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 →

What if your life were theater?

October 12, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, Changing habits, figuring out my life work, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks

If your life was a play, is it something you’d go see?

What’s your story?
Is the plot line interesting with a number of surprise twists?
Is your life a drama? A comedy? Is it musical theater?
Are there interesting characters in your life story?
How’s the pace – are things moving right along?
Is there a beginning, a middle, and an anticipated end?
What will the audience walk away with at the end of your show?

If your life were a play, would you live it differently than you are now? Continue reading →

15 ideas to manage a more effective meeting

October 10, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, organizational tips, tips to be more productive

If you’re working to achieve organizational Zen and not waste time, corporate meetings are a huge challenge! According to a survey of U.S. professionals by Salary.com, meetings ranked as the number one office productivity killer.

Here are 15 ideas to help you run more effective meetings. Continue reading →

Embrace the facts – and move on

October 7, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Productivity tips for work Changing habits, getting organized, getting things done, how to get organized, How to stay focused, organizational tips, State of "flow", tips to be more productive

Do you ever have these types of thoughts run through your head?

What if there’s traffic and I’m late?
Will my flight be on time and will I make my connection?
I want to talk to the new person at work, but what if they don’t want to talk to me?
What if my kid picks a career path I don’t like?
What if it rains tomorrow?

Continue reading →

How to be more productive

October 5, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Tips on using a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar Big project ideas, Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Using a planner, working on big projects

If you find yourself saying, “I wish I could get more done,” stop for a minute and think about exactly what it is you want to get done.

Do you want to finish projects you’ve already started?
Do you wish you were doing more interesting stuff?
Do you have big ideas and aren’t sure how to take the first step?
Or are you just feeling like you’re wasting time?

Continue reading →

3 tips to help you make a decision

October 1, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Business tips, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises Changing habits, Decision making, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, how to get organized, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips

If feels like we make dozens of decisions every day, but much of what we do is based more on habit than choice. What time we get up. What we have for breakfast. Where we go for a run. What work we do. What we do for fun. Even what we say and how we react to what life offers us is more habit than decision. Continue reading →

What did you learn today?

September 28, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Tips on running errands Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting things done, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips

Learning something new every day keeps you engaged with life. It gives you interesting things to think about – and to talk about!

Here are 10 tips to elevate the curiosity-quotient in your life. Continue reading →

Complaining is not a strategy

September 26, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, Changing habits, figuring out my life work, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, working on big projects

If you find yourself complaining a lot, it’s time to stop. Complaining is a waste of your time and other people’s time. If you don’t like something, try to fix it.

If you don’t know how to fix it, that’s awesome. That’s your challenge! Study the stuff that bugs you to see if you’re complaining about things that really matter to you. Or is complaining just a bad habit?

A few things of note: If you’re complaining about a person and you’re doing it behind their back you’re not going to change anything. Continue reading →

Tips for efficient travel

September 23, 2016October 11, 2016 organizationalhabits Business tips, Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Travel tips Changing habits, getting things done, how to get organized, organizational tips, Travel tips

Traveling is a great challenge for your soul. When you experience new places and meet new people – especially if there is a language challenge – your brain gets excited. You remember details of each day of a trip. How often does that happen when you’re going through your regular daily routine?