You may ask, "What's the best way to get organized? How do I create the best system for myself? How do I know what to do with all this stuff?" Getting organized often loses steam at the first step. Instead, take a deep breath, match your rhythm to meet the challenge, put on some good music, and de-clutter your space. Does the thought of getting organized sap your energy? It doesn't have to. Here are 5 energizing ideas.
1. DECIDE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. What feels most comfortable? Working small projects in small amounts of time? Or are you a get’r done kind of person that wants to get it over with on large projects?
2. TAKE A DEEP BREATH. Getting overwhelmed just looking at the clutter is one of the greatest excuses not to start. Take a deep breath and focus on one small area. Once that area is done, there will be plenty of time for the rest.
3. EARLY BIRD OR NIGHT OWL. There's no doubt about it. Organizing your home or office does take some energy. That's why knowing your peak energy level is so important. If you're an early bird and your energy level is very high in the morning, that's the best time for you to de-clutter. If you have more energy at night, organize during that time instead.
4. KNOW YOUR LIMITS. Some people are at their best when they work in long, marathon sessions. Others can only work for 15 minutes at a time. Determine your limits and set your organizing schedule within that timeframe.
5. EAT HEALTHY, GET ENOUGH REST. Not eating nutritious meals regularly, and/or not sleeping enough, both highly contribute to feeling sluggish and disoriented. Eat nutritious meals, and get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. You may be amazed at how much more you can get done if you adjust these two areas.
6. MEGA MUSIC. Listening to cheery, upbeat music when you're organizing can really get you moving, and keep you alert. Don't play it so loud so that it's a distraction. Keep it at an enjoyable, background level.
Living with Hope and finding purpose through life circumstances.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
What is Organization?
For most of us it would feel absolutely wonderful to always be completely on top of things and always know exactly where everything is; but the thought of wading through the “stuff” in our life to get to the point of organization can be very intimidating, and overwhelming. Rest your weary mind - the time has come to reveal the answer to the meaning of (organized) life. Ready? Here it is: Things need to go where they need to go.
When something is "organized" it means simply that it's where it needs to be. Where is that? In a place that reflects what the thing specifically means to you. You are disorganized if you need something somewhere that you don't have it or have something somewhere that you don't need it.
Try this. Reach into your purses or wallet and see if there's something that doesn't belong there permanently and which has been there longer than a few hours (besides money). Almost everyone has at least one thing in that category - a receipt, a business card, a scrap of paper with scribbled notes, an old shopping list, or piece of mail. These are things whose location does not map to their meaning for you. If the item has no further usefulness, it is trash, but it's not in the trash. If it's something you need to do something about, it's not in a place to remind you to do it. There is a mismatch between what the thing is and where it is.
Lots of folks will say that their "stacks" are what they want and that's the best way to be organized. But most piles that people have around them have a blended mixture of stuff to read (actions when they have time to read), stuff to store away that they want access to (reference), stuff to throw away (trash), and stuff they still need to decide what they are going to do about. The background stress from those constipated stacks generates a mental callous - we stop noticing the piles, at least enough to really do something about them.
So why do so many people feel like they need to be more organized? Because most avoid deciding what so many things actually mean to them, which makes it impossible to know what to do with them. And what's even tougher is that even if they "get organized" according to this simple criteria, it is highly likely that they can become disorganized rapidly. Over time (and often not that much time) things change in meaning. The magazine is no longer the current issue, the project is no longer something we're committing to action, and the good idea isn't so good any more. So even if we get our ducks in a row, they wander of their own accord.
Being organized is a dynamic process, demanding consistent reevaluation, rethinking, and renegotiating the relevance of things in our physical and psychological environment.
When something is "organized" it means simply that it's where it needs to be. Where is that? In a place that reflects what the thing specifically means to you. You are disorganized if you need something somewhere that you don't have it or have something somewhere that you don't need it.
Try this. Reach into your purses or wallet and see if there's something that doesn't belong there permanently and which has been there longer than a few hours (besides money). Almost everyone has at least one thing in that category - a receipt, a business card, a scrap of paper with scribbled notes, an old shopping list, or piece of mail. These are things whose location does not map to their meaning for you. If the item has no further usefulness, it is trash, but it's not in the trash. If it's something you need to do something about, it's not in a place to remind you to do it. There is a mismatch between what the thing is and where it is.
Lots of folks will say that their "stacks" are what they want and that's the best way to be organized. But most piles that people have around them have a blended mixture of stuff to read (actions when they have time to read), stuff to store away that they want access to (reference), stuff to throw away (trash), and stuff they still need to decide what they are going to do about. The background stress from those constipated stacks generates a mental callous - we stop noticing the piles, at least enough to really do something about them.
