Productivity Archives - Page 12 of 19 - Ellen's Blog, Professional Organizing for Kingwood & Houston

Find great ideas on Houzz.com

January 21, 2013/0 Comments/in Organizing Skills, Productivity/by Ellen

It is always important to have a vision when you are organizing. It might be you are looking for a space that is decluttered or a space that is brimming with organizing products. Take a look on Houzz.com and see what you find!

You can find my professional profile at http://www.houzz.com/pro/edelap.

Get Organizing Month IKEA Event on January 19

January 13, 2013/0 Comments/in Organizing Skills, Paper management, Productivity, Technology and Organizing/by Ellen

YOU ARE INVITED!

Free Workshops at IKEA Houston offer Organization Tips for New Year

Reduce clutter with the help of National Association of Professional Organizers

January is officially “Get Organized Month!” To celebrate, IKEA Houston is partnering with National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) and Houston-area vendors to host free organization workshops and offer donation drop-off locations to help you clear the clutter.

WHEN: Saturday, January 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE: IKEA Houston (I-10 and Antoine)

WHAT: Enjoy complimentary one-hour workshops offering post-holiday organizing tips and win fun prizes while you watch! NAPO’s professional organizers and an IKEA Houston visual merchandiser and blogger will lead interactive demonstrations about creatively reducing clutter and utilizing storage spaces to the fullest.

Workshop Schedule:

• 11:30 a.m.: “Junk Drawer Diaries” with Neitra Blair

• 12:30 p.m.: “The 5 S’s and You—Streamlining Your Space (and Life)” with Alynn Blakemore

• 1:30 p.m.: “From Piles to Smiles: Making Paper Disappear!” with Certified Professional Organizer and Family Manager Coach Ellen Delap

• 2:30 p.m.: “Getting Organized with Technology” with Janice Simon

• 3:30 p.m.: Meet the Blogger; DIY workshop with Ashley Rose of SugarandCloth.com

• 4:30 p.m.: DIY Workshop with Genna Riggins, IKEA Visual Merchandiser

RSVP: Workshops are free, so sign up for as many as you’d like! To RSVP and learn more, visit www.inspiringlifeathome.com/getorganized. Please RSVP and use my name! I love that IKEA will know who is sending attendees their way!

Recycle, Shred and Donate:

Donate and recycle books, old furniture, computers and clothes and bring documents for FREE shredding! Friends of the Houston Public Library, Houston Computer Recycling, Houston Furniture Bank and Salvation Army will be onsite to available to collect books, computers, furniture and clothes, and Southern Shred will be on site to shred your personal documents.

Hope to see you there!

– IKEA + NAPO

NAPO Get Organized Month: Have your scheduled your Power Period today?

January 10, 2013/0 Comments/in Office Organizing, Organizing Skills, Productivity/by Ellen

Have you scheduled your Power Period today?

Check out my blog post for the National Association of Professional Organizers Get Organized Month!

www.napo.net

http://napogetorganized.com/2013/01/04/have-you-scheduled-your-power-period-today/

Organizing Tools: Your Calendar/Planner

December 30, 2012/7 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Family Organizing, Organizing Skills, Productivity, Time management/by Ellen

There is nothing more important for organizing our time than a great calendar/planner. You can use this tool to incorporate planning as well. The strategy of not only recording dates can be the key to making your life more organized and less stressful.

Choose a calendar/planner that works for you. It’s a calendar/planner that makes it easy to record dates at any time. It also helps you view time the way you think about time, at a month at a time, throughout a week, or just in a long string. Your calendar can be as simple as a yellow pad, very exact like Franklin Covey planners, or with technology on your smart phone.
Create a habit of recording dates as soon as possible. There are always lots of dates swirling n your head for you and your family. By entering these on your calendar/planner asap, you won’t have to remember them, there will be fewer conflicts of dates and activities, and you will start to grasp a greater sense of due dates and upcoming events.
Refer to your calendar/planner diligently. How often? At least in the morning and evening, but also throughout the day to keep you on track with appointments and projects.
Use your calendar as planner for big and little tasks. Breaking down big projects with your own time line, creating accountability dates to complete a project, and adding in baby steps makes your planner a strategy to get things done.
Post a family calendar for your kids and partner to add dates. Keeping everyone in the loop and keeping everyone communicating keeps your family organized.
Have a weekly review to get ahead of the game. Once a week, make a date with your calendar to look ahead, see what is coming, prioritize and get in gear.

