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Atomic Habits Book Review

8/12/2021

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I recently finished one of my new favorite books, Atomic Habits by James Clear.  I love personal development books - especially ones about habits or productivity!   Sometimes I find authors of these types of books difficult to relate to, though, because some are too academic and others a bit pretentious.  In my opinion, James Clear was just the right type of author to write this type of book - he was relatable yet knowledgeable and wrote in layman's terms with just enough science thrown in!  

The book focused on how to start and continue good habits and how to stop and avoid bad habits.  Atomic Habits is laid out in a very organized fashion with a summary and actionable items listed at the end of each chapter.   His suggestions were backed up with examples and were small enough to realistically implement.
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​My biggest takeaways from the book were that people who are most successful about forming and maintaining good habits consider not the outcome of the habit (losing weight) so much as the system for achieving that outcome (daily exercise),  and those who were most successful focused on the identity displayed (being a healthy person.)  Just this one simple point helped me form some new habits almost immediately!  I've been asking myself "What would a healthy person do?" when a choice is presented to me.  I've taken the stairs more often, chosen the healthier food option, and exercised more since I read this part of the book!

Another important bit of wisdom I gleaned from Atomic Habits, was that habits can be super duper small, and actually the smaller the better and the easier to stick with.  For example, my morning habit is putting on my workout clothes.  That's it.  I tell myself all I have to do is put on the workout clothes and then if I don't want to exercise, I don't have to.  Well, you know what happens, right?  I'm out of bed and have the workout clothes on, so I might as well exercise.  

If you couple  super duper small habits with what James Clear calls habit stacking, you are set up for habit success!  Clear explains the idea, "No behavior happens in isolation. Each action becomes a cue that triggers the next behavior. The habit stacking formula is: “After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT].” Habit stacking increases the likelihood that you'll stick with a habit by stacking your new behavior on top of an old one."
Habit Identity: Being a healthy person
Habit System: Daily Exercise
Habit Objective: Lose Weight

The book suggests making good habits easy and convenient and making bad habits difficult and inconvenient is a kind of shortcut to living the kind of life you want to.  If you want to get up and exercise everyday, storing your workout clothes in an easy to reach location makes it more likely you'll actually exercise, because it's convenient.  If you want to eat more veggies, cleaning and cutting a variety of fresh vegetables at the betting of the week will make it easy for you to grab them for a snack.  On the flip side, if sweets are your nemesis, ridding them from your pantry or at least putting them way up high in the back of a hard to reach cabinet will make it difficult and inconvenient to have as a snack.  It's been kind of fun thinking about how to make good habits more convenient and bad habits more difficult!

There's so much more good stuff in this book, you've got to read it yourself!  I'll be giving away one copy to a lucky reader.  There are several ways to get entered to win (do all for more entries!)
  • Like My Life In Order (@mylifeinorder) on Facebook
    • Follow instructions on giveaway post that will be posted on Friday, August 13, 2021.
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  • Follow My Life In Order on Instagram (@getmylifeinorder)
    • Follow instructions on giveaway post that will be posted on Friday, August 13, 2021
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  • ​Fill out the entry form below

If you'd like to just buy your own copy now, Amazon delivers!

Enter the Atomic Habits Book Giveaway!

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​Sources
Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Penguin Random House LLC, 2018. 

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Easy Bullet Journaling That Really Works!

8/2/2021

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If you have even the tiniest productive bone in your body, you're probably interested in how to keep better track of all of your to do's.  I've tried many tools over the years from digital apps to cute to do lists to a digital/analog combo, and what I've realized is that, for me, simple is best!  That's why I use a bullet journal which combines my love of office supplies, my desire to be a little artistic, and my need to feel in control!  

You may have read about bullet journaling or watched videos of some really elaborate ways to use a bullet journal and gotten scared because it looked too hard.  I'm here to tell you that you don't have to be an artist or a productivity genius to make a bullet journal work for you.

What is a Bullet Journal?
The Bullet Journal method was designed by Ryder Carroll, a former web, app, and game designer with ADD who needed a way to stay organized.  He knew that study after study had shown that writing things down by hand cemented them in our memories and provided a sense of order, so he developed a way to quickly log notes, to do's, ideas, and appointments quickly and easily in a bulleted list.  In addition to capturing your thoughts and tasks, you can create all sorts of collections of related information from a food log to vacation planning.  The heart of the bullet journal is reviewing your information regularly and migrating incomplete but still relevant tasks so that they stay top of mind.

What Supplies are Needed?
One of the great things about bullet journaling is that you only really have to have two things to get started: a journal of some sort and a writing utensil.  Other optional supplies are additional writing utensils in multiple colors, a ruler, stencils or stickers.  

With the amount of options available for journals,  it can get a little confusing, so let me break it down for you.   The features to consider are size, cover and binding type, paper weight, paper design, book marks, closures, and pockets. Your first decision is how big do you want your journal? There are codes that indicate the size.  Common sizes are labelled A5, A6, B5, and B6 that correspond to measurements.
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Covers are really a preference - do you like a hard cover or a soft cover and what material?  Some come with designs or quotes on the front while others are just a plain color.  There are four main types of bindings: spiral bound, saddle stitch binding, perfect binding, and case binding.  Spiral bindings can have plastic or metal coils threaded through holes in the pages.  Saddle stitch binding is the technique when all pages are printed and then folded in half and secured with staples. Perfect binding uses a soft cover and pages are glued to the cover.  Case binding is also called hardcover binding.  Pages are stitched together in sections, and the sections are glued to the cover.  This type of binding allows the book to lay flat on every page. 

Paper weight is another important feature to consider so the ink you use doesn't bleed through.  Paper weights are measured in pounds (how much a ream of 500 sheets of paper weighs) or GSM (grams per square meter.)  The higher the number, the thicker the paper.  The conversion between pounds and GSM is 1 pound = 1.48 gsm.  For example regular printer paper is around 20 lbs  or around 30 gsm, and cardstock is around 65 lb or 96 gsm.  In addition to weight, paper can be lined, have grid dots, or be blank.

Some journals have other great features like built in bookmarks (sometimes up to 3), pockets for storing loose paper, elastic or magnetic closures, pen holders, and even included rulers or stencils.  

I've tried several journals over the years of different styles and now have a list of must have features in a journal.  I want my journal to lay flat when it's open, have prenumbered pages, have an elastic closure, a pen holder, and multiple built in ribbon book marks.  This year's journal had two new features that I think will make my list - grid dots instead of lines on the pages and a pocket for a small ruler with stencils!  ​​

Writing utensils can be pens, markers, pencils, colored pencils or a combination.  I prefer pens or markers and enjoy using multiple colors to create visual separation and include some artistic flair!  It's important to have paper thick enough to prevent bleeding.  My current journal has paper that is 160 gsm.  There are many utensils that are bleed-proof.  My favorite are Sharpie felt tip fine point pens that come in assorted colors.  Or if you prefer a gel pen, one of my favorites is the Sharpie S-Gel fine point.

What's the BuJo Lingo?
Whenever you try something new, the lingo can be intimidating.  Here are what the basic words related to bullet journaling mean:
  • BuJo - Short for Bullet (Bu) Journaling (Jo) by putting the first two letters of each word together.
  • Rapid Logging - using a bulleted list to quickly log to do's, notes, and events.
  • Resource Page - a page where you list the symbols you will use, dimensions of your pages, etc. 
  • Index - a page or pages at the front of your bullet journal where page numbers of sections are recorded to help you quickly locate content.
  • Spread - a set of facing pages that contain similar information
  • Future Log - a  module where you can record dated events outside of the current month. 
  • Monthly Log - a module to help you plan the current month. Usually a spread with a calendar on the left page and a task list on the right page.
  • Daily Log - pages where rapid logging is used from day to day.  
  • Collection - a module that organizes related information
  • Migration - the process of moving incomplete tasks to a new monthly log or the future log
  • Bullets and signifiers - symbols used to indicate if an item is a task, an event,or a note and additional symbols to indicate the status or importance.  Below are the ones I use, but the beauty is, you can make up whatever you want!  TIP: Write the initials of the person you delegated a task to next to the delegated symbol for future clarity.
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How to Get Started
Once you have selected your journal and writing utensils, you can quickly get started!  Make sure your pages are numbered, or add in page numbers yourself before you begin.
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  • Create a Resource Page
If you're not a BuJo expert, it may be helpful to have a resource page to remind you of the symbols you want to use in your rapid logging, or the measurements of spreads you want to be able to easily recreate.  I also like to show a sample of each of my pen colors.  TIP: If you use paper with grid dots, it's helpful to write down how many dots there are vertically and horizontally.  
  • Create an Index
Simply write the title of any collection you create and the page number on which it begins.  One reason I love bullet journaling is because you don't have to have everything planned out in advance, you just log it as you go.  For instance, my January 2021 entry in my index shows pages 6-11,16-19 because I created additional collections in the middle of January.  
  • Create a Future Log 
I like to start a new journal each January, so my future log is for the upcoming year.  I use two spreads and split the pages into three sections each so that one quarter fits on each page.  This is where you can record important dates or tasks that should be done in a specific future month.  Make sure to note the page number of your future log in the index. Here's an example of a blank future log.
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  •  Create a Monthly Log for the current month 
There are infinite ways to design a monthly log, and some of them get really complicated if you want to get lost on YouTube.  I prefer easy and straightforward!  I like the left page to be a simple calendar.  It can be done with a traditional calendar grid or just simple numbers down the side of the page.  The right side page of the spread should contain tasks.  I prefer to split the page in half to be able to fit more tasks.  You should migrate any tasks from the previous month that still need completed, and add in any new tasks for the month.  As you complete them, delegate them, cancel them, migrate them, or move them to the future log, mark them with the appropriate symbol.  Don't forget to note the page number of your monthly log in your index.  Below is an example Monthly Log spread.  I include both work and personal items in my bullet journal.
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  • Start a Daily Log
​This is the best part of bullet journaling!  On the page directly after your monthly log, write the date of the first day of the month.  I like to write it in a different color and underline it so it stands out.  Then just start logging.  I often make a list of my top few things to accomplish for the day as soon as I begin the day's log.  Throughout your day, log what happens, and use your symbols to indicate if it's a note, a task or an event.    When the next day begins, just skip a little space, and write the new date, and repeat.  You don't have to start and end perfectly at the end of a page, just keep going until you have logged everything you need to.  When you finish a month of logging, you will just go back to your index and indicate the page numbers that information from the month is included on.  Example: July 2021 106-118.
  • Add Collections of your choice 
Here is where you can get creative and customize your bullet journal to whatever you want it to be!  I use mine for both work and personal content.  I have a collection of books I've read this year where I log the book, the author and the date I finished it.  I've also got a food diary, and a collection called, "Small Changes, Big Results" where I keep track of habits.  I have a couple of pages where I played tic-tac-toe and another page where I recorded all the license plates we saw on vacation.  It's completely customizable!  Add the collection name and page number to your index, so you can find them again when you want to.

How to Maintain Your Bullet Journal
The bullet journal is only as good as what you put in it, and just like any productivity system, it requires regular maintenance.  There are only three main things to remember:

1. Use it!
At first, it may be hard to remember to have your journal with you at all times.  I work in an office setting, so I keep my journal on my desk for easy access.  I take it with me to meetings, and though sometimes I may take notes digitally I always transfer any to do's to my bullet journal so I have a master list of to do's with me at all times.  

2. Update
 I often take my journal to my bedroom in the evening to review the day and mark off things I've completed or delegated, and get a jump start on tomorrow.   Even if you don't do this daily, it's critical to do at least weekly.  Some people do a weekly spread to force themselves to do this review.  I did a weekly spread for the first few months, but found that reviewing daily worked better for me.

3. Migrate
Migration is the thread that holds the bullet journal system together.  You could do this weekly if you choose to do a weekly spread or monthly if that's enough for you.  Use the symbol that you decided on (most common is  >) to indicate the task is not complete but it has been moved forward to a new section so that it won't be forgotten.  I also look back at any delegated tasks to determine if they are completed or not. If they are not I will move them forward with the migrated symbol and the initial of the person I delegated it to.  When the migrated task is complete, I will mark it as such.

The Benefits of the BuJo
I like the bullet journal system because it allows me to slow down and write things down legibly so I will be able to read them later!  This sounds silly, but sometimes I feel like I have so much to do that writing something down takes too much time.  Rushing is what leads to forgetting what I need to do and in turn getting overwhelmed.  Writing things down helps my brain process and remember things.

I enjoy the opportunity to be a little artistic in a non-judgement zone!  It's fun to use stencils and sometimes even stickers to decorate my pages.  I enjoy hand lettering, and it's an opportunity to use and improve those skills.  I also love that if I mess up, no one will see it, and I can just start a new page.

The biggest benefit of BuJo, is the sense of control it gives me knowing that all my tasks are captured and won't get forgotten.  I have the ability to look back at the history of my notes and tasks.  With the custom collections, I have the ability to track progress in many different areas of my life all at once.  

So, do you think you're ready to give it a shot?  Please reach out if you have any questions or need some more guidance to get started.  If you want a deeper dive into the philosophy and process of bullet journaling, I recommend Ryder Carroll's book, The Bullet Journal Method

Sources
Carroll, Ryder. “Bullet Journal.” Bullet Journal, 2021, bulletjournal.com/. 

Carrol, Ryder. The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future. FOURTH ESTATE LTD, 2020. 

“Commercial Printing Company in Florida: Solo Printing.” Commercial Printing Company in Florida | Solo Printing, 8 June 2021, soloprinting.com/. 

“A Comprehensive Guide to Notebook Sizes.” Galen Leather, 2021, www.galenleather.com/blogs/news/notebook-sizes. 

