Organizing Your Important Papers – Part 1

Posted on 03/29/2013 by Joyce
Have you gotten your important papers organized? Do you have them stored in a fireproof, flood proof safe? I recommend this.
 
Recently I was helping a couple organize their important papers and thought it was a good topic to blog about. 
 
I suggest you find a good lawyer and get these papers up to date:
A. Durable General Power of Attorney (AKA Financial Power of Attorney)
B.  Last Will and Testament
C.  Advanced Health Care Directive (AKA Living Will)
 
Think of it this way, these papers will speak for you when you are no longer able to speak for yourself. Getting up to
date on these documents will require some thought as to whom you want to act and speak on your behalf. And it will require you to decide whom you wish to have as your beneficiaries. This is also a good time to review how things are titled. In the grand scheme of things it’s not that expensive to see a lawyer and update everything and it will give you peace of mind.
 
When you return from the lawyer, collect these documents and items (this is not a comprehensive list, just a good starting point):
 
1.       Birth Certificates
2.       Religious papers
3.       Passports
4.       Voter registration information
5.       Certificates of title for cars
6.       School – degrees/certificates
7.       Awards information
8.       Military information
9.       Benefits information
10.     Financial information
11.     Jewelry appraisals
12.     Jewelry that isn’t worn (or isn’t worn often) and you want to keep safe.
13.   Jewelry or heirlooms that are from ancestors and are to be passed down – with information on who is to inherit what.
14.    Anything you would feel really terrible about if it was lost in a fire – like old letters, photos or mementos, for example.
 
Put these items in your safe.
 
Also, create and put in the safe a one-page overall summary of your current information. Date it. List where everything is kept, including bank accounts (hard copy information and websites), safe deposit boxes, retirement accounts, rental/property information, etc.
 
Place other items in your archives (letters, photos, or mementos) that you want to keep – but aren’t important from a legal point of view.
 
See you next week with a continuation of Organizing Your Important Papers.
 
Posted in Empower, Organizing, Organizing Guidelines, Psychology of Organizing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Organizing Your Life – Part 4

Posted on 03/22/2013 by Joyce

Continuing from last week’s post  …

Identifying the “big rocks” (important activities) in life is an especially beneficial activity if things have recently changed for you. Transition can be challenging and disorienting, it’s also a great opportunity to reassess your big rocks – and to look closely at your “small rocks, sand, and water” (other activities). Transition is a time you can usually make new and significant choices about what’s really important at this time in your life.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.”? Are you satisfied with what you’re doing and what you’re getting?

In this day’s world it’s easy to spend a lot of time on activities such as Facebook, surfing the Internet, and watching TV. These may be good choices for you, depending on your lifestyle, values and needs. However, if these activities are not bringing you what you want in your life, make new choices with organizing your time. I encourage developing awareness around where your time goes – especially if you are transitioning – as this is a great time to develop new good habits.

Managing email is an activity that is a “big rock” in many of our lives. In fact, it can turn into the “sand and water” too – if you’re not careful. Checking, reading, pondering, and responding to email all take time and energy. For tips on handing email see: Effective Email Organizing Strategies Part 1 and Part 2. 

In addition to identifying your big rocks and organizing your time around them – especially while in transition – I encourage you to notice where your attention goes and what your intention is. It’s not necessarily what you do, it’s how you do it, how much you do it – and your attitude that makes a difference. 

Why not take time in transition to identify your big rocks and organize your life in positive ways?

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

Organizing Your Life – Part 3

Posted on 03/15/2013 by Joyce

Continuing from last week’s post…

Do you remember the Harry Chapin song “Cat’s in the Cradle” from the 1970’s? It was about a man who was always busy working and never had time for his son. The son watched and admired the father and then created the same lifestyle – he never had time for his son.

I mention this song because for most of us,
work is the biggest “rock” (important activity) in our lives. Work can be all consuming. We may be tethered 24/7 to our electronic devices and work while on vacation. It’s important that we think about what constitutes the other big rocks in our lives – and do some organizing to put them in our schedules so that work doesn’t overshadow everything and cause life to tip out of balance.

I am especially aware of this dynamic because as a small business owner and writer, there is always work to do. And in my former life, I was a Type A workaholic. I worked long hours at my job and volunteer efforts and put those activities before my health and wellbeing. I look around me and see many other folks do the same thing.

In recent years I’ve been making an effort with organizing around creating a more deliberate work/play balance. Though I still love working, I’m learning to mix it with taking time to care for my health, develop new skills I enjoy, and also be available to assist family and friends.

Here are a couple items to consider putting – or putting back – in your life:

–  Reading – for learning and leisure.

–  Deliberately enjoying the moment – taking time to marvel at the beauty and wonder of the world… whether this world is in you (meditation is great for that), or around you (children and pets are especially helpful for this one).

