Tag: Get Organized

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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

Why New Years Resolutions Don’t Work…and what you can do about it

The secret to real change in 2013: Getting organized by outsmarting your brain

Soon,, many people will be busy resolving to make 2013 the best year ever. Some, however, think that New Year’s Resolutions are a lot of hot air. Most of the time, they are right.

Human beings often live on the island of Good Intention. We mean to lose weight, eat better, become better parents, take that trip, and keep in touch with dear friends. What happens? Life gets in the way.

For example, you resolve to eat right and exercise on January 1. This will be my year, you say. Then, the kids get sick and you need to take time off from work. You can’t get to the gym to exercise 5 times a week now, as you had resolved to do. And you are not able to get to the grocery store to buy all those organic leafy greens, so you resort to the frozen pizza and potato chips lurking in your coffers for a quick snack.  A few days go by, and when the child’s fever lifts you look around and say, why bother? This is not going to work. I am not cut out to be a lean, mean machine.

human brain

Following through and establishing new habits can be extremely difficult tasks. As humans, we are biologically trained to live in homeostasis. That is, our bodies are, biologically, resistant to change.  It’s actually in our makeup.

The good news: neuroplasticity. Through the science of neuroplasticity, we can train our brains to accept change.

Are you ready? Follow these 7 easy steps for real change in 2013:

  1. Focus on one aspect of your life you would like to change. Example: you want to become known in your field as an expert; a thought leader. This is a powerful goal, and must be broken down into manageable steps.
  2. Map out your steps. For example, thought leaders are on top of their industry related reading. But, you have piles of periodicals around your home and office that you simply cannot find the time to read. You need to carve out time for this.
  3. Implement step one. In this example, you need more time for the reading. Take a good look at your day. Can you wake up 30 minutes earlier than you do now?
  4. Analyze your progress. After two weeks, is your new habit starting to take root?
  5. Adjust as required. If yes, you are getting more reading done, but, at this rate it will take 2.5 years to “catch up”, then it’s time to adjust. A speed reading course, perhaps?
  6. Analyze your progress. Once you complete the speed reading course, are you feeling more in control of your reading? Are you starting to feel more like the thought leader you envisioned?
  7. Rinse and repeat. Every two weeks, analyze and adjust. All projects start with a vision, then a current assessment, and finally an action plan. Once the action plan is accomplished, it’s time to compare your results to your original vision (a current assessment). Does your vision need to be tweaked? If you keep repeating this cycle of vision, current assessment, action plan…you will reach your goal.
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AD/HD Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

Chugging through the December Holidays

Many professionals seek my advice for “time management.” During this time of year, if we are truly managing ourselves around our “whole” life (work and, ahem, home), we integrate “the holidays.”  Trouble typically follows if and when we do NOT incorporate the holidays….the “I’ll just ignore it” strategy (F L O P).

Sue West and I have six tips for you this time. We go through them step by step, so that the overwhelming feeling you may have now is reduced to a manageable “breaking down” of this last part of the year.

So- don’t have a breakdown…start breaking it down by listening here. Feel free to Like and Share!11.28.2012 CHUG thru your holidays

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Get Organized More time in my day Time strategies

Mid September….Are the winds of fall knocking you over yet?

This week, Monday and Tuesday blew in “fresh” breezes. As much as I wanted to embrace them, I found myself freezing and muttering under my breath. Conversely, the “indian summer” these last couple of days penetrates my soul and allows me to prepare for fall, before another temperature dip comes this weekend.

For me, fall represents change. My children’s soccer has taken over my life, when I am not extremely busy with presentations and clients. It’s a good thing I am organized! For those of us looking for a few more great tips – practical and kid-centric- look no further. For our mid-September podcast, Sue West and I bring on a fellow organizer- Sandy Rhee. She specializes in Student Organizing- a perfect theme for September. Listen and Enjoy!

SANDY RHEE 9.10.2012

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AD/HD email systems file systems Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace Time strategies

Are you ready for the ‘final four’ months of 2012?

This is it.

With fall knocking on our doorstep, we “grab the last days of summer” while we can. Suddenly it’s 50 degrees when we wake.  Then, humidity comes back, soothing us like a warm, cozy jacket. But we know it won’t last. Alas, the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” are gone, or, just about gone.

Now is the time to speed up. Fall sports. School.  College.  Everyone is back from summer vacation.

Before I began EpS, I worked for many years as a landscape architect. Most of the population assumed that summer was “our busy time” and the fall brought in relief. Actually, it was the opposite. Many of our clients were tied to higher education. Right about now, the phone started ringing. Inevitably, big deadlines were set around the holidays in December.  Even homeowners liked to see that “last project” done before the weather turned.

