Where do I start? My life is so disorganized!" Start with just five minutes a day. "But I can't accomplish anything in just five minutes!" Five minutes a day is more than nothing, it's a containable time period, and by the end of one week - you'll have dedicated more than 35 minutes to your de-cluttering goal. Here are some road rules to follow, five minutes at a time. Today's 5 Minute Fix: … [Read more...]
5 Minute De-cluttering Tip #1
"Where do I start? My life is so disorganized!" Start with just five minutes a day. "But I can't accomplish anything in just five minutes!" Five minutes a day is more than nothing, it's a containable time period, and by the end of one week - you'll have dedicated more than 35 minutes to your de-cluttering goal. Here are some road rules to follow, five minutes at a time. Today's 5 Minute … [Read more...]
Assertiveness Without Alienation
Last week I had the pleasure of facilitating a presentation on Effective Communication via Social Styles. The group of 250 was amazed at the similarities and behaviors between people with different social styles. The topic introduces people to the concept of the four primary social styles of: Drivers, Analyticals, Amiables and Expressives. Each style has very strong tendencies and some areas that … [Read more...]
A Stitch In Time Saves 99!
Throughout my career, I have done a LOT of training! I worked with managers, supervisors, employees and leaders across organizations and delivered all kinds of really interesting classes and content. During one of my assignments, I was responsible for customizing our "Quality Training" across the organization, in which each employee was asked to identify their work as singularly important to … [Read more...]
“One of these things is not like the other”
Discovering Like With Like Pattern Recognition is the one differentiating skill set that organized people have - we see and recognize patterns where there aren't any! It's why an organizer can walk into a chaotic situation and be successful - we immediately see "like with like" and patterns that work! What I've found with clients in their homes and offices is that for you to be successful, … [Read more...]
Top 10: Ways to Lead by Example
I was recently nominated as President of the NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) Northern New Jersey Chapter! This chapter is filled with professional organizers and other organizing-related professionals devoted to making people's lives easier, more productive and more fulfilling. The membership is a local group of nearly 75 people, but we belong to a larger international … [Read more...]
4 Sanity Dimensions – Where Do You Fail?
One of the beauties of having teen boys is the fact that they LOVE to expose me to funny, absurd and teenager-ish stuff... The most prevalent pasttime most recently is their addiction to FAIL Blogs. Being the savvy mom that I am, of course, I was unaware of what a Fail Blog was. So my sage and wise sons sat me in front of their computer for an hour clicking through endless tragically funny … [Read more...]
Conflict and Clutter
If you are human, conflict is inevitable. When I work with couples, often - conflict is a part of their dynamic. Where conflict exists, clutter, indecision and inaction may often show up as signs. There are many ways to deal with conflict, and each person has preferences depending on a variety of factors: personality type, communication styles and skills, family of origin behaviors and … [Read more...]
Re-entry: Avoiding the Burn
I just came back from my national conference for organizers... and despite my best efforts to stay connected, organized and somewhat productive while away, there was still that darn sense of re-entry... that feeling of plummeting out of control with heat shields blazing on fire that happens to spacecraft when they re-enter the atmosphere. Why do I feel so unproductive after being away? WHY … [Read more...]
The Cost of Buying on Sale
I'm a sales shopper! I've gone by the handle: "Clearance Girl" for some time now. I have a whole back-up food area in my garage where I keep items that we use often. Some of my closest friends have come over to help themselves to supplies they've needed when they've run short. My friends have affectionately groveled over some of my great bonus buys and the deals I've gotten over time... … [Read more...]