What communities do you miss? What communities would you like to be part of?

April 7, 2022 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Community building, Getting started building community, Changing habits, Community building, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, forming community, getting things done, Getting work done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, the importance of community, tips to be more productive

Introvert or extrovert, the pandemic reminded most of us how much we love and miss our fellow humans when we can’t be with them. In this talk, I share ideas for reconnecting, and offer a few ideas for ways to find and connect with communities you’ve only dreamed of.

Here are my thoughts!

Life is fun when you live it with a big heart. I hope you have fun with this one!

If this video is helpful, please like, share, and subscribe on YouTube. You can find all of my talks on YouTube by searching for “Janie Downey.” Thanks for your help spreading good news :).

Learning from the birds

April 4, 2022 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Finding your "why", Getting started, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Working with your guides Business tips, Changing habits, contemplation, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, How to stay focused, Meditation, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Productivity tips for work, tips to be more productive

When you pause for even a few minutes to observe the world around you, all sorts of messages are right there waiting.

Here are a few things I learned from the birds this morning :).

If this video is helpful, you can find more on YouTube by doing a search for my name – Janie Downey. If you think this would be helpful to others, please like, share, and subscribe. Each of those is super helpful for getting out a message of peace, love, and Organized Zen.

See the strangers around you and feel the strength of Community

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Community building, Getting started, Organizational Exercises Changing habits, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, forming community, getting things done, Getting work done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Sharon Salzberg, Talk to strangers, the importance of community, tips to be more productive

I’m sharing thoughts today on how a community can form with a group of strangers – which can sometimes get you out of a bind! This is a story of one very strange Patriot’s Day where I got stuck on the road in a terrific rainstorm. It could have been a sad, frustrating time but ended up being one of the best days ever.

Here’s the link on YouTube.

If this is fun, please check “like”. If you feel the message is relevant to others, please share the link. And if you want to help me be more searchable on YouTube, please subscribe! I deeply appreciate each subscription.

I hope you have a wonderful day and a very fun weekend.

How can you get more done without stressing out?

March 21, 2022 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities, Setting up a planner, Staying focused, Tips on using a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Productivity tips for work, Setting up a planner, tips on using a calendar, Tips on using a planner, tips to be more productive

This video gets to the heart of feeling in control of your time and destiny when you’re ready to get more done and bring more peace into your life. A small amount of planning each day will take you a long, long way!

Click here for more details!

If this is helpful, please like, share, and subscribe. Thank you!

Does your work know you’re paying attention to it?

March 10, 2022 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused Business tips, Changing habits, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Productivity tips for work, tips to be more productive

We’ve all heard the advice: Be fully present. But what does that look like when you’re talking to others? And when you’re approaching your best work?

Here’s a link with my thoughts on this fun topic. This is a quickie tip!

Sending you best wishes on a warm Virginia spring day.

Is it time to take a baby step?

March 21, 2021March 21, 2021 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Tips on decluttering Changing habits, Decision making, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, organizational tips

When making a change feels overwhelming, trust that if you take one baby step in a new direction, other steps will follow. This is true when you’re considering a new habit. Decluttering your house. Changing jobs. Or moving across the country!

One step… you make a decision.

One step… you’re facing in a new direction.

One step… you’re a tiny bit closer to a goal.

What’s vital is that you choose each step with intent. What do you want to get done in the long run? And what’s one small step you can take today to get going?

Continue reading →

I’m back!

March 12, 2021March 21, 2021 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Finding your "why", Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, organizational tips, tips to be more productive

It’s been almost a year since Covid bounced me off my writing path and I ended up back in Portland, Maine. It’s been an insightful year despite the restrictions of a pandemic. Before I left to travel and write, I got divorced, sold my house, and quit my job. So when I came back to Maine, I had no responsibilities and no agenda. What’s an organizer to do with no agenda?

I wrote – not the book I intended to write based on history and travel – but a book called Organizational Zen (which has the fun nickname of OZ!). OZ captures the essence of what I write about in this blog. How do you get to your best work? How do you stay calm amidst chaos? How do you remain joyful in the face of life’s many challenges and uncertainties?

Continue reading →

Same dream; new plan

April 7, 2020April 7, 2020 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Setting organizational priorities, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, organizing big projects, tips to stay healthy, Working with your guides

I’m a planner, as you may know. I like to keep things organized and to get a lot done each day. This year, I decided to put aside a busy life and have just one thing on my list: write a sequel to my Gunny Malone novel. In order to clear my list, my plan was to travel and write-in-place. To be inspired by the places I was writing about including rounding Cape Horn on a ship. To write as I followed the trail west from Virginia to San Francisco. To write as I spent time in Alexandria, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Charleston, South Carolina. And to write while living for a month on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland.

I had worked on my plans for about a year. I had an over-sized map on my wall with places I wanted to go, things I wanted to see, and people I was going to stay with. I got camping equipment and a new car for the journey, one I could sleep in if necessary. I quit my job. I sold my house. And I hit the road on February 26th. Continue reading →

Bird by bird

February 6, 2020 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Getting started, Helping kids get organized, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, Changing habits, Decision making, Defining who you are, forming a new habit, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, organizational tips, organizing big projects, Prioritizing tasks, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

I have a lot going on that’s pushing me to the limits of my organizational skills. I got divorced in December, we’re selling the house this month, and I moved my stuff out last weekend to store it at my daughter’s house while I travel through next October. Oh, and I quit my job. Things that have been in place for a long time are very much out of place and I feel chaos looming around every corner.

Then, at a Songwriting Workshop last week, our leader Jud Caswell, talked about taking small steps to get started on something new, and mentioned Anne Lamott’s book, Bird by Bird. The title comes from a time when Anne’s brother was procrastinating writing a big report on birds. The dad’s advice was to go bird by bird. And finally the report was done. Continue reading →