10 DeClutter Tips

This is a room in my house, from a couple of years ago, when I had scarcely a moment to breathe. This room, like many of your rooms, became the catch all room; the room I could close the door and ignore. During this period of my life, so much was coming at me, that emotionally I could do little more than eat, sleep, work, and take care of my family the best I could. This room is a clear representation of how emotional clutter can manifest itself through physical clutter. So how did I attack this room? 

 By using several of the  10 DeClutter Tips, 

I was able to restore this room to it's natural order. 

10 DeClutter Tips

1.  Take one area and focus only on that area; it can even be a category.  For example, in my room, I took out all the boxes and either broke them down or put a couple aside to be used later for storage or give away.  Once that was done, I focused on a square foot under the window.

2.  Set aside time.  I had to schedule the time to get this task done......things that are scheduled normally get done. 

3.  Find homes for all the objects.  Many things in my room had homes, I just had not taken the time to put them there.  

4.  Make a decision. "Clutter is the result of delayed decision making".

Be willing to make a decision and quit hanging on to things.....just because. 

5.  Visualize the end goal.  Don't start anything without an end goal in mind.  My goal was to bring order to the room and to be able to vacuum the floor!

6.  Work in short spurts.  Working for about 25 minutes at a time, taking a timed 10-minute break, then working for another 25 minutes will help you not burn out so easily.

7.  Have supplies on hand......garbage bags, a box for items needing 

to be relocated and a box for items to donate.  

8.  Put on some music.  It feels more fun to have some music going.  

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs had it right when they sang whistle while you work!

9.  Don't organize clutter. Organize and label only what is really necessary to keep. 

10.  Don't buy storage containers until you know exactly how much of something you are going to keep and where you are going to store it.  When you buy storage containers, you don't end up using, you have only added to the clutter. 

Now, figure out what area of your home is causing you the most stress and apply some of these tips.  

Today just might be your day for a new beginning!

peggywbarnes@gmail.com

252.670.2951

The One Thing You Need To Do To Get Organized

Ok.  Here it is.  The magic bullet you have all been waiting for.  You only have to do ONE thing to get organized.....just ONE!  

What do you think the ONE thing is?  Throw away all your stuff?  Buy cute bins, boxes and organizing tools?  Never buy anything?  Make sure your house looks like a magazine?  Spend all your free time organizing and cleaning?  

Well, as you can imagine it is none of those things.  So, what is it?  

DECIDE.  Yep, that 5 letter word......decide is the main thing you have to do to get organized.   Deciding begins in your mind and your mind controls your behavior. So, once you really decide, the behavior will follow.  

You have to:

Decide you are going to commit the time to get organized.

Decide you are going to commit the resources you need to get organized.

Decide what your goal is about getting organized.

Decide this is important enough to push through even when your motivation wanes. 

Decide to focus on keeping what you value.

Decide to let go. 

Decide what is important to you. 

Decide what you want others to deal with when you are gone.

Decide how you want to live your life - managing stuff or enjoying people. 

Once you decide, really decide, the rest begins to fall into place.  You are resolute in your pursuit and you will do whatever it takes to get to the place of organization and peace.

Are you ready to do the ONE thing?  Are you ready to DECIDE? 

Confessions of an Organizer

I am a Certified Professional Organizer....sounds impressive right???  Well, here is the truth about me:

1.  I can still be a messy Millie.  Check out this photo of my current work area.  Yes, it all makes sense to me, therefore, I am organized but it is still, nonetheless, messy. 

2.  I do not have my underwear folded or my t-shirts folded and stacked like a Banana Republic Store.   

3.  I do not have matching file folders with matching printed labels.  I have file folders (whatever was available in my home or on sale) some have printed labels and some have written labels....whatever was going to get the job done the fastest. 

4.  I do not have my sheets and towels folded in ways that make them stack beautifully and neatly on the shelf.  They are folded but not precisely.

5.  I do not have all my photos in albums with beautiful trim, borders, and extra accouterments to make the photo explode off the page.....nope, many of my photos are still in boxes (by year!) but in boxes.

6.  I do not have my filing done.....much of it is stacked on top of the filing cabinet. 

7.  My laundry room looks like a laundry room.....with dirty clothes and clean clothes commingled, staying enough apart for me to know what's what! 

