Have you ever heard the expression
‘Why do today what I can put off until tomorrow?’

When we put things off, we are procrastinating. Maybe it’s putting off cleaning the car, organizing the closet or paying a bill or… the list goes on and on.

So how do we beat it? Here are three ideas:

1. Break big tasks down to smaller ones. If your goal is to read a long novel for example, set small goals to read chapter, by chapter. A small goal to read a couple chapters is less overwhelming than telling yourself you have to read the whole book.

2. Don’t think about it, ‘just do it!' Stop worrying, just start doing. Getting started is half the battle. Don’t wait to get inspired to start a task. Feel the fear, and do it anyway!

3. Get the help of a friend. Maybe you’ll be more motivated with a friend at your side. Like with studying, meeting with a study buddy means you are far more likely to commit to the task.

Rely on external resources and help, such as self-help books, training programs and of course professional organizers. All of these options can help you deal with procrastination. Your success and piece of mind is important, if you need help and want to see just how much fun it can be to ‘get it done’, I am here for you.


TIME SAVING TRICKS

Less stress and a smooth running day can be yours if you use your time wisely. Here are some suggestions to help you save time.

 * Make lunch the night before
* Always leave your keys & wallet in the same place
* Clean your home one room a day, or every other day
* Use a calendar to keep track of date specific tasks
* Make a ‘To-Do’ list everyday
* Try running a load of laundry while making dinner
* Set your alarm 15 minutes early
* Set our clock 5 minutes ahead
* Cook large meals on weekends that carry a few days
* Lay out your clothes the night before
* Run errands on the way home from work

Other tricks to help you manage time:
 
* Make a checklist of tasks for each week & month
  that happens on a regular basis. This will save you
  having to write out repeating tasks on your to-do
  list every time.

* Observe how you spend time for a couple weeks to
  see where your time really goes. Make notes of
  when your energy levels are high and when you feel
  most tired.

* Use your time tracking information to plan a master
  schedule for each week or month. Include routine
  tasks and room for creative fun time too. Schedule
  sedentary tasks for times you know you generally
  have less energy.

* Review all outstanding action files, goals and ongoing
  projects every week. Friday afternoon can be a good
  time to clear your head for the weekend.
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Try this basic exercise to 'Managing Commitments' 

1.  Write down on a blank piece of paper one project, situation or task that is on your mind that you need to ‘get done’.

2.  In just one sentence describe the intended outcome so that you could check this project off as ‘done’. 

3.  Then write down the very next physical action required to move this project or task to completion.

Commonly the best thing that comes from doing this is you having a clearer definition of what ‘done’ looks like, and the very next step you need to take to get there.

Nothing has happened yet, after all, the task has yet to be done. Yet for many, after doing this simple activity, a sense of added motivation can be felt as up until now it was just a thought nagging at your subconscious mind. Now you know what 'done' looks like and can place this task in priority with other tasks and projects also written down.

Podcast on topic here
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Reap more rewards by making ‘moment to moment’ decisions about what ‘to do’ more effectively than ever before.



Making choices is hard enough, in business and in life we have to decide on everything that comes our way, do we; ‘Do it’, ‘Defer it’, ‘Delegate it’, or ‘Delete it’?

With a long list of priority ‘To Do’s’ when we have a moment, how do we now what to do next?

Well it’s easy. Try applying the REAP Principal

This principal outlines the 4 key criterions for making moment to moment choices. They are:

R – Resources
Are they at your fingertips at the time?
E – Energy
Are you physically or mentally ready to take it on?
A – Available Time
Do you have enough time to complete the task at hand?
P – Priority
Is it important enough and is the deadline fast approaching?

Listen to my recent Podcast to learn more…

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I am happy that spring is just around the corner, and I am excited about my coming new tele-seminar on Time Management coming up in April. As I work on a few more details to have everything ready to go by launch date, I find myself having to manage my time carefully to get the important things done.

You can learn how to do this too, and I would love to help..
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My Fiancé' and I were chatting recently about clutter. The topic comes up alot in my home as it is a passion of mine. 

Anyways, we came to the conclusion that 'stuff' makes you feel old sometimes. The stuff we gather tends to own us, not the other way around. When we hold on to clutter, it holds us down, makes us feel overwhelmed, crowded, stressed out. Letting it go however is a great way to simplify things, feel lighter and feel younger.
Imagine when you were a kid. You didn't have all this "stuff" you do now. Your job was to run and play and have fun. Enjoying your moments as they came.

Go ahead, tame that paper tiger, let go of some clutter, free up some space and time, and be a kid again!

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“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps; we must step up the stairs.”

Vance Havner

 

“Life consists of what man is thinking of all day.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

“There is no such thing as failure. There are only results.”

Anthony Robbins

 

“I have not failed. I’ve just found, 10,000 ways that don’t work.”

Thomas Edison

 

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”

Henry Ford

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Determining what ‘needs’ to get done, what ‘should’ get done and what ‘could’ get done, and in what ‘order’ is what we call ‘Prioritizing’. 

We all know that our priorities are mainly going to be items that come directly from our goals. However, along the way there will always be priorities that come to us that we didn’t expect or plan for. We also find that during our journey towards out goals, that we find new possibilities spring up that catch our eye. 

To help us stay focused on what truly matters here are three ideas to consider:

  1. Focus on ‘Value’ over ‘Deadline’
Instead of dealing with every item on your list based on its apparent deadlines, first separate your ‘to-do’ list into ‘Valuable’ and ‘Not so Valuable’. My Tiger Tables and Copy of the Time Matrix will help you do this with greater ease, so if you haven’t tried using them, give it a try and see for yourself. Another thing to watch for here is ‘crises’ that others push on you at the last minute. Don’t let poor planning or follow through from someone else become your issue unless it is important enough.

