Category: Get Organized

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Time strategies workflow systems

Kickstart 2018: Discover what is holding you back, why, and how to avoid getting stuck “again.”

First, some questions:

  • Who’s in charge, anyway? Is it you, or is it life?
  • Are you a planner, or, are you a “go with the flow” kind of person? Why?

i) If you are a planner, what do you fear might happen without a plan? Why do things have to go “your” way? “So what” if they don’t?

ii) If you “go with the flow,” what scares you about making a plan? Is your plan too rigid? Do you fear disappointing others or perhaps not having enough room to be spontaneous?

The answer is … a little of both.

I know both kinds of people. I am definitely more in the Planner box. I love plans. I probably love plans more than is healthy for me. Why am I saying that? I’m saying that because over-planning can lead to over-scheduling. Over-scheduling can lead to stress and chaos, and ultimately, burnout. Burnout is not fun!

Conversely, there is that person who lives like he is blowing in the breeze. His ship sails wherever the wind blows, and he finds comfort there. But he looks back, and wonders what happened to his life. He’s not sure what is next, or even how to decide. He fears that he might make the wrong decision, so few decisions are made. His whole life, his desk, his home, his basement, etc., has too much stuff and is cluttered; representing such indecision.

Or maybe, you are somewhere in the middle. You decide something, go along the path for a bit, typically “full boar,” then get bored, when you then pick something new and exciting. Until, that is, this new thing gets old and then gets left behind for the next new thing. This cycle typically leads to a lot of investment with little return, and ultimately, frustration and burnout.

No matter which description fits best, we can all benefit from a little planning along with a healthy dose of accepting what life throws our way.

Let’s Kickstart 2018! I’ve developed some steps as food for thought on our Dec. 11, 2017 Lunchtime Love call.

Step One: Imagine it is December 2018. Write a letter to yourself about what you have accomplished. What fears have you overcome? What have you addressed that you have been putting off? How are you feeling and why?

  • Tip: Don’t overdo this exercise. Sometimes we tend to over-inflate what is possible and come up really short. This “overshooting” can be damaging to the psyche and is cause for the planning to cease. So, reach for the stars, with your feet firmly planted on the ground.

Step Two: What is the most important thing, the thing that will provide the most impact, is the easiest to do, will not cost a lot of time or money, that you can do in the next week or so to move toward your December 2018 goal? That’s right, I am asking you to start NOW. Right now, in November/December 2107. You do NOT need to “wait” until January to lay the groundwork for your 2018 year-end success.

  • Tip: This can be really simple. For example, if you want to keep better track of your finances, and your desk is a pile of unopened mail, just take 15 minutes and sort the mail. You do not need to get it super tidy. Just put it into broad categories and piles. It’s a step. Steps provide momentum and momentum builds on itself.

Progress follows …

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Time strategies

What does Happiness mean to you, and how can you truly create this as your theme of the Season?

Is this your scenario?

 

You know the drill. You are trying to “do it all”- meaning, you need to work to earn your living, your family needs attention, you are supposed to eat right and exercise and go to all your self-care wellness, and you are just barely holding it together. Most of the time, food is in the fridge and you are going where you need to go when you need to get there.

 

And then, the holidays march in.

 

Suddenly, you are fixing dinner for 10. Or 20. Maybe people are staying at your home. Maybe you are traveling. There are gifts to buy and parties to attend. Life becomes a swirl of complete insanity. Good diet and exercise, and routine in general, goes out the window. But wait, it’s my busy season at work! We have the year end deadlines! We have to stay late and work more! Sugar and caffeine, please!
Why does it feel like everyone else can handle this easily except you?
Hint: They probably cannot handle it that easily, but they either don’t talk about it, don’t tune in with themselves, or both.
Yes, you can turn around your scenario. Here’s how.

 

Step One: 
Tune in with yourself. Let’s fly 1000 feet in the air first. Ready? I want you to really THINK here. Like, really empty out your mind and be with yourself. We are talking about values. We don’t do what we are supposed to do. We act in accordance with our core values. We do this subconsciously, most of the time.
To tune in, ask yourself:
  • What is truly important to me?
  • What is frustrating to me?
  • What do I wish could change, that if it changed, I’d feel at ease?
Yes, we are getting below the psyche here. It’s a cool place. We can teach our mind to be happy, on a deep level. When we are happy on a deep level, the world is easier. When things are easier we get more of the right stuff done. When we get more of the right stuff done, we are productive. And happier. And so it goes…

 

Step Two:
Now that you are focused on your values, and you understand what will make you happy, it’s time to be the architect of your holiday season.
Focus Forward: Ask yourself the same questions as above, with “at the holidays” as a suffix.
Are the answers the same? Different?