8.  Sometimes at night, I leave dirty dishes in the sink.

9.  I haven't been able to let go of my kid's rock collection. 

10. I have a basket of shoes, overflowing, by my back door.  I hate wearing shoes and taking them off, the minute I walk in the door immediately relieves some of my stress.  

So, what makes me organized? 

1.  I can find what I need when I need it because I do not have too much stuff and I know where everything is. 

2.   My underwear does not need to be folded because no one else is going to see whether it is wrinkled or not and my t-shirts are folded well enough.

3.  I can find my paperwork when I need it.....again because I don't keep too much and because it is labeled in a way that makes sense to me for retrieval.  Matching folders are not magic....you still have to have a system that makes sense. 

4.  My sheets and towels have worked just fine not being folded perfectly. 

5.  My photos are in boxes, sorted by year and many of my kids' pictures are in an album for them but I still have a long way to go.  I will never be a scrapbooker, the tediousness of that makes me sweat thinking about it!

6.  My filing is not done...one small stack, on top of a filing cabinet is not killing anyone.  Remember it is small because I don't keep much paper!

7.  My laundry room is a place of function, not beauty.  I can get done what I need done very well, which is evident by everyone in my home having something clean to wear. 

8.  Yes, I am just plum tired some days and I leave the dishes in the sink.  The FlyLady would not approve, however, I do take care of it as soon as I wake up.  

9.  I love my kid's rock collection....I have it in the bottom of a vase with beautiful flora coming out the top.  A beautiful decoration for me.....a great way to keep memorabilia merging it with  with my decorating style.  There is nothing wrong with keeping sentimental stuff, there is only something wrong with keeping too much of it. 

10.  My shoe basket is overflowing but at least I have a basket, right?? 

All this to say, I am not perfect, I am not what many would call "organized" because I think they have the wrong idea about being organized.  As Julie Morgenstern (the organizer guru) says:  "Being organized has less to do with how something looks as how something functions".  My house functions great but does not look like I live in a magazine.  Life is busy and life is sometimes very overwhelming.  I work....all the time, I get tired, I get frustrated, I don't have time to focus on my house looking like a magazine.  I do have time to get systems in place, that work for me and my family and I have time to tweak those systems until organizing is just a side note in my life.  

None of this means that I can't organize to make a house look like a magazine because I can. It's just I know what works for me and I know how I think and my house is organized accordingly. 

So there you have it, the truth about this organizer........I guess Martha Stewart will not be calling to hire me any time soon :) 

Are You Going The Wrong Way?

I was recently traveling on I-95 going South.  I had to exit off I-95 and merge onto I-20.  I saw the signs for I-20, felt like I was paying attention but all of a sudden, something didn't feel right and my gut instinct was telling me I had missed I-20.  I don't have a GPS in my car but I do have a MAP thingy on my phone.  I quickly got on my MAP APP and I was 100% right....I had passed
I-20.  

How do you know when you are going the wrong way....in life, in work, in relationships, in anything? 

I would simply say that most of us know when we are headed the wrong way, we just choose not to listen to our gut instinct or the still small voice in our heads.  Many of know something is wrong but we would rather bury our heads in the sand so we don't have to deal with whatever issues are before us. Many of us know changes need to be made but we are fearful of what those changes will cost us.  Many of us have been given signs and in your face clues things are not as they should be but we refuse to take the steps towards making things better.....we just play pretend...UNTIL, we can't play pretend anymore! 

Eventually, the things that are wrong in our life, our work, our relationships, our anything, are going to catch up with us.  The things that are wrong are just not going to disappear, they will continue to reappear and reappear and reappear and then move into something worse. 

How do you know if you are going the wrong way?  You pay attention.  You look for the signs.  You listen to your gut instinct and the still small voice. When you know you are headed the wrong way, start changing what you can, when you can and do what you can with what you have.  It is always better to face things head on.....face the fear, in the end you will be better for it and stronger.  

You Always Have Time.....

When we look at our daily life. the quote, in the photo above, says a lot and can strike a chord in many of us, 

Can you list the things that you say you don't have time to do?  

