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!

Leslie McKee and Ellen Delap 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
Don’t procrastinate on this offer! Use the code word clutter for 10% off!

Have you tried to buy ONE roll of tape lately? You start to feel like an idiot when you could be buying a 24 pack for what seems to be just pennies more! Not only that but these rolls fit onto a dispenser that could sit on top of your desk and make tape so available all the time. You can also buy it so it attaches like a watch to your wrist and pull it out on precut strips. How did we ever live with those useless single little rolls?

I grew up in a house that just had one roll of tape. It lived in the junk drawer in the kitchen. Everyone knew where it was. Simple! This isn’t about making due. This is about what works, or at least to help you consider buying just one. In a world that sells mustard in sizes that will certainly mandate that it be included in your will—be vigilant to buy what you need, not what you can. Studies show that waste increase for oversized items therefore the “bargain factor” decreases. The joy of owning something you can not care for, use or store slips away.

Here are some questions to help you think about NOT making your next BIG purchase:
Are you buying this because it is novel?
Are you buying it just because it is a good deal?
Where is it going to live in your home?
Will you really use it?
What is it replacing?
It is a quality item?
Are you saving on packaging or processing?

If you are standing in your bedroom and have to go downstairs to get it — is that a SYSTEM FAILURE or SYSTEM SUCCESS? While working with one of my all time favorite clients it occurred to me that we had very different definitions for SYSTEM FAILURE! My client viewed this as system failure if she had to travel to get what she needed. Her vision for a system that works included having “redundancies” all over the house as a “convenience”. It was a powerful moment when she re-framed this and realized that these duplicates were becoming clutter and more trouble than convenience. Beautiful, well designed spaces designed for holding bathroom items were holding “backup” supplies and were losing their functionality! You can be a good provider, homemaker and mother and only have ONE pair of scissors or one roll of tape.

There is not one right answer here! Just considering what ENOUGH looks like is a big win and helps you live more intentionally! Of course some items need to have duplicates, but if you tend to over-do that, ask yourself these questions:
Are there duplicates in this room?
Do I have a favorite?
Am I using it or saving it?
Am I backing up my back ups due to lack of confidence in my system?
Are there duplicates in other rooms?
Do I feel the need for each person to have there own?
Are you having trouble committing to a “home” for an item?

Sometimes “choice” becomes a burden and backup get in the way of order.

What is going to make 2010 different?  We are always striving to be faster, stronger and bigger, but what does that really look like.  One of the most popular resolutions is to get organized and that doesn’t always translate into MORE. Efficiency is a great goal but prioritizing might be a better one.  Knowing what is important in your time and stuff will make every day seem easier. That is a gift that only you can give yourself. So, how do you get there? What do you let go of?  Here are three strategies that may help you.
Top 10 List
What are the all the things you are involved in?  What are your roles?  List them all; pick the Top Ten and let go of the rest, even temporarily so you get caught up on the issues that are bothering you.  You may be surprised when you miss an activity that had been routine and not important, then find yourself secretly celebrating.  This is a great strategy for getting on track when you are going through a major life transition.  Step back and minimize while you get through it!
What is it that only I can do?
Another great tip that really works for entrupenuers is to really write down all the “jobs” you do and then highlight the jobs that only YOU can do.  Go one step further and mark those that you actually like to do.  For me this has really illuminated all kinds of little things that have kept me from the bigger things.  It was easy to let go by finding people to do those very specific jobs that I no longer need to attend to.  It is fun to think of the year ahead with out those items on my To Do List.
Know you  3 MIT’s Daily
MIT’s are your Most Important Things.  If you could write just 3 MIT’s down for the next day when you are leaving your desk or at the end of each day, and were able to start each day ready to accomplish just those 3 things, I suspect it would be life changing.  I know we all have HUGE To Do lists, and making a master list does help get it all down, but I am talking about having a top 3 every day that are non-negotiable!  This will take away the feeling of overwhelm and will help you know what enough looks like. Knowing this can help you stop just working and working and working until you just “hit the wall”

So- see your New Year through the lens of doing what is important and knowing what “enough” is. This will bring simplicity and order to your 2010!