“What Does Gsm Mean When Buying Paper and Card?” Papermill Direct, 20 July 2021, www.papermilldirect.co.uk/inspire/what-does-gsm-mean-when-buying-paper-and-card. 

Philipson, Samantha. “What's in a Bind? 4 Types of Book Binding – Pros and Cons.” Ironmark Blog, 2021, blog.ironmarkusa.com/4-types-book-binding. 

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Start a Productivity Snowball

7/24/2021

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​I’ve been in a productivity slump for the past few months. I could blame it on some sad things that have happened in my family, stress at work, or on the busyness of being a working mom, and I could feel bad about the things I didn’t do during that time - like not write any new blog posts...But I’m not here to make excuses, I’m here to get my productivity groove back and help you do the same!

Motivation, like a good habit, is very easy to lose and much harder to get back! Take a shortcut and learn from others. There are so many tools and suggestions available about productivity and organization (many available in previous posts on my blog!) Don’t try to do it alone - find a blog post, grab a book, listen to a podcast, or watch a YouTube video to learn something new or reinforce what you already know. I finally started reading the book I’ve been eyeing for months, Atomic Habits by James Clear. I am about halfway done, and I LOVE it! (Book review coming soon!) There are so many tidbits of great information that have provided me much needed motivation!
"Motivation, like a good habit, is very easy to lose and much harder to get back!  Take a shortcut and learn from others."

​Don’t try to do it all at once, or you’ll get overwhelmed and potentially do yourself more harm than good. Pick something that is fun and attainable or something that you have to do anyway. My motivation started returning when I had something to look forward to that required planning and organization - family vacation. Once I got started planning, I could start anticipating vacation, which I think is almost as fun as going! My planning paid off, and I felt really proud of all the effort I put into it.

After a successful vacation, I knew I could tackle more. I’m embarrassed to say I’d been doing the bare minimum for taking care of routine family finances and paperwork - for months. I’d do what was absolutely necessary and stash the rest for later. Later just never arrived until this past weekend. I spent a few hours and am now all caught up with processing and filing. (Click for tips on how to get caught up with your paperwork.) My appetite for productivity and organization is snowballing now! ​
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​Once one project is done, you immediately feel a weight lifted and create space in your brain that used to be taken up by worrying about that thing that was undone.  Once one task is complete, you will crave the feeling of checking another project off of your list.  For me, after paperwork was caught up, I decided to cancel a couple of unnecessary subscriptions and saved myself money in the process. Now I’m hooked and am shopping for a better price on insurance.  Who knows, I may be cleaning out my craft area before I know it!  


What I’m relearning is that getting any little thing organized propels you to the next, bigger step.  After completing that step, you gain motivation to tackle even more daunting tasks.   You stop feeling sorry for yourself or bad about yourself for not accomplishing tasks.  I have a suspicion, I’m not the only one who has let their “productive self” go over the past year and a half, and I want to provide you encouragement that it’s not as hard as it seems to get your life in order!

Start your snowball of productivity in the next 15 minutes:
  1. Make a quick list of anything you know is undone and is bugging you
  2. Rank them in order of effort to accomplish with easiest on top
  3. DO the easiest one!
  4. Revel in how good it feels to cross it off your list!
  5. SCHEDULE when you will do the next task.

I predict that as you repeat steps 3-5, you will gain motivation and confidence.  When that list is complete, you will have room in your head to really create productive systems to help you avoid having to write another list like that!

Thanks for reading my first post in several months - it’s good to be back! I hope you’ll stick with me as I strive to get and keep My Life In Order!  If you'd like to get new posts and newsletters in your inbox, please join the email list!
Sources
Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Penguin Random House LLC, 2018. ​

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Accountability Is Where It's At!

1/4/2021

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 Are you in the "honeymoon period" with your New Year's resolution? It's early enough in January that most are still enjoying that feeling of accomplishment and haven't fallen off the wagon yet.  Unfortunately statistics say that 80% of resolutions fail by the second week of February.  

I want you to be in the 20% that succeed, and the best way to do that is through a little accountability!  Your first step to success is to announce your goal to at least one person.  That simple action will increase your chances of achieving your goal by 65%!  It makes sense because when your goal is only in your head, it's so easy to procrastinate even starting your journey.  It's impossible to meet your goal if you never start, so I encourage you to take that tiny little step outside of your comfort zone and tell someone else what you want to achieve.

Now to really up your game, commit to check in regularly with someone or a group of people to report on your progress.  By doing this, you automatically up your chances of succeeding by a whopping 95%! You can choose a trusted friend as your accountability partner, or you may want to consider a group of like-minded people you don't know personally.  Sometimes losing the fear of what a close friend may think of your progress (or lack thereof) takes some of the pressure off and allows you to move toward your goals more quickly.  
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Accountability may sound scary, but it actually takes the burden off of your shoulders to keep yourself moving in the right direction.  When you find the right person or people to help steer you toward your goal, you will fell empowered and gain momentum - and what makes it even sweeter is when you can help others in your group achieve their goals at the same time!

I'm passionate about helping others achieve their goals, so about a year ago, I started leading the encouragement and accountability group called Achieve!  A small group of women meet for six weeks for an hour a week on video conference to discuss goals, strategies to meet them, progress, and challenges.  Each group has its own private Facebook group to stay connected and share resources.  I facilitate the sessions and document milestones and check in with members each week to help keep them on track.  It's exciting to see what amazing progress can be made and relationships built in just six weeks' time!  If you are interested in participating this session (January/February 2021) or a future session, please click below for more info or to register. 
Get More Info About Achieve!

Sources
Luciani, Joseph. “Why 80 Percent of New Year's Resolutions Fail.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, 15 Dec. 2015, health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/eat-run/articles/2015-12-29/why-80-percent-of-new-years-resolutions-fail. 

Wissman, Barrett. “An Accountability Partner Makes You Vastly More Likely to Succeed.” Entrepreneur, 20 Mar. 2018, www.entrepreneur.com/article/310062.

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

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Home Projects Room by Room

12/28/2020

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Do you have a million ideas swirling around your head at any given time?  Do you tell yourself you'll remember that thing you need to do, but then forget before the day is even over?  Do you see that same little imperfection or incomplete project every time you walk into the room but never seem to find the time to get it taken care of?  If you answered yes to even one of these questions, I'm here with a simple idea to help!

​Track your home projects room by room.  It's so simple it's hard to believe it would work, but just give it a try. 
  • Decide on Paper or Digital
The first step is to determine how you prefer to track your home projects.  If you are a paper person, you can have fun selecting a binder or notebook, dividers, and a nice pen or pencil.  But if you prefer digital, you can use a tool like Evernote to easily get organized with a new digital notebook and notes.  The benefit of a digital version is that it can be accessed on your phone and is more portable.

  • Define your areas
Make a quick list of all the rooms or areas in your home.  Make sure to include garage, barn, deck, yard, basement, etc. Now, create a section in your notebook for each area.  You may want to group some together if it makes sense.  For example, I combined deck and yard into one section.  

If you go the Evernote route like I did, create a notebook titled Home Projects and then create a note for each room/area.  Insert a checklist so that when you are done, you can simply click to check the item off!

  • Do a walk through, and write it all down
With your new notebook, take a walk through your home, and take a good look around each space.  Make a checklist of all the things you want to do in each room's notebook section.   Include little items like "replace the light bulb above the kitchen sink" or "get a new air freshener" to bigger projects like "clean out the refrigerator" or "wash the baseboards."  You can include ideas or daydreams, too, like "get new carpet in the living room" or "rearrange the bedroom furniture."    You should indicate if something is a  "now" project or a "future" project.  If you're using paper, you could highlight or star the future projects.  If you're using digital, you could change the font color or put an * in front of them.

Once you have all of the to do's out of your head and into your notebook, you will waste less of your time trying to remember what you wanted to do and can spend more time getting things done!  (Getting things out of your head is great for more than just home projects - read a Brain Dump How -To for more info!)

  • Start a shopping list/wish list
This is where you are going to record what you need (or want) to purchase.  If it's as easy as a light bulb, you likely aren't going to have to do much research or shopping around, but if it's a new light fixture or paint color, you may want to keep track of some websites, photos, or paint swatches.  This is why I like digital - because it's easy to insert a link or a photo.  I prefer to keep my shopping list in the section for each room, but if you'd rather, you could make one master shopping list.

  • Add to your lists
Now when you are in your bedroom and notice a scuff on the wall that you think would probably come off pretty easily with magic eraser, just add it to your bedroom list!  In the past you would have noticed it and thought to yourself that you should probably write that down somewhere, but when you left the room, you likely forgot and then never got around to it!

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  • Designate a time to work on home projects weekly
The hardest step is making time to actually DO the projects.  As you will notice, many of them are so small they will only take a couple of minutes, so if you find yourself with a few minutes to spare before it's time to go pick up the kids or you have a unexpected burst of energy before bed, you'll be amazed how many little items you can check off in a short time!  To make steady progress on your list - especially if it includes some larger projects - you should set aside time weekly to work on the tasks.   I'm a big fan of timing myself so that I feel that sense of urgency to get things done.  Don't forget to get your family involved, too!

  • Check things off!
​​Make sure to give yourself credit for all that you get done, and check items off of your lists!  At some point you may want to edit your lists to remove some of the completed items.  If you use paper, you can simply rewrite, and if you use digital, you can delete or reorder items on your lists.

This time next week will be a brand new year, so this is a great time to gather up all of the tasks and projects you want to get done around the house so you can be productive in 2021!

Sources
Photo by Roselyn Tirado on Unsplash

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Hindsight 2020

12/22/2020

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The time around Christmas and New Years is perfectly made for reflecting on the past and planning for the upcoming year.  I'm calling this year's exercise "Hindsight 2020" because when we look back we can see things more clearly.  2020 has been a year of the unprecedented, so it's been next to impossible to navigate it well and see things clearly while we've been in the middle of it.  Soon, we will have a little space between us and 2020 to give us the perspective we need to plan for a new and better year.

I haven't had 20/20 vision since I was about 7 years old, but I never really knew why good vision was described that way.  According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology,  a person with 20/20 vision can read what the average person can on an eye chart when standing 20 feet away .  The top number is the number of feet from the eye chart and the bottom number is the number of feet away from the chart that the average person can read the same line.  For example, if my vision is 20/200, at 20 feet away, I can read only what an average person can read at 200 feet away.  We often think of 20/20 as perfect vision, but it's really just average because someone could actually have better than 20/20 vision.  A person with 20/15 vision they can see as well at 20 feet away as the average person can at 15 feet.
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The analogy of the eye chart gives me a little comfort.  The standard of 20/20 is not perfect - it's average.  In our daily lives, we are pushed to perfection and it seems being average is not good enough.  All of us have been using the phrase 'hindsight is 20/20' to mean that when we look back we can see perfectly what we should have done.  I'm really happy to re-frame the expression to mean that when I look back, I'll have a better idea of what was actually happening or how things could have gone better, but I don't have to expect my view to be perfect - just better than it was when I was right in the middle of the experience.  

I want to appreciate the year 2020 for what it was, what it gave me,  and what it taught me.  But I think the most powerful part of 2020 was what it WASN'T.  Recognizing what we missed, what disappointed us, and what we regret can teach us so much about how to live in the future. 

An exercise I do every year is to ask myself some simple questions about the past year and then some similar questions about the upcoming year.  I then look at the themes I see through these answers to help narrow my focus for the next year.  Finally, I set goals around those areas of focus to help me be successful. ,

This year I tweaked the questions a little bit, and I also asked my kids these same questions and shared some of my answers with them (though this is a very personal exercise, and you should't feel the need to share your answers with anyone unless you want to!)   These questions led to a great discussion with my kids, and helped me solidify even more what I wanted to focus on in 2021.  Try it out!

About 2020
1. What made you feel proud or successful this year?
2. What made you happy this year?
3. What caused you stress this year?
4. What are you disappointed you did not do this year?
5. What did you do this year that you regret?

About 2021
1. What would your fantasy self accomplish next year?
2. If your wildest dreams came true next year, what would happen?
3. If money were no object, what would you do next year?
4. If you didn't care what others thought, what would you do next year?
5. What are some key things you want to avoid next year?

If you are looking for support in setting goals and achieving them in 2021, check out the accountability group I lead called Achieve!  The next session starts in mid-January.  Spots are limited, so if you are interested, please reach out for more information!
Get More Information about Achieve!

​For some more reflection, planning and goal setting, check out past posts on the topic:
  • Plan Your Focus for the New Year
  • Be S.M.A.R.T. About Goal Setting
  • Review, Reflect, and Refocus
  • Achieve in 2020
  • Goals and Grace

Sources
Vimont, Celia. “What Does 20/20 Vision Mean?” Edited by David Turbert, American Academy of Ophthalmology, 10 May 2020, www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/what-does-20-20-vision-mean. 

Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash



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Organize Your Bedside Table in Less Than an Hour

12/11/2020

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​Sometimes you need a quick win to get you in the organizing groove.  Organizing your bedside table gives you a lot of bang for your buck!  A clean and organized bedside table can do wonders for your mood because it's one of the last things you see before you go to sleep and one of the first things you see when you wake up.  This is also the reason, they have a tendency to get messy since we are usually tired when we are near them. ​
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  • Completely clear top and drawers and clean
Start by clearing everything off the top and all shelves and drawers.  I recommend putting everything on your bed because then you won't be able to go to sleep until the project is finished!  When the table is cleared, give it a good dusting and wipe down the inside of the drawers. 
​
  • Refill drawers with purpose
Purchase or repurpose some sort of organizer in the drawer.  This can be anything from a silverware organizer, to any type of small open-top boxes.  Look through what you took out of the drawer and only put back in what is essential and trash or relocate the rest.  Thing I like to keep in my drawers are chapstick, pain reliever, lotion, headphones, a flashlight/book lamp, journal and pen, book, etc.  If you are low on dresser space, and have an extra drawer in a bedside table, you could consider it overflow and use it for something like your socks!  