 

Step Three: 
Find Your Frustration: By this time, you have some sentences. A WORD OF CAUTION. THIS IS ONLY AN EXAMPLE. IT MAY HAVE *NOTHING* TO DO WITH YOUR NEEDS AND VALUES. IT IS AN *EXAMPLE ONLY.* THIS EXAMPLE IS GIVEN TO ILLUSTRATE THE *PROCESS* TO TRUE HOLIDAY HAPPINESS.
Perhaps you have written something like this:
 “What is truly important to me at the holidays?”
         “It is truly important for me to be able to be present; to be fully tuned-in when I am with my family.”
 “What is frustrating to me?” 
        “It is frustrating to not be able to work full days at the holidays due to all the extra needs of the season. I end up staying late and eating pizza and drinking too much coffee. Then I feel horrible and the cycle repeats itself.”
When you have both what you want written, and what you do NOT want written, often the answer for change (question 3) will emerge automatically. Allow that magic wand to work. Maybe you dare to write “I wish I did not have to work at all during the last two weeks of December.”
Caution: Many of us fear writing our *deepest dreams* because they feel too big or too crazy; not attainable, not practical, silly, whatever. Don’t make that mistake. We will break it down.

 

Step Four:
Look at your magic wand statement; your deepest dream. What is one micro step you might take toward that dream? In this example, not wanting to work at all from Dec. 15-31, ask yourself, what are the most critical pieces of work that must be completed so that this could happen? What could fall to the side? Just doing that one exercise is helpful and is a step toward living in true holiday happiness.

 

Step Five:
Create your happy place. After these four steps, you are on your way to a true plan for happiness, at the holidays and beyond.
  • Tune into our call on November 6th and dig right in, wherever you are.
  • Pre-call bonus: I have a limited amount of Dare to Dream sessions (there is no charge for these) in November. If you are ready for a more “truly joyous” holiday season, I invite you to reserve your spot by clicking HERE and have 60 min of “only” these kinds of app’ts available.

See you November 6! Add to

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Productivity Time strategies

Focusing Forward and Being Present

The REAL answers to your Strategic Stuckness are embedded in the question: “if it’s so easy, why aren’t we all doing it?” We’ll dive deeper into THAT on our call 9/11/17, but for now, let’s jump into some effective FOCUSING strategies!

This is for you if ANY of these feel true:

– You start out with a plan

– Your plan is a joke by day’s end and you’re asking “why bother?”

– You start out without a plan…responding to emergencies (which somehow don’t quit)

Or, maybe it’s not THAT intense. You are keeping up with your work. But, you need to up your game, get to your next level. Wherever you are, you need to do something NEW to get NEW results.

Here are my favorite ways to focus forward and stay in the moment. Wait, what?

  1. Know WHY you are doing what you are doing: This may sound silly. Does it? Think about it. If the work you are doing adds up to something you REALLY want, you’ll put aside those distractions with more ease. Right? Remember, this is your Strategic Work. This is what is getting you to your Next Level! That’s focusing forward while staying in the moment.
  2. Remove your distractions; your favorite diversions: Even when you know “why,” distractions can be really powerful. Remove them. Shut off your phone. Then, go ahead and set your timer. Set it for an amount of time to get some traction on your project. I recommend at least 30 minutes, but no more than one hour.
  3. Take a break: That’s right! Get up and move. Get away from the computer. I recommend at least every two hours, but every hour is great, even for 5 minutes to get a glass of water. Movement stimulates the brain, and we want to do our best work, right? Just be careful to come back…don’t get distracted with someone else’s issue (or the issue in your own mind unless it’s life or death!) We are Staying Strategic here.

Many other strategies will work for staying focused and strategic. What are your favorite? What trips you up? Feel free to share here on my blog and/or come to the call on 9.11.17 at noon eastern and share.

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Get Organized procrastination

Super Strategic Strategies

Let’s start with the how-to, shall we? (side note: You may know some of this and other strategies might be new for you. You have permission to take what works and leave the rest behind.)

 

The REAL answers to your ‘Strategic Stuckness’ are embedded in the question raised earlier though, “if it’s so easy, why aren’t we all doing it?” We’ll dive deeper into THAT on our call 9/11/17, but for now, let’s jump into some effective strategies!

 

This is for you if ANY of these feel true:
–    You know what you need to do; you just can’t get to it all.
–    You crave balance of work life and home life.
–    You have a burning desire to get your next level, professionally.

 

The first step in staying focused on your Strategic Activities, is knowing what those activities are in the first place. While this may sound absurd, I know many people who block off time for the strategic, yet, when that time comes around, they find themselves procrastinating or letting other things take precedence.

 

Question: How often do you plan “strategically?”
Answer: As often as you need to!
Recommendation: At least once a year. You’ll then have quarterly and monthly milestones. Hint: This does NOT have to be January 1! You can start “anytime”- but many companies/teams/CEOs do this at the beginning of the calendar or fiscal year.

 

Question: How do I know when I am successful?
Answer: Metrics
Recommendation: When you hit a milestone, you’ll need a way to track progress. What we measure, we move ahead in.

 

Question: A year feels like a long time. What if things change?
Answer: A year is not that long, really, AND you can and should re-evaluate regularly. Where are we compared to where we wish to be? What needs to be tweaked?
Recommendation: Re-evaluate quarterly.

 

Keep an eye out for my next blog post which will help you carve out TIME to do this, now that you know “what” to do!
 

