What’s a single moment when you were living “the good life”?

October 24, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizing big projects, State of "flow", working on big projects

Organizational Zen is about the peace you find prioritizing your time by working on the big stuff in your life. Not sure what your “big stuff” is?

I recently attended a class taught by the very wise, Dr. Alice Bandy. Alice helps people figure out their “Why”. Why?

Because you were born with unique gifts to share with the world and it’s hard to share something that you don’t know you have.
Most of us underestimate what we can bring to the universe.
If you don’t do the work that’s in your heart, it’s a big loss for all of us, and you won’t have as much fun while you’re here on earth.
Your work isn’t what you do – it’s who you are.
Your gift to the world is to take action.

To get a glimpse of your “why”, take a deep breath and ponder this question. Continue reading →

Now playing: The role of “you”

October 21, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises Changing habits, figuring out my life work, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks

As an actor, I like playing roles – the weirder, the better! When you play someone with a strong personality, with a distinctive accent or a certain gait, it’s easy to slip into the role and become the character the author created.

In life, we play a mix of roles without thinking much about it. Each one can have its own look, and each comes with expectations – some that you impose on yourself, and some that you think others expect of you.

You may be open with your spouse but guarded about who you are at work. Or maybe you play the role of “spouse” at home and are more open and unguarded at work. Your parents and siblings know you better than anyone. Or do they? Are you “you” around them? Or a version of “you” that they’ll understand and accept? And maybe with one friend you’re a goof, and with another you’re a listener and problem solver. Continue reading →

Making writing a habit

October 19, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting things done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, working on big projects

Having a passion in life helps you resist the urge to waste time. Writing is my passion but it took me years to develop it into a habit.

What I learned along the way was that for me to write a novel, I had to treat writing like it was a job. It took time, intent, commitment, focus, and prioritization to turn an idea for a historic story into a book.

Here are my big take-aways that can be applied to any new habit.

Continue reading →

Finding your balance

October 17, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, Changing habits, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive

Organizational Zen is about being organized in a way that brings you peace. It’s not about trying to nail down every aspect of your life, to be neat as a pin, or to always be perfect and in control. And it’s not about trying to organize others – you’re concentrating on your own good work.

Organizational Zen is about deciding how you want to spend your time, then prioritizing and focusing on what you’re doing.

Here’s an exercise I learned in Lissa Rankin’s book Mind Over Medicine that gives you a visual of the essential things you need in your life to feel balanced.

Picture your life as a cairn of rocks where each stone supports the one above it.
What are the essential rocks that give you a feeling of peace and balance – bottom to top?
What’s missing from your stack?

I did some thinking about what the rocks are in my cairn and came up with a long list. Continue reading →

Getting started with meditation

October 14, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Changing habits, Getting started, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting organized, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Meditation tips, organizational tips, tips to be more productive

If you aren’t healthy, it’s pretty hard to stay organized. Eating good food, getting outside, going for walks, and getting enough sleep help you focus on the tasks of the day.

And a big part for me of being grounded in a healthy lifestyle is meditation. I started meditating a couple of years ago after resisting for the longest time because I thought mediation was something you had to “do right”.

What finally got me meditating was a book by Lissa Rankin called Mind Over Medicine. The book isn’t about meditation – it’s about how powerful your mind is in helping you heal.

Here’s Lissa talking about this in a TED talk. Continue reading →

What if your life were theater?

October 12, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, Changing habits, figuring out my life work, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks

If your life was a play, is it something you’d go see?

What’s your story?
Is the plot line interesting with a number of surprise twists?
Is your life a drama? A comedy? Is it musical theater?
Are there interesting characters in your life story?
How’s the pace – are things moving right along?
Is there a beginning, a middle, and an anticipated end?
What will the audience walk away with at the end of your show?

If your life were a play, would you live it differently than you are now? Continue reading →

15 ideas to manage a more effective meeting

October 10, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, organizational tips, tips to be more productive

If you’re working to achieve organizational Zen and not waste time, corporate meetings are a huge challenge! According to a survey of U.S. professionals by Salary.com, meetings ranked as the number one office productivity killer.

Here are 15 ideas to help you run more effective meetings. Continue reading →

Embrace the facts – and move on

October 7, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work Changing habits, getting organized, getting things done, how to get organized, How to stay focused, organizational tips, State of "flow", tips to be more productive

Do you ever have these types of thoughts run through your head?

What if there’s traffic and I’m late?
Will my flight be on time and will I make my connection?
I want to talk to the new person at work, but what if they don’t want to talk to me?
What if my kid picks a career path I don’t like?
What if it rains tomorrow?

Continue reading →