The Book of Coincidences

April 21, 2017April 21, 2017 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Travel tips, Working with your guides forming a new habit, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Travel tips, Working with your guides

A few years ago, I was driving home from a business trip and asked my travel guides for a place to pull off the road to get water, a cup of tea, and a clean bathroom. I expected to see Mecca at each bend in the road but nothing appeared. As I started to doubt my guides – and my sanity at asking travel guides for help – I happened on Chester, Vermont. With just a slight turn off the road, I was in an awesome little town with a general store that had fresh baked goods, water, tea, and a nice bathroom. It was all I’d asked for and more.

There were a couple of shops along Main Street so after I finished my tea, I took a stroll. I pushed open the heavy door of a small independent bookstore and a jingle above the door greeted me. Inside, I breathed the air of a real bookstore with wide-plank flooring and rows and rows of interesting books. Continue reading →

Starting a “love to do” list

April 19, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Working with your guides Decision making, getting things done, Getting work done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, 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 →

How much of your life do you choose with intent?

April 7, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizational tips for kids, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

How much of your life do you choose? And how much is you walking down a path you’re on?

Before you roll into weekend plans, I challenge you to pause and think about what your intent is for a myriad of aspects of your life.

Did you choose, or did you happen upon:

Where you live
Who you live with
What you eat
What you do for work
The people you hang out with
What you do with your free time
What you watch on TV/Netflix/Hulu, et al.
What you read – books, magazines, newspaper, and online sites
How you spend other time online and/or on your phone
What you do for volunteer work
How you present yourself – what you wear, how you hold yourself, when and how you speak; is your driver fashion, comfort, to make a statement, to blend in?
How you decorate and keep your home – precise, comfortable, colors, textures, style, messy, neat, etc.
How you tend to deal with others – speaking, listening, teaching, being directive, being kind, sharing knowledge, being funny, etc.
How you get around – walking, biking, in a car, using mass transit, running, etc.

Continue reading →

Finding harmony in your work

March 31, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

If you’re trying to create harmony in the work you do, it’s important to look at the platform you’re working on. When you have personal fundamentals in place, your platform is solid. If you’re missing a few fundamentals, your platform may feel tippy and stressful.

Everyone’s fundamentals are different. And your fundamentals may vary depending on the type of work you’re doing.

Organizational Exercise
Grab a piece of paper and divide it into four columns. The first column is how you think of yourself in general. The second column is for any paid work you do. The third is for volunteer work. And the last is for any fun work you do. Continue reading →

Character v. resume

March 29, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, figuring out my life work, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, Prioritizing tasks, State of "flow", tips for being kind, Working with your guides

Consider this: Is the work you’re doing building character? Or a resume?

So much of what we do in life gets into the resume column – where we grow up, where we go to school, the jobs we have. Even volunteer work is often done as a resume builder. Who do you know? Where have you been? What have you accomplished?

But what about the work you do that’s helpful and brings joy to others – and where you get no credit? The times you pick up trash on the side of the street. Or are kind to a stranger. Or take the time to listen to a friend.

How about when you have no chance of succeeding but feel compelled to continue what you’re doing? When you step away from the limelight and give credit to someone else? When you sacrifice a personal goal to help someone else succeed? Continue reading →

Crossing the finish line

March 26, 2017December 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, Setting organizational priorities, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, working on big projects

In an organization class I took about 20 years ago, one of the exercises we did was writing our obit. When you spend time puzzling out what you want to be remembered for, top priorities on your daily to-do list are magically re-arranged.

When I did the obit exercise, a top priority that popped out for me was that I wanted to write a novel. I love books. Books on the shelves. Books by the bed. Libraries. Bookstores. I still have many of the books I read as a child because the characters and stories are real to me and have helped shaped who I am.

How could I die without adding to the book-ness of the world? Continue reading →

About those critics

March 21, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Finding your "why", Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting things done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, State of "flow", tips for being kind, tips to be more productive, working on big projects, Working with your guides

A friend from high school asked me a question.

“How do you take that next step when you don’t want to hear the criticisms…. constructive or not? I am a big believer that art, whatever the medium, is a personal expression… So how can one tell you what you created is wrong?”

What a great question as we try to do good work, try to be helpful, and try new adventures.

I have so many thoughts on this. Here are the big three. Continue reading →

Mapping your personal ecosystem

March 19, 2017December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Decision making, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, State of "flow", tips for being kind, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

Having a stable network can play a huge role in how much you get done and how happy you are.

Building a stable network takes time, energy, and focus.
A stable network isn’t static – it’s in a constant state of change.
When you have a stable network it’s hard for one outside influence to take down the whole eco-system because the connected parts sustain the larger whole.

So let’s make a map of your own personal ecosystem as it stands today. Continue reading →