So why do so many people feel like they need to be more organized? Because most avoid deciding what so many things actually mean to them, which makes it impossible to know what to do with them. And what's even tougher is that even if they "get organized" according to this simple criteria, it is highly likely that they can become disorganized rapidly. Over time (and often not that much time) things change in meaning. The magazine is no longer the current issue, the project is no longer something we're committing to action, and the good idea isn't so good any more. So even if we get our ducks in a row, they wander of their own accord.
Being organized is a dynamic process, demanding consistent reevaluation, rethinking, and renegotiating the relevance of things in our physical and psychological environment.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Who I am
You could say that today is somewhat of a big day for me. It’s my birthday…..my 30th birthday. So 30 is not that big of a deal right? Well I am not having a mid-life crisis over it or anything…LOL. Though I can’t help but reflect on the last couple of decades of my life, and think of all of the memories. Do you ever look back on your life and think to yourself “Wow, this is not where I thought I would be at this point in my life”? That could be a not so good thing, or it can be a GREAT thing. The point is that life is un-scripted. We may begin a journey expecting for it to take us in one direction, and it takes us to a totally different place, on a totally different journey, sometimes leaving us wondering where to go next.
As I am sure many kids do, each time I reached a new point in my life I was excited for what was ahead: Junior High, High School, College years, and the journey into “adulthood”. Through these different seasons of my life I have had my fair share of triumphs and heartache. My twenties was that time when I expected life to be grand and to live on top of the world. I had that type of amazing ambition that nothing can stop me from being who I want to be, and achieving what was in my heart. Little did I know that God was just about to send me on the endless journey of finding who I truly was… in Him.
It is so easy to go through life and base who you are or your self-worth on your experiences. Coming from a family of 8 girls (yes I said 8 girls!) and me being the youngest - my whole life I have been known by all of these sisters as their “baby sister” or the “little sister”. No matter if I was 12, or 18 or…..29 and getting ready to have my second child. I was their “baby” sister. It was who I was in the family, my identity.
You see, with my oldest sister being 16 years older than me, and having 6 more sisters in between us, I always had someone to look to. I always had someone to watch their milestones in their life, and think wow…I can’t wait to be that age and be at that point in my life. It is easy to see others and look to how wonderful their life seems to be and think you want that.
Then you have different times in your life where you are just trying to find “who” you are. Typically people associate this with what they do, their “career”. Myself, (because of my health issues as a child) I thought I was going to be a nurse from the time I was about 10 years old. In high school I was even accepted into a magnet program that was basically a head start at a health career. I spent my junior and senior year starting school an hour before all of the other kids for lecture in my health classes, as well as doing several rotations at hospitals, nursing homes, etc. I even volunteered for several years at an extended care facility, and graduated from high school already having my CNA license (Certified Nursing Assistant). Life took a turn and God lead me away from my nursing ambition. I know why He lead me away, but sometimes I still even wonder what He is leading me to…
What I do know and that God has taught me even recently is that we cannot identify ourselves by what we do, what we have, or even what people say about us. I was the baby in my family, I was going to be a nurse, I “wanted” things others had. But NONE of that would have made/makes me who I am. God has created in us a heart that only His love can satisfy. Above all, who I am is a beloved daughter of Christ. We are seen as precious in His eyes and unique, there is no other like you. We all have a unique role to play in God’s story.
Dear Lord, I have learned enough to know now that I cannot expect any certain thing to happen in my life in this next decade and beyond. What I do know is that you are an awesome and amazing God that loves me so much that you have the hairs on my head numbered. Though this journey I am on is not painless, I know that you are right there leading and guiding me, because I am your precious child. Wherever you take me Lord, I will praise you, and I will seek to glorify you in all of my experiences!
As I am sure many kids do, each time I reached a new point in my life I was excited for what was ahead: Junior High, High School, College years, and the journey into “adulthood”. Through these different seasons of my life I have had my fair share of triumphs and heartache. My twenties was that time when I expected life to be grand and to live on top of the world. I had that type of amazing ambition that nothing can stop me from being who I want to be, and achieving what was in my heart. Little did I know that God was just about to send me on the endless journey of finding who I truly was… in Him.
It is so easy to go through life and base who you are or your self-worth on your experiences. Coming from a family of 8 girls (yes I said 8 girls!) and me being the youngest - my whole life I have been known by all of these sisters as their “baby sister” or the “little sister”. No matter if I was 12, or 18 or…..29 and getting ready to have my second child. I was their “baby” sister. It was who I was in the family, my identity.
You see, with my oldest sister being 16 years older than me, and having 6 more sisters in between us, I always had someone to look to. I always had someone to watch their milestones in their life, and think wow…I can’t wait to be that age and be at that point in my life. It is easy to see others and look to how wonderful their life seems to be and think you want that.