  • Keep the top simple
Now for the top.  The rule of thumb here is minimalism!  Place only what you need and use daily on the top of the table.  Mine has a lamp, my Google mini speaker, a coaster, a small bowl for jewelry that I may take off while I'm in bed, and tissues.  This gives clear space to put a book I'm reading and my glasses. 

  • Maintain!
Now protect that bedside table and it's pristine condition!  Take a look at your end product and remember how it makes you feel to have things clean and organized and commit to a quick edit of this space weekly.  Take empty cups to the kitchen, throw away any trash that's accumulated, put away jewelry you may have removed before bed, and rearrange the drawer to put items back in their proper spot.  This process will take you less than 5 minutes but give you a big sense of order!   
"Now protect that bedside table and it's pristine condition!"

Many of us have some time off coming up in the next few weeks, and this is a great time to dive into some simple organizing projects that don't take a lot of time, but give you a lot of return on your investment.  Here are a few other ideas I've written about in the past that you might want to try!
  • Get caught up on paperwork
  • Organize a sports zone
  • Organize your medicine cabinet
  • Organize your junk drawer​

Or if you have a little more time, you may want to try:
  • The Paper Purge
  • The Binder System
  • 7 Days to an Orderly Kitchen
  • Digital Cleaning
  • Lego Storage
  • Memento organization
  • Refresh your bedroom

If you're all in on this organizing thing, check out my short e-book, Get Organized Head First, to help you learn how to get into the right mindset to get organized!  For the month of December, 2020, you can use coupon code DEC2020 to get it for only $2!
Purchase Get Organized Head First for only $2 with coupon code DEC2020

Sources
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Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash
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Make Home Your Sanctuary

12/7/2020

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It's easy to go down a rabbit hole of gloom, doom, and woe is me because of all that has happened in 2020. Never has there been a better time to learn to see the glass half full, find the silver lining, and look for the good in everything (no matter how small that may be!)

​In the midst of everything going on in our 2020 world, we need somewhere to escape.  Make your home that sanctuary!  The definition of sanctuary is "a place of refuge or safety."  Our homes can literally keep us safe from the pandemic, but more than that, they can provide us a sense of calm and control that it's hard to find out in the world. ​
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Try these ideas to make your home just a little more comfortable.
  • ​Think ahead​
  • Rearrange and repurpose
  • Make improvements

Think Ahead
Consider what will make life easier or more enjoyable if you were to get quarantined or simply have to spend more time at home because there aren't a lot of reasons to leave! 

An example from my house is our bedroom TV.  Prior to lock down early this spring, we had a small, 19” TV. 
As soon as school went virtual in March, my husband said,” If I’m going to home with these kids for months, I'm going to need a bigger TV in our room.” We ordered a TV and wall mount that weekend and got them delivered before TVs became scarce. That was one of the best decisions we've made in a long time! That TV has provided each of us alone time from the rest of the family and has served as a way to have a movie date when we couldn’t go out.

Consider what currently frustrates you about your home and brainstorm about ways to fix it.  It may take a little investment and a lot of creativity, but when you can relax and enjoy an area of your home, it will be worth it!
"Consider what currently frustrates you about your home, and brainstorm about ways to fix it." 

​Rearrange and Repurpose
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We all had to adapt our homes to fit our new needs like working from home and housing virtual students while still keeping them comfortable for regular living. For a while, my husband used TV trays to hold his laptop in the living room, but soon we realized that was a frustration for everyone.  We set up a small table in our bedroom and moved a comfortable chair there.  This allowed him to have a workstation that he didn't have to tear down each evening and kept our living room for family time.  

Virtual school was another challenge many of us had to overcome.  I wrote about some ideas to get organized for e-learning without completely overtaking the house in a previous post.  There were times this year that we had the entire family working/learning at home, so that meant I had to get really creative about my workspace which used to be in the living room.  I was able to repurpose my craft area into an office.  I found a cable to connect the TV I watch while I do crafts to my laptop for a second monitor, I reused an old cart to store all my sewing supplies to make room for my computer on the counter, and I got a new power strip to I could leave my power cord plugged in so setting up each day was quick.  I now have a dedicated space to work that I can leave at the end of my work day.  This is one of the key parts of work from home productivity!

Removing frustrations and reducing the amount of time spent in set up and tear down mode were the things our family was able to accomplish by rearranging and repurposing items in our home.  Working from home is now seamless and, though our kids are back at school for now, if they need to learn from home again, it won't be a burden or impact our common living space.  What can you rearrange today to help make your home fit your current situation?  Do you have a space or an item you can repurpose to help remove a frustration?
"What can you rearrange today to help make your home fit your current situation?"

​Make Improvements
Over the past several months most of us have spent more time at home than ever before. It is looking like this winter will be more of the same, which means spending more time in close proximity to our families.  All of this together time has probably made your home feel a little tight.  Take this opportunity to get rid of some of the unnecessary stuff in your home.  A clutter-free home is more pleasant to spend time in.

If the length of time it took to get materials for our deck this summer is any indication, LOTS of people have been doing home improvement projects during this pandemic, and we are no exception!  From building a deck to redecorating a bedroom to installing new doors, we have kept busy for the past several months.  Most of these projects were DIY to save money and fill time, though I have learned that there is still value to hiring the right person for a difficult job!  

Regardless of your budget, small improvements can make your space feel fresh and special.   A gallon of paint, a new piece of art on the wall, or a flea market find can do wonders for a room!  An inviting space makes you feel more calm, relaxed, and happy.  A freshly mowed yard, a few flowers and some bright cushions on your patio furniture can make you want to spend time outdoors.  Improving your living space indoors and out can make your home feel like a retreat.  Walk from room to room, and come up with a handful of quick, low-cost ideas that could make a big impact on how you feel about your home.  
"Improving your living space indoors and out can make your home feel like a retreat."

​Why does it matter?
​Home used to be where we got to go after work and school, but now work and school have invaded.  It's too easy to keep working past quitting time or jump back on your computer for just a little bit in the evening.  When we turn on the TV or scroll through social media, we are bombarded with scary and upsetting news.  We have to be strict with ourselves about turning off the distractions of the outside world to make our home a sanctuary where we can relax, recharge and enjoy.  Take control and make your home a place you enjoy spending time, and create space in your home for both solitude and family fun.  The world will be waiting for you, but make sure you have a sanctuary to come home to.

Sources
Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash

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Put Your Mask on First

11/30/2020

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If you've ever flown, you've heard the airline safety demonstration about putting your own oxygen mask on before helping others if the cabin pressure were to drop in the plane.  Fortunately, I've never had to make the decision between myself or my child getting an oxygen mask first, but I think my instinct (like many parents) would be to help my child first.  When I think about it intellectually, I understand that hypoxia, or a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the brain, can cause many issues including confusion to the point of being unable to help others or even yourself.  In the moment, though, it's hard to think intellectually, and that's why flight attendants remind us every time we fly!

In the same way that prioritizing our own oxygen supply is critical for saving the lives of those around us in a hypothetical plane crash, it is necessary to prioritize caring for yourself so that you can better care for your loved ones.  Self-care can mean different things to different people from a massage to an hour alone to reading a book.  Self-care can sometimes feel like an indulgence that we shouldn't desire when, in fact, it's something we should not ignore. 

In his article, Dr. Matthew Glowiak from Southern New Hampshire University said, "In a society in which people are expected to work long hours and pass on vacation days, there is an underlying belief that we must always be productive – which can ultimately take away from opportunities for self-care. But by taking some time out to engage in self-care, you may relieve the pressures of everyday life and reset yourself to get back to a healthy point where productivity is once again maximized." 


As I was researching for this post, something so obvious began to emerge from my own experience.  These days when I hear the word mask, I don't think of oxygen masks on a plane, but instead I think of the homemade cloth masks that I've made over the past several months to help protect my family and those around us from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Very early on in the first lock down, I purchased a basic sewing machine.  I had to have my 7th grader teach me how to use it since he'd recently taken Family and Consumer Sciences in school.  I remember scavenging for old t-shirts and scrap fabric that I could use to make masks.  This was back when you couldn't find pre-made cloth masks and the disposable ones had all been bought up.  Because of my lack of sewing skills, it took me hours to make just one mask, but I made enough for my whole family (in the event that we'd actually leave the house!) 

​Over time and with practice, my sewing skills and access to fabric and thread improved enough that I was able to begin making more masks.  I made masks for my husband, two sons, some friends, and then more for the kids.  I was wearing and washing, wearing and washing the three masks I had (two made for me by a friend and one that I'd made myself.) I bought fabric to make myself more, but whenever I got the sewing machine out, I ended up making masks for other people and put my own masks at the bottom of the priority list.
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Only today when I was thinking about the parallels between putting on your own oxygen mask first and the importance of self-care did it hit me that I need to make myself some masks!  I'm the one in the family that spends the most time away from the house due to my job, but yet, everyone else has more masks than me.   Once I have enough masks, I will feel more secure, less frustrated and spend less time laundering my small supply of masks.  

There are selfish people in this world, but many of us think of others before ourselves.   It's time to begin looking at self-care as a way to help others.  Perimeter Health Care in Georgia explains on their website that, "Self-care encourages you to maintain a healthy relationship with yourself so that you can transmit the good feelings to others. You cannot give to others what you don't have yourself."

Consider these easy ways to care for yourself:
  • Get enough sleep
  • Take time to prepare healthy food
  • Engage your mind through reading or taking a class
  • Enrich your life through creative pursuits such as art or music
  • Move your body to improve energy and health
  • Connect with friends and develop relationships
  • Participate in religious or spiritual services or activities
  • Relax so you can recharge your batteries!

Even though the metaphor of oxygen masks meant actual masks in my life, it can mean anything in yours.  Choose at least one way to care for yourself this week because if you continue to give to others without caring for yourself, the less you are going to have to give.  Put your mask on first!

Sources
Glowiak, Matthew. “What Is Self-Care and Why Is It Important For You?” Southern New Hampshire University, 14 Apr. 2020, www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2020/04/what-is-self-care. 

Coffey, Helen. “Hypoxia Definition - Why Adults SHOULD Do Their Oxygen Mask BEFORE a Child's on a Flight.” Express.co.uk, Express.co.uk, 24 Jan. 2017, www.express.co.uk/travel/articles/758140/hypoxia-definition-flight-mask. 

“The Importance of Self-Care.” Perimeter Healthcare, 2020, www.perimeterhealthcare.com/about/news/the-importance-of-self-care/. 




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Less Storage, Less Stuff, Less Stress

10/19/2020

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Over the past week, we have transformed my son's bedroom.  It has been a whirlwind process, but because we planned well, it's gone smoothly.  Read my previous post about 5 steps to a bedroom refresh .

The new room has much less storage than the previous layout.  We removed a large bookshelf, got a smaller dresser, relocated a cedar chest, and got rid of a 3 drawer plastic storage unit in the closet.  Less storage may sound counter intuitive, but it forced my son to have less stuff in his room.  Less stuff means less time cleaning his room, less arguments with me about clutter, less time spent looking for lost items, and more room to enjoy his private space.

When you have less storage, you must have less stuff.  This makes you consider each item that makes it way into your space carefully.  If you have a hard time getting rid of items or feel like everything is essential, try this trick.  Pack up your room as if you were moving, and when it's time to "move in,"  start by unpacking only the absolute essentials  like clothes, bedding, and maybe an alarm clock.  Then over a few days' time as you find a need for an item, go get it from your boxes and carefully place it in the location that you noticed you needed it.  In his book, Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life, Joshua Fields Millburn says,  “Minimalism looks different for everyone because it’s about finding what is essential to you.”  ​
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After a couple of weeks, you will notice that you did not need many of the things you had in your room before you packed it up.  This is your chance to either trash, donate, relocate, or store as a memento.  Getting rid of unnecessary things not only gives you more space in your home, it can also improve your happiness.  Internationally recognized applied positive psychology coach, Lisa Cypers-Kamen, says, "When you're less obligated to stuff, you have more time to experience life."

Which room in your house could you try this with?  An office or bedroom would be one of the best places to start because those rooms tend to be smaller and usually only belong to one or two people instead of the entire family.   You owe it to yourself to feel stress-free in your own home, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how having less storage and less stuff will give you a sense of calm. 

Sources

Millburn, Joshua Fields, and Ryan Nicodemus. Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life. Hachette Australia, 2017. 

​Cypers-Kamen, Lisa. “3 Reasons Why Having Less Leads to More Happiness.” Thrive Global, 3 Mar. 2018, thriveglobal.com/stories/less-really-can-be-more/. 
​
Photo by Samantha Gades on Unsplash



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Keep Your Hobbies Fun

10/5/2020

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The definition of a hobby is, "an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation."  Hobbies can range from photography to gardening to playing an instrument to needlepoint to starting a blog.  Most of us have at least one, and if you don't - well, you should!

You probably fill several roles - employee, parent, child, volunteer and the list goes on and on.  In a previous post I wrote about the busy badge many people have awarded themselves that sometimes provides an excuse not to engage in a hobby.   In the last twenty years, there has been a decline in adult participation in hobbies, and I don't think it's any coincidence that in that time frame the popularity of social media has increased exponentially.  Today, we waste much more time scrolling than it would take to learn a new skill.
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​You may think that being engaged with your career is more important than a hobby, but science suggests the two are not mutually exclusive.   A study in the Journal of Occupational Health and Organizational Psychology studied hundreds of employees and found those with a hobby outside of work were more creative in work-related projects,  had a better attitude, and were less likely to suffer from burnout.

