Your time is valuable; set your intent!

September 19, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Changing habits, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Productivity tips for work, Setting organizational priorities Changing habits, forming a new habit, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks

When I am giving a talk, or I’m working with a group on organizational skills, the first question I ask is about intent. The question of the moment is:

“What do you want to get out of this class?”

Thinking about why you are doing something helps you focus on the task at hand. And when I’m giving a talk, I want people to focus, to listen with an end-goal in mind. It’s not that I think the content is so important; it’s that I think each person’s time is so important.

Which gets to the bigger question, and the one I hope you ask yourself before committing your time to any work, project, or person:

“Is spending time on this something that’s important to me?” Continue reading →

How “creative avoidance” messes with your obit

August 31, 2016September 5, 2016 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Changing habits, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities, Tips on using a planner Changing habits, figuring out my life work, getting organized, getting things done, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, How to stay focused, Organizational Exercises, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner, working on big projects

Creative avoidance is the fun stuff you do to skirt getting to the big stuff. When you’re pondering a big, juicy project, it’s hard to get started for many reasons… And if you don’t have time, you have the perfect excuse!

“I’d love to get this done but I don’t have time.” Continue reading →

How heavy is this rock?

August 29, 2016October 11, 2016 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Business tips, Changing habits, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Setting up a planner, Tips on using a planner Changing habits, 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, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner

This rock fits in the palm of your hand. Could you stretch out your arm and hold it for five minutes? Sure, no problem. Could you hold it for an hour? Now how heavy is it? It’s heavy. How about if you had to hold it for a day? For a week? For a month?

Oh, and I should have mentioned – there isn’t just one rock I need you to hold. Here are the rest of them. 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 →

It’s never wrong to be kind

August 2, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Organizational Exercises getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, how to get organized, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, tips for being kind, working on big projects

“Life is just a short walk from the cradle to the grave, and it sure behooves us to be kind to one another along the way.” – Alice Childress, playwright

How does this apply to organizational habits? It’s big.

If you are organized and efficient and are loving it, please know that most people are not organized and efficient – and accept that. Organizational Zen is about getting organized so you waste less time. Then it’s about using that saved time to think clearer and to work on big, meaningful projects in your life.

Continue reading →

Taking care of TMIs – The Most Important Stuff

July 27, 2016December 9, 2019 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Business tips, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Tips on using a planner figuring out my life work, getting organized, getting things done, Getting work done, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner

One of my favorite bloggers, Leo Babauta at ZenHabits, often writes about TMIs: The Most Important Stuff. This is the stuff that you know you need to do and whether you write it down or not, you are probably going to get it done.

So why write TMIs in your planner?

Because you want to stop thinking about them. Once you are organized, you learn to trust that if you write something in your planner, it will either get done today or you’ll move it to another day. But it will get done. Trust that. Because you are organized 🙂

Continue reading →

Is it time for an organizational change?

July 25, 2016 organizationalhabits Baby steps to start getting organized, Big project ideas, Organizational Exercises, Planning impacts on your health, Setting organizational priorities Big project ideas, figuring out my life work, getting organized, getting things done, how to get organized, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner, working on big projects

If you’re feeling disorganized, it may be that you need to get organized. OR it may be time to make changes in your life. Just like you can’t reorganize a room or house until you declutter, you can’t get organized if you have too much junk floating around in your head.

Here are some signs you need more than an organizational fix: Continue reading →

Tips on using a calendar and planner

July 9, 2016January 1, 2020 organizationalhabits Business tips, Getting started, Organizational Exercises, Setting organizational priorities, Setting up a planner, Tips on using a planning calendar getting organized, Getting work done, How do I use a planner?, how to get organized, organizational tips, Prioritizing tasks, Using a planner, Which planner should I use?

I know. It’s a calendar and planner – how hard can that be? There’s nothing tricky but I’ve seen calendars with so many notes and cross-offs you can’t read them. And I’ve seen planners with nothing in them – so here’s my advice for working with both tools in an efficient manner.

And let me say again that the best part of being organized, besides getting a lot done, is having peace of mind knowing that the most important work will be done. Keeping a calendar, planner pages, and Continue reading →