Organizing Positive Thoughts and Words in the New Year

Posted on 01/04/2013 by Joyce

As you create your goals and move forward in the new year, are you organizing your thoughts and words to approach people and life with compassion or judgment? Courage or fear? Awareness or denial? Proactive or reactive? Dealing with “stuff” or ignoring it?

Here’s an example: People in my age range — mid-life —  seem to either embrace technology or approach it with fear (and/or disdain). Their response tends to be the way they approach  other things in life (i.e., “That’s awesome!” versus “That’s horrible!”). Embrace or reject. It’s a mind-set.

So, without judgment or criticism — just observation (“notice and adjust” as I say) — here are a few things to consider when organizing your internal environment this year:

Are you organizing your days to give yourself time to get in touch with your thoughts and feelings? Honest with yourself about them? Aware when you’re thinking and speaking in a negative way?

It takes an internal level of organizing to be in touch with yourself, moderate what you think and feel, and communicate in a supportive way. If you aren’t organizing your internal environment in a positive way, it’s likely that when other people express their thoughts and feelings it’ll be uncomfortable for you. You may respond by denying, minimizing or discounting what they’re going through – rather than responding with understanding, compassion and empathy.

If you’re not doing it for yourself, it’s very hard to do it for others. There are a couple of 12 Step phrases that come to mind, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.” and “You cannot transmit what you haven’t got.” 

For example, if someone is experiencing grief, and you haven’t yet dealt with your own, you may wish they’d “stuff” theirs, because it’s too painful to experience…

It’s hard to create goals and follow through with changing  your life in significant ways if you’re not approaching life with awareness and honesty.  The keys to this internal organizing process are just that: awareness and honesty. 

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How to Organize a Project – Part 2

Posted on 12/28/2012 by Joyce

Continuing from last Friday’s post on how to organize a project … Do you have a special project you’d like to organize – yet can’t seem to “find” the time? Does it feel like there just isn’t enough time with work, volunteer and social commitments, daily activities, and so forth? Since we all have the same amount of time, how is it that some people have time to organize their special projects and others don’t? 

Organizing is an activity that is ideally proactive rather than reactive.  However it often becomes reactive by default – or desperation. Either way it needs to be seen as an investment in time. 

You make a dream into a project by being proactive. Get clear on exactly what the “elephant” is – and then wrap your arms around it. Break it down to it’s parts and then carry them out, one by one. You need to make taking time to organize your project into a priority by causing everything else to flow around it. 

Projects expand or contract, in part, because of the time there is to carry them out. Not much time? You’ll jam through that project if needed. More time? There’s time to dawdle around. This is often why people put off doing their assignments until the last minute, because they work best with a bit of fire under them. 

Some of what causes people not to organize their projects is they become busy with non-productive or unnecessary activities. Look to eliminate or at least minimize non-productive ventures. And don’t let yourself be “guilted” into accepting things. 

The other things that cause folks not to organize their projects are the activities they engage in for fun and leisure. Careful with the time you spend on Facebook. Decide how much time you’ll spend on that or other pastimes of a similar nature. 

If you didn’t read last week’s post – read it now. It has seven steps to help you organize your project.

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How to Organize a Project – Part 1

Posted on 12/21/2012 by Joyce

Do you have a special project you’d like to organize – yet can’t seem to “find” the time? Does it feel like there just isn’t enough time with work, family commitments, volunteer groups, social commitments, preparing and eating meals, keeping up on the laundry, and so forth? 

We all have the same amount of time. How is it that some people “make” time to organize their special projects and others don’t? Some people’s projects seem to stay perpetually as dreams … they never seem able to organize them into becoming a reality.

The answers are: 

  • Prioritize the time. You can organize what you prioritize. 
  • Get and stay focused, and eliminate (or reduce) time spent on activities that don’t contribute to the goal.
  • Take action.

Here are the steps to take to organize a project:

  1. Decide how much time you’re willing to invest* on a daily basis. Let’s say you average one hour a day, 6 days a week, at the end of a year you’ll have put in about 300 hours.
  2. Mentally decide to make this time a priority (very important to take this step).
  3. Prepare yourself with the materials you’ll need.
  4. As you go through your days, position the hour at the ideal time; this is when you have the best mental, emotional, and physical energy to carry it out. And this is where knowing yourself is very important. Morning person? Perhaps you want to get that hour of exercise in, first thing in the morning. Night person? Perhaps you want to get that hour of paperwork done after dinner, or after the kids are in bed.
  5. After you put in the hour, record it somewhere – perhaps your calendar. 
  6. Reward yourself in some healthy way.
  7. Prepare for tomorrow, look at the calendar and schedule a time.

*It’s very important that it’s viewed as an investment of time. Investments are something we contribute to over time – and they build up value over time.  

More about how to organize a project next week.