Exercising
Eating Right
Spending time with our friends, family or spouse
Getting organized

I am not judging or condemning anyone because I am just as guilty.  To find time, for the most important "things" in our life, we have to look honestly at our schedule and see what things we are saying YES to that is causing us to say NO to something else.  The things we are saying YES to may be very noble things, may be good causes, and you may feel like the whole thing will fall apart if you are not a part of it.  However, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should be.  

What I do know about this concept is:  if your health fails - from lack of exercising or not eating right - all of a sudden you find time to deal with it.    If your relationships fail - from lack of attention - all of a sudden you find time for the people in your life.  If crisis mode hits - from lack of organization - all of a sudden you find time to try and get organized.  

What don't you have time for that you know is important?  Are you able to take some hard looks at your schedule and make some hard choices?  If not, eventually, life will do it for you.  

10 Common Reasons You Can't Get Organized

I hear it all the time...HELP!  I work and I work and I work and I just cannot get organized. 

I can give you 10 of the most common reasons why you can't get organized. 

1.  You are trying to organize like someone else thinks....not how you think.
2.  You are trying to organize too much at one time.
3.  You are not willing to let go.
4.  You are not staying focused for any length of time.
5.  You are not taking the next step....are you hanging up your robe, are you putting the trash in the trash can, the dirty dish in the dishwasher, are you taking the designated donate items to a donation location, etc.
6.  You do not have a home for everything
7.  You have not scheduled time to organize
8.  You have unreal expectations about how long it will take to undo what has taken years to do.
9.  You want to talk about getting organized more than you really want to exert the effort to change habits and ways of thinking.
10. You have life reasons such as sickness - physical or mental or you have way too many things on your life plate.  

All of the above are legitimate reasons but all can be overcome.  You just have to be honest enough, with yourself, to know the reasons why and see what you can do to combat those obstacles, because you truly can combat them.    I'll tell you a little secret........if you look at the top 9 reasons, just do the opposite of what the sentence says and you can overcome that obstacle.  
For example, #1 - You are trying to organize like someone else thinks....not how you think.
What you say to yourself is - how do I think and what will work for me?

#2 -  You are trying to organize too much at one time
What you say to yourself is - I am going to organize one shelf.....not the whole kitchen. 

See how that works.  The only one that will not work with is reason #10.  There are things in life that are really out of your control but even in those times, you do have more control than you think......sometimes you just have to do things you don't really feel like doing.  

Take a look at the list above, do any of them ring true to you?  
There are other reasons, too, what are some of yours? 

Ever Had a One Sided Fight?

                                    (photo courtesy of foto76/freedigitalphotos.net)


Several days ago I got my knickers in a knot wondering why someone hadn't done something they were supposed to do.  Then my mind started racing.  Had I done something wrong?  Did this person not want to work with me?  What was I missing?  Why hadn't she called back like she was supposed to?  

Do you ever do that?  Have things running through your head because someone didn't text you back, email you back, call you back, invite you somewhere, posted something on a blog, FB page or Twitter?  

Those are one sided fights and conversations.  You end up pouring all your energy into something that is probably nothing.  The person probably forgot to call, email or text or didn't see the need for a response. The person probably had something else come up or life just got in the way.  Your perception of their post on FB, the blog or twitter is completely wrong based on preconceived notions or ideas you have.  Rationally I know all these things are possibilities, but instead I let my mind get going and before you know it I am in a full out, full blown fight.......in my thoughts and in my head! 

One sided fights are usually really only one sided - the other person has no idea there is an issue of any kind and the fights are usually a huge waste of time and energy.  It pays to take the time to wait some things out, wait to see the real outcome, instead of the imagined outcome in your head, and deal only in facts, not perceived or imagined conversations or emotions. 

So what happened to my one sided fight?  The woman finally called back, her husband had a medical emergency, all was resolved and I felt......stupid.  

Magic Bullet

                                 (photo courtesy of vectorolie/freedigitalphotos.net)

Several conversations, over the last couple of weeks and months, have prompted this post.  People, as a whole, are looking for a magic bullet.  We are all looking for the easiest way to get in shape, lose weight, get organized, feel more peaceful, get through rough times, have the perfect, romantic filled marriage/relationship, raise the perfect, well-adjusted child, the best work environment and a fabulous spiritual journey.