What about the time and attention your kids deserve?  Not to worry, your hobbies don't need to wait - just involve the kids in some of them.  Licensed and Independent Clinical Social Worker, 
Alison Ratner Mayer, explains that hobbies are a wonderful way to bond with your child.  "There is a special magic that happens between a parent and a child when they share a mutually beloved activity. "

Hobbies can actually improve productivity!  In 1955, Cyril Northcote Parksinson, a British historian wrote an article in The Economist that began with the sentence, "It is a commonplace observation that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."  Today we refer to this as Parkinson's Law.  The more time you have available to get something done, the longer it takes to complete.  Having a hobby gives you something to do at either a set time (like get to your bowling league) or something to look forward to (like getting out your sewing machine.)  You still have other responsibilities, but because you have a hobby to get to, you aren't as likely to stretch those tasks out. ​
"...work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion."
​
A Psychology Today article  explains that  in addition to all of the benefits we've already talked about, hobbies can help you create new social connections, make you more interesting and help you cope with stress.  Research has shown that those who spent leisure time engaging in a hobby displayed lower blood pressure, total cortisol, waist circumference, and body mass index.  They also had lower levels of depression.  An article from Verywell Mind, a mental health resource partner of the Cleveland Clinic, states that part of the reason for this may be that "hobbies provide a slice of work-free and responsibility-free time in your schedule. This can be especially welcome for people who feel overwhelmed by all that they have to do and need to recharge their batteries by doing something they enjoy."

After all of the reasons I've shared so far, I think you probably agree hobbies are a good thing, but what I have struggled with is how to keep them fun so they provide all of the great benefits we've discussed.  One reason I have failed to carve out time for hobbies in the past is when they were inconvenient.  I like to sew, but I had all of my sewing stuff in a hard to reach spot, and anytime I wanted to sew, I'd have to nearly do a back-bend to get everything out.  I recently up-cycled an old metal cart that I've had since I got married in 2002!  It used to hold laundry supplies between an old washer and dryer, and then spent years in the garage holding spray paint.  After some scrubbing, it became eligible for my new sewing supplies cart.  It tucks nicely under my counter in my craft area and is light weight so I can move it around easily.   Now because I don't dread getting everything set up to sew,  I'm much more likely to do it!
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I struggled to continue with some​ hobbies when they turned into more of a requirement than an outlet.  This blog is a great example.  I started this as a hobby and for fun.  I like to write, I like to organize and become more productive, so this made sense.  Soon, I felt like it was taking too much of my time, and it started to feel like work because my standards were to high.  I finally gave myself permission not to be the absolute best blogger or side-hustler and reminded myself that it was a hobby and hobbies are supposed to be FUN!  Once I started looking at it through that lens, it again became enjoyable.

Lastly, I used to feel like hobbies were selfish.  A couple years ago,  I changed my mind about that when my husband and I joined a bowling league. Now we have a shared hobby (complete with our own bowling balls and shoes!)  We even go on bowling dates (as my kids call them) to practice.  It's only a few hours every other week, but it's a shared experience and guaranteed time together.  ​  I also like to play the piano, and this is one that I've been able to share with my kids through teaching them to play.  It gives me a lot of joy to be able to share something I enjoy with them.

What about you - do you have a hobby that you want to make more fun?  Try making it more convenient, lowering your standards a bit, or sharing it with someone in your family!  Hobbies are an important outlet and you owe it to yourself to have one - and to enjoy it!

Sources

“Definition of Hobby.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, 2020, www.dictionary.com/browse/hobby?s=t. 

Photo by Giulia Bertelli on
Unsplash

​Kurtz, Jaime. “Six Reasons to Get a Hobby.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 15 Sept. 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happy-trails/201509/six-reasons-get-hobby. 

Eschleman, Kevin J., et al. “Benefiting from Creative Activity: The Positive Relationships between Creative Activity, Recovery Experiences, and Performance‐Related Outcomes.” Wiley Online Library, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 17 Apr. 2014, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joop.12064. 

Parkinson, C Northcorte. “Parkinson's Law.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 1955, www.economist.com/news/1955/11/19/parkinsons-law. 

Elizabeth Scott, MS. “The Importance of Hobbies for Stress Relief.” Verywell Mind, 14 Sept. 2020, www.verywellmind.com/the-importance-of-hobbies-for-stress-relief-3144574. 


Mayer, Alison Ratner. “The Benefits of Sharing a Hobby With Your Child.” Child Therapy Boston, 16 July 2017, childtherapyinboston.com/2017/07/16/the-benefits-of-sharing-a-hobby-with-your-child/. 

Photo by Darling Arias on Unsplash
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5 Steps to a Bedroom Refresh

9/28/2020

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Over the past few months, my teenage son has given me several hints that I've responded to with some pretty big "mom fails"!
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  • As he approached 6 feet tall, my son mentioned that maybe he was too big for the twin bed he's been sleeping in since he was 4.  I suggested sleeping curled up.
  • Months ago, my son mentioned in passing that he wasn't a big fan of the bright blue paint color in his bedroom.  I bought him a new bedspread.
  • A few weeks back, my son complained that his mattress was uncomfortable.  I flipped the mattress over and said, "There - see if that fixes it."
  • I was harping on my son for not closing his dresser drawers, and he said the dresser was "broken."  I rolled my eyes and thought that was a lame excuse.

When it finally hit me what all of these little hints added up to was when I went to his room and noticed those dresser drawers open again.  As I tried to close one, I found that the dresser really WAS broken!  The top is cracked in half and the middle drawer will not close!  I sat down on his bed for a moment  - OW! - it is uncomfortable!  I looked around at the blue walls and red closet door that we'd painted before he moved into his first "big boy" room nearly a decade ago, and immediately felt guilty for being so involved in other projects that I'd ignored his hints that it was time for a room refresh!

I suggested some fresh paint, a bigger bed, and a functional dresser in return for his purging and organizing his room.  It was a deal!  This past weekend, he began the prep work using these 5 steps that will work for someone of any age who is ready to refresh their bedroom.
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1. Review what you wear
I suggest you empty one drawer at a time and go through every item separating into piles of things you will wear and things you won't wear.  If it doesn't fit or you don't like it, don't let it take up space in your dresser or closet!  Put items that you will wear back in the space and relocate the items you won't wear (in our case, they will go in the basement in a tote for my younger son, but you could put them in a box for Goodwill.)  Repeat with each drawer and section of your closet.  Don't forget shoes, scarves, belts, bags, etc.

2. Curate your surfaces
Empty each shelf, dresser top, or drawer.  Similar to what you did with your clothes, review each item and decide to keep in place, keep but relocate, or get rid of.  Put the keep in place items back, the keep but relocation items in their new home, and box up other items for donation.

3. Clear the floor
Look closely at anything that touches the floor that isn't furniture.  If it's trash, throw it away.  If it's not trash, why is it on the floor?  Find a new home for it either within your room or elsewhere in your home, or donate it.

4. Measure and plan
Measure everything!   Write down the dimensions of your room and all of your furniture that you plan to keep.  Create a scale model of your room and all the furniture to help decide on a floor plan.  You can go old school and use grid paper to map out your room and then cut out pieces of furniture to scale or you could use a digital option like planyourroom.com.  Arranging and rearranging on paper or virtually will save you time, effort, and money!  It will help you clearly see how much space you have so when you buy new items, they are the correct size.  You can also determine where you want to position everything ahead of time to cut down on the muscle needed to move furniture!  

5. Move only once
Once you've decided what to keep and what you need to purchase, only move your furniture once.  For our project, we will be ordering the new items and they will stay in the garage until after the room has been painted.  On painting day, we will empty the old furniture and remove it from the room.  Remaining furniture will be moved to the middle of the room until the paint is dry. The existing furniture will be moved into the location we decided on in step 4, and the new furniture will be brought to the room and assembled in it's new home.
I'm excited for my son's bedroom refresh (and a little sad to cover the paint that has complemented several little boy themes over the years) and I'm hopeful this process will help him learn how to keep his space organized and make it his own.  Are you inspired to do a little refresh of your own??

Sources
Photo by Sonnie Hiles on Unsplash

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There Are Only 24 hours In A Day!

9/21/2020

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Last week I was feeling bad about not getting everything done that I wanted to.  I started thinking about all the things I was NOT doing.  I even got out my journal and started to list all the things I used to do but can't seen to find time to do now, and then I listed all the things I wished I was doing.  I was getting harder on myself with each item I added to the list.

I needed a solution - a way to fit more into my days.  I started by listing out all of the things I am currently doing on a daily basis.  Maybe if I could figure out how long those things really took, I could find a way to add more. I identified items from my list that I consider non-negotiable and added up the minimum hours it takes to do them.  For me those included work, commuting to and from work, sleep, showering/grooming, one meal/day with my family, and some exercise.  Do you know how many hours the non-negotiables in my day add up to?  21 hours.  21 HOURS! That only leaves 3 hours per day to do everything else including helping with homework, cleaning, laundry, errands, kids' activities, family time,  working on my blog, etc.  No wonder I'm feeling pressed for time!
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So if there aren't very many hours left in the day to work with, what are my options?   I decided I have to be content with not doing a lot of extra things in this season of my life, and when there is time for extra, I want that time to be spent with my family.  Once I gave myself a pass on all of those things I thought I should be doing, I felt so much better!  I was the one putting most of the pressure on myself.  

I encourage you to give this exercise a try! 
  1. You may want to start by tracking your time to really see how you are spending your hours.  Use this free time tracker worksheet for this step! 
  2. Summarize your time tracker into categories with total time spent on each category  (example: work =8 hours, cooking = 2 hours, cleaning =1 hour, etc.)
  3. Then mark the items that are non-negotiable and find out how much time you have left in your 24 hours after the necessary items are complete.
  4. Fill in the blanks of your day with other tasks.
  5. Give yourself permission to say no or to NOT do something if it will take away from something else you want or need to spend your time on.

If you're a bit of a spreadsheet geek like me, shoot me an email at info@mylifeinorder.com and ask me to send you the How to Spend 24 hours spreadsheet that does all the math for you! 

Check out all of the other time management posts on the blog to help you find ways to balance all that you want and need to do into the realistic framework of a 24 hour day!  
Time Management Blog Posts

Sources
Photo by Alina Grubnyak on Unsplash

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First Things First

9/13/2020

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Last week was Labor Day which meant a day off of work for many of us.  Long weekends are exciting, but short weeks tend to overwhelm me.  There is just as much to do, with one less day to get it done.  When time is short, choosing the right thing to work on first is even more important.  

"There's so much to do that I don't even know where to start!"  How many times have you said that?  I'm here to help!  Not because I'm the expert, but because I've faltered and failed enough times to find a better way.  

Gary Keller suggests in his book The One Thing that we ask ourselves this question over and over, "What is the ONE Thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”  In the past, I thought that checking several things off of my to do list was better than completing one task - even if that one task was more important or urgent. 

In fact, doing less, can help us accomplish more in the long run.  Keller says, 
“Until my ONE Thing is done — everything else is a distraction.”  Distractions are everywhere - email anyone??  Read the last post about the
No Email Hour to help avoid that trap!  Once you figure out what that ONE thing is, focus on it, and accomplish it, you repeat the process over and over!  The hard part is determining what that ONE thing is.  

Experts often point to the Eisenhower Matrix of urgent and important tasks.  This matrix is named after the 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was experienced at prioritizing while he was a general in the US Army and the Allied Forces Supreme Commander in World War II.   He suggested identifying the urgency and importance of a task to determine what to do first.  An urgent task is one that is compelling or requires immediate action or attention.  An important task is one that is of great significance or value.  If a task is both important and urgent, that puts it in the "do first" quadrant.  A task that is important, but not urgent should be scheduled for a later time while a task that is urgent but less important can be delegated to someone else.  Finally, if a task is not urgent and not important, this is something that likely not even do at all! 
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The Eisenhower matrix is a great framework to help sort out your tasks, but I would suggest a little twist to increase productivity even more using this simple order.
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  1. Delegate - it's super easy to check something off your list when you don't even have to do it!
  2. Automate -  do one or more steps of the process, and the rest happens automatically.
  3. Remove Stress - a big, scary task looming over you will hinder your productivity the rest of the day - just do it!
  4. Consider Dependencies - be aware of cause and effect and think downstream.

​A busy day at home is the perfect opportunity to apply these steps.  Let's say you have a sink full of dirty dishes, 2 loads of laundry to do, a doctor appointment to schedule, and uncomfortable email to send, cookies to bake for an event,  kids to take to and from sports practice, and a few things to pick up at the store.  Here's how the 4 steps above can help you be productive.
"It's super easy to check something off your list when you don't even have to do it!"

First you should look for an opportunity to delegate.  If you can completely delegate a task, that's an easy win, but even if you can delegate only a step in the process, that can free you up to work on something else at the same time.  If you have kids, there are plenty of ways they can help like unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher, sorting laundry or even starting a load.   
"Do one or more steps of a task, and the rest happens automatically!"

​You have several automations already created for you in your day.  In our busy day example, your dishwasher and clothes washer and dryer automate some of your tasks.  Automations do require prep work.  You have to empty the dishwasher of clean dishes and load it with dirty dishes before you can start it.  You have to gather and sort your laundry, put a load in the washer with detergent before you can start the washer.   Once you get your machines working for you, you can complete other tasks while your dishes and clothes are getting clean - in this example, scheduling that doctor appointment.  

It is important to get automated tasks going before you do other tasks.  If you waited until late in the day to start the laundry, the automation doesn't buy you as much time as if you start it early in the day.  You may need to revisit your automated processes from time to time (like switching the clothes from the washer to the dryer in order to start a new load)
"A big, scary task looming over you will hinder your productivity the rest of the day - just do it!"

