Tips for working together as a team

December 11, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Building your personal brand, Business tips, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, organizing big projects, tips to be more productive, tips to organize a closet, working on big projects

I love to write and create as an individual, but my energy lifts and flows when I collaborate with focused, tight groups. This includes my team work at Catalog University, and with the volunteer work I do – especially in the theater. My family is also a great team. We get a ton done and have fun doing it!

So I was super psyched when Charles Duhigg’s new book Smarter Faster Better (awesome read) took a dive into figuring out what makes a great team. Charles writes about how Google spent four years on this problem. First, they looked at who was on a team and could find no pattern. It was only when they looked at how teams worked that they found magic.

So what do the most productive teams have in common? Continue reading →

Getting in the flow

December 8, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, 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 things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, State of "flow", tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

Can you remember a time in your life when you were working on something that completely captivated you – and how delicious that felt?

Author and thinker Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes this as being in a state of “flow”. Flow isn’t a random thing that just happens from time to time. Flow is something you can look for and welcome into your life.

How can you bring flow into any activity?

Choice
Choose what you’re working on. Think about why you’re doing what you’re doing. What is your intent? There’s lots of stuff you have to do. What do you want to do? Continue reading →

Finding awe

December 6, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Organizational Exercises, Staying focused, Working with your guides Changing habits, Decision making, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, tips to be more productive, Working with your guides

If you want to feel inspired, to feel your energy lift, to set off in a new direction, try a dose of AWE.

Gaze at a newborn baby.
Lift your eyes to a starry night.
Take a hike to a mountaintop – or go to the top of the tallest building you can find.
Sit by a body of water.
Listen to an incredible piece of music.
Walk around in a rain storm or in swirling snow. Continue reading →

The disorganization habit

December 4, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Building your personal brand, Changing habits, Decision making, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Staying focused, Tips for organizing your house, Tips on decluttering, Tips on using a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar Changing habits, decluttering your life, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Tips on decluttering, tips to be more productive, Using a planner

Have you ever uttered these words?

I’m not messy – I’m creative
I’ve always been disorganized
Someone will remind me if I forget
I run late – people are used to it
Don’t mind the mess at my house – it’s my mess and I love it

Then you may be in the disorganization habit. And maybe it’s working for you. But if you’re reading this post, then maybe you’re looking for a change. Continue reading →

Being open to the BOOM

December 1, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Big project ideas, Building your personal brand, Decision making, Staying focused, Working with your guides Big project ideas, getting things done, Getting work done, organizational tips, Working with your guides

I love having a to-do list, a calendar, a daily planner. Most days this works really well for me to get lots done. But other days, I start with a BOOM.

Some days the BOOM hits me as I’m waking up. Sometimes it hits in the shower. Sometimes I’m halfway up the stairs on the way to my office when I get an idea to do something that is definitely not on my list for the day. I feel my energy lift, a smile spreads across my face, and I dive in. Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

Breaking the habit loop

November 12, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Changing habits, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Tips on using a planner Changing habits, Decision making, forming a new habit, getting organized, how do I exercise more?, How do I use a planner?, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Using a planner

Have you ever noticed when you’re doing something out of habit, like taking a shower or driving to work, that you think of all sorts of things that have nothing to do with taking a shower or driving to work? That’s your brain on autopilot. You are in a habit loop.

Think about the last time you learned something new, drove a new route, or started a new job. When something’s new, your brain slows down to make a myriad of decisions. Once you’ve done something for a while, your brain shifts to autopilot.

Because your brain saves energy being on autopilot, old habits can be hard to break. And new habits can be slow to form because new habits take full brain power.

So how does a habit loop work? Continue reading →