How to Build A New Habit (when consistency is so hard)

/3 Comments/in /by

how to build a new habit

 

Habits and routines are the building blocks of life. Our lifestyle is all the habits we do each day. What if you thought of your new habit as just one new daily lifestyle change that you do over and over? Here are 7 strategies to build your new habit and successfully keep these habits going, especially if you are challenged with ADHD.

 

Know your Why

Before you even thought of the new habit, you already knew your “why” to make it a habit. It came from a place of frustration and at the same time empowerment. Having that “why” in front of you every day will help you see the change that you want. Your why can be any powerful statement. Make it visual so that every day you see your motivation.

 

Hold your Focus

Changing only one habit at a time creates success. Too many changes, just like too many decisions, keeps you from being aware of your new habit. Make that one new habit the one and only, most interesting, and more valuable change you are making. Keep to one change to your lifestyle to make that change stick.

 

Be specific

Make your habit as specific as possible to avoid decision making. That habit is a defined action. Instead of a habit of getting a better night’s sleep, make your habit getting in bed at 11 pm or placing your technology devices in their chargers at 10 pm. Decide on these actions before putting your habit into place. By processing the steps and the anchor to your new habit, you eliminate decisions at the time.

 

Use Micro-steps

According to Thrive Global, we undermine new habits by not starting small enough. Micro-steps, small, incremental, science-backed actions can have both immediate and long-lasting benefits to the way we live our lives. a micro-step is the smallest action you would take to accomplish a goal. If you want to eat healthier and lose weight, add in one vegetable at each meal. It could be carrot sticks that are pre-cut from your grocery store. That small action is going to make a big difference over time.

 

Make it easy

Whenever there is an obstacle or an extra step, your new habit is blocked. Make your new habit easy by thinking through the obstacles. Then add in what makes it easy to accomplish. If losing weight is your goal, a new habit of walking more would help you reach your goal. If you keep your sneakers in your car, you are likely to take a walk right after work. If you have to go home to change, you might not take a walk.

 

Keep track

Since habits are a series of single actions, tracking keeps you moving forward. Rather than break the chain of success, you are motivated to keep going forward. Gather data as you track. There are many apps for this. Just like our smart watches and 10k steps, we want to know our daily success.

 

Keep it realistic

Keep your perfectionism in check and keep your new habit in sight. Use the first days of your new habit to learn more about your and your habit. What worked and what didn’t? What does success look like this week and next?

 

Changing and sticking with a habit can be done with ADHD friendly strategies that work with how you think and how you get things done. Remember that new habits are a work in progress. If something does not go as you planned, start again with a new actionable behavior.

Virtual Organizing Series: Get Organized Today!

/2 Comments/in /by

Get Organized TODAY!

 

Overwhelmed and paralyzed by clutter? Too many decisions about what to keep and not sure where to keep it? Join Certified Professional Organizer Ellen Delap in a 3 session virtual series Get Organized Today. Ellen will share tips on decluttering, creating a home for all your stuff, and how to keep your spaces maintained.

The Virtual Series meets on Tuesdays from 12 -1 pm, June 14, 21, and 28.

  • The fee to attend all 3 is $100.
  • Sessions are one hour and meetings are virtual on zoom.
  • Sessions include instructional time and Q&A.
  • Limited to 10 members.

Session 1 Declutter your space

Struggling to get started? Not sure what to keep? Postponing your organizing? Get answers to your questions on decluttering your stuff & get started on your project today.

Session 2 Create a home base

To prevent clutter, everything needs a home base. Learn basic concepts of organizing and move forward with your organizing project.

Session 3 Maintain an organized space

You have tried before and now you want to be sure your space stays organized. Learn routines that keep your space well organized.

 

Register by June 1st

Questions and Registration

281-360-3928,

edelap@professional-organizer.com

 

This series is a fundraiser for ADDA-SR
www.adda-sr.org

Honored by NAPO Founders’ Award

/2 Comments/in /by

 

At our annual National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) Conference, I was honored with the Founders’ Award.