See you next week with the conclusion of Organizing A Life.

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

Organizing Your Life – Part 2

Posted on 03/08/2013 by Joyce

Continuing from last week’s post…

After the instructor told the students to put the various sizes stones, sand, and water into the mason jars and they set about the task. In not much time at all, there was a lot of noise and laughter as they worked on the organizing assignment. Some of them got a lot of the rocks in their containers, while others ended up with less rocks and more of a mess than anything else.

Finally the teacher stopped them. He walked around the room and looked at the students’ projects. Then he gathered them ’round and showed them the most effective way to get the materials in.

He took one of the big empty mason jars and filled it with the largest rocks first. Then he put the smaller rocks in. Next he poured in some sand. Then he added water. Now the jar was completely full.

The moral of the story: Organizing time by putting the most important tasks first is the the key. To be the most effective in organizing our lives, we first need to identify our big rocks. Do you have a clear understanding of the “big rocks” in your life? Make a list and include the following: work, school, activities, health, etc. 

Then schedule these various items. For example, if caring for your physical health is important, make sure you put aside time for it. If having home cooked meals is important, make sure you’ve created space in your life to carry out those activities.  

What are other things you used to do that are important to you and have gone by the wayside? Painting? Making crafts? Jewelry making? 

Organizing your schedule to include caring for your health, having fun and doing leisure activities is important – or just begin to become more aware of those activities that bring you balance.

See you next week with more on this topic.

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

Organizing Your Life – Part 1

Posted on 03/01/2013 by Joyce

Most of us are very busy. There are a lot of pressures around juggling work, school, managing projects, attending events, and assisting family members and friends. We care for our health, our community, and our world.

Some folks are not as busy. Retired and facing the opposite scenario – there is time to fill. One way or another, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, time is consumed with various activities.

Recently I was sharing the following story with one of my clients and thinking about the value of story telling. Somewhere in my travels I learned that listening to stories can boost the immune system. And reading stories makes us feel good, too. Also, stories can help us understand life. In gaining a greater understanding, we can be more effective in organizing the time and tasks in our lives in more meaningful ways.

So here’s the story: Once upon a time, there was a high school philosophy teacher who taught a valuable life lesson about time and tasks using various sized rocks. He had his 30 students participate in an unusual activity. Instead of sitting at their desks while he lectured to them, he invited them to come into a lab.

There the students found the teacher had laid out various materials for them to use to carry out a project. There were 30 sets of rocks of various sizes sitting on big cookie sheets. Next to them were 30 big glass mason jars. In various locations around the room there were buckets of sand and water.

Mystified, the students looked at the various materials, then to the teacher, wondering what he was up to. The teacher told his students the project was a simple one: put as many of the rocks into the jars as possible. He told them to have fun and experiment.

To be continued next week.    🙂

Posted in Being Positive, Change, Create/Co-create, Empower, Habit Change, Organizing, Personal Growth, Psychology, Psychology of Organizing, Transition Coaching | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Organizing: More About Letting Go

Posted on 02/22/2013 by Joyce

There are lots of reasons folks hang onto “stuff.” Last week I wrote some reasons, here are more:

You’re afraid you’ll need it someday.

Sometimes you don’t want to let go of items because you think you will need them someday. The problem is there’s so much stuff you can’t find what you need when you need it! – So you end up having to buy items you already own, which defeats the purpose of keeping them.

The solution is to declutter: let go of what you don’t need. Trust your intuition and accept that sometimes – as my mother taught me, years ago: “You’ll get rid of things and wish you hadn’t, and keep things and wonder why.” (Rarely.)

You don’t want to face the decision.

Krishna Pendyala wrote an interesting book a couple years ago: Beyond the PIG and the APE. In it he aptly describes how people “pursue instant gratification” (PIG) – which helps explain how folks sometimes end up with so much stuff. And he says people attempt to “avoid painful experiences” (APE), like decluttering and organizing. If these concepts resonate with you, Krishna’s book – published in 2011 and available on Amazon.com – may be a worthwhile read.

You feel guilt, grief, shame.

Dealing with your emotions is part of processing, decluttering and organizing. No question about it. Sometimes you feel guilty because someone gave you something and you have an “allegiance” to them – or don’t want to hurt their feelings – even though they may never know, because, for instance, they have already passed away. Emotions are not always rational.

Your “stuff” comes in various forms – it’s emotional, mental and physical. A lot of times your physical stuff, your clutter, is representative of the emotional/mental aspects of your life.

You feel that, “No one will love it as much as me.”

It can be very challenging to let go of items when you feel this way.

It sometimes helps to work with a non-judgmental friend, family member or professional organizer.

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