Building your personal brand

The Vertical Declutter

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Tips on decluttering , , , , , , , ,

I’m a big fan of decluttering – your workspace, your closets, and your mind! But when someone recommended Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up I hesitated to read it. My house and life are pretty much decluttered. Was reading this book a good use of my time?

It was, and here’s why: Vertical Storage.

Marie Kondo is adamant that after you pile up similar items, sort them to get rid of most of the pile, and are ready to put the few remaining items away in their own unique spot, that you fold or stack items vertically. I scoffed. My socks like being balled like potatoes. And my t-shirts could never possibly fold to sit vertically. And yet, I’m a geek for organizational ideas so I had to try it.

Here’s what vertical storage looks like in a sock drawer. Continue reading →

Stand tall and get more done

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Staying focused , , , , , , ,

Does slouching contribute to procrastination?

According to a study highlighted this week in FastCompany, Erik Peper, PhD, says that when you stand tall, chin up, shoulders wide, your body relaxes into a safe and confident state. He says that when your body is erect, whether sitting, standing, or walking, you have more energy and more positive thoughts.

Conversely, when you’re hunched over, you don’t breathe as well, put pressure on your stomach, and don’t think as clearly.

“When you collapse, you signal to the body that you are in a defense reaction. Your cortisol goes up and testosterone goes down,” says Peper. “In our research, we have demonstrated that in the collapsed position, you have easier access to hopeless, helpless, powerless, defeated thoughts and memories, and it takes more brain activation to think of positive empowering thoughts than it does in the erect position.”

Peper calls depression a “sitting disease” and attributes it to too much time spent at a desk, on a couch in front of a TV, or hunched over a screen.

Let’s test out this theory. Continue reading →

You are an expert

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Staying focused , , , , ,

You are an expert. When you do that thing you do, energy flows through you and time slows down.

How do you do it?

  • You focus on the subject at hand
  • You take classes
  • You read books and listen to audio books
  • You practice
  • You write about your expertise so you process the information you’ve learned
  • You find others who do what you do, ask them questions, share what you know, and compare notes
  • You are curious and listen and watch for information that relates to your expertise
  • You spend time thinking

Continue reading →

Consider a leaf

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Finding your "why", Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , ,

I just finished listening to Eckhardt Tolle’s audio book A New Earth. I love audio books and listen to them regularly when I drive. This started as a habit when I was driving long distances, but has evolved into an everyday habit. It’s weird to look forward to running errands or heading to the grocery story because you get to learn something new – but it’s a great use of time when you are in the car.

So back to A New Earth – there was so much to take in. Here are three big take-aways that relate to getting organized and finding the peace within that.

  1. Consider a leaf.
  2. Be present.
  3. Do good work.

Continue reading →

Life is a game

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Tips on using a planner , , , , , , ,

Roll the dice. Draw a card. Move a colored peg around the board.

Life is a game with an unpredictable outcome, and the fun is in the playing. When you wake up in the morning, are you grateful to be alive? Do you feel energy in your gut anticipating the day?

What will you learn today? Who will you meet? What conversations will you have?

Back to the game. Draw a “Habit” card and see where it takes you…

Continue reading →

Now playing: The role of “you”

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises , , ,

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 →

What if your life were theater?

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities , , , , , , , , ,

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

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work , , , , , , ,

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

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work , , , , , , ,

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 →