Holiday organizational tips

November 27, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Tips on using a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar Decision making, getting organized, getting things done, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, Using a planner

Getting through a holiday-laced December can be fun – and it can be exhausting. Having a plan in place will help you feel more in control and help tilt things more toward fun and less toward stress. Planning also helps you stick to your priorities rather than making last-minute decisions on the fly.

Good planning starts with a schedule. Take a look at December and block out time now for:

Special events and family events

Is there anything that needs to be done or prepared before the event? Games? Food? Decorations? Invitations?
Plan in time to clean for any events that are at your house – but know that this is probably not the best time of year to start a big decluttering project!
If you have a special family event, try to keep a solid block around that time so you can focus on family and be present! Continue reading →

Could you live a simpler life?

November 23, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused Big project ideas, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive

Thanksgiving is a great time to focus on what you feel grateful for.

If you aren’t feeling grateful this week, try brainstorming a list, or make a cool graphic like the one to the left, of everything in your life that brings you joy. Push yourself to make the list as long as possible so you remember to include the goofy things and the cool things – like chocolate. Or playing with your dog. Or sunrises.

Continue reading →

Election Recovery Ideas

November 21, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused Decision making, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive

Two weeks ago, the US presidential election tipped our world and left many of us feeling anxious, uncertain of the future, and way out of balance.

Here are a few thoughts to help you get your balance back, focus on the good in the world, and be honestly grateful this week: Continue reading →

Living your dream time

November 16, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Getting work done, How do I use a planner?, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, Using a planner, working on big projects

When you have a million things to do, everything feels important, and whatever’s next on the list gets done. You may have an edgy feeling that you’re missing out, that there’s something you should be doing, but who has time to think about it, right? You’re getting stuff done, so go go go.

Then you wake up in the middle of the night. You glance at the clock. It’s 4:00 AM. It’s quiet and dark. You can’t go back to sleep and start to think about things that never intrude on your busy days.

What would it be like to take a year off to travel to all the national parks in the United States?
If you wrote a novel, what would it be about? Time travel? History? Mystery? You have ideas that are just at the corner of your thinking.
Continue reading →

How do you spend your time?

November 14, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused Big project ideas, Changing habits, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive

How do you spend your time? Do you choose with focus and intent? Or are your days more random?

When you’re surfing the net or watching TV, is your energy up, or down? When you stop, do you feel lighter or heavier? Are you learning something? Sharing something?

Do your activities make a difference in your life or in the lives of others? Are you using your time well? Does what you’re doing affect you at a soul level? Continue reading →

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 →

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 →