Now that you've got others working for you (delegation) and your machines working for you (automation), it's time to remove the stress.  There may be one task on your list that has been causing you anxiety or stress.  If you put it off, you may be focusing on it instead of other tasks throughout the day.  By getting it out of the way, you will better be able to focus later.  In our example, that uncomfortable email may be a source of stress.  While your machines are working for you, take the time to just do it!
"Be aware of cause and effect, and think downstream."

Finally consider dependencies in tasks.  You still need to take kids to and from sports practices, make cookies, and go to the store.  The kids' practice is dependent on a specific time.  It's scheduled, so you can't do it before the time it occurs.  Since you'll be away from home during the drive to and from practice, and you probably shouldn't leave the house with your oven on, you either have to get the cookies finished before you leave, have enough time to bake the batches while practice is in session, or not start until you return home from pickup.  You don't have any chocolate chips, so you can't make chocolate chip cookies until you've been to the store.  Now that you've thought through all of your to-do's, you can determine the best order to complete your tasks in.  
By using these 4 steps along with the principles of the Eisenhower matrix, you will be able to choose to put first things first and become the most productive version of yourself!


​Sources


Keller, Gary. The One Thing: the Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results. John Murray Press, 2019.


“The Eisenhower Matrix: Introduction & 3-Minute Video Tutorial.” Eisenhower, 2017, www.eisenhower.me/eisenhower-matrix/. ​

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The No Email Hour

8/30/2020

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When you are overwhelmed, it is all too easy to focus on busywork like reading and answering emails instead of the tasks that really matter.  You probably have your email program open all day long, and you may even have pop-ups or audible notifications set up to alert you when a new message comes in.  Email can contain important information, but it is likely the single biggest distraction of your workday! 

You may think you can check or compose emails while you are doing other things throughout the day, but 
Gary Keller says in his popular book, The One Thing, "Multi-tasking is a lie."  What he means is that we cannot truly do more than one thing at a time.  Productivity psychologist,  Dr. Melissa Gratias explains it well, "Our brain does not perform tasks simultaneously. It performs them in sequence, one after another.  So, when we are multitasking we are switching back and forth between the things we are doing."  The price we pay for attempting to multi-task is called switching cost.

"Switching cost is the disruption in performance that we experience when we switch our attention from one task to another," explains James Clear, author of the New York Times bestseller, 
Atomic Habits.   Just think of how many times a day you check your email!  A study published in the International Journal of Information Management in 2003 reports that a typical employee checks email nearly every 5 minutes and it takes over a minute to get back to what they were doing before the email interruption.  Do the math - that's a waste of 10 minutes every hour which equates to an hour and 20 minutes out of an eight hour workday just getting our brains reset back to what we were concentrating on before we stopped to check email.
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To combat this distraction, start by choosing one hour of your workday to NOT check email.  Trust me, I know this is hard!  I picked a hour in the morning because that allows me to get important tasks done without distraction early in the day.   Select an hour in the portion of your day where you feel the sharpest and most awake so that you can leverage that energy and get meaningful work done when you are at your best.   It would would be a shame to waste the best part of your day on your inbox!

To really make this hour productive, make sure you have a task list in order of priority handy so that you can jump right in doing the thing that matters the most.  Next week's post will be about how to do first things first (I'm pretty excited about this one!)

If you get really good at a "no email hour" in your workday, you may want to try increasing that time.  Depending on the type of work you do, it may be detrimental to be 'off the grid' for too long.  Some experts suggest only checking email a couple of times a day, but in my day job, that would just not be acceptable.  If I do need to be away from email longer than an hour or so, I sometimes set a temporary automated out of office message to set the expectation that my response will be delayed.  The message can be very simple like, "I'm working on a high priority project and will not be checking email until 2 p.m.  If you have an urgent need, please text me at ###-###-####."

One caveat that makes the "no email hour" tricky is that many tasks may require sending emails, so be careful not to get sucked in to your inbox when composing a new message.  To avoid the temptation, try these shortcuts to open just a blank message instead of your entire inbox. 

Outlook - When you want to send a message, simply right click on the Outlook icon on your taskbar, and choose new message.  You could also create a desktop shortcut to compose a new message (instructions here.)

Gmail - There is a handy dandy Chrome Extension called
Quick Compose for Gmail that allows you to open up a blank message withOUT going to your inbox.  Once you've installed the extension, there's even a keyboard shortcut!

iPhone Mail App - Use 3D or haptic touch (which basically means that you tap and hold) on the mail icon until a menu appears, and then select new message.  This brings up a blank message without taking you into your inbox.  NOTE: if you have multiple email accounts set up on your phone, the message will be automatically from your default account, but you can easily change that by tapping on the from address and choosing the proper account.

These are the three mail apps I use most often, but if you use others, I'm sure a quick Google search of "how to compose a message without opening my (insert mail app) inbox" will bring up tips to help you.

Try the "no email hour" for a week and let me know how amazing it feels to get an entire hour's worth of work down without email interruptions!  


​Sources
Clear, James. ATOMIC HABITS: an Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones. RANDOM House BUSINESS, 2019.


Clear, James. “The Myth of Multitasking: Why Fewer Priorities Leads to Better Work.” James Clear, 4 Feb. 2020, jamesclear.com/multitasking-myth.

Hoyt, Alia. “How Multitasking Works.” HowStuffWorks Science, HowStuffWorks, 27 Jan. 2020, science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/multitasking.html.

Jackson, T., Dawson, R. and Wilson, D., 2003. Reducing the effect of email interuption on employees. International Journal of Information Management, 23(1), pp.55-65

Keller, Gary. The One Thing: the Surprisingly Simple Truth behind Extraordinary Results. John Murray Press, 2019.

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash


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Get Organized for E-Learning

8/19/2020

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We woke up early on the first day of the 2020-2021 school year only to learn that our home internet was out!  Since we were all planning to spend the day learning and working online, we had a few moments of panic.  Luckily the internet  came back on before long and held steady the rest of the day! 

I had planned every detail of virtual learning at our house, but there was still something out of my control.  It's good to be reminded that no matter how well we plan, the unexpected still happens.   I think this school year may teach us all that lesson many times over!  Because there is so much in life that we cannot control, it is helpful to be organized because that gives us the capacity to handle the unexpected when it comes our way.   

Whether your kids are doing virtual learning at home full-time or their school has a hybrid approach where just part of the week is e-learning, being a parent of a school-aged child this school year is going to be a challenge!  I am trying to use organization to help make the experience as smooth as possible, and I thought I'd share some of my ideas with you.

Challenge # 1:  Not enough workspace
We are excited to have my older son's best friend and his younger sister joining us for virtual learning.  It gives our kids some socialization and makes their school day much more fun! But we had to get creative to fit everybody in our home and still keep distance between them.

We live in an 1800 square foot, nearly 150 year old house with no spare bedroom or office. ​  On days when I work from home to help supervise the school day, there are six people to fit into the space!  We decided that we wanted everyone on the same floor, so we are not using bedrooms as classrooms.   Because of that, not every kid has enough room to have all of their books and supplies next to them at all times.  We solved that problem with a set of plastic drawers labelled with each kid's name.  The drawers are on wheels so if I want to get rid of the school look, I can roll them into the laundry room!
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We decided that since most of the school day will be spent on Google Meets with headphones on, it didn't really matter if kids were in the same room because they rarely have to talk out loud during live class. We set the two older kids up in the kitchen and the younger two in the living room in a configuration so no one gets in anyone else's videos!  

My husband works in our bedroom on a slim table that we set in front of a window, and when I'm working from home, I work in my craft area.   Even though it's a little crowded, I made everyone their own nameplate for their space to define it as theirs.  I got acrylic frames for photo booth pictures for less than a dollar, then used scrapbook paper and some markers to make every "desk" a little special.  At the end of the day, the kitchen kids have to put everything in their drawer so my family can eat dinner at the same table, but it works!
Challenge #2:  Confusing schedule
We have two different schedules with different break times for the elementary and the middle school, and then there are alternating days for certain classes - it gets confusing fast!  I got two white boards and two inexpensive easels (check the photo frame section for these) to display the schedule.  I used different colors to help the kids easily find their next class.  For the schedules that alternate, there is a magnet that indicates what day it is.  We have one white board in each room to keep kids on track.  

I also created a printable daily schedule that lists each class time, class, and code for the live video session as well as check boxes for other daily requirements.  These were great for the first week while everyone was getting used to their schedules.  After the second week, we probably won't need these anymore and can just maintain a list of codes for the videos.
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One thing I love about virtual learning is how much extra physical activity the kids are getting because they can go outside and play, go on a bike ride, or just get some sunshine during breaks.  But it's important for them to stay on schedule, so setting timers is a great way to help kids manage their time and get back to their seats in time for the next session.
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Challenge #3: Tech Issues 
I work in IT for my day job, so I am used to tech issues!  The biggest lesson here is to teach your child how to fix issues rather than fixing them all yourself.  It's amazing how even young children can learn to troubleshoot an issue when you take the time to show them how.  Before school starts, go through their device with them and explain the basics.  Don't assume they know how to open a new tab on a web browser or even turn down the volume.  Chances are you may have to show them a few times, but if you take the time at the beginning to teach them how to help themselves, you won't be needed as much later on.

We've already run into broken links, unknown passwords, and pictures and videos that wouldn't display.  Teachers have been very honest that this is all new to everyone, so don't feel bad about asking them for help or letting them know when something isn't going quite right - but be nice!!  Taking a photo of exactly what you are seeing on your kid's device may be more helpful than trying to explain it in words.  

Slow or overloaded internet will surely be a problem at some point.  If that happens, try limiting video to only when it's needed.  Most teachers have a recording if something goes wrong and you can't participate live.  You may have to roll with it!
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"Chances are you may have to show them a few times, but if you take the time at the beginning to teach them how to help themselves, you won't be needed as much later on."

Challenge #4: I have to work!
Many of us are working parents, and work doesn't just stop when school starts.  We are in unprecedented times, and employers are trying to make accommodations but still stay in business.  There are some who can't work from home because of the nature of their job.  This is where we have to stick together and help each other out!  I'm fortunate because my husband works from home, but I am trying to be very aware that he has a full time job and as willing as he is to be a teacher as well,  I need to pitch in where I can.  I occasionally work from home to give him a break, and I also review schedules for the next day and make lists, monitor homework assignments, etc. the night before so the days are smoother.

No matter what kind of job you have or how high up you are in an organization, all employees are just people and many of them are parents dealing with virtual school.  Even those who don't have kids themselves, have a child or teacher in their lives and can understand the challenges of juggling work and school responsibilities.  Several times a week on conference calls, I hear someone's child in the background or someone on the call has to excuse themselves to help with a school issue.  It doesn't bother me a bit - I get it!  We are all trying to do our best, and no one can deny that our kids' education is important.  

To help stay focused at work when you are at home with school-aged kids, set them up with everything they need before you start your workday.  Designate your own workspace and clearly communicate when kids are allowed to enter that space and at what times they need to be quiet.  You may consider a sign or visual reminder of these things for younger children.  Schedule your breaks around the kids' breaks so you can check homework, answer questions, and enjoy seeing their faces in the middle of they day.  You may need to talk to your boss about working an alternate schedule.  If there are hours that you need to dedicate to school, is it possible you could work some in the early morning or late evening to make up for that time?  
None of us know how long we will be dealing with virtual school, so I encourage you to identify your top challenges and come up with strategies to address them. Organize yourself in other areas of your life to give you more room in your day to deal with the challenges at hand.

Have a great school year!

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Don't Steal From Your Evening to Prepare For Your Morning

8/9/2020

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I am not a morning person!  I like to BE up early, but I don't particularly like to GET up early!  Because of that, my mornings go much more smoothly when everything is ready the night before.  Getting into a habit of preparing for the next day the night before was one of the single biggest boosts to my productivity! 

When I was primarily working from home this spring, evening prep was pretty simple - a list of my most important tasks for the next day and sometimes I laid out a letter that needed to go to the mailbox.  Since it didn't really matter what I wore and I didn't need to pack a lunch, there really wasn't that much to it.  Don't get me wrong, doing that little bit of prep for the next day still went a long way, but it wasn't as critical as I knew it would be when I was back to working in my office most of the time.  To set myself up for a successful transition, I really embraced evening prep - almost too much because soon it felt like my evenings were focused around tomorrow.  

That first week back to the office exhausted me.  Between working the same full day, commuting,  wearing office appropriate attire, showering EVERY DAY, fixing my hair and makeup,  packing up my breakfast, snacks and lunch,  preparing my work supplies, not to mention trying to spend quality time with my family - it was exhausting!  I was trying extra hard to make everything run smoothly, so I was spending 30-60 minutes preparing every detail of my morning the night before. I felt robbed of my evenings and the time with my family, so I decided something had to change!

There were two key areas I identified as time suckers, and I made a plan to fix them!

