What to Love about the Planner Pad

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planner pad

 

Even in the digital electronic age we are in, there’s still a lot of love for a paper planner.  There’s especially a lot to love about the planner pad.  Here’s what’s most valuable about this paper planner.

 

Consolidate your list and your planner

It’s easy to scribble notes on random pieces of paper. The planner pad has a slot for this!  You create lists in categories at the top of the planner pad. These lists keep tasks, ideas, websites and even cat food purchases easy to find. Creating these lists makes it easier for you to write stuff down, do your work, and be productive.

Month and week at a glance features

It’s great to view both the month and week at a glance as you are recording dates.  Having these two perspectives helps you prioritize and keep accountable. Recording in both calendars insures your mindfulness of activities and actions.

Easy to carry

It’s easy to carry your phone and your planner pad. Since there are many different sizes and configurations, you can choose what works best for you.

 

Use it as a planning tool

I am a big fan of GTD and the weekly planning time.  The planner pad is perfect for this type of processing. The center section in the week at a glance section helps you consolidate your tasks, errands and projects by helping you commit to a time to do this work.

Available as an app

So you may be a digital person and love planner pad too! It’s now available as an app. I recommend using it on a tablet to view and add information easily.

 

 

Love your planner pad too? Share what you love here.

 

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4 Organizing Routines for Small Business Entrepreneurs

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smalll business routines

 

Being a small business owner typically means wearing many hats.  You are CEO, Marketing VP, Finance Director and worker!  It’s not surprising that organizing may be a lower priority, especially administrative tasks.  By having routines you are going to be more successful each day.  By creating organizing routines, your productivity and organizing will soar.  Here’s how small business organizing routines an help small business entrepreneurs.

 

Start the day with a mindful practice

If we start the day with a routine, we are going to get on track easier. It might be your morning spiritual moment, exercise, or eating protein,  a great morning routine makes you be on time for work, be your best when you arrive at work, be focused and put a positive spin on the day.

 

Assign a day for certain types of work

When you have a specific day of the week with a specific focus, you can get more done. Focus on your plan on the way you work best. It might be Financial Friday where you enter or download your Quickbooks.

 

Early to Work or Stay Late

Getting to work early or staying late often means uninterrupted work time.  By assigning a certain day of the week that you go in early or stay late,  you can make plans and be more productive. It may be the time you do your best thinking this way.

Closing ceremony

The end of your day sets the stage for tomorrow.  My colleague Janice Simon calls it the “closing ceremonies.”  Wrap up your day with notes to yourself for where you are leaving off or a reminder for tomorrow’s most important tasks.  Finish up with a zen like desk clearing and leave nothing on your desk. When you return, you will find clarity and motivation as you welcome the opportunity of a fresh start.

 

Your small business will thrive as you incorporate these routines.  Check out more tech tools and other here.

 

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4 Easy Ways to Organize Your ADHD Child’s Room

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organize your adhd child

 

Summer is a great time for you and your child to work on an organizing project.  It’s when you have more time together, so together you can tackle their bedroom. It’s a project that can last beyond one day or a weekend to complete. There’s time for mixing in music and fun while you work.  It’s a partnership you and your child can work together on, collaborate and end with an organized room.  Together you can organize your adhd child’s room.

 

Big trash can

Start simple.  It’s typical that you can’t see the floor.  There’s more trash in our kids rooms than ever. An ample trash can helps get this contained.  Give your kids an open trash can that’s well placed for use.  When you cull out the trash, you have  a great small start to organizing.  Keeping the floor clear as a routine helps keep the room more organized in general.

 

Big categories

Often we over complicate and over think the organizing in our kids rooms.  Think of big categories for ADHD kids.  Resist the urge to have small bins sorted super specifically.   The common categories are media, toys and clothes. Media can be stored in a bin by game system and a notebook for each cd.  Clothes can all be hung and there can be a bin for pajamas and underwear.  Stuffed animals are easy to store in a large basket or toy box.  Keep the organization simple and labelled for you and your child to maintain order too.

 

Let go of lots of toys

Our kids have lots of toys in their spaces. It’s overwhelming and too much to organize or play with.  Your child may feel every toy is special.  It can be hard to decide what to let go of, but here are some steps you can work on together.   Start letting go of toys that are for younger kids. The most important of these keepsake toys can be stored in a bin.  Decide where you will store toys and use this as a limit for toys in your home.  Your child can choose 3 toys to let go of and share with others.  Let go of 1 stuffed animal a week and have a moratorium on purchasing new stuffies.  Any way you decide, it’s a good time to release some toys.  Overall, a less cluttered environment is a positive environment.