The Founders’ Award is presented to a NAPO member, or a group of NAPO members acting in concert, for outstanding innovation, inspiration, and creativity both within, and outside of, the field of professional organizing and productivity consulting. The vote of NAPO professional members determines the winner of this prestigious award.

The NAPO Founders’ Award is evidence that your peers admire and respect your professionalism and achievements, and are proud to say that you are a member of our association. What an honor!

What was the first thing that crossed your mind when your name was announced as the winner of The Founders’ Award?

 I have been thinking about our founders this week with the passing of Ann Gambrell. NAPO is a remarkable legacy from our founders. They have been truly instrumental in changing the lives of millions of people with NAPO’s impact.

The announcement of my name was a surprise. I am honored and grateful to be among the 5 women nominated this year, who do remarkable things in our industry. There are so many innovative, inspiring, and creative people in our association, and I love the spirit of our industry.

 

What does receiving this award mean to you?

 Receiving this award is a pinnacle of success. I am passionate about our industry because we make a difference in others’ lives. This award is for all of us who make a difference, both in our client work and as leaders, and recognizes all the successes we achieve.

 

What prompted you to start your business?

In 2000, I read an article about NAPO in the Houston Chronicle. I knew in my heart that this is where I belonged. Over the years, I have been a part of my clients’ successes as they struggled with organization and productivity. My work is as much about empowering people as it is about simplifying.

What was your biggest fear of going into business for yourself? And what are you most proud of?

While not necessarily out of fear, but more a sense of overwhelm, I have reached out as needed during a project or building my business, to others in my chapter and our association to work together. I truly consider myself a team player.

I am most proud of building a solid, thriving business over 20 years that gives me multiple opportunities to do what I love, and spend time with those I love.

 

What has been your most gratifying NAPO experience?

 It has been truly gratifying to have been in every leadership position in my NAPO work. From being Conference Chair, Membership Chair, and Education Advisory Chair, to President, we are building a culture of gratitude, inclusion, ability, and collaboration in all the work we do at NAPO. NAPO is all about connecting and supporting each other in all ways, whether volunteering or running our businesses.

 

 

How to Get Unstuck (and stop procrastinating)

/4 Comments/in , /by

how to get unstuck

 

No matter the project, we all get stuck at some time. That might be procrastination to start a project or getting stuck midway. Here are ADHD-friendly ways to help you move forward with any task or project.

 

Make it fun

As Mary Poppins says, in every job there must be done there is an element of fun. Be creative and use a playlist matching your energy to your music to energize and interest you. Make your task a game with “beat the timer.” Track your progress with a chart or checklist. The more fun something is, the more likely you are going to make it happen.

 

Establish Micro-Steps

According to Thrive Global, being productive is “less about giant leaps and more about small steps” called micro-steps. Determine the smallest, or minimum, next step you can take to keep momentum going. It is about moving the needle just a little bit.

 

Set milestones

Milestones give you a deadline and a detail for your work. You can establish these milestones with a chart, a date in your planner, or a detail or of the task itself. Be specific and actionable about your milestone so you know you have finished. Each milestone you accomplish, whether it is a quantity of time or a detail of the project gives you confidence you are moving forward and assures you of completion.

 

Let’s get physical

Getting a drink of water or taking a 5 minute walk outside can get you moving forward. These physical activities and self care give you a short break to refresh. You will think more clearly and be ready to resume your task.

 

Talk it out

Determining a process or making a decision can be best accomplished by talking it out with a friend or colleague. Talking through a task or project with someone can give you a new perspective and new strategy to go about that activity. Look for a processing partner who has a skill in that area or has successfully accomplished this task.

 

Get focused

Distractions keep us from getting started and moving forward. Eliminate technology distractions by silencing notifications. Do a brain dump and write a out your internal thoughts and distractions to focus on the task at hand. Use a time block to keep focused on just this task or project to keep on track.

 

No matter if it is about starting or completing a task or project, have handy your list of what works for you to get unstuck.