Food
I am on a mission to get healthier and slimmer by the time I turn 40, so I take my breakfast, snacks and lunch with me everyday.  For breakfast I make a protein shake, snacks are usually fruit, nuts, cheese, and lunch may be leftovers or a salad.  Previously, I was spending a good 30 minutes an evening preparing food.  I analyzed my evening food prep routing, and found the areas that were taking the longest and came up with ideas to streamline the process:
  • Cleaning and cutting fruits and veggies
Now I clean and cut up enough fruits and veggies for the entire week on Sunday.  Batching the task saves time overall! 
  • Putting food into smaller containers
On Sundays, I put snacks in smaller containers all at the same time.  This could include a baggie of veggie chips, small containers of ranch dip or peanut butter, or a serving of fresh cherries in a plastic container.  I store all the pre-divided portions together in the refrigerator in a clear plastic bin so it's easy to grab and go.
  • Avoiding using and cleaning the blender
This was by far my biggest win!  I make a breakfast protein shake every morning (get the recipe and directions at the end of this post!)  I used to put all the ingredients in and then use the immersion blender to mix it up.  I would then have to wash it right away to avoid it getting really gross and sticky.  I realized this blending and cleaning was what was taking the longest, so I did an experiment to see if I could puree all the fruit ahead of time and simply use a shaker bottle to mix up the ingredients.  I was skeptical because that protein powder tends to clump up, but to my delight and surprise - it worked!  I found that 1 cup of clean, sliced fresh fruit equals about 2/3 cup of fruit puree.  Now each morning I just add that to my almond milk, protein powder and chia seeds, put in the shaker ball and shake!  That's it - no muss no fuss, and SO much faster!
  • ​Not wasting time washing dishes
​I also used to waste time washing the containers I wanted to take food in the next day.  I only had one shaker cup, so I had to wash it every day.  I only had one container of the right size for my salad that fit in my lunchbox, so I also washed it every evening.  I solved these things very simply: I bought a second shaker cup so one can be washing in the dishwasher while the other is in use.  I started washing out my salad container at work after lunch.   Since I also prepack all my smaller snacks, there is no time wasted on dishes in my daily routine!

I now pack my lunchbox immediately after I empty it.  I make my shake the night before as well and just shake it up before I drink it the next day.  I've gone from 30 minute lunch prep to less than 10
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Clothes
I lay my entire outfit the night before - complete with jewelry, shoes - everything.  I used to do it right before bed.  First I would have to look at my calendar to see what was going on the next day so I dressed appropriately.  Then I'd pick something out, find all the coordinating accessories, and a good 15-20 minutes later, get to bed.  I wanted to get more sleep, so I decided to try to win back those few minutes before bed.

Now I pick out my clothes for the next day as soon as I change out of my work clothes, which is usually very soon after I walk in the door.  Since I'm already in my closet hanging up clothes or putting them in the hamper, it makes sense to just grab an outfit for tomorrow right then.  Because I always look at my calendar for the next day before I finish my workday, I can skip that step since it's fresh in my mind.  By the time I'm in my comfy walking clothes, I am done preparing for the next day!  
Try It!
Your pain points may not be the same as mine, but take some time to think through your routine and identify what is taking you the longest or what frustrates you about your morning or evening routine.  Think about the problem and how you would tell someone else to solve it.  Track your time savings and celebrate the extra time in your evening - and spend it well!

Quick and Easy Protein Shake
  • 8-10 oz. Almond Milk (I like Aldi Unsweetened Vanilla)
  • Protein Powder (I like plant based vanilla or chocolate)
  • 1 cup fresh fruit (equals 2/3 pre-pureed fruit)
  • 2 Tbsp Chia Seeds (can substitute flax seed)

Puree all the fruit you will need for the week ahead of time and store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

The night before combine almond milk, fruit puree, protein powder, and chia seeds in a shaker cup, put in the shaker ball, and SHAKE!  Store in the refrigerator and shake well before drinking.

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Being Productive Doesn't Mean You Can Do it All

7/30/2020

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There have been many times throughout my career that I've thought, "If I didn't have kids, I'd be a rock star at my job," or "If my kids were older, I'd have more time to devote to my work,"  or "If I were single, I could be married to my job."   And then I'd snap back to reality and realize I AM a wife, I AM a mom, and my kids ARE young - and I'm SO HAPPY about those facts!  Those facts are what make me a whole person are the areas of my life that I love the most.

So why is it I feel like when I embrace my role as a wife and mom, that I can't be amazing in a professional role, too?  The reason is simple - because I can't be incredible at everything at the same time - no one can.  I can be laser focused at work, but them my home life suffers, or I can be all in all the time at home, and my work life suffers.  It's a conundrum that I think all working parents face.  It's a big source of what you often hear called "mommy guilt."   Working moms tend to try to just DO more to make up for the fact they are away from their families at a job during many hours of the day, but this can lead to over-working and over-scheduling.  In an interview with clinical psychologist, Nicole Grocki about this topic, the Mindful Return​ website explained,  "Here we’re grappling with the mom’s belief that if a mom does more, and ignores the guilt, the better she will feel.  But this behavior can lead to burnout and becoming physically unwell."
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I, like many, turned to productivity to help me figure out the secret formula (spoiler alert - there isn't one!)  I wanted to do all the things, be great in all areas, and appear like it was easy.  When I dove in, I realized that one of the biggest secrets to productivity is not to do it all, but to do the right things.  No matter how productive you are, you can not do it all.  A productivity system can help you get more done in less time - that's true - but it cannot create more hours in the day, it cannot develop meaningful relationships with your kids, it cannot foster camaraderie with your co-workers, it cannot magically make you smarter or more knowledgeable.   All of those things take time and dedication.  If you are simply checking things of of a list - read the kids a bedtime story (check), read a business book (check), make a dinner reservation for date night (check) - you may not be fully experiencing the joys of life.
"No matter how productive you are, you can not do it all."

I don't want you to feel discouraged though, because I have a few suggestions for you!  
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  • Lower your own expectations
I've written about this one before, so I'm just going to link you to that post.  Give yourself the grace you'd give anyone else!

  • Don't keep to do's in your head
You're a busy person so don't waste any of the energy you have to spend on remembering things.  Keep a master to do list.  Use paper or digital, it doesn't matter.  Just develop your own system of capturing all the things in your head so you can use your brain for doing the stuff and not just remembering it!

  • Recognize seasons of your life and move your focus to where it needs to be during that time.
As I said above, my kids are still young, and it's going too fast.  I want to freeze time sometimes.  This is the season of my life that going to kids' activities is more important to me than going to a work event and rubbing shoulders with important people, and I'm done feeling guilty about that!

  • Prune out some of the unnecessary from your life.
​We all do a lot, and there's bound to be a few things that you can either stop doing all together or delegate to someone else.  I encourage you to check out this roles and responsibilities worksheet to help identify all the roles and responsibilities you have in your life and how you can cut back to give yourself some breathing room.

  • Add something to your life that is just for you.
This one seems counter-intuitive, but I highly recommend it.  When I was the busiest and most overwhelmed in my life is when I started this blog.  I needed an outlet that wasn't about my family or my work.  It was something that I could put on the back burner if I needed to without a lot of impact, but it was also something I could escape to if I wanted.  Find a hobby or develop a new skill.  It doesn't have to take lots of your time, but it can life changing!

Sources
Mihalich-Levin, Lori. “What Exactly IS Mom Guilt Anyway? A Clinical Psychotherapist Explains.” Mindful Return, 27 Feb. 2020, www.mindfulreturn.com/mom-guilt/.

​Photo by Manasvita S on Unsplash
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Create a Done List to Be More Productive

7/19/2020

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To be truly productive, it is almost imperative to have a master to-do list where you record everything you need to do and use it to prioritize your actions as you work toward completing tasks that will ultimately help you accomplish your goals.  Though I believe this is true, today I want to introduce a different concept that I think is almost as important to your personal productivity - a done list!  

A done list is just what it sounds like, a list of things you’ve completed.  There are a couple of options on how to create a done list, but before I tell you HOW, let me tell you WHY.  ​

Why a Done List?

1.  Develops Positive Emotions
Sometimes in the midst of all the items left undone on our to do list, it’s easy to forget all that was accomplished in a day.  At the end of the work day, the emotions we feel are directly related to the progress we made (or didn’t make.)

Dr. Teresa Amabile, a Harvard Business School professor and co-author of The Progress Principle found that when people recognized their small accomplishments, they experienced more positive emotions which in turn, encouraged future accomplishment.  In a Harvard Business Review article, she explained a study which analyzed 12,000 employees on a daily basis. ”On days when they made progress, our participants reported more positive emotions. They not only were in a more upbeat mood in general but also expressed more joy, warmth, and pride.” 

2. Creates Momentum

We tend to focus more on our failures than our successes, so keeping track of what we’ve accomplished can remind us of what we are capable of.  Organizational psychologist, Karl Weick says “Once a small win has been accomplished, forces are set in motion that favor another small win. When a solution is put in place, the next solvable problem often becomes more visible.”

Completing a task feels so much better than starting 10 tasks and not quite finishing any of them!  Every time you record something you’ve finished, you get a little hit of dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter in your body’s nervous system that plays a role in feeling pleasure.  It actually helps us focus and improves motivation.  So completing one item literally can increase our chances of completing the next one.
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​How to Create a Done List

1.  As you go
This is the method I most prefer.  I have a master task list for EVERYTHING I need to do, but on a daily basis, I choose the one thing I’m going to work on first, and I write the item down on a handwritten list.  When I’m done, I put a line through it and choose the next thing to begin.  I also use this list to record to-do’s that come to mind as I’m working on a task.  This helps me stay focused on what I’m doing and not spend mental energy remembering something for later.  As those items are completed, I mark a line through them.  At the end of the day, if there’s anything left that I didn’t get completed, I add it to my master to-to list. Then I review all the items that were marked off and revel in the sense of accomplishment!

2. After you’re done
When you complete a task, write it down (and put a big check mark by it if that makes you feel good!)  If you prefer paper, I would suggest a small notebook where you can keep these lists so you can look back and see all that you’ve accomplished.  If you use digital solutions, a simple spreadsheet or document can be an easy way to capture your completed tasks.

3. Within Your To Do List
If you don’t want the extra work of creating a separate done list, you could mark completed tasks with the date on your paper to-do list  If you use a digital task management system like Nozbe, completed tasks stay visible for the day they are completed so you can view your progress.  With either method, you have the benefit of being able to review the tasks you’ve completed on a certain day to give you satisfaction and a boost of momentum!

Sources 
Higgs, Micaela Marini. “How to Accept a Compliment - Even If It's From Yourself.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 Dec. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/12/04/smarter-living/how-to-accept-a-compliment.html.

Amabile and Steven J. Kramer, Teresa, and Steven J. Kramer. “The Power of Small Wins.” Harvard Business Review, 6 May 2020, hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins.

"Do vs. Done Lists: Jot Down Your Small Wins." Evernote, 12 April 2017, https://evernote.com/blog/do-vs-done-lists-jot-down-your-small-wins
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"What is Dopamine?" WebMD 19 June 2019, .
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-dopamine#1

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
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I'm Back!

7/14/2020

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We are living in a historic time, and many of us are battling conflicting emotions that change multiple times a day.  We are in a situation we’ve never been in before nor has anyone ever been!  It’s a struggle to sort out the truth from the rhetoric, and a true balancing act between staying informed and becoming obsessed.  Our physical and our mental health seem like they are somethings being pitted against each other, and it's been difficult to lead a "regular" life over the past several months.
 
For me, part of my "regular" life for the past 3 years has been this blog, but I soon realized that it had been months since my last blog post.  When stay-at-home orders first hit, I was just busy with my day job in IT, so I skipped a couple of weeks.  Then I became envious of those I saw posting on social media about how they were embracing the “pause” in daily life.   My work life had not paused, and in fact I was working more hours with more stress than ever, and I still had to be a good boss, a supportive wife, an attentive parent, and even a teacher!  The only thing I felt that I could allow myself to “pause” was my blog - so I stopped writing.


About a month after my last blog post, I realized that not ONE person had noticed I hadn’t written or posted on social media, so I became discouraged wondering why I should even start up again.  I began to use any pockets of time that I could find to do other things I enjoyed like reading, working in the yard, learning to sew, going on walks with my husband, and spending bonus time with my kids.  ​
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I came to love being quarantined with my family.  I liked not having to share them with anyone and how having more forced time together took away the guilt of alone time.  I began to feel like time was slowing down - it was almost like freezing time that I wrote about a couple years ago.  Even though my day job went from crazy busy to sort of normal and back to frantic several times over the past 3 months, I had the ability to work from home during much of that time which was just plain good for my soul. I became more productive and more balanced.  I recognize that my family was very fortunate to avoid layoffs and have a comfortable home in which to ride out the quarantine time, and I felt guilty about being in that position when many others weren’t.

Even when I wanted to write, I didn’t know what to say.  Believe me, I had - and still have - lots of feelings about the pandemic, the economy, racism, protests, politics, etc.  But all of those topics can be very divisive, and I didn’t want to compound the issues by posting my opinions during such tumultuous times.  Then I felt more guilt for not sharing my heartfelt thoughts. 
"I want to teach them to acknowledge and learn from the past, see others' viewpoints, and develop empathy and understanding."

I see things through the lens of a parent, so as events continued to unfold over the past few months, I knew I had to explain them to my sons truthfully and in a way not to scare them but to educate and guide them.  I want to instill in them that threats to health and safety exist and that it’s not just about their chances of getting sick, but it’s about respecting and protecting their family, friends, and community.  I want to instill in them that all human life has the same value and, though injustice exists, it’s our personal responsibility to treat others kindly, respectfully, and equally.  I want to teach them by example that we have to speak up when we see or hear something that is not right, and getting angry isn’t wrong as long as we control that anger and funnel it in a productive way.  I want to teach them to acknowledge and learn from the past, see others’ viewpoints, and develop empathy and understanding.  ​
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All of the heaviness of this spring weighed me down, and it became easier and easier to put off getting back to my blog.  I even thought about stopping all together, but a couple of weeks ago my high school best friend launched a new small business on Facebook (please check 4 Designs by Tara!)  I immediately wanted to help her be successful - and that’s when I remembered the energy I get from helping others achieve their goals.  THAT’S why I do this, because my passion is helping others succeed through identifying their goals and organizing themselves and their homes in a way that makes them productive.  So, I’m back - I’m done feeling guilty, insecure, lazy, and ashamed.  I’m back to chasing my passion which is helping you achieve yours!

