Being Mindful of Multitasking

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multitasking

 

 

Lots of new multi-tasking statistics are bringing into focus this productivity concept. Studies have shown that each time someone makes a “task switch,” or multitasks, their productivity is actually reduced by 20 to 40 percent.   While previously thought to be a great tool, now multitasking  is glaringly not so! 

Mindfully focus on one task at a time.  Start by prioritizing to be sure this task takes highest importance.  Purposefully stay on task by creating a “power period”, a 45 minute time you work on a single project.  Successfully working on one project  makes you feel accomplishment, lowers  your stress and lessens the load of the total projects.   

 

Eliminate distractions by creating an effective environment.   Turn of the computer, stop texting, and turn off the tv.  Really give yourself the opportunity for undistracted work.  If a call comes, use your technology to the fullest and let it go to voice mail.  Create your optimal environment with soft music, scent in the room, and a clear desk.  A clear desk invites creativity, productivity and efficiency. 

 

Make phone connections and relationships count.  During a call, be sure to be “on the call” not just on the phone. We are always trying to do one more thing while talking.  Make that person and the call more important than the distractions.

 

Are there positive uses of multitasking?  Double time two low priority tasks and get them done!  This includes pairing folding the laundry or putting away dishes with background television or having administrative time while listening to music.  These little incentives can help you finish up a less than interesting task.      

 What are your favorite ways to get just that one thing done?

 

Delegating and Team Building at Home

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delegating and team building

You come home after work and start the 2nd shift.  There’s always more to do than time to do it.  Gather your family around you and think delegate, a.k.a. team building!

 

There are a few ground rules that apply at home, that don’t apply at the office.  The complexity of family relationships makes delegating at home more challenging than at work. But it is not impossible.  Truly applying team building makes this happen!

 

Begin with the family motto of “we’re all in this together!”  Start with a family meeting to talk about what this means.  Keep it simple but think through all the responsibilities at home and create a list of the options.  There are lunches and dinner to make, groceries to buy, laundry to do, lawns to mow, toilets to clean and more.  So getting a list together that hits on the most important tasks is a starting point.  Here is where we start being creative!

·                 Works from family members’ strengths. Who is great at what? Give your family jobs they do well rather than struggle with.

·                 Give the chores different point values by “difficulty” of completion.  Bathroom and toilet 3 points, kitchen clean up 2, dusting 1.

·                 Create partnerships to complete the chores, such as mom/sister make the dinner, dad/other daughter do the dishes.  It is always more fun with a partner.

·                 Set a time everyone does the same task.  Set the kitchen timer, turn on the high energy music, or sing the clean up song. 

·                 Set a standard of completion everyone agrees on.  What does it mean to have the dishes “done” or the laundry “complete”?  Set a time frame for completion. Emptying a dishwasher after the dishes are piled in the sink defeats the purpose. 

·                 Put aside your perfectionism.  Encourage your family to do their best job, even if it is not to your standards, the manner in which you would do it or at the speed you would do it.   

·                 Affirm each family member’s contribution each week.  Praise goes a long way in getting things done.

·                 Create a chores chart and post it in a common space.  It is the chart that reminds the family, rather than the parents.

·                 Incentivize your family’s work.  Incentives can be whatever works for you, but the simpler the better.  

·                 Use this method for every day responsibilities and upcoming family events, including holidays, birthdays and special occasions.

·                 Make it fun!  Everyone wants to work together when the atmosphere is relaxed and happy. 

 

 Great resources are available on www.familymanager.com including lists, charts and more!  How does team work happen in your family?

Clutter Support Group Forming for Spring 2010

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Have you had a life long struggle with being organized?  Need support from a community of people who are equally overwhelmed?  Don’t know where to start? Looking for accountability and resources to help you live the life that truly want in live? Need an affordable organizing solution? 

 

Professional-Organizer.com’s Clutter Support Group is a six week, 1 ½ hour program where members support each other in their organizing journey.    It begins on March 2 and ends on April 6 and the fee for membership is $120.  In our weekly meetings we will discuss organizing strengths and decluttering techniques. Starting the third session, we will begin reading and discussing Making Peace With Things in Your Life by Cindy Glovinsky.  Each member will have a small project they are working on for the duration of the group.   

 

·                   Have a confidential place to share goals and challenges with consistent support

·         Learn organizing strategies for your home or workplace.

·         Collaborate with group members to create systems and routines and work for you.  

·         Champion others and be affirmed in their and your quest for organization.

 

For more information or to join the group contact Ellen at edelap@professional-organizer.com.  Enrollment is limited so contact Ellen today!

 

Streamline your office

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http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/02/12/office.makeover/

Thanks Allison for this amazing step by step way to organize your office!  Step by step directions for getting your office under control. Happy organizing!