How do your “final four” months of the year look? Are you ready? Are your systems in place? Are you on track with your financial plan and year-end goals? It’s not too late. Start with testing yourself against these 8 points, to round out the eighth month of the year:

  1. How are your “books” looking? Have they suffered from a lack of summer income? What do you need to do NOW so that your 2012 will be a “happy place” come year end? Check out these 3 tips: http://www.accountancyextra.co.uk/3-quick-bookkeeping-tips
  2. Have you lost touch with any clients over the summer? Now is the perfect time to reconnect. Try a personal, handwritten card. You will stand out.
  3. How are your files looking? Are you behind? Assuming you have a busy autumn/last quarter in store, this often-overlooked area of life becomes critical. Carve out 30 minutes a day to pull your filing systems back together before it becomes unmanageable and something gets lost through the cracks.
  4. Is your computer “old?” Will you need to replace your desktop, laptop, ipad, iphone, blackberry soon? Now is the time to set aside a little capital for that year-end purchase.
  5. How effective is your computer backup system? Just 7 days without a backup can cost you thousands of dollars in headaches and lost information. I strongly suggest “cloud” backup software such as: http://www.carbonite.com/en/ or http://mozy.com/home
  6. How will you reconnect with all those contacts you are making at the Business After Hours? Who did you say you’d talk to “in a few months?” If you don’t have a CRM (Customer Relations Management Software) it’s time to develop a system that works for you. If you use Microsoft Outlook on a regular basis, try this one: http://www.avidian.com/
  7. How are your “home systems” working? Do you have to leave earlier in the morning these days? Is everyone getting out the door with ease, or is it a struggle? Do you have a system for cleaning, laundry, shopping, and meals? Try http://flylady.net/.  You, your student, and your family will soar with her simple principles.
  8. Most importantly, take a little time each day for yourself. This might entail going for a short walk at lunchtime when you think you don’t have time, or it could be just closing your eyes in the car for 5 minutes before you pick up your child from childcare. Remember, when we cheat ourselves, we cannot be at our best for our clients, families, and friends. You are the most important person in your life. Treat yourself with love and respect.

Here’s to a productive, happy, and healthy balance of 2012!

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file systems Get Organized More time in my day prioritize Time strategies Uncategorized

What happened to Endless Summer?

I am a parent of two school-aged children, and many of my friends fall into this category as well. Lately, I keep hearing about how “there is only really one weekend left until the weekend before school!” “We have to get away!”

Get away.GO!

Next week, when you get back, I’ll be unleashing the results of my latest collaboration- a podcast series with a very fun, inspirational, and knowledgeable professional organizer/coach, Sue West. Sue and I have the same title but different backgrounds. We both strive to teach, empower, and coach our clients.

So why would we team up for this? Simply, we are “better together”. The collaborative process brings out ideas far greater than ourselves. We are excited to start the series with…you guessed it…getting organized around Back To School. We have two “takes” on the same “topic.” We know that getting back to school can be stressful for both parent and child, and we will be providing tips you can use to ease the transition and set yourself up for success.

So get ready to listen, learn, and be inspired!

Sincerely,

Carol (left) and Sue (right)

Carol Williams of EpS
Sue West
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Get Organized More time in my day prioritize productivity in the workplace

Sweet Summer: How does it change your life? – Staying Organized and Productive when the Thermometer reaches 90 degrees

Summer brings a change in routine for us all. For some, it’s a “lazy hazy” time. Some of us might be spending the summer with our children and/or taking extended family vacations. For others, we are very busy at work during this time of year as we have seasonal/contracting professions. Some CPA clients I have are quite busy in summer performing audits.

Regardless of how summer affects you, it’s important to take stock. Some steps to getting organized and get yourself set up for the second half of the year that you might consider:

  1. Know where you are right now.
  2. Identify where you want to go. Right now, it’s about six weeks or so until the children in our lives will be “back to school”: another transition time. For college students, it’s probably more like 4 weeks away.
  3. Check in with yourself regularly. Weekly is a good start.
  4. Follow up. What did you find in your check-in? What should you be doing more of? Less of?
  5. Adjust your expectations, if that’s needed. Usually, it is.
  6. Start again at number one!

I remember as a child that we went “back to school shopping” each year at the very beginning of August. That is when Sears & Roebuck had their annual sale and it was time for my sister and I to get outfitted for the inevitable. As a child, school still seemed very far away. It seemed odd to be shopping for closed toe shoes and corduroy pants when it was 90 degrees out. But before we knew it, the cool breezes were blowing and we were walking to the bus during the next “school year”. Little did I know, my mom and the stores had taken stock, identified their goals, and were setting us up for success!

As an adult and a parent, I realize now how life is truly like a roll of toilet paper. The closer to the end we get, the faster it goes! If you don’t want “too tight of a schedule” think of your life as a series of routines with important milestones identified. You CAN be flexible while achieving your goals.

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