Changing habits

7 steps to create a nice mess

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Tips for organizing your house, Tips on decluttering, Tips on using a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

If you’re serious about cleaning a room, make it messier before you clean it up. Pull things out of drawers. Empty closets and shelves. And clear off the tops of every horizontal surface.

Then sort out what you have by putting similar items together, looking at each item to decide if you want to keep it (because you really love it), pitch it, or give it away.

Then clean all the surfaces, reassemble putting everything in a thoughtful place, and throw out the trash.

Easy peasy – the room is decluttered and all is well.

Except if you still have an edgy feeling that you aren’t doing something, or that you’ve missed something big. Now the issue isn’t a room that needs to be decluttered – it’s your head and heart that need a cleanup. Continue reading →

Who is the Crazy Maker in your life?

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I just returned from a weekend at the Kripalu Center in Western Massachusetts. The class I took was on Creative Myths and Monsters and was taught by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way. I have all sorts of ideas to pass on to you but will start with the last discussion we had – talking about the Crazy Makers in your life.

What’s a crazy-maker? Think about someone in your life who may be charismatic, charming, and persuasive, but who also: Continue reading →

The Science of Meditation

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , , ,

New scientific studies on meditation liken it to a workout for your brain. When you pair meditation with a healthy lifestyle, what can’t you accomplish? And, if you look at exercise, eating right, and meditation as three legs of a healthy lifestyle stool, meditation takes the least amount of time and effort. You just need to carve out a quiet moment to get started.

Still not sure? Ponder this. Science says meditation can help you:

  • Improve your memory
  • Hone your focus
  • Increase your brain size and density
  • Increase blood flow to your brain
  • Decrease your blood pressure
  • Regulate your emotions
  • Release antibodies
  • Decrease stress
  • Improve your mood
  • Be less bothered by physical pain

Continue reading →

6 ideas from The Food Revolution Summit

organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Planning impacts on your health , , , , , , ,

I’m three days into the Food Revolution Summit (3 hours of talks per day now through Saturday; free if you listen to them live or within 24 hours of when they are presented).

I’ve listened to the Summit for the past two years and it’s pretty much changed how and what I eat. I deeply believe that to be organized, productive, and to get your best work done, you have to be healthy. And food is clearly at the core of staying healthy.

My takeaways so far from this year’s Summit: Continue reading →

The Room Around You

organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Tips on decluttering , , , , , , , , , ,

Last week, I went to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see Matisse in the Studio. The exhibit shows the objects Matisse had on display in his studio and how they influenced his art. The exhibit was beautiful – which I expected. What I didn’t expect was an “ah ha” reminder of how important it is to surround yourself with things you think are cool, that make your happy, and that inspire you.

On the left is a part of a gorgeous “curtain” Matisse had in his studio to cover a large window. Imagine how the light in Nice, France would have beamed in through these cut-outs and how that might have inspired his cut-out art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continue reading →

Choosing energy

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s so easy to waste time. Look at all the temptations! TV, Netflix, Facebook, email, computer games, movies, parties, magazines… What’s your poison?

Distractions can be fun and have social elements to them, but are they the best use of your time?

It’s hard to hold the line, once and for all because your time demands and needs change. For me, the #1 reason to not do an activity is if I lose energy even thinking about it. Continue reading →

Starting a “love to do” list

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Working with your guides , , , , , ,

Want to have some fun and get a bump of energy?

Grab a piece of a paper and a pen and brainstorm a “love to do” list. This is a list of 20 things you’d love to do but aren’t doing now. If 20 is easy, go for 30. Or 40. My experience is that the last few things I struggle to add to the list are often the most interesting. Continue reading →

Hurdling the obstacles of change

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused , , , , , , ,

If you’re trying to make a change in your life, whether it’s small or huge, you’re going to run into obstacles. Here are five ideas to help you hurdle the obstacles and stay on your new path. Continue reading →

It’s time for a Food Revolution!

organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Planning impacts on your health, Staying focused , , , , , , , ,

If you’ve been thinking about eating healthier, I’d highly recommend the upcoming Food Revolution Summit. The FRS is a week of free talks sponsored by the Food Revolution Network.  There are 3 talks a day; each one is about an hour. This year’s Summit runs from 4/29-5/7 from 11 AM – 2:00 PM EST.

I’ve listened to the Summit the last two years and have learned a ton. The cool thing is because it’s free, you don’t feel bad if you skip talks that don’t interest you, or when you don’t have time. And they’re not sequential – you can listen to one – or all. Continue reading →