Posted in Awareness/Mindfulness, Being Positive, Change, Empower, Habit Change, Organizing Guidelines, Personal Growth, Psychology of Organizing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Organize for the Holidays

Posted on 12/07/2012 by Joyce

There are lots of reasons to take time now to organize for the holiday season…

Typically people find these items in various places around their home:

– Wrapping paper, bows and ribbons, holiday labels, tape, scissors, and various sized boxes.

– Holiday decorations they’d enjoy putting out and looking at again.

– Photos – to frame and display for guests to enjoy.

– Photo albums – to put on coffee tables and end tables, for friends and family to peruse.

– Various belonging to re-gift…

We’re living at a time – especially with the economy as it has been – that people are more appreciative of items being re-gifted, re-used, and repurposed. Folks are greener than ever, and prefer re-using over sending things willy-nilly to the landfills.

One of my clients recently uncovered an item during our organizing session that she knew someone else could use and would appreciate. She felt inspired to pass it along and “upgrade” her situation with something new. The other person was delighted; it was a win-win. This is what taking some time to organize can do for you…

Also, taking time to organize your kitchen and pantry is especially helpful at this time of year. You’ll learn exactly what items and tools you have on hand. This helps, so you don’t end up with the last minute “Where is that thing?” syndrome over a serving bowl or hot plate. Taking time to organize for the holidays allows you to do more entertaining with less stress. 

In addition, a lot of times people find ingredients they can use (that they didn’t know they had), and other items like holiday cookie cutters. Before you create your holiday shopping list and head out to buy things, be sure and take time to organize and so you know exactly what you have on hand. 

And take a few minutes to review your clothes. No doubt there are some fun and festive pieces you’ve forgotten about and would enjoy wearing again this year…. 🙂

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Organizing the Entrance to Your Home – Part II

Posted on 11/02/2012 by Joyce

Continuing from last month’s blog post, organize dedicated places for your:

2. Cell phone and docking station

Apparently it’s not a good idea to have these in the bedroom, as there are some worrisome studies linking cell phones with e-smog and health concerns. Wise to err on the safe side and not have them where you sleep – if possible.

3. Chair or bench

For convenience – to sit while donning and removing footwear.

4. Shoes, boots and flip flops

Make bins and or racks for easy access to frequently used footwear.

5. Coats, sweaters and scarves

Create racks to hang up “outerwear”  – for both family and visitors.

6. Hats

If you wear hats, create a space for your favorites, and other places in your home for others.

7. Gloves

Perhaps less important and certainly season dependent, give some thought to organizing the placement of “hand wear.”

8. Purse and/or briefcase

Your purse should not sit on the floor (East Indian Feng Shui indicates that if you put it on the floor, the money will run out. I figure – err on the side of caution – and cleanliness).  🙂

Pay attention and give some thought to what you need and most frequently use, and think about organizing it in a way it would serve you best. Consider things like the most effective placement of ID badges, and items you need handy for medical reasons and/or child care. 

If you can’t find something on a regular basis and use it often, make sure and create a dedicated place for it. For example, if you carry food and beverages with you, create one place for your insulated bag, water bottle and thermos.

If you like items visible, create areas with that in mind. If you prefer your items concealed, design the spaces with items placed behind doors, in drawers, and out of view. And if you’re organizing and realize that things just aren’t working any longer, it may be time to do a bit of remodeling to create spaces for new areas and receptacles for frequently used items.

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Organizing the Entrance to Your Home – Part I

Posted on 10/05/2012 by Joyce

When you decide to take time and organize your home, consider this: For areas to feel really good, the energy needs to be able to flow.

Although I don’t have an in-depth knowledge of Feng Shui, I basically understand the concept and it resonates with me from a common sense organizing perspective – energy and flow. In this spirit, pay attention to how things are laid out in the various areas and rooms of your home.

Start with the area in front of your house – before you even walk in the door. Make sure it’s clean, open and inviting. Then, if you have a porch, declutter and make sure it’s welcoming. This is the first thing visitors see, and needs to communicate receptivity.

When you come inside, see to it that the hallway is clear. The energy needs to be able to flow in and out of all areas with ease. Once this is done, organize the belongings you use often and have them at the ready. Place them where you’ll benefit the most.

If you don’t have a front hallway area – or if that isn’t quite the right place – be sure and dedicate somewhere for your:

1. Keys

It’s very important to have one place established for them somewhere in your home.

Recently I found a missing set of keys in a client’s fridge. This reminded me that once upon a time I knew someone who kept his keys in the fridge. He knew for sure he would find them there, because he often took food back and forth to work. It was a good idea and worked well for him.

This is probably not a good idea any longer as it can cause problems with the technology that is built into most car keys these days. The hallway area is a good option instead of the refrigerator.

More on the subject of Organizing the Entrance to Your Home next time. 

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