I, being the killjoy that others have claimed me to be, am here to tell you a secret.......there is no magic bullet. I do believe  there are great strategies, out of the box ideas and systems that will help you be successful in all of the above and one should seek out information and knowledge, but you have to be the one to actually implement the ideas, systems and strategies.  The bottom line is 99% of the time it takes hard work, tenacity, and the get-up and go to press in and press on

There is no magic bullet, but you can do what you need to do to have a better day, a better marriage/relationship, a healthier weight, a healthier lifestyle, a more organized home/office, a more well behaved child, a great spiritual life and a better work life.  You would be surprised just how much of your success is up to you.  You just have to do what you already know how to do.  Do what you know.....that is the magic bullet!

P.S. I really am not a killjoy....really I'm not :)

Take the Next Step

The above photo is from a friend of mine, who shall remain nameless.  I received her permission to use it because it is a perfect example of a concept I want to write about today......the next step.  

Look around your house today and see how much less cluttered your home would be if you had just taken 1-5 minutes to complete the next step or steps.  The mail would be in it's place.  The dishes would be put away.  The clothes would be in the hamper instead of on the floor.  The coat would be hung in the closet instead of draped over a chair.  The trash would be in the trash can and yes, the new roll of toilet paper would be on the holder. Just being aware and taking those few extra minutes, to complete a task, can make a huge difference in the look and feel of your home.  

I know, we are all in a hurry, at times, but many times we are simply not really paying attention.  We carelessly lay something on a counter, fully expecting to get back to it very soon and then suddenly a lot of those things carelessly laying around accumulate and the job becomes overwhelming instead of feeling manageable.  It is not going to take you any more or any less time to complete the task, so why not just go ahead and take the next steps.  
In the long run it will save you time, added steps and toilet paper will be on the roll when you need it!

Eating the Elephant - How to De-Clutter Your Space and Your Mind

The thought of de-cluttering leaves many people totally paralyzed and totally overwhelmed. I have many clients, surrounded by clutter, physical clutter and emotional clutter, initially incapable of attacking the piles, stacks, worries and problems.  

One of the first steps I take, when working with a client, is to break things down into smaller sizes.  I take a stack of papers and divide them into categories.  In the closet we look at only the white shirts or black pants and make decisions about just those.  In the box with all the memories, we look at 10 pieces of memorabilia.  When looking at life, worries and problems, we look at next steps.  Breaking the large, gargantuan piles and clutter into small manageable piles, makes it much easier to get through the task. The process seems achievable when you look at a shelf, instead of a room, a cabinet, as opposed to a whole kitchen, a drawer as opposed to a whole chest of drawers, a next step instead of a huge problem, or a 30 day plan instead of the rest of your life.  

What things are overwhelming you that you can break into smaller, more bite sized pieces?  It literally is impossible to eat an elephant any other way than one bite at a time. 

That Alarm is Going Off - Do You Hear It?

(photo courtesy of Rasmus Thomsen/freedigitalphotos.net) 

When car alarms were first introduced, they were intended to alert someone that their car was being broken into or tampered with.  Now, when we hear a car alarm, we just look around to see what schmuck has pushed the wrong button on his remote clicker or who has tried to get out of a car that has been locked from the outside.  The alarms sound, we turn to take a look, then quickly go back to what we are doing, not really paying attention to it and certainly not suspecting that someone is breaking into an automobile. 

We have some of the same alarms going off in our head.  Those alarms were intended to let us know we are headed in the wrong direction, we are not making a great choice or we need to get out of a situation or relationship.  We hear the alarm, but just like the car alarms, we pay little to no attention as to why the alarm is sounding.  We have an agenda so we quickly go back to what we are doing.  Many of us know so much more than we are willing to admit because alarms have been sounding but we refuse to act on them out of fear of change or out of fear of the unknown. 

What alarms are sounding for you today?  What do you know you should do that you have been unwilling to do? 

Alarms certainly can be annoying but they also serve a very useful purpose, if only we would pay close attention to them.  

The Illusion of Control

                                         (Photo from Pinterest)

I love this photo because it is a great reminder of so many things!

I have had an unbelievable 3 days with so much out of my control, including my hair!  I have had a bad hair day when I needed a really good hair day. 

So, what is in my control.  Very, very little.  I can do what I can do, when I can do it and I can do it with a good or bad attitude. 

Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don't.

Steve Maraboli

So, now, I am going to do what I can, with a good attitude, and try to do something with my out of control hair!!