Using a calendar/planner eliminates the mental clutter of remembering dates and times and helps you focus on completion of a project. The more you use your calendar/planner, the more indispensible it will be!

Image courtesy of The Container Store www.containerstore.com

Your word for 2013

December 29, 2012/0 Comments/in Organizing Skills, Productivity/by Ellen

Each year I ask my clients to think about the one word that is the word for the year. It is the word that defines the year for them. It is a word to use when times are tough and things are rough. It is the word to celebrate their goals for the new year.

In the last 2 years I have initiated this, I have had different words. In 2011 it was blessings. In 2012 it was thrive. For 2013 is FABULOUS!

This year I am looking forward to all the fabulous connections, blessings and more that life will bring. What is fabulous? Over the top, amazing and magical. I am looking forward to this word driving what I do with my business and my life.

What is your one for the year? The word that will describe your goals and more for 2013?

Setting Your Goals One Step at a Time

December 20, 2012/3 Comments/in Family Organizing, Organizing Skills, Productivity, Time management/by Ellen

Is making changes in your home or office are at the top of your list for the new year you are on target. Getting organized is one of the top three new year’s resolutions every year. Like any change, taking small steps get you to where you want to go.

Be sure to set positive, specific, measurable, date driven steps to accomplish your goals. Write it down, exactly how you will go about the change and the deadline you have. A measureable goal helps you see what you have accomplished and making yourself accountable to a date makes your success assured.

Here are some ideas to help your organizing and productivity this year.

If your goal is to declutter your home and get organized

I will declutter one junk drawer in the kitchen or other small space in my home in 2 weeks.
I will keep 10 pairs of pants and eliminate the rest by next Sunday.
I will spend 10 minutes every day going through my mail and eliminating paper.
My family will have a nightly 10 minute pick up time to get toys and clothes back to their homes.

If your goal is to work smarter and be more productive

I will add one hour first thing in the morning to work toward a project that is of primary importance.
I will add 10 contacts to my data base this week to grow my business.
I will have a 5 minute meeting daily with my assistant to set my plan in motion for the day.
I will spend 15 minutes at the end of the day writing my list for tomorrow, putting paper back into folders, and filing emails to get ready for the next day.

If your goal is to be more organized about money, save money and improve finances

I will save $10 a week by automatically withdrawing to a savings account.
I will write down every expense for one month by category to determine where I can spend less.
I schedule one hour every week for administrative time to pay bills and work with paper.

If your goal is to improve your health

I will walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
I will drink 2 glasses of water each morning before I leave the house and 1 glass with each meal during the day.
I will be in bed by 10:30 every other evening.

Whatever your goal, whatever your steps, remember to establish these firmly in a spot during the day. I like to do my baby steps first thing, early in the day, or otherwise the day gets away from me. If you miss a day, just get right back to it the next day. We can’t do every goal and be successful. Aim for one big area this year and see what you accomplish. Tackle your goals in small bites and see the difference for yourself!

Organize Your Life Webinar Series

November 25, 2012/0 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Family Organizing, Office Organizing, Organizing Skills, Paper management, Productivity, Student Organizing, Technology and Organizing, Time management/by Ellen

Save your sanity and get organized in 2013!

Is getting organized one of your New Year’s resolutions? Then Join me this January for 10 amazing webinars from a dream team of presenters for Get Organized month. These classes will help you focus, plan, and organize your time, space, and information.

http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/events/organize-your-life-webinar-series/ …. get a special facebook discount with code “fbdeal” for 10% off all classes.

Webinar classes include how to organize your time, your paper, your kids, your students, your technology, hoarding and more!

Classes offered share specific tools and techniques to impact your daily life.
Nationally known professional organizers and productivity coaches available to you in your home by webinar.
Affordable solutions to learn about organizing and take that next step in your home or office.

Classes begin January 3 and run all through Get Organized Month 2013. Take a step to make 2013 your most organized year yet!