 

How to Organize Your Kitchen (and get dinner on the table)

/4 Comments/in /by

how to organize your kitchen

 

Kitchens are the heart of our home. We gather, connect and entertain here. Big or small kitchen, getting and staying organized is important for all of us. You might have a small pantry, narrow drawers, lack storage or have a lot of dishes. There is a lot to store including small appliances, dinnerware, cookware, “tupperware” and serving pieces. There are also those tricky items like cuttings board, and baking sheets that need to be stored. Keeping your kitchen items accessible and organized makes it easy to make meals and spend time together. These strategies are smart ways to make this space more user friendly.

 

Declutter your counter tops

Exactly what is stacking up on your counter tops? Likely it is technology and papers. Set up a command center on a transit way wall to be sure your counters stay clear. If backpacks are in your kitchen, add a landing strip to your entry area. And what about technology and your common charging spot? Gather these items in a location that makes it easy to keep devices charging and counter tops clear. A clear counter area makes your kitchen feel inviting and ready to cook.

 

Organize your kitchen cabinets

Follow this step by step process for organizing your kitchen cabinets (and your kitchen drawers too.)

  • Empty cabinets onto the counters in your kitchen. As you empty, sort your items into categories. Group items by use such as drinking, eating, or serving. Categorizing and grouping items used together make your space more efficient.
  • Decide what to declutter and what to donate. That may depend on how many items match, how many items you need of one category or how well used the item is. Give yourself permission to let go of more, rather than less.  Donate those items right away.
  • Determine the best location to store items by their use. Pots and pans should be by the stove, while plastic storage should be by the sink and refrigerator. If you want your kids to access these, be sure items are stored low.
  • Add shelf inserts and any other storage solutions to make it easy to access items and put them away after use.

Edit inside your kitchen drawers

  • Once done decluttering,  your kitchen drawers may need an additional round of editing.  Think about which tools are multi-purpose and more functional.  Group together tools that are used for baking, barbeque, garnishing, and grating. This last pass helps you keep only what you use and need.
  • There are many different drawer dividers that keep these spaces organized. Standard silverware trays are great for flatware. For drawers with a variety of tool sizes and dimensions, adjustable drawer dividers keep order intact.

 

Assess your small appliances

Small appliances have gained great popularity with Keurigs and Kitchen Aids. Placing these under cabinets where you can create a “zone” helps, such as the coffee area or baking corner.  Most cooks love showing off these appliances despite being countertop hogs. If in doubt about the routines and maintenance of these appliances, be sure to set up a schedule for cleaning and care.

 

The best maintenance tip for a kitchen is to have a great dishwasher routine and a coordinated chore chart. When you pair the timing for dishwashing overnight, kitchens stay organized and tidy all day long.

 

 

 

How to Organize Your Bedroom (for a great night’s rest)

/4 Comments/in /by

how to organize your bedroom

 

Your bedroom is more than a place to sleep. It is where you begin the day and end the day intentionally. It is where you take time for your self care and your preparation for work and family. It is your personal space to keep what is precious to you. This spot is restorative in an uncertain time. However, your bedroom might have turned into a storage space. It may be stuffed with papers, clothes, technology, returns, Amazon boxes and more.  Check out these tips to return to rest and relaxation in your bedroom.

 

Categorize

Typical organizing wisdom says to declutter first. In a small space with many different items, start by categorizing. This strategy will give you an idea of what you have and how much of each category. You may be surprised by what you have! Your categories could include jewelry, shoes, clean clothes, laundry to do, technology, papers, as well as returns and recycling. Making categories first gives you the opportunity to determine what to keep in your bedroom and what can be stored elsewhere.

 

Declutter

Even with the best of storage, it is important to edit and declutter. Make decisions based on what you love and what you use. If you have difficulty, use the tournament method to decide between two items at a time. How many you keep in the end of any item is determined by you, rather than a set quantity.

 

Organize

In a space with multiple uses like your bedroom, you can organize with zones. These are specific areas that you do different activities. For getting ready for the day, designate a vanity in your room or in the bathroom. Cluster items that you use like make up, hair accessories and jewelry in this area.  For night time, group items on your night stand or headboard for use getting ready for sleep. That might be glasses, books, and lotions. Move around your bedroom organizing zone by zone.