I look forward to reconnecting with all of you!
What's Next?
I’m launching the next session of Achieve!, the group goal setting and accountability group for women, in mid-September with a 6 week session.  If you have a goal you need help achieving or even need help determining what your goal is, this small group, virtual program may be just what you need.  Learn more about the program here.  ​​ If you decide to sign up, use coupon code: EARLYBIRD  by 8/15/20 for your first week free!
Get More Info About Achieve!

Sources
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

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Work-at-Home Productivity

3/29/2020

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Many of you may have begun working from home in the past couple of weeks and may be doing so for the foreseeable future.  If you've never worked at home before, it can be a big change and a big challenge!  I've heard from some of you that you are struggling in various ways — from staying focused on your work to not letting your working hours bleed into your personal time.  I have worked from home on and off for years, so I wanted to share with you some tips that may help you be more productive at work, more comfortable when you are working, and give you the ability to separate work and home life.

1. Get ready for work 

You may think working from home means you get to roll out of bed and go straight to your laptop in pajamas and bedhead, but I suggest you actually get ready for work similar to how you would if you were going into the office.  Depending if you are required to video chat or not may determine how much time you spend on your appearance, but at least do the following:
  • Shower - Sometimes I prefer to do this at night to allow me to sleep in a little bit more.
  • Get dressed - Though you probably won't be meeting dress code and should wear something comfortable, at least change into something clean and presentable in case you do need to get on a video chat!  
  • Fix your hair - You don't have to look like you just left the salon, but at least run a brush through it!
  • Put on some makeup - If you don't normally wear makeup, you get to skip this step.  For me, if I don't put on some eyebrow color and eyeliner, I look like I'm sleepy or sick, so a tiny bit of makeup actually helps me feel more alert.
  • Brush your teeth - I feel like this should go without saying, but I know my kids feel like this is optional when they don't leave the house!
  • Eat breakfast - You don't need to cook a gourmet meal, but at least eat the same thing you would before or on your way to work.  This will prevent you from taking extra snack breaks later that could impact your productivity

Get up early enough to get these things done before you're supposed to be logged on and ready to work.  Over the past couple of weeks, circumstances were extraordinary and there were days that I got woken up with issues at my day job that continued all day so that I never had the time to do these basic things.  I felt out of sorts and out of control all day long!  I'm a true believer that how you look impacts how you feel (so much that I wrote an entire post about it!)  Set yourself up for success by being awake and ready to face the workday — even if you're just walking to another room in your house!

"Set yourself up for success by being awake and ready to face the workday - even if you're just walking to another room in your house!"


​2. Designate a dedicated workspace

You are likely sharing your house with at least one other work-from-home employee and maybe a couple of e-learners, so having your own work space is very important. In the past when I've worked from home, I've been alone all day while my husband was at his job and my kids were at school which allowed me to camp out wherever I wanted.  No matter which room I was in, I was alone and able to avoid distractions, but now there are people everywhere in my house!

Depending on the size and layout of your house, it may be tricky to find your own space, but get creative.  You can work at a desk, a kitchen or dining table, a counter, a card table, or even a few TV trays.   If you are using a portable table, you can set it up anywhere — in the back of the living room, a bedroom, a walk-in closet, basement rec room, mud room, etc.  Try to find somewhere quiet, preferably where you can shut a door, or at least create some separation between you and the other members of your family when needed.  Try to avoid working from your couch or in your bed — you may be laughing, but it can be tempting! 

If at all possible set up your work space and leave it set up until your work-from-home days are over.  The less time you have to spend hooking up equipment, finding your work files, and clearing off a space the better.  I have my work space set up in our mudroom/craft room.  I've got my extra monitor and my laptop all hooked up and plugged in, my headset nearby, a clear surface for a notepad, and a cup of writing utensils within arm's reach.   When I'm done for the day, I just shut down my laptop and close the lid.  When it's time to work again, it only takes a few seconds to get up and running again.
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​3. Use the right tools

Some find it difficult to stay on task at home because there are so many other things you could be (or want to be) doing like laundry, dishes....or watching TV!  Make sure you have all the tools you need to be productive in your work space so you can more easily keep work and home separate and avoid getting distracted.  For example, keep a notebook specifically for work near your computer so that aren't making work notes on your grocery list.  

Be diligent about daily task lists, but keep work and home lists separate.  I've suggested various task management and to-do list options in past posts, so pick your favorite and stick to it! (Trello, Nozbe, Evernote are all options you may want to look into) Try keeping a running list of "home" tasks that come to mind while you are "at work."  Give yourself permission to jot the idea or task that comes to mind down when you think of it on a special notepad or add it to an electronic list so you don't waste any of your energy on trying to remember it later.  When you know you won't forget, you're less likely to actually get up and do the household task right then.

Make sure you have a comfortable chair, a keyboard and mouse that work well, and have your monitor(s) set up in a way that doesn't cause you to strain your neck or eyes.  The more comfortable you are, the more productive you will be.  Invest in a headset — even an inexpensive pair of ear buds with a microphone will make talking on the phone while working remotely much easier!   Finally, don't forget to drink plenty of water!  I'm great about having water with me at work, but I've found at home, it's something I tend to forget.  Staying hydrated can prevent headaches and help you stay focused.
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4. Stick to office hours

When you go into the office, you have certain times that you typically work.  Do your best to stick to those same hours at home.  At work you likely take a few breaks and a lunch break every day, so do the same at home, and try to take those breaks away from your work space.  Some of the great benefits of working at home is that you can take breaks with your family, get some housework done, or even take a nap in your own bed!  Remember that just because your fridge and pantry are a room away doesn't mean that you should snack more than you do on a typical workday.

Many who have never worked at home fear that the lack of boundaries between work and home will cause them to feel like they never stop working. In my day job, I'm always on call, so I have learned the hard way some strategies to try to keep work and personal time separate.   A few things that help me draw that line when I work from home are:
  • Let your work team know when you are on a break or unavailable.  Set an expectation when you will be on and offline.
  • In the same way, let your home "team" know when you are working and need privacy, and when they can expect you to be done for the day.
  • If your home work space allows, close the door when you are working to signal to your family that you should not be bothered.  
  • Give your family a heads up on what times of the day you need extra quiet for phone or video conferences.
  • Most corporate phone systems allow you to change your status for phone calls and instant messages so people receive a message when you have marked yourself out of office or busy.  Be diligent to use this feature so your status can be trusted.
  • If you are using a laptop, physically close the lid when you are on a break.
  • Clear your desk of notes, papers and clutter and shut your computer down at the end of your work day.  This is a signal to yourself that work is done, and makes it inconvenient to start working again until the next day.
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​I wish you well as you are navigating these unprecedented times of remote work.  I suspect there will be an increase in productivity for some when they get the opportunity to try working from home.  I think it will be very interesting what happens to remote work once the current situation has passed and some employers realize how well workers fared working off site.   I'd love to hear tips you've come up with to remain productive while you've been working from home.  

Sources
Photo by Alexey Suslyakov on Unsplash

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

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14 One Day Organizing Projects

3/14/2020

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Many around the world are hunkered down at home to help slow the spread of COIVD-19.  I think this is the perfect time to get some projects done at home!  During times of uncertainty, it's easy to become anxious and overwhelmed about the things we can't control.  Small, achievable projects can give us a way to keep our minds off of the sometimes scary reality and also regain some control in our lives.  Many of you may be off work or working from home for the next 14 days, so read on for 14 organizing projects you can get done in one day or less!

1. Switch your wardrobe from Winter to Spring

At least the timing is about right for putting away winter clothes and getting out your Spring/Summer wardrobe.    Make sure to donate winter items you didn't wear this year and try on the Spring/Summer items to make sure they fit.  Don't waste space with things that no longer fit or you no longer love!  For more ideas read, The Seasonal Switch post!

2. Clean out and organize your medicine cabinet

This is a great time to think about what medicines in your cabinet may be out of date and determine which ones you are out of.  Make sure to clean the shelves and any organizing containers thoroughly.   You may be able to use items from around the house to combine like items.  Find some low-cost organizing ideas in the post, 5 Dollar Store Ideas for Your Medicine Cabinet.

3. Organize your junk drawer

Everybody has one and without occasional attention, the junk drawer can get out of control!  You may store some essentials in this drawer like batteries, flashlights, and hand sanitizer, so make sure you add any items you need to replenish to your shopping list.  Read more in 7 Steps to the Junk Drawer of Your Dreams.
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​4. Catch up on paperwork

You probably have a pile of papers to go through "when I have time."  Well, you've got some time now!  Separate into things you will do; things you will defer; things you can shred, recycle or trash; and things to file.  From there it's pretty simple, do the do pile, file the file pile, trash the trash pile, and find a home for what you deferred (though think about just doing everything you possibly can instead of keeping a pile for later!)  If you already have a good system in place, read 6 Steps to Get Caught Up on Paperwork  but if you need some help knowing where to start, check out The First Big Win: Wrangling the Paper or TheBinder System.

5. Purge and organize craft and hobby supplies

We all have a hobby of some sort, and those of us with kids likely have supplies for all sorts of crafts and hobbies!  The first step is to PURGE!  Get input from everyone who has used the supplies in the past about what they'd like to see done with them.  Choices are keep it all, keep some, donate, or trash.  Set up a few boxes - one for keep, one for donate, and one for trash.  Go through everything first and then begin determining where items will go and how you will store them.  I'll be doing a whole post soon on craft/hobby room organization!  In the meantime, you can read Can Creativity Be Orderly.

6. Organize your bedside table

Having a clear surface next to my bed gives me a sense of calm!  It's very easy to let your bedside table get cluttered because you are usually tired when you are near it.  Go through everything in and on the table and relocate anything you don't need within arms' reach at night.  Don't forget to add items that would be handy to have close by like hand lotion, chap stick, pain reliever, headphones, a book, a flashlight, etc.  In my E-book, Get Organized Head First, I share a how to get your entire bedroom cleaned and organized.  Having an orderly bedroom creates a sense of calm and control that translates to other areas in your life.  Get a copy of Get Organized Head First for only $2 when you use code: ORGANIZE at checkout!

7. Organize a closet

Pick a closet, any closet! This could be a coat closet, a linen closet, or your clothes closet.   Use the steps of purge, sort and store.  Purge what you no longer need or want, sort so like items are kept together, and then store in logical and accessible ways.  Read for more ideas in these posts The Seasonal Switch and Personalized Organizing
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​8. Organize sports gear

Spring soccer is just beginning.  Though practice schedules are up in the air for the time being, we will eventually get back to the days of cleats, shin guards, and soccer socks all over the place!  Consider setting up a zone in your home or garage where all the sports equipment and supplies go.  Items that we only use for a couple of months at a time don't tend to have a "home" like items we use all of the time.  This makes it more likely that they get left in a pile or create clutter.  Read How to Create an Organized Sports Zone for more ideas.

9. Clean and organize your laundry room

What a great opportunity to catch up on laundry (see how I'm trying to look on the bright side!)  It feels like laundry never ends, but I'm hopeful with less outings will come less laundry!  Take a day to assess what the problem areas are in your laundry room — it may be the lack of folding space, a cluttered shelf for cleaning supplies, or a hamper that is too small.  Read A Laundry Experiment Part 1 and A Laundry Experiment Part 2 for more ideas!

10. Purge and organize your board games

My family loves games!  We play family games at least a couple of times a week and are planning on a lot more while the kids are off school for the next few weeks.  Some of our favorites are Llama Drama, Exploding Kittens,  One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Unstable Unicorns,Yahtzee, Boggle, Bananagrams, Catch Phrase, and  Hearts.  This is a great time  pull out some games you haven't played in a while to determine if they are keepers or not.  Go through each box and assure you have all the pieces.  Keep all extra or random pieces in a small container so that they are easy to find later.

11. Purge and organize kids' toys

If you have kids who are going to be home from school for a few weeks, you are likely already dreading hearing them whine, "I'm bored!"  Going through their toys is a great way for them to rediscover fun things they may have forgotten about.  Use the same system as you did with the closet — purge, sort, store.  One of my favorite toy organizing projects was in this blog post, Lego Storage Under the Stairs
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​12. Write down your goals and a plan to achieve them

The Coronavirus outbreak has caused many of us to think about what and who is really important to us.   Think of this as an opportunity you've been given to reconsider your priorities and set new boundaries and goals for your life.   I encourage you to physically write down your goals and find someone to share them with so you have the accountability you need to achieve them.  Read about S.M.A.R.T. goals here and get a free, printable goal setting worksheet.  Learn about how to set and achieve a goal in as little as 6 weeks in this free, 10 minute webinar.  And if you are interested in some structured accountability, consider the upcoming Achieve! session - learn more here!

13. Clean out your refrigerator

Being stuck at home will force many of us to get creative about what we cook.  It's a great time to look in the depths of your refrigerator and freezer for food you didn't even know you had!  You may start to realize that maybe if your fridge was a little more organized you would have known what was in there!  Get some quick ideas by reading Organize Your Fridge for Healthy Eating  and if this inspires you to do the WHOLE kitchen - check out the free 7 day video series, 7 Days to an Orderly Kitchen.

14. Purge and organize your cords and chargers

Being stuck at home will likely mean lots of electronics being used over the next couple of weeks. You probably have cords and chargers all over the place.  Gather them all together, and use the same method we've talked about before - purge, sort and store.   There are likely cords and chargers from items you no longer own as well as multiples of the same type.   Don't keep more than you need. Even if you throw or give away several cords and chargers, you will save money in the long run because you won't be buying new ones every time you can't find one — now you'll know right where they are!


