Are you productive at work?

I love the Simple List in Real Simple Magazine. They always have such helpful reminders. Last year, I clipped this statistic and I wonder if it's really true:

New Technology, Work and Employment did a study that showed  that workers are 9% more productive if they take short internet breaks (say to check Facebook or read the news) than employees that just work work work through the day. The psychologist that did the study summarized that online breaks restore mental capacity which boosts effectiveness.

What do you think?

2 ways to get yourself motivated

The feeling you get when you've completed something is like no other. The exhilaration of completion... when a project is done, checked off your list or maybe you organized something that was disorganized.

You might be wondering, why is this such an obstacle? Why is it so difficult to get organized? Well, in my opinion, the problem is not about it being hard. The problem is really about motivation. 

Think about weight loss. It's the same thing! We all know we need to loose 10 more pounds. We know we need to eat the right kinds of foods, get a certain amount of exercise, but yet we still order pizza on Friday night and miss our morning workout class because we are tired.

In my opinion, the problem always seems to lie in motivation. I don't have time, it's not important enough, I have other things to do etc., etc. We have these conversations in our heads and the bottom line is that we just aren't motivated  to make "it" important. Finding your motivation or your "sweet spot" might be a little easier than you think. Here are a couple ways I find my own motivation:

Small Bites: sometimes just doing a small action can make a bigger thing seem slightly easier. Breaking down tasks into smaller more manageable steps might give you those little 'bites' of success to keep your momentum moving forward!

Pair It Up: if there are things you know you need to do, but hate doing them. I find that pairing them up with something I enjoy makes the "UN-enjoyable" easier. Cleaning out my closet is one thing I hate to do, but I always like the feeling I get when all my cloths are clean and the laundry is done and put away. So I tackle an extra section of my closet when dealing with laundry. An extra 5 minutes can go a long way in my closet. (Yes, you heard me. My closet is always a mess)

As Michael Jordan has said, I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying! So be like Mike and give it a try!

Over the hump and through the woods

I almost have to laugh a little... If you follow my blog (thank you by the way), and are seeing this post you must be thinking... "where the heck has she been for the last year?" 

Well, I'm not going to tell you... it's too long of a story and quite frankly, not very exciting. I've been starring at this last post for the better part of 13 months saying to myself... I need get a new post up on my blog. It just hasn't happened. 

Do you find yourself feeling the same way... maybe about something else in your life? 

pro·cras·ti·na·tion will get the best of you. If you put things off too long, you start to feel this sense of failure for what you haven't done; or maybe you start feeling depressed because you just "should" be able to get at what you said you would do. I always say to my clients... "don't should on yourself!"

What I am going to tell you is that you can do it! Take the leap and make a step, even if its just a small step. Take it! 

By writing this post, I've gotten over the hump. Who knows, you might find it isn't so scary.

Cheers! 
Here's to a new day!

Small Space Organizing: A Room-by-Room Guide...

Have you ever picked up a book on getting organized and realized half way through, "this isn't the book for me?" There are millions of books on getting organized, and it's hard to choose which one will speak to your needs. When in doubt, I always say ask an organizer!

If you are looking for a DIY organizing book, in my opinion there are four things you need to look for: real life examples, helpful tips and ideas, resources of places to find products, and most of all a place to write notes down. If you have even two of the four you've probably got a good book.

Recently I read a book called "Small Space Organizing, A Room-by-Room Guide to Maximizing Your Space", and I loved it!

Kathryn Bechen, breaks each chapter down into the many spaces within your home (inside and out), and she include all the key elements of a great organizing book.

The kitchen space is always in crisis. It's usually located in the center of the home, and serves as the hub of every household. No matter how big or small the kitchen is always a busy room. In chapter 7, Kathryn breaks down the kitchen into brilliant manageable pieces. She addresses storage and inventory and it's importance to the space, while offering an extensive list of helpful tips to managing it all. She gives you an entire page of resources and an entire page to write notes. Brilliant! 

Dining isn't just about breakfast and dinner. We often entertain in our kitchen space so learning to adapt for events such as holiday entertaining is key? No worries, Kathryn offers excellent advice on how to be prepared, plan ahead and ultimately enjoy your company and/or holiday.

Small Space Organizing isn't just about a small spaces, it's about giving you options and solutions that will work for you. If there is one great skill professional organizers offer it's RESOURCES. Never underestimate a person who can help you get it done, and where you can get products to do it better!

Great job Kathryn and a great book! You can learn more at www.smallspaceorganizing.com. Happy Reading!

Cyber Monday is the day to UNSUBSCRIBE!

 

Bombarded by emails?

Hate dealing with cleaning out your inbox each week?
The delete button and I have had an intimate relationship over the years, but as I sit here this Monday morning; this Cyber Monday morning in fact, it dawned on me how today is the day to seize the moment and UNSUBSCRIBE from all those unwanted emails.

My tip for you this week is to spend 15 minutes each day and unsubscribe rather than hitting that delete button. You will find your inbox to be a little lighter in the coming months, and you can actually have the time to read those messages that are important to you.

Believe me, as a business owner who sends out emails I don't want anyone to be deleting my emails, I would rather have subscribers that enjoy reading my messages.

Great new resource for those who struggle with organization...

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) now has classes available online for the general public. I have been a member of this organization for the last three years and I have to say that that this organization is a leading educator on all things "challenging" when it comes to getting organized. Here's the line up:

Understanding Chronic Disorganization presented by Lynne Johnson, CPO-CD®

Introduction to ADD presented by Denslow Brown, CPO-CD®

Introduction to ADD and Procrastination presented by Tiffany deSilva, CPO-CD®

Introduction to Hoarding presented by Geralin Thomas, CPO-CD®

These are some AMAZING speakers (some of which I have learned a great deal from... you know who you are...). You can sign up by simply doing the following steps:

1. Go to the Public Page at ICD

2. Pay the $10 class fee

3. Within 48 hours, you will get an email with the link and instructions for the class recording.

4. You will have two weeks to listen to the class from the time you recieve the instructions.  

5. At the end of that time you will get a short survey (which just helps us to provide better classes).

It's that easy. I can tell you (from experience) these are some awesome women to learn from.

Daydreaming helps to achieve your goals

This past weekend, my husband and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary with a kid free weekend in Portland. It was probably one of the most relaxing weekends I've in a long time. We spent Saturday morning sipping coffee and watching the set up of Saturday Market (which was an impressive orchestration).

We must have sat there for an hour. I found myself daydreaming about things my husband and I have done in the past 10 years and the many things we want to do in the next 10 years.

As I sat there, I was reminded of an article I read recently in Martha Stewart's Living (Great Escape, Aug. 2011) on daydreaming. In the article, daydreaming was defined as "spontaneous thinking about something else other than the task at hand". The author said that the act of random mind wandering wasn't a bad thing. The article went on to say that daydreams "help you to hatch solutions to everyday issues or figure out how to take action on a bigger goal.." 

Isn't that exciting to think that daydreams give you permission to think about all those random things you want to do. Some of my best ideas have come out of one of those conversations... "someday I'm going to____."

We spend so much time meeting deadlines, focusing on the tasks at hand that we forget to let our minds wander. Lighten your brain a little today and give yourself permission to wander.