Time Sucker Neutralizers

Yesterday's blog covered the subject of time suckers.....those sneaky little critters that stealthily come in and suck time out of our day and leave confusion and devastation in their wake!

Today we are going to "re-cover" the time suckers and I'll give you some ideas of how to keep them from attacking and destroying your day.

1.  Computer - As I sit here writing this blog, I have seen 3 e-mails come in and 4 notifications pop up on Facebook, in separate tabs I have open.  A smart time sucker neutralizing tactic is to turn all the other tabs off or open your work in another browser.  It is easy to get distracted by all those pings, dings and notification numbers popping up so turn them off!  When you get ready to do anything on the computer, set a timer, have a plan and pay attention to meanderings into unplanned territory.

2.  Phone - Voicemail is a beautiful thing. To manage time suckers, I regularly let my voicemail take messages so I can control when I return calls.  I can  manage my time by calling at a convenient time for me.  If you do happen to end up on the phone, with a chatty friend, make sure you are periodically paying attention to just how much time you are on the phone.
Phones are now just mini computers so turning email, voicemail, text messaging, and other notification noises off, while you are working, is another  important time management strategy. 

3.  TV - The best thing you can do about TV is plan what you are going to watch, when you are going to watch it and how long you are going to watch it. Turning on a TV, without a specific reason and time limit is dangerous time sucker territory.  Infrequently, there are those days that you need to just "veg" in front of mindless entertainment.  That is a great mental health strategy as long as those days are few and far between and you are ready to get up and get moving when the time comes.

4.  Twirling - I explained, in my blog post yesterday, that twirling is moving from one area of your home or office to another area and continuing to find things to do in each area without purpose.  The best neutralizer of twirling is focus.  You have to pay attention when you have lost your focus and head back to your original goal or project.  Sometimes this means talking to yourself or setting some kind of timer to beep so it will be a reminder of where your focus should be.  

5.  People -  This seems cruel to call people time suckers but they can be some of the worst offenders.  Co-workers will consistently interrupt your workflow with little to no regard.  Children, spouses, family and friends will call upon you and demand your time, whether it is convenient for you or not.  Boundaries is the key word here.  Set boundaries.  Your time is just as important as everyone else's time.  Put a sign on your door at work that states whether or not you are available.  Let your spouse, friends and family know that you may not always be available right when they think they need you but will help them, if possible, as soon as possible.  Even young children can be taught to respect your time.  Set a timer and tell them you will give them your attention when the timer dings.  Sometimes this works for spouses, too!!

6.  Perfectionism - I have seen this trait stop people in their tracks.  Projects don't ever get started or completed because someone wants it done perfectly. Excellence should always be our goal.  Giving it our best is the best we can do.  Don't let the unattainable goal of perfectionism get in the way of the attainable goal of excellent completion. 

There it is; the list of antidotes to time sucking.  The best offense is a good defense. Over the next week, pay attention to where your time is going and plan a defensive strategy to help you gain back your control! 

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.

 ~Carl Sandburg~

Time Suckers

                               (photo courtesy of stuartmiles/freedigitalphotos.net)

Fact......We all have 24 hours or 1440 minutes or 86400 seconds in day. 

There is no one anywhere that had, has, or will have anymore or any less. 

So what are you doing with your 86400 seconds?

Many times we are in circumstances beyond our control, but more often, than not, we can control much of how we approach our day. 

Here are some things I that I find are time suckers and result in unproductive time during our day. 

1.  Computer - Let's face it.  Many of us read a lot of blogs, look at a lot of Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram and Pinterest.  We sit down to do one quick thing and the next thing we know, 30 minutes or even 2 hours have gone come and gone. 

2.  Phone - Phone conversations with friends are great but sometimes not timely.  Phones can even be mini computers that we spend time playing games or getting involved in social media. 

3.  TV - Oh my.  This can be a total time sucker!  How many hours of TV can you watch in a day or night without really realizing how much time has passed.  With at least a gazillion TV stations at our fingertips, it is easy to channel surf our way into oblivion.  