 

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Evernote Get Organized

What I learned about goalsetting through playing monopoly with my 9 – year old boy –or-How to give yourself 2 hours a day, effortlessly

They say we can learn a lot from our kids, and this is one of those a-ha moments for me.

I find that this time of year holds no shortage of opportunities to “set goals” and “get organized.” I also find that we beautiful, smart, idea-rich people who have chosen to become (gasp) entrepreneurs inevitably have at least some form of “squirrel syndrome.” For those of you who might be wondering about said syndrome, it is also known by the name of “shiny object syndrome,” “monkey mind,” etc.

However much we might know that we need to focus, to really buckle down and focus, to really do it this time, for real, there’s a significant difference between knowing and intending and wanting to do it, and ingesting, digesting, and radiating that intention. Allow me to illustrate via a game of monopoly.

My son knows what he likes in the game of monopoly. He likes the train stations, he likes the orange house block, and he likes the red house block. When opportunities arise for him to buy other properties, it’s a no-brainer…he says “no thanks, I’ll wait for the right opportunity.”

Contrast this with his friend who came over yesterday. His friend went around the board, and, whatever that friend landed on, he bought. It was not long before my son won. His friend quickly ran out of resources to buy anything and did not have the ability to pay when he landed on my son’s property or was forced to “pay income tax” or whatever “bad luck” cards he was dealt in the game.

The game lasted only one hour. In contrast, the monopoly I typically play is probably an average of 4 hours. What can we adults learn from this story? Since this is an article and not a conversation, I’ll jump to some answers.

  • While it’s good to stay open to unforeseen opportunities, it’s critical to have a strategy and an overall plan in place.
  • When you plant seeds everywhere without reserves, you could run out of seeds and fuel.

How do you compare in this scenario? How do you approach business and life planning? Do you have a clear picture of where you are headed? How do you make purchasing decisions when a “not to be missed” email flies into your inbox? Do you have business filters, and are they based on that overall vision?

We can all use help in this arena, as adults tend to get sidetracked with the complexities of life beyond 9 years old. What support do you have in place? Here are some ideas:

  • Mastermind groups
  • Facebook groups
  • Accountability partner
  • Coach
  • Mentor

When you start thinking about your community as above, it’s best when you share values with the other people in the group. This work is personal and powerful, and not every group is a good fit for every individual.

I’m part of a mastermind, and a facebook group or two. I’ve also just begun a continuing education course where there is an accountability buddy component built into the structure. I am so thankful for that.

In closing, I’d like to share a quote from a client this month: “I feel like I’ve given myself 2 hours a day.” Why did she say this? By working together this last fall, we have identified her big goal, her big why strategies that serve her and new ones that serve her better. She feels lighter now and freer. She knows what she wants, and, much like my son, it’s easy for her to decline properties that don’t serve her mission. This clarity allows her to say YES to the properties/opportunities that get her to the next level and allow her to be her best self.

When you’re ready to become discerning about your monopoly purchases, set up a discovery time with me. We’ll uncover a strategy that’s been there all along, and you will feel lighter, freer, and possibly happier than you’ve ever been since you were 9 years old. As a client said, you’ll find “an old friend” and that friend is the childlike you, much wiser in the mature body and brain you live in now. Discover that friend now: http://eps-time.com/schedule-30-minutes/

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Evernote Get Organized Productivity

How Evernote can help “the disorganized” feel organized

Many of the kindest, most genuine, and wisest people I know have a brain structure that is labeled “AD/HD.” These are typically my favorite clients, because they are big thinkers, big dreamers, and amazing risk-takers. They also have a tendency to beat themselves up, because for their whole lives they have been told that they are not “doing it the right way.”

I have found that Evernote can really help my clients and particularly the ones who have an AD/HD-leaning brain.

Regardless of how you may wish to try on Evernote, it is imperative that you begin with a “pilot” project. For those who can relate to the never-ending distracting thoughts of living with AD/HD, this is particularly important.

One proven approach is to start using Evernote based on the first problem you need to solve. If you can’t keep track of your notes, then use Evernote exclusively for notes. Just use ONE notebook called “Notes,” and just focus on the little green elephant. Knowing that NOTES are taken care of by the little green elephant frees the mind from worry. That singular focus is crucial. You don’t have to think about a plethora of notebooks, you don’t have to think about tags, you only have to think about the elephant.” While this sounds overly simple, simple is easy, easy is do-able, and that “easy” step frees the mind to focus on the content versus the technology. Success steps heighten mood, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of continued success.

For more information on getting started with Evernote, contact me. I’m an Evernote Certified Consultant.

To download the Evernote app, here are some links. Basic is free and you can upgrade from there.

Business: http://bit.ly/EpSEvernote

Premium: http://bit.ly/EvernotePremiumCW

Plus: http://bit.ly/EvernotePlusCW

Basic: http://bit.ly/EvernoteBasicCW

In closing, Evernote can help you get organized. It’s even been referred to as your “second brain.” But like everything, it’s still an external helper, and addressing your goals from the inside out is always the best policy. Let’s kick it in 2017!

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