Declutter before you organize

August 20, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Changing habits, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Tips for organizing your house, Tips on decluttering Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, how to get organized, how to save time, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Tips on decluttering

You’re tired of searching for a pen every time you make a grocery list and decide to organize “that” kitchen drawer. You go out and buy nifty dividers. But when you refill the drawer, you still can’t find a pen!

What might have gone wrong?

You have too much stuff in the drawer.
It isn’t grouped into “like” categories.
No one stuck to the organized drawer plan.

The toughest part about organizing a loaded drawer, stuffed closet, or overflowing garage shelves is that before you organize you have to declutter. And decluttering takes time, focus, and a willingness to get messy before you see results which is why decluttering often gets skipped. Continue reading →

The gatekeepers are off duty

August 19, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises Big project ideas, Changing habits, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, organizing big projects, working on big projects

As a business professional, I am known for organizational efficiency. But as a kid, my parents used to refer to me as “the messy one”. Why couldn’t I keep my room clean? Why did I never pick up?

Because:

1) It was my room.
2) I liked seeing my stuff. Continue reading →

Finding “flow” through focus

August 13, 2016 organizationalhabits Changing habits, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting organized, How to stay focused, organizational tips, State of "flow"

When was the last time you really enjoyed yourself? Were you deeply immersed in a great book? Or learning a new skill – like painting, or skiing, or playing a musical instrument? Or were you having a great conversation, sharing in a passionate discussion with someone? Or were you creating something?

Mihaly Scikszentmihalyi describes a complete focus on the task at hand as “a state of flow.” When you are in flow, time drops away. And as you work, you get ideas from everywhere. They descend on you in the middle of the night, while you’re taking a shower, and while you’re driving. You think of this work and feel your energy lift. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of this work – you are one with what you are doing. Continue reading →

Running errands efficiently

August 8, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Organizational Exercises, Tips on running errands, Tips on using a planning calendar forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, how to get organized, how to save time, organizational tips, save time on errands

Tightening up on small tasks during the day saves time and helps keep your head clear when you’re super busy.

For example, if you have errands to run that don’t have specific deadlines, pairing them up to run them as a group saves time and energy – both yours and gas in the car.

Here’s a quick organizational exercise to help you run errands more efficiently. Continue reading →

How to form a new habit

August 4, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities, Tips on using a planner forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, how do I exercise more?, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, how to save time, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner

The cool part about habits is that they’re your brain’s way of saving on thinking. When you try something new, your brain records what you’re doing and after you do the same thing multiple times, your brain says, “I’ve got it! You can run on auto-pilot now.”

That’s why you don’t have to think about how to drive every time you get behind the wheel of a car. And how when you take a shower or brush your teeth your mind can wander. How many of us come up with brilliant ideas in the shower? You can thank your shower habit for taking over giving you time to think.

A great way to form a new habit is to tie it into an existing habit. Then your brain can use some of the same cues you had for an old habit and re-purpose them into a launch pad for a new habit.

Let’s say you want to start exercising. What habit can you tie into to make this a successful launch? You have thousands of habits strung together that make up each day. What are you going to bump out or add to? Continue reading →