 

Daily Dash time

The most organized space needs a daily pick up time. The Daily Dash gives your children time to get items back to where they go.  Talk through the day with your child and see what is the most advantageous time to pick up.  Set an alarm on their phone, write a reminder on several post it notes, schedule a family daily dash time or write out a chart of responsibilities including daily dash time. When everyone picks up, it’s a noticeable difference in your home.

 

This summer, one of your goals may be to be more organized. It’s important to walk through organizing and partner with your kids.  For the not naturally organized, this will take reinforcement.  Be patient and kind as you work alongside your child to help them be more organized.

 

More ideas here  on my Pinterest Board ADHD

 

Easy, Organized Summer Travel

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easy organized summer travel

 

It’s travel season! It starts right after the end of school and trickles down in mid-August.  There’s a lot to prepare.   If you are like most families, nothing slows down before or after your trip.  So how to get ready at a moment’s notice?  Here are 3 tips for getting organized for summer travel super easy!

Travel choices

The way people travel has shifted to include Airbnb, VRBO, and local vacation rentals. With some research, you can choose a home to stay in rather than a  hotel. Start early because availability will be important if you have limited travel dates.

 

Travel checklists

No reason to reinvent the wheel!  Keep a travel checklist for you and your family.  It’s the best secret to ensure that all that you need it with you.  A list makes sure you include everything you want for your trip without having to remember it all.  Here are some of my favorite

 

Travel apps

Most destinations have their own apps now too!  It’s easy to log on and learn what’s offered at that location.  There are offer schedules, coupons, maps, and other information too. It’s like an insider’s guide to your destination.  It’s best to log on to the specific location you are headed to but there are general ones as well that make it easy to make the most of your time away.

 

When You  Return

It’s hard after a vacation to get back into the groove. There are lots of priorities competing for your time and energy. Plus you are travel weary.

  • Start with clothes. Grab all laundry and get a load started.
  • Pile up all the papers and go through them ruthlessly keeping just bills and most important papers.
  • Try to bring home a few extra papers or odds and ends from your trip as possible.  For articles you pulled during your trip or paper keepsakes,  take a picture with your smartphone or save the article to Evernote.   Leave the free stuff like toiletries, extra sundries, or other goodies for another traveler to enjoy.
  • For email do a quick triage and delete as much as you can.  Categorize what remains by the date or day of the week you can work on it.

 

Decluttering After Life Transitions

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decluttering

 

Clutter can overtake us quickly. We are busy living life, attending to our family and doing what we do.  We grieve a loss.  We transition into the next phase of life.  All of a sudden we look around and there is clutter in our home, office, and head.  It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and helpless.  There’s a plan to put into place to help you declutter and get back your life.  Decluttering after life transitions helps you move forward.

Making the plan

That saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” applies to decluttering too.  It may have been 6 months or 6 years that clutter has been accumulating. It may be more than one transition that has occurred, such as a loss of a family member, a new job and an empty next.  Start by acknowledging that  your life has been focused on priorities.  Then step back and start making a plan.

Here’s some questions to ask yourself:

~ Who should make the decisions about the clutter?

~ Do I have a time line to get started and get finished?

~ How do I keep what’s most important but let go of what is not?

~ Am I ready to get started?

Once you answer these questions you can proceed

 

Taking steps forward

Start by making your work manageable. What makes it manageable can be creating your team, creating chunks of work or finding a new perspective. Creating a team can include your family or professionals. Leverage your team by knowing what do you want to accomplish and who has the best skill set to get this done.  Create chunks of work by breaking the work into units of space, such as room by room, or time increments.  Finding a new perspective can include looking for a treasure you have lost, finding money in your clutter, or taking a positive approach in that you make people your priority at the time your clutter accumulated.

 

Letting go

Your transition may include feeling of grief, shame or remorse.  Let go of “how did I let this happen” and embrace “I am creating a new life.”  As you work toward organization, embrace your new feelings of empowerment. Life transitions can open new doors for you and new options you have not thought of before.  Letting go of stuff can help you let go of emotional blocks too. Life transitions require support. Support can include a professional organizer, coach or therapist.  Decluttering after life transitions supports your new vision.

 

More decluttering strategies here.