  1. When taking on new responsibilities considering letting go of others.
Like your hallway closet has a limit to how many coats and shoes it can hold, so too does your calendar. If you are going to take on a new project, and you already have just enough time to get what you need done, decide what you are going to give up to make room. You can not continue to pile on projects and responsibilities without clearing a few items off your plate. If you can delegate or hire help to enable you to do more, than do so, yet before you commit ask yourself if you really have the time and if the project really has the value. Tip: be careful not to sweep things under the carpet ‘for now’ as this habit can lead to a mountain growing under you that you wont notice until it’s too late.

  1. Decline doing what is not of value to you.
Saying ‘no’ can be hard, I know. It is after all something that I struggle to get better at myself. As helpful, loving and creative people we want to help, support and show just how much we are capable of when it comes to new assignments and opportunities. You may have read my article ‘Don’t let others ‘Should’ on you’ and sometimes the case is that we ‘Should’ on ourselves. Learning to say ‘no’ can be difficult, yet it is a valuable skill if we want to stay focused on what is truly important. When assignments come up ask yourself if it aligns with your overall goals, or if it is too important to let go. If you answer is ‘no’ then decline to get involved.
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Sharing ideas on why 'To-Do' lists are more effective than 'Visual Reminders'.   

Visual reminders can be helpful, yet when they get used for too many things they become clutter.  

This clutter makes us feel overwhelmed, breaks our focus and can make us lose sight of our top priorities. 
 
We tend to think 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind', yet let's consider the role of the 'To-Do' list to help us to remember what our priorities are instead. 
 
Writing down our tasks and then putting away the file or project to where it belongs means we will remember to do it.
And with projects out of the way we can then focus more clearly on tasks individually, thus being even more effective.
 
My gift of Tiger Tables and the Time Matrix tools that I share with my newsletter readers is great for keeping priorities clear. They should be used in conjunction with your day-planner.
 
If you don't have a copy, please sign up on my home page now and get your free gifts today.
 
And remember to make sure that if a task is truly important, if it has a deadline, and if it will take more than 20 minutes, that you put it in your calendar. 'Getting the Stones Down' as they say. 
 

If you having trouble, are overwhelmed and need help to get started in the right direction, try my 'Get Your Life Back' package which includes 2 full hands on sessions and calls and emails to follow.
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Can you relate to one of these tendencies? What is getting in the way of becoming more organized? Read on for some quick tips for each category and start leading a more productive, less stressful life today.

Tips for the Procrastinator:
1. Take one task on at a time. Moving stuff around is a waste of time, try to be realistic with how long a task will take and schedule the work into your day.

2. Release guilt if there is something that you truly know you will not get to. If it's not a "must do" go ahead and cross it off your list. (Read past article "Don't let Others "Should" on You" to learn more about letting go)

3. If you "must" do it, schedule the work into your planner.

4. Enlist a friend or relative to cheer you on or nag you a bit when you need it. Try to find someone you see often so they can keep on you if you fall behind.

Tips for the Packrat:
1. Try to visualize how great you will feel if you can move around freely in your space knowing you won't step on things or run into obstacles.

2. Consider your collections and pull out the truly cherished belongings to keep and display, while weeding out what you don't need or want and putting the rest into storage.

3. Try rotating your collection each month or year to bring other pieces out and putting the current items away. That way you can still display more of your collection without having them all out at once.

4. When purging and sorting your collection, enlist the help of a professional or a friend. They can help you ask the right questions so you keep the things that are truly meaningful to you.

Tips for the Perfectionist:
1. There is no "One way" to do anything. It is better to start than to wait until you can do everything perfectly. Do what you can and you can work on improving it later.

2. Break down large tasks into small bit-sized pieces so you don't have to worry about trying to get everything completed the moment you start.

3. Don't try keeping everything in a constant state of perfection. Homes and offices you see in magazines are quite often staged. Notice how there is no pets, no kids and no activities going on in the picture. Give yourself a break and allow room to live in your space.

4. Note your priorities. If there is a specific issue that is causing you the most pain, start there.
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I am going to quote something a friend of mine wrote, because today I want to touch on one of the important aspects to organizing, which is 'Finding out what works.'

"When it comes to problems, we often get fixated on what we don't like. It's like a trance that keeps us stuck!  One of the best ways to take a fresh look at your problems is to ask.  "What does work here?"  By tuning the mind in to a different channel, we see things we never saw before."
Judi Clark M.Ed, PCC
http://judiclark.ca/blog.html/focus-on-the-positive

Judi has a really good point here, and you can learn more by following the link to her site, yet before you do, let's think about this concept in a organizing capacity for a moment too...

When someone is up to their eyeballs in clutter, they may look around and say "Nothing Works!" out of sheer frustration. Yet this is just a first impression, because no matter how bad it seems there is usually something that works. 

There is always an area that for some reason is under control. Let's start by identifying what that is.

As they say "Don't fix what aint broke."

The next time you are looking to organize a space in your home or your office, take a close look at what works and ask yourself why. Look at 'what works' and try to see how you can create other systems for other areas that appeal to you in the same way. 

If for example when you come home, you like to 'just drop everything' in the front hallway and although you have a desk there to neatly catch your purse and keys, your shoes and jacket just get thrown on the stairs because opening the closet and hanging them up just doesn't appeal to you as you just walk in. In this case you can consider a better landing pad for your coats and shoes, like perhaps a coat rack and a large basket under the desk to catch the shoes.

Try to work with your natural tendencies; it's much easier than fighting them. Recognize when something works, and that you did something right too. Give yourself credit when it is due when you do find that thing that works, celebrate! You're on the way!
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