Then you have different times in your life where you are just trying to find “who” you are. Typically people associate this with what they do, their “career”. Myself, (because of my health issues as a child) I thought I was going to be a nurse from the time I was about 10 years old. In high school I was even accepted into a magnet program that was basically a head start at a health career. I spent my junior and senior year starting school an hour before all of the other kids for lecture in my health classes, as well as doing several rotations at hospitals, nursing homes, etc. I even volunteered for several years at an extended care facility, and graduated from high school already having my CNA license (Certified Nursing Assistant). Life took a turn and God lead me away from my nursing ambition. I know why He lead me away, but sometimes I still even wonder what He is leading me to…
What I do know and that God has taught me even recently is that we cannot identify ourselves by what we do, what we have, or even what people say about us. I was the baby in my family, I was going to be a nurse, I “wanted” things others had. But NONE of that would have made/makes me who I am. God has created in us a heart that only His love can satisfy. Above all, who I am is a beloved daughter of Christ. We are seen as precious in His eyes and unique, there is no other like you. We all have a unique role to play in God’s story.
Dear Lord, I have learned enough to know now that I cannot expect any certain thing to happen in my life in this next decade and beyond. What I do know is that you are an awesome and amazing God that loves me so much that you have the hairs on my head numbered. Though this journey I am on is not painless, I know that you are right there leading and guiding me, because I am your precious child. Wherever you take me Lord, I will praise you, and I will seek to glorify you in all of my experiences!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Let's Get Started!
Work, kids, school, errands, shopping…let’s face it, life can be hectic. Many of us are all too familiar with the overwhelming feeling that comes with filling so many different roles in life. With all of the items on your to do list how is there ever time to be pro-active and organized? The question should be how can you afford not to?
Did you know?.....
• The average person spends less than 2 minutes per day in meaningful communication with their spouse or “significant other”.
• The average working person spends less than 30 seconds a day in meaningful communication with their children.
• In the last 20 years, working time has increased by 15% and leisure time has decreased by 33%.
• A person who works with a “messy” or cluttered desk spends, on average, 1-1/2 hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things or approximately 7-1/2 per workweek. “Out of sight; out of mind.” When it’s in sight, it’s in mind.
• 40% of working people skip breakfast. 39% skip lunch. Of those who take a lunch break, 50% allow only 15 minutes or less.
• 1 hour of planning can save 10 hours of doing.
Some of these facts can be quite sobering. Many of us are so busy getting life done, we are not living life. Who wouldn’t want the time, energy, and motivation to do more of the things we love. Spend time with family, start that garden, relax with a good book, or perhaps…begin pursuing that dream we placed on the back burner so long ago. Getting yourself organized can take just a few minutes a day. Before you know it you will be slipping into a new routine that will give you less stress, and more time in your day.
Out of necessity I have found, and developed many ways to organize, and simplify both my personal and professional life. It has somewhat become an unusual passion that I have. Over the years in both my personal and professional life I have been told by friends, managers, and clients that I have a “talent” for organization. The one thing that I find is one of the biggest challenges with organization is people get overwhelmed and they don’t know where to begin. So here I am ready to share with you many of the things that I have learned, and some strategies which I have developed myself that can make life a little easier. SIMPLY ORGANIZED is about helping you organize your life concerning family, work, and home so that you can get back to what really matters in your life.
Did you know?.....
• The average person spends less than 2 minutes per day in meaningful communication with their spouse or “significant other”.
• The average working person spends less than 30 seconds a day in meaningful communication with their children.
• In the last 20 years, working time has increased by 15% and leisure time has decreased by 33%.
• A person who works with a “messy” or cluttered desk spends, on average, 1-1/2 hours per day looking for things or being distracted by things or approximately 7-1/2 per workweek. “Out of sight; out of mind.” When it’s in sight, it’s in mind.
• 40% of working people skip breakfast. 39% skip lunch. Of those who take a lunch break, 50% allow only 15 minutes or less.
• 1 hour of planning can save 10 hours of doing.
Some of these facts can be quite sobering. Many of us are so busy getting life done, we are not living life. Who wouldn’t want the time, energy, and motivation to do more of the things we love. Spend time with family, start that garden, relax with a good book, or perhaps…begin pursuing that dream we placed on the back burner so long ago. Getting yourself organized can take just a few minutes a day. Before you know it you will be slipping into a new routine that will give you less stress, and more time in your day.
Out of necessity I have found, and developed many ways to organize, and simplify both my personal and professional life. It has somewhat become an unusual passion that I have. Over the years in both my personal and professional life I have been told by friends, managers, and clients that I have a “talent” for organization. The one thing that I find is one of the biggest challenges with organization is people get overwhelmed and they don’t know where to begin. So here I am ready to share with you many of the things that I have learned, and some strategies which I have developed myself that can make life a little easier. SIMPLY ORGANIZED is about helping you organize your life concerning family, work, and home so that you can get back to what really matters in your life.
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