4.  Twirling - This is a common practice when dealing with my clients.......they twirl.  They start cleaning out a desk drawer, see something that needs to go somewhere else in the house, they go to that spot, they see something in that area that needs attention, they take that somewhere, they see something in that other area of the house that needs attention and this goes on and on and on.  Then at the end of the day, the desk drawer remains cluttered, unorganized and relatively untouched.   Twirling and not being focused will suck time out of productivity.

5.  People - I know that sounds a little harsh and it does not encompass all people all the time.  I am specifically talking about those people that stop by your office for a chat, regardless of what you are doing.  I am talking about those people who use you as their personal water cooler to catch up on the latest and greatest news, sports and office related banter. 

If you work at home, it can be a roommate, spouse or child.  

6.  Perfectionism - Trying to do things perfectly will absolutely suck time out of your day and your life.  No one is saying you should not give any project or task your best but many people will not begin or  move to another task unless perfection can or has been achieved. 

What are your personal time suckers?  Where are you wasting valuable time that would be better spent somewhere else?  
My next blog post will be on how to solve these time sucker problems. 

 "Money, I can only gain or lose. But time I can only lose. So, I must spend it carefully."     - Author Unknown

Follow Through

Following through seems like one of the most natural things in the world to do.  You start something and you finish it but that is not the case with a lot of, if not most people.     Lack of follow through creates enormous problems:    Don't follow through on pursuing healthy lifestyle -  weight gain and sickness Don't follow through on schoolwork -  poor grades Don't follow through at work -  poor results at work and poor work image projected Don't follow through at home -  clutter piles up, frustrations mount and bills go unpaid Don't follow through when disciplining children- disrespectful and unruly children Don't follow through on getting car serviced on time -  greater damage and higher repair costs Don't follow through on backing up digital photos -  computer crashes and photos lost Don't follow through with saving money - crisis hits and you are not prepared Don't follow through on opportunities - opportunity lost

So if all these terrible things are going to happen to us because we don't follow through, then why don't we follow through?   I have found 6 main reasons people fail to finish what they start. 1.  Not paying attention.  Have you ever walked in the house or office, mindlessly set something down and then never went back to do anything with it?  Things begin to pile on top on one another and the next thing you know, you have a mess.   Have you gotten to the end of a day and wondered where your time has gone?   We mindlessly go through a day instead of being deliberate about using our time and energies wisely.  2.  Tired.  I find this to be a huge reason for people not finishing the things they start.  You come home from work or have had a long day with kids and it seems easier to leave the dishes in the sink, the laundry unfolded or not put away, the mail untouched, the magazines unread, the pile of papers left unattended, the groceries not put away, etc. etc. etc.  You get the point.  We are all running and going and doing but the fact of the matter is -if you take those few moments, even when you are tired, to follow through on some of these tasks, you will actually, in the long run, feel less tired and overwhelmed.   3.  Not scheduling time.  Many people have good intentions but never set aside the time to do or complete something they have set out do.   4.  Wrong reason for setting a goal or agreeing to do something.  Many times we say yes to something without thinking it through.  We feel bad for saying no, we feel pressured to say yes, we are doing something because someone else we know is doing it or we are convinced we are the only person that can get it done. 5.  Following through is going to be hard.  There are many things in life that we have to persevere through and many of us just don't want to be bothered.  We want things to be simple, uncomplicated and quick.  We don't want to have to make that unpleasant phone call.  We don't want to take the time to finish something because we have gotten bored.  We don't want to feel some of the uncomfortable emotions or feelings we will feel when we press through.   6.  Forgetting.  Many times we just forget to do something we said we would do; call someone, write a note, make a meal, etc.; we just forgot.  Here are 6 easy steps towards becoming better at follow through.   1. Pay attention to what you are committing yourself to and why. Don't commit to something you don't have passion, time, or energy for. 2. Press On. Pressing on and pressing through are two lessons I have learned the hard way. It is my choice to stop or press on and when I choose to press on, in spite of how I feel, I win every time! It is easier to give up when things are hard but when you press through the hard stuff of life, eventually you will come to breakthrough; you will get to the other side. 3. Be deliberate. When you walk in the door or office, make sure you take those few extra moments to put things where they belong or take 15 minutes to do it at the end of the evening. When you are going through the day, take regular "timeouts" to self-check if you are being deliberate about your day or see if you are mindlessly going through another day. 4. Self-talk. This is one of my strategies to make myself follow through. For some reason I have a problem with unloading the dishwasher. I will start, get bored and leave it with the door open and dishes sitting on the counter. Not sure what that is all about but it just is what it is. I have to talk to myself and tell myself to go back finish it, that it won't take long and it will be worth it. Ridiculous? Maybe but it gets it done and it can work for you. Your brain is telling you something all the time anyway, so why not control some of what it is telling you! 5. Make a note or schedule the time. Put things you need to do on a list of things to do or put it on your calendar. If it doesn't get done, keep moving it to your current to do list until it gets done or your realize it shouldn't be there in the first place. 6. Delegate or get help. Many times we need help completing a task. This can mean you involve family, friends, co-workers or of course your friendly professional organizer! Whoever it is, when it is time to ask for help, by all means, enlist help. Follow through is a habit. When you have the mindset that you don't have to follow through, then most of the time you won't but if you believe that following through is the only option, then most of the time you will.  It is possible to begin to do better at following through......beginning today!