10 Tips for Time Management at Work

October 25, 2012/0 Comments/in ADD and ADHD, Organizing Skills, Paper management, Productivity, Technology and Organizing, Time management/by Ellen

So much to do and so little time to do it all! It is no wonder we feel drained, unproductive and overwhelmed at work. Follow these 10 tips to make a difference in your efficiency and effectiveness at work.

Choose a planner that works for you. It can be as simple as a spiral notebook or a Google calendar. Having one place to consolidate dates makes it easy to keep up with activities, projects and tasks.
Use lists. Consolidate your list in one spot. Making the list is the first step, prioritizing your activities is the next step.
Set your day’s priorities the night before. When you come in to work and you know your focus, you get started right away.
Choose 3 Most Important Tasks and get these done early in the day. Every day is filled with distractions and interruptions. Getting the most important tasks done early helps you feel productive!
Establish times to work hard. Have a power period in the morning and the afternoon. These are times where you just work on one project. Turn off all distractions, including your cell phone, email, and post a note on the door for your colleagues, to keep this time sacred.
Keep your action items in a desktop sorter in files. Finding papers you need to work on saves time and energy.
Delegate lower level tasks to an assistant. Know what is worth your time and what is less important. Set up a process for your assistant to check back in with a time line and specific deliverables.
Take a break during the day to eat, walk a little and get refreshed. You will work better with brain food. You may think you have too much to do, but a break will help you be more efficient.
Set specific times for email. Do an email triage, with a quick scan and filing, and then consolidate projects and tasks on your list to work on during your power period.
Set a time to end your day. It’s important to get out of your office and connect with others too.

What are your tips for time management at work?

10 Tips for Student Time Management

October 13, 2012/1 Comment/in ADD and ADHD, Classroom organizing, Family Organizing, Organizing Skills, Productivity, Student Organizing, Technology and Organizing, Time management/by Ellen

Our students have a lot on their plates! There is homework, sports, homecoming, church and more! Time management is an important skill for them to develop early on to be sure they feel successful academically and personally. Follow these tips to help you do your best!

Write in your assignments in your planner in each class. Check your teachers’ websites to be sure you have all your assignments too.
Check your planner each afternoon, write in what you missed.
Review your out of school activities and write these in your planner.
Keep your papers in your homework folder that need action, keep your papers in your binder that are reference
Prioritize and plan the week out. What is most important to do on what day? Anticipate the next test.
Plan your week by working around existing activities. Wednesdays are especially busy!
Break big projects into baby steps. For example, flashcards written, study for short periods, review with someone.
Get started and work hard during homework time, from 6 – 9 pm. Take breaks when your concentration stops, but get back to work in 5 minutes.
Pack your backpack and your homework before bed.
Wind down and get in bed by 10 pm. A good night’s rest makes all the difference.

Take Back Your Life Now…by the Sea! “Nourish to Flourish”

October 11, 2012/0 Comments/in Organizing Skills, Productivity, Time management/by Ellen

Take Back Your Life Now! … by the Sea!
Nourish to Flourish
Presented by:
Deborah Olson, M.A., LPC, Kingwood Counseling
and Ellen Delap, CPO, Professional-Organizer.com

Uncover your core values, needs and personal priorities
Learn tools to create an environment to flourish in
Discover ways to nurture and nourish your soul
Enjoy sessions on interior design, photography, and fashion
Relax and rejuvenate at the spa, walking the beach and reflecting
Share and bond with engaging and energized women

Register Now:
Event: Take Back Your Life … By the Sea
Date: January 25-27, 2013
Location: San Luis Resort, 5222 Seawall Blvd, Galveston TX »
Seminar Cost: $295.00
Includes: all workshop materials as well as breakfast and lunch Saturday, afternoon snacks and breakfast Sunday. Register with Ellen or Debbie.
$275 Early Bird Registration by
November 1, 2012.

Hotel Fees: $139 per night,
single or double occupancy.
Register at www.sanluisresort.com
Register for your room by January 2, 2013

Is getting organized one of your New Year’s resolutions? Then Join me this January for 10 amazing webinars from a dream team of presenters for Get Organized month. These classes will help you focus, plan, and organize your time, space, and information.

http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/events/organize-your-life-webinar-series/ …. get a special facebook discount with code “fbdeal” for 10% off all classes.

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