 

Maximize

Use of organizing products that add storage make better use of the space. Think about the best way for you to use existing storage and add more as needed. That includes storage on the back of doors and in dressers.

 

Decorate

Your space should be a reflection of what you love. Include what brings you joy in your décor, color palette, textiles and sounds. A beautiful space reminds you to make your bed every day and keep your space organized.

 

Keep in mind what you do every day in your bedroom to maintain it. Have adequate trash and laundry storage for these weekly routines. Be sure to give yourself time daily for resetting like putting away clothes and straightening your space. Give yourself the gift of intentional organizing and your bedroom will always be a spot for slumber and serenity.

How to Organize Your Garage (and park your car inside)

/4 Comments/in /by

how to organize your garage

 

With spring is here now is the time to tackle the garage. Organizing the garage can be a giant project, but you will be giddy when your garage is clean and organized and you can easily park your car and find gardening tools, bikes, and other items you use in warmer weather.  Use these 6 steps to organize your garage this spring.

 

1. Make a Game Plan: Planning ahead makes every tasks easier. Write down what you want to accomplish in the garage and how you plan to accomplish it. What are my goals? How will things be stored? Will I use boxes or bins? Where will things be stored? Will I need to invest in a storage system?  When will I do this work? How will items be donated? How will heavy trash be picked up? Be practical and keep the end in mind in planning your project.

2. Enlist Help: Working as a team makes everything easier. It can be you and your family, you and a team of teens, or you and your paid helpers. Your team helps you decide what to toss out, helps you move large and heavy items around, and offer perspectives on how to best store and organize things. A team also makes the work more fun!

3. Move Everything Out: Plan to move everything out of the garage. You can use your lawn blower to blow out all the cobwebs and dust that have accumulated. This gives you a fresh start to your project.

4. Sort & Toss: As you are moving items out, determine what you will be decluttering and letting go.  Deciding what to keep and what to toss is usually the most difficult part. Decisions can be based on how often an item is used or if it is broken or unusable. Items can be donated that are still working to local philanthropies. Consider placing items that are to be given away on the curb depending on rules in your neighborhood or listing free items on local social media sites. Be sure your plan and timeline align for trash pick up.

5: Categorize: Once you’re left with your “keep” pile items, it’s time to group like items together. Some typical garage storage categories include:

  • Landscaping and yard tools
  • Power tools and repair tools
  • Automotive items
  • Holiday decorations
  • Sports gear
  • Children’s outdoor toys

Items that should not be kept in the garage are technology or photos. These deteriorate with non-climate controlled conditions.

6. Store:  Plastic bins are best for stacking and durability. Use clear bins so you can see what is in each. Add labels to the bins to be specific.

Choose a specially designed tool box for your tools. With drawers, you can categorize your tools. Label each drawer to know what is stored inside.

Instead of stacking bins and other items on the floor in the corner, take advantage of the vertical space your garage has to offer. Sturdy shelves with ample durability, large hooks, and ceiling racks are great for storing and hanging everything up off the floor, creating a clean, organized look and opening up floor space.

Place items back in the garage with an eye toward frequency of use. More frequently used items should be stored in a visible area and within easy reach. Less frequently used and seasonal items should be stored out of the way. Kids bikes and riding toys should be to the front of the garage, near the garage door.

 

Look back on your project and the work you have accomplished each day as you pull your car into your newly organized space.

10 Day Spring Organizing Challenge

/2 Comments/in /by

Start any day you like this spring with this 10 day organizing challenge! Here are 10 days of challenges to organize your home, office and life!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Get Organized with Cyber Security

/1 Comment/in /by

 

get organized with cy

We have all recently heard about an Instagram or Facebook account being hacked.  Maybe you have experienced a situation where a family member or friend accidentally gave access to a bank account to a scammer. Cyber security has become a necessary part of life. Cyber security is protection of computer devices from information disclosure, theft of or damage. This includes your online financial accounts, social media and any information accessible online. There are simple steps and a checklist you can use to safeguard your information and save yourself time, energy and frustration. This requires organization and maintenance for you to stay safe.