Delegating at the office

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Strategic productivity is “doing what you do best and delegate the rest.”   There are so many reasons why people don’t delegate!

 

The list includes:

1.      Control freaks

2.      Don’t want people to see their faults

3.      Not organized enough to take the time to figure out what needs to be done until right on top of the deadline.

4.      Cost Money

5.      They don’t have the right partnership in place so they just do it themselves

6.      Takes Time… too difficult to explain

7.      Had a bad experience so figure it will never work

8.      Too far behind.. if I get caught up then I will teach person X

9.      Don’t empower people enough once they delegate the task… see number 1-which causes conflict

10.  Have difficulty communicating with others

 

Once you successfully delegate you will not want to do the task again. You will be empowered by the team work you are a part of, you will be more successful at what you do, and your income will increase most importantly! 

 

How do you get started delegating?

  • Delegate whole pieces or entire job pieces or simply tasks and activities.  
  • Define limits of authority
    • Spending limits
    • Level of decision making for “major” aspects
  • Clearly define what outcome is needed, then let individuals use some creative thinking of their own as to how to get to that outcome.
  • Clear standards of performance will help the person know when he or she is doing exactly what is expected.  
  • Determine communication model and tools
    • Spreadsheet for tasks, google calendar
    • Weekly and daily updates to tasks
    • Weekly and daily meetings

 

Successful delegating requires a change of your mindset.  Begin by building delegating into all of your plans.  Start breaking down administrative, marketing and other tasks into lists and specifically identify whether you or an assistant will handle a particular matter. 

A&E Hoarders: Houston Hoarder Show airs on February 1

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 on-the-hoarders-set1

 

I had the privilege of working as an organizing assistant on the A&E show Hoarders. If you have not seen it, here is the scoop.   Each 60-minute episode of Hoarders is a fascinating look inside the lives of two different people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis. 

 http://www.aetv.com/hoarders/

This week an upcoming episode that was filmed in Houston is being shown.  The air date is February 1.  Working as an assistant to Certified Professional Organizer – Chronic Disorganization Geralin Thomas www.metroplitanorganizing.com and Clinical Psychologist Suzanne Chabaud, Ph.D., the episode was filmed for 2 days on location at the home.    My kudos to both professionals on their approach to a very real life challenge! 

Honoring the client’s needs and respecting the client are underlying aspects of Hoarders.  The client was facing tough decision making.  Dealing with too much stuff can be a shameful experience. From the outset the tone of respect was set.  Recognizing the client’s vulnerability, the focus was to help him make decisions and move forward. Others on the set were aware of this and it was clear that the client was anxious about having his things thrown out.  Everyone on the set learned about the mental health challenges facing the client in parting with his stuff.   And everyone was patient! It took time to make decisions and move forward. 

Hoarders portrays the work of a certified professional organizer in a real setting and in a realistic manner.  It is really about sorting and decision making!  Some of the most difficult parts of working with a client is to understand the depth of the decision making challenge and the need to keep items.  Seeing the process of grouping “like” items together at the beginning, moving on to decision making, then finding a “home” for stuff, people are seeing how the process evolves.   Truly, a client moves forward at their own pace, not the pace set by the organizer or the therapist.  In viewing the challenges of those on the show, people are recognizing their own challenges too! This is an incredible way to make a difference in people’s lives. 

Thank you to both of these professionals for sharing their time with all of us, personally and nationally.  What an incredible experience to learn as they worked with the client.  What was it like behind the scenes? Really no different than what you see on tv!  Everyone was there to help the client live their best life!

Great Resources

http://www.thecenterforemotionalhealth.com/Resources.html

10 Ways Organizing Saves You Money

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Here are 10 ways that cut to the chase on organizing and saving money. These 10 ways organizing saves you money will be the best reasons to get organized now.

1.                  You won’t need to buy things you already have. You won’t have to run to Walgreens to buy your kids index cards or school supplies.

2.                  You find money in your pockets – lots of it! We found $15,000 in a bin of papers!  We have found some money in every home where I work. 

3.                  You get reverse income by donating and using itsdeductibleonline.com.  Make a list of what you donate and create a spreadsheet.  Each time you donate usually adds up to $500 for tax deductions.

4.                  Your emotional and physical health improves so fewer doctors’ visits.  There are tons of allergens in paper piles, especially dust mites!

5.                  You prioritize saving money in entering your receipts into Quicken and know where you spend your money. Having a strong connection to your money saves you money in prioritizing how you spend it.

6.                  You clip coupons and save money every time you are at the grocery or drugstore. Some families spend only $20 on groceries a week with coupons.

7.                  You keep on top of home repair and other tasks. Prevent big expenditures by routine upkeep of your home and car.  Regular maintenance of your car means you can make more money on the resale.