Do What You Know

This is a phrase I often use with my clients and with myself......do what you know.  

Many times we have a lot of knowledge about something but are unwilling to take the steps needed to act on what we know even though it will most often produce positive results.  

Many people I know will sign up for Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutri-System,  buy all the weight loss books they can find and buy every magazine that has "LOSE 10 POUNDS BY TOMORROW".  

Many people, including me, will read fitness magazines, tear fitness articles out of magazines, and my personal favorite is pinning those ab-busting, butt-toning, calorie burning and tricep trimming exercise programs to my PINTEREST Board.  

Many people I know will read relationship book after relationship book and yet 
nothing changes in their relationship.  

One of the things that tickles me, when working with an organizing client, is the number of "GET ORGANIZED NOW" books and magazines that they have stashed in numerous places in the house.  They also have all the "GET ORGANIZED" products, still in their original packaging.

All of this to say, while these things are not bad to read and study,  the question is are you willing to take the next step?  Are you willing to do what you know about losing weight, about working out, about your relationship, about organizing or about any other area of your life?  Many of us want the magic bullet.  We want the formula.  We want the easy way to get some of the hard things done.  

That is why I say, do what you know.  When you start doing some of the things that you know, you will in most cases achieve the results you want.  It won't often come naturally or easily but you will never regret giving it your best shot.  

So what do you know that you aren't doing? I am asking myself the same question today and hopefully will do some of the things that I know that will produce positive results in my own life.  

Bad Habits

I am trying to change a "bad" habit.  On the surface it doesn't look like a bad habit but that is the way it is playing out in my day.  

The habit I am trying to break is getting up in the morning, immediately looking at my phone and checking e-mail, Facebook, Words with Friends and Twitter.  My rationale for doing this is that I will get it out of the way and then I can focus on the things I need to do.  I had read that looking at these things, first thing, was not a good idea.  I had seen the studies about it, I had heard testimonials about it, I had heard all the rationales for not looking at these things as soon as I woke up.  Of course, I thought - I am different; this is what works best for me.  Well, guess what?  I'm not different.  Everything I read, heard and saw was exactly right. Looking at email, Facebook, WWF and Twitter upon waking is a time sucker not a time saver. The other day I realized I was cutting my exercise short or totally out because I didn't have enough time.  I realized I was cutting my quiet time short or totally out because I didn't have time.  The things that are essential for my health and well-being were being cut short or totally eliminated because of the time I was spending looking at all my "stuff" online.  

Today is the beginning of change.  Today I had to intentionally not look at my phone.  I had to intentionally get out of the bed, put on my walking clothes and go for my walk.  I had to intentionally not look at my computer or phone until I had a few moments of quiet devotional and prayer.   I could feel the pull of the phone and the computer.  I could feel myself wanting to just go take a quick peek to see if so and so had returned my email, see what had happened on Facebook, see what Twitter had to say and see if my opponent had seen the mega point word I had scored on WWF.  I knew what I could be doing but I chose to do what I should be doing.  

This is a recurrent theme in my organizing and life coaching.  I am constantly trying to help people do what they should be doing instead of what they could and have been doing.  I am helping people think what they should be thinking instead of what they could and have been thinking.  New thoughts, new habits.......all add up to a better and more purposeful life. 

Now that I'm through with my walk, my quiet time and now my blog post, guess what  I'm going to do now?