​Sources
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Photo by jordi pujadas on Unsplash
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A Brain Dump How-To

3/1/2020

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Are you overwhelmed?  It seems like almost everyone I know feels like there is too much on their plate or there just isn't enough time to get everything done — at least not done well.  I used to think that if I could just be more productive, I could handle it all,  but what I've learned is that is just not true.  We all have a limit —there is a finite amount of time in the day and I only have a finite amount of energy.  If there is truly too much, something has to give.

You may feel like nothing on your to-do list can be delayed, delegated or deleted, but I think that most of us don't even know what all is on our list.  The general feeling of overwhelm follows us around because of the sheer amount of things we need to do but also because of the things we fear we have forgotten or are spending energy trying to remember.    If you could free your mind of trying to keep track of your to-dos, you would have more bandwidth to "do the stuff."  This is where a brain dump comes into play.  You can get it all out of your head and then organize it into a trusted system.  Here's an easy brain dump how-to that you can use for personal or professional purposes or feel free to do both at once.
1. Write everything down
The supplies you need for this step are blank, lined notepad and a writing utensil.  Set a timer for no more than 15 minutes and then begin writing anything you can think of that you need to do, want to do, or even ideas that have been floating around in your head.   Write one thing on each line.  Some of what you write down will be projects or categories and others will be actual tasks, don't worry about differentiating, just write everything you can think of. The timer is just to give you a sense of urgency and create focus, it's not to limit you on getting everything out of your head and onto paper.  So if the timer goes off and you have more to write, keep at it!
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​2. Transfer all notes to your "dump" list
If you're like me, you take notes in meetings, while on the phone, and when you randomly think of something.  These notes could be in a journal or notebook, on a scrap of paper or sticky note, or even in a note taking app on your phone or computer.    It's likely that you have notes in multiple places which makes it hard to know what all you really need to do!  

In this step you are going to gather all your notes and transfer any tasks onto your master "dump" list.   Try to quickly scan each note rather than re-reading everything.  If after you've transferred the to-do, you don't feel like you need to keep that note, draw a big X on the page so when you are all done, you know that it's ok to throw away.  

If you've never done this process before you could have a lot of notes to go through!  I suggest making a judgement call here that anything older than a certain time frame is either no longer relevant or probably has cropped up again in more recent notes.  This means you simply choose not to look through those older notes, but since you actively chose to do that, you can release that from the things in the back of your mind to worry about.  If you feel it's necessary you could archive those old notes "just in case."

As you are working through this, a note may job your memory for another project or task you hadn't written down.  That's a good thing, you are truly emptying your head!  Just add anything else that comes to mind to your master list.

​Depending on the amount of notes you have, you may want to use the Pomodoro technique in this step so you don't get burnt out.  Work for a set amount of time and then take a small break where you get up and move around, and then go back to work.  
3. Organize and categorize
By now, you should be feeling much lighter because everything is out of your head and onto one giant list.  Don't feel overwhelmed by the size of your list because now you're going to make it manageable.

Review each item on your "dump" list, and if it's a project or category mark it with a star.  A project is something that requires multiple tasks to complete and a category is a way to group like tasks together.  An example of a project is "Plan Spring Break trip" and an example of a category is "Phonecalls."  

After you've gotten through the whole list, you can continue in one of two ways — 1) Continue using a notepad or 2) Use blank sticky notes.  I'm going to explain how to do this using both methods, so read through both options before you decide what works best for you.

1) Continue using a notepad.
​Write each item you starred on the top of a separate piece of paper.  Spread the papers out on a clear surface.  Then go through your list and add each task to the appropriate project or category.  If you get to a task that doesn't have a project or category, either create a new sheet with a new heading or if it's a standalone task, add it to a sheet titled "miscellaneous."  As you add tasks to project sheets, mark them off the original list.  If you run across a duplicate, just mark it off as well.  Continue until every task has been transferred.

OR

2) Use blank sticky notes
Write each item you starred on a separate sticky note and stick to a large empty table or counter, or better yet, a blank wall.  Then go through your list and write each task on it's own sticky note and stick under the appropriate category.  If you get to a task that doesn't have a project or category, either create a new sticky note for that project, or if it's a standalone task, add it to a  "miscellaneous" category.  As you add tasks to project sheets, mark them off the original list.  If you run across a duplicate, just mark it off as well.  Continue until every task has been transferred.  The beauty of using sticky notes is that it's easy to move a task from one project to another if you change your mind about how you'd like to categorize.
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​4. Defer, delegate, and delete
Now that you can physically see all the projects, and tasks that you have on your plate, it's time to get rid of, or delete, some of them!  Scan each project/category for items that are no longer needed or relevant, and mark them out (notepad method) or wad up and throw away (sticky note method.)

​Review remaining tasks for things that someone else can do. You may have taken on a task because you felt obligated or thought you were being helpful, but if you continue to add to your responsibilities you won't be able to complete even your required tasks.  If YOU don't have to be the one to complete a task, consider who could help you, or even do it better than you.  Once you have successfully delegated a task to someone else, mark it off your list!

Finally, look through what's left and select the projects and tasks that can be pushed to the back burner.  I have a "someday/maybe" category that I store these deferred tasks in.  I review these periodically to determine if any should become active again.
5. Enter remaining tasks into a trusted system
Now that you have a somewhat more manageable list to work with, you should enter what you've chosen to keep on your list into a trusted system.  If you already have a task management system, make sure to review what's already included, and mark off the ones that are completed or no longer relevant before you begin adding new projects and tasks.  If you haven't chosen your preferred task management system, you have a lot of options!  You can use a simple notebook, a color coded binder,  or you can go with an electronic option.  In past posts I've talked about a few of my favorite digital options including Nozbe and Trello. 

Regardless what you choose, make sure you can easily prioritize and assign due dates to tasks if needed.  Once you've gotten to this step, maintaining your system is critical.  Make sure to add ALL tasks to your system so you don't have to go through this entire process again!  You should review your system daily so that you are always in tune with what your next action should be on each project.


Sources
Photo by 
Green Chameleon on Unsplash
Photo by You X Ventures on Unsplash
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Meet Your Future Self

2/15/2020

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Over the years, I’ve broken many New Year’s Resolutions by mid-February. There are also many resolutions I've kept, and most of those have all had something in common - they weren’t centered on me, but instead were focused on others. Once I began to make some of my annual resolutions externally focused, I was able to create habits rather than just a temporary routine. ​

An example of an externally focused goal was the resolution to stop thinking so hard about if I should help someone. I decided that if the opportunity presented itself, and I had the ability or means to help someone, I would just do it instead of mulling it over and delaying a decision. Though this was initially focused on others, the benefit to me was great as well - I wasted less time overthinking and learned to confident in my decision making skills.
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I’ve also made goals about investing in relationships, and though that benefits me as well, I’m more likely to keep up with it because I feel like I’m letting someone else down if I don’t follow through. Sometimes it’s easier to keep promises to others than it is yourself.

In Gretchen Rubin's book, The Four Tendencies, she explains that everyone responds to expectations differently. She identified four main personality types based on how they respond to inner and outer expectations. Upholders can easily meet outer and inner expectations; Obligers have trouble meeting inner expectations but thrive with outer expectation; Questioners need to ask questions to help make sense out of outer expectations, thus turning them into inner expectations; and Rebels don’t respond to inner or outer expectation - they kind of do what they want when they want. Take the quiz to see what your primary tendency is.

Even if your goal is 100% about you, outward expectations can still help you be successful if you find an accountability partner or join an accountability group. Research shows an increased chance for success when you announce your goal and report on progress regularly. It’s a little harder to let others down than it is to let yourself down - that’s unfortunate, but often true.

But what about a goal that is so private that you don’t want to share it with anyone? Try thinking about your “future self.” This allows you to look from the outside in and think of your future self as almost a different person. You can make a promise to her that you don’t want to break. I love the concept of the future self for goal setting but also for short term motivation. For example we all know it makes sense to prepare the night before to make your mornings go more smoothly, but yet many of us don’t do the prep work regularly. Try thinking about what you owe your future self and how she will feel when you make preparations that will benefit her. This can be for things as insignificant as peeling your orange at home instead of putting whole orange in your lunch bag. Think, “Future me will be so happy she doesn’t have to make a mess peeling this orange at her desk tomorrow when she’s hungry for a snack, and it will help her eat healthier too!”
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The future self concept gets really, really interesting even beyond the ways we can motivate ourselves in the short term. Harvard psychologist, Dan Gilbert, explains in his TED talk the difference between the ease of remembering and the difficulty of imagining. Most of us can remember who we were but it’s harder to imagine who we are going to be in the future. Gilbert says, “Then we mistakenly think that because it’s hard to imagine, it’s not likely to happen.” You’ve heard the phrase, ‘I can’t imagine that’ and usually this is because of the poor imagination of the person saying it, not the unlikelihood that it will actually happen. That excites me - my future truly can be beyond my imagination!

Whether you become accountable to your future self, to your best friend, or to a group of strangers, that accountability will help you create a long term promise that will form your behavior and decisions in the present and the future - and the beauty is the past doesn’t have to be a limiting factor.   Goals could be in the form of an educational or professional pursuit, a healthy lifestyle, learning a new skill or hobby, or even focusing on developing or improving a relationship. It might be time to rethink this year's resolutions and determine how to make them outwardly focused - even if that focus is yourself in the future! 


Sources

Photo by 
Austin Kehmeier on Unsplash

Rubin, Gretchen. The Four Tendencies. Random House USA, 2018.


Wissman, Barrett. “An Accountability Partner Makes You Vastly More Likely to Succeed.” Entrepreneur, 20 Mar. 2018, www.entrepreneur.com/article/310062.

​Photo by Taylor Smith on Unsplash


Gilbert, Dan. “The Psychology of Your Future Self.” TED, Mar. 2014, www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_psychology_of_your_future_self.

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Preheat Your Projects

2/7/2020

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The dictionary definition of productivity is “the effectiveness of effort as measured in terms of the rate of output per unit of input.”  Basically, it means getting the most done in the least amount of time possible. It is tempting to rush to get things done so we can appear productive, but if you do things fast, you may not do them well.

In my eyes, true productivity is getting as much of the right things done — and done well — in the right amount of time while giving yourself grace and time to enjoy your life!  “Right” is a subjective word that varies from person to person.  The “right” things should be tasks that move you forward toward your goal, and the “right” amount of time is the minimum amount of time that it should take to plan, complete prerequisites, and complete the task.
"...true productivity is getting as much of the right things done - and done well - in the right amount of time whil giving yourself grace and time to enjoy your life!"

Many times busywork takes most of our time, but doesn’t move the needle.  Email is something that many of us who work in an office setting spend WAY too much time on, but it doesn’t propel us forward.  Unfortunately, tasks like email still need to be done, but they need to be seen as secondary to our true objectives. Developing a system for secondary tasks is crucial so they don’t pile up and impede our progress toward our end goal.  For ideas on how to control your email, read my previous posts on Email Organization and How to Clear Your Inbox After Vacation.

Even when you’ve created a system to handle your secondary tasks, there is still another key to becoming truly productive — planning!   Brian Tracy, author of Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, says, “Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this gives you a 1,000 percent Return on Energy!”  I’ve recently noticed a metaphor in my life that shows how a lack of planning can make a task take longer and have a lower quality outcome.  

I like to bake, but I don’t like to wait for the oven to preheat, so usually, I just turn on the oven when I think of it and as soon as I’m ready, shove the cookies or cake in the oven.  It’s not until several minutes AFTER I’ve put the food into the oven that I hear the beep indicating that it is up to temperature. Chef David James Robinson from Learn How to Cook (and Eat Your Mistakes) explains the importance of preheating, “It’s like stretching before a run, or warming up the car, or letting the water get hot before you shower.  Food cooks unevenly in a cold oven. Your poor dish starts in a cold oven, then it has to deal with a warm oven, then finally a hot oven, it doesn’t know what to do!”
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After I’ve put food into a only partially preheated oven, I wait for my food to bake. At the end of the cooking time from the recipe, I check if my food is done.  It’s usually not, so I then have to check on it every couple of minutes until it’s finally firm in the center. The total baking time is longer than the recipe called for because it wasn’t baking at the proper temperature from the beginning. 

A Cook’s Illustrated article told of an experiment comparing preheated and non-preheated ovens.  Cookies that were added to non-preheated oven spread out much more than ones in preheated oven because they were inserted before the oven was at the proper temperature for the dough to set.  Cakes put in too soon came out with crispy or even burnt on the edges by the time the center was cooked through.  

Think about how this applies in your own life.  If you just start without any planning, the total project can end up taking longer because you may have to start over or change course in the middle.  You may not realize all of the supplies or resources you need to be successful so that causes you to pause in the middle and possibly lose your place or your momentum.  In addition to taking longer, the quality of your outcome may suffer because you were unprepared or trying to complete a project without the correct tools.  

Taking the time to “preheat” can help you to recognize potential obstacles and make a plan to overcome them before they become barriers.  You can also avoid mistakes that could require you to start over or repeat work. Additionally it can allow you to work at a steady pace instead of a frenzy at the end when you realize that a lack of planning caused a delay that threatens your ability to meet the deadline.
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Next time I bake cookies, I am going to preheat that oven just like next time I have a project, I’m going to take the time to plan to save myself time and headaches in the end!  What about you?


Sources
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Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash

Robinson, David James. “Do I Really Have to Preheat the Oven?” Learn How To Cook (and Eat Your Mistakes), 2 Feb. 2011, eatyourmistakes.com/in-the-kitchen/do-i-really-have-to-preheat-the-oven.
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“Why You Should Fully Preheat Before Baking.” Cook's Illustrated, www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/10431-why-you-should-fully-preheat-before-baking.

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