 

Setting up devices with security.

Set up is the first step to secure your information. Know that all devices have these settings.

  • Set up privacy settings on your devices as soon as you purchase. Look in the settings-> mail -> privacy protection.
  • Set up two factor verification. This is where you get a text or a phone call with a code before a log in can happen for any account.
  • Be sure to have virus protection on your computer. Antivirus software prevents access to your information on your computer.
  • Update devices regularly. These updates include fixes and patches for security.
  • Use an automated back up system. Highly rated systems include Backblaze and Carbonite.

Password Protection

Passwords are the gateway to all information for us. This is especially difficult for us because these extra steps seem to be a barrier rather than a protection.

  • Use passwords with a trusted tool such as Last Pass. No one needs to remember all their secure passwords and a password manager keeps your information safe.
  • Use unique passwords for every account. It is easy for all your accounts to be comprised of similar or the same passwords with a twist of one or two letters or special characters.
  • Turn off Password Save for your computer and online access. You easily access your password manager instead.
  • Share your passwords only with those you trust. If you are helping a senior member of your family or community, encourage them to use a password manager for this reason.

Recognize scams and fraud early.

We are seeing more and more online scams and fraud. These are not always easy to spot so having a healthy dose of skepticism is necessary.

  • Be aware and suspicious of interactions of any sort with unknown inquiries. That includes whether a bill has been paid or a purchase has been made. These inquiries can occur through email or phone.
  • Know that social media captures information about you. From the movie, The Social Dilemma, we know that social media uses the information we share. Be alert to this while sharing your personal information online.
  • Be wary of emails from unknown sources. Never under any circumstances click on unfamiliar, unrequested links.

 

Being organized about your cyber security can help prevent long lasting issues with finances and personal security. It takes time, just like other tasks, but the pay back is well worth the investment.

Get Organized with Contacts, Email and Snail Mail Addresses

/2 Comments/in , /by

organize your contacts, information and addresses

 

No one remembers your 7 – 10 digit phone number or your Venmo account name. Happily this is all automated for us now.  Your contact list is a combination of your closest connections and lots of possible vendors and business people. Keeping your list up to date makes it easier to work together and also saves you time trying to find information. Here’s how to organize this area to make it easy and seamless for you.

 

Consolidate

You want your information in one place. Currently it could be in many different locations such as icloud, gmail, or any other email system. This might be the hardest part of this project. Where do you want to keep your contacts? If you have used Outlook, it’s often the easiest place to keep this information.  Google and gmail are a good choice if you use gmail as your native email account. Google syncs with all phones and transfers easily.

 

Name

Consistent naming helps you remember who and what to look up in your phone. You might be storing contacts for a new roof or doctor. Or you could have met a contact at a recent event and want to connect later. Having a consistent practice for entering information into your contacts helps!  Decide if you want to enter Name, Business (business name and what that business does).  That would be Ellen Delap, Professional-Organizer.com, paper organizing. Keeping consistent also helps you keep the clutter in your contacts to a minimum.

 

Edit

Editing is a tedious job, so it’s a task we can do while sitting in a carpool line, waiting on a prescription or when we are low energy. Look through contacts and delete those that are not used or you can’t remember when you last contacted that person.

 

Update

When it comes to updating, it is best to take a minute and update as soon as you see new information. It’s easier to do this right away because your contacts are always current.

 

Backlog

Before you add new contacts from business cards or other scraps of paper, be sure you review first. Adding names and businesses just in case will not help you.

 

Power up

According to SalesForce, “Contact management is the process of recording contacts’ details and tracking their interactions with a business. Such systems have gradually evolved into an aspect of customer relationship management (CRM) systems, which allow businesses to improve sales and service levels leveraging a wider range of data.”  If you are overwhelmed with contacts in your small business, it’s time to power up to a CRM to help you with contacts and leverage this information.