetical order. A little unorthodox for me, but they are labeled so I know if will be more efficient for me in the long-run.
- Best yet, the delete button was my best friend for computer files! List of auction items that I donated that are expired-Deleted! List of books I was going to read someday-Deleted! A file full of teleclasses I was going to listen to someday-DELETED!!
I do practice what I preach and let me tell you, it feels great. I want to simplify, I want to streamline, I want to feel lighter and not feel guilty about the stuff I haven’t gotten done: I deleted it-oh hell ya! I want to use the time that I save for things I want to do, which includes fun!
Don’t forget to delete today!
Tags: DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, office organizing
I just finished reading a really awesome book (that my business partner actually helped write!), called “Dotcom” Secrets by Russell Brunson & Matt D. Murren. It’s a book directed at business owners but it includes good goal-setting advice that can apply to any area of our business, homes or lives that we may be changing.
One of the authors had an opportunity to listen to Tony Robbins speak about the difference between tactics and strategy. I found it interesting to read about goal setting presented in a little different way so I want to showcase the concept today.
Tactics
Tactics are the tasks that you do every day, the little tasks.
Strategy
When you employ a strategy, you take a step back to take a look at the big picture. You ask yourself, “What strategies can I implement to make my tactics (the small tasks) more successful? Even better, you outsource or delegate the small tasks to someone else if you can.
So how can you use strategies and tactics to get organized?
Let’s use getting the kitchen organized as our example for today.
Strategy or Big Picture:
- Create an organized and efficient kitchen.
- Clear counters for food preparation.
- Maintain and restore order quickly.
Tactics:
- Hire a professional organizer or work with an organized friend to declutter the kitchen.
- Let go of excess belongings from counters, drawers, cupboards and pantry.
- Place items of the same type together in organizing bins, baskets or holders.
- Label the “homes” for kitchen items so everyone in the family will know where things go.
- Make sure everyone in the house knows where things go.
- Assign family members duties like cleaning out the dishwasher to help keep the kitchen clean and running smoothly.
- Hire a housekeeping service if needed to maintain the kitchen and/or occasional deep cleaning sessions.
This is just another way to think about goals and creating smaller steps that break down the process and make it easier to accomplish your goals, organizing or other!
Tags: "DotCom" Secrets: How to Get 100 New Customers in 100 Days Online, DIY organization, get organized, goal-setting, goals & time management, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Kitchen Organizing, Matt D. Murren, organizing, Russell Brunson, Tony Robbins
When I start working with clients, the common theme is that they are overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin. Do you start decluttering on the floor or the counter? Do you work all weekend or just 2 hours? And usually they are so overwhelmed, they would rather walk away and not do anything at all. I’ve even heard the word, “match” a few times, but that’s just not an option!
So, I’m here to tell you today, you can tackle your stuff!! Just take it a little bit at a time, one small area at a time and start where you have the most pain. If you can’t walk into the room, then start with the floor. If you can’t eat at the table, then start with the table. If you can’t prepare food on the counter, then clear the counter before digging into the cupboards.
Set a timer today for just 15 minutes and clear a space just so you can prove that you CAN do it! I know you can!
Tags: DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, Motivational Monday
Recently one of my favorite ladies asked about re-energizing after completing the big task of getting organized for tax prep during tax season. There are many projects that require a big push to get done prior to a deadline or due date and then there can be a crash that follows. What’s a girl to do to re-energize and gear up again?
Follow these 6 organizing tips to re-energize and focus after a big organizing project:
Organizing Tip #1: Enjoy a reward.
Pat yourself on the back and enjoy a reward for a job well done! We can all use a high five and treat for working hard and accomplishing our organizing goals, give yourself the credit you deserve.
Organizing Tip #2: Take a break.
Don’t burn yourself out with organizing projects back-to-back. I know it’s tempting to keep going when you’re on a roll, but this isn’t a TV show, you probably don’t have a crew and I want you to have the energy to keep going by taking a break before hitting a wall.
Organizing Tip #3: Tie Up Loose Ends.
Make sure you have put everything away from your last organizing project before you start your next one. Make sure everything has a home, is clearly labeled and your plate is empty before you fill it again.
Organizing Tip #4: Evaluate Priorities for the Next Project
Examine where you are and where you want to go next. What’s your next priority? Make sure you organize where you have the most pain first. If you can’t eat at the table, clear the table before clearing drawers. If you can’t walk into the garage, clear the floor before you clear the wall units.
Organizing Tip #5: Team Up or Go It Alone?
How big is your next project anyway? Is it something you can tackle on your own or is it time to bring in a friend or a professional organizer?
Organizing Tip #6: Tackle Tasks in Chunks
Make sure you break organizing projects into manageable chunks and work at the time of day that you have the most energy. You don’t have to organize the whole garage at once, you can break it down by section or even by the amount of time you want to allot to the project that day.
Way to go on the organizing projects you’ve already tackled, now take a much-deserved break before you head into your next project!
Tags: 6 organizing tips to re-energize and focus after a big organizing projec, DIY organization, Home Organization, Home Organization Blog, organizing projects, organizing tips, tasks