8.                  You save money on the utilities in your home.  Being organized about your laundry means consistently filling the tub, washing the dished regularly with a full load and saving on heating/cooling costs by setting the temp at a consistent level.

9.                  You keep your purchases to a minimum. Being organized means buying what you need, when you need it, rather than compulsive shopping to assuage your emotions.

10.             Everyone knows saving time is saving money.  You can be more efficient and effective at everything you do by being organized!

 How does organizing save you money?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Putting off Procrastination offered at the Organizing Telesummit

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Is getting organized your top new year resolution? Here is the easiest way ever to get started! 

Offered under the leadership of my colleague Allison Carter, there is a wide array of classes offered by the top professionals in our field.

 

Join us for this amazing event!

 

Your’s truly is partnering to present information on procrastination!  Did you know?

·          The desk of the average white collar worker holds 36 hours of uncompleted work. That desk’s occupant spends 3  hours per week sorting piles to find and organize the project/s being worked upon. (From The Overload Syndrome, by Richard Swenson)

·         The average executive wastes 150 hours each year looking for misplaced documents. (2003 study by Office World News)

·         The average amount of time executives spend in (mostly needless) meetings each week: 7.8 hours. (Survey by Accountemps)

·         The Wall Street Journal reports the average office worker spends 49 minutes a day emailing, while top management spends about four hours a day sending, receiving and reading email.

 

Ellen Delap and Leslie McKee are both Certified Professional Organizers® and Family Manager Coaches. Together they will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. Remember, procrastination is a habit not a flaw and Leslie and Ellen will teach you will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. So if you are putting something off that is getting in your way join their call and be on your way to a more productive 2010!

 

 http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/organizingclasses/wednesday/

 

Link to all the classes:

http://organizingclasses.com

Jan 25-29, 2010

It’s an organizing fiesta!

Learn from the comfort of your own couch.

Strategies for getting organized and for professional organizers

 

PS Dont procrastinate on this offer! Use the code word clutter for 10% off!

 

Kids’ Precious Keepsakes and Art Work

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Moms wonder about all the papers and more that come home from school.  Keeping up with your kids precious keepsakes cam be overwhelming.  There are so many scribbles, cut outs and holiday artwork.   Setting up good systems and routines make it easier to keep control.

What defines “precious” for every mom is different. Is it the first spelling test with 100? Or is it darling art work?  I help clients define what is precious. Something that is totally unique to that child, such as a handprint, a written story or a painting, is precious to me.  It is easier to assess what to keep by collecting the items for a month in an easy to access basket.  At the end of the month, have your child go over the items in there, having them share all about the work.

Here are lots of great ideas once you have decided what to keep.

1.  Take a photo of the keepsake.

2.  Take a photo of your child with the keepsake.

3.  Scan the keepsake.

4.  Send keepsakes off to grandparents or other special family friends.

5.  Use the keepsakes for gift wrap.

6.  Make a book of the keepsakes.

7.  Keep the keepsakes in a large fed ex box by year in the top of a closet.

8.  Keep the art in a portfolio under a bed, in the back of a closet.

9.  Set up a “clothesline” with 6 clothespins on an wall in their bedroom. This is now the art display area. Rotate art monthly.

10.  Put together a 3 ring binder with 50 slip in sheets. Review the papers with your child and have them select one per week for the binder. This is now their precious keepsake and they will have something of pride for themselves too.

How do you keep your child’s precious keepsakes?

Top New Year Resolution for 2010: Spend more time with your family

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According to ABC13 in Houston, the top newyear’s resolution is to spend more time with your family.   As a Certified Family Manager Coach, my passion is making families cohesive, communicative, and nurturing.  However, as with all goals, this can be overwhelming and end us with less than stellar success. Let’s break this down into some baby steps to be sure you accomplish this goal!

1.  Spend more dinner time together. Whether the goal is one dinner a week or seven, create a plan that works for you and your family. Dinner together can be sandwiches or spaghetti, create a plan that is simple for you and enjoyable for your family.   The plan can be a grid of 3 weeks of easy to make dinners with your family input, a technology tool with thescramble.com or e-mealz.com, or assigning family members a night to cook. 

2.  Spend more quality time together.  Create a team and strategically plan for time together. Our world is crazy busy and if we wait for spontaneity our family time may not occur.  Set aside a family meeting time once a week with a short meeting and plenty of fun time.  During the meeting be sure to chat about upcoming family events.

3. Spend more time learning together.  What interests and activities do you want to share?  Choose open ended activities that every one can be successful at, including art work, walking, or going to a museum.  Celebrate everyone’s strengths by affirming each other and encourage new interests.

I look forward to learning from you how your resolution is coming together!