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By Elaine, February 22, 2010 8:57 am

March break is less than a week away and as I sit here making my huge, really big, gynormous…OMG will I ever get it all finished in 4 days list, I wonder how people who are not organizationally gifted get it all done!

The tasks of this week in front of me are not even on the Top 5 …these tasks require a whole different strategy…

Batching these tasks will work to a certain point but it requires so much more…

Because I love all of you and know that this is a big struggle point with many people here are my techniques that you can use for getting things done.

I am sure that you have heard this saying before….I have, and I use it regularly in presentations and with clients.

How do you eat and Elephant? One bite at a time.

Meaning…you have a huge list, you have a certain time frame to complete all the things on the list and you are now paralyzed by the whole big thing….Did I hit that nail on the head?

This is how I am going to tackle the week so I can go away and have a great family vacation, confident that I have handled all that I CAN handle, delegated where I could and took control of the week.

***warning***

When you have a week like this lighten the load where you can and DO NOT….I repeat DO NOT take on anything else…not even if a cute little old lady needs help this week, stranded puppy dogs or even a good friend…you have enough on your plate…just say NO.

That being said here we go.

• Separate your list for the week into things that you have to do for work and the things that you have to do  for family/home.
• Delegate all the family/home  tasks accordingly. Enlist the troops and allow everyone to pitch in…you do not have to do this alone.
• Group things that require a trip to the bank, insurance company, drug store for supplies, etc and take one morning to do these running around things.

Get your highlighter out and as you finish each thing on the list scratch it off…that one technique always keeps me going as I get er done!

Attempt to accomplish as much as you can at the beginning of the week…leaving time for unexpected things as the deadline approaches.

I must go now and get at that list…may the force be with me!

No elephants were injured during this post…they were only used for illustrative purposes

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By Elaine, February 16, 2010 10:44 am

OK …this is not a post about bicycling….it is another cycle we are talking about here!

***This post will be helpful to all my female readers who wonder why they work differently during the course of the month. For all my male readers this post will shed some light on the amazing ways that women work.***

A very wise woman friend and co-worker of mine shared this productivity secret with me many years ago. She was the most productive person in our office… she met and actually exceeded targets…she was the company superstar.

I asked her how she did this month after month…year after year

The productivity secret wasn’t really a secret…it was something that we all know innately but have forgotten. This gal was aware of herself and her cycle and she applied this to her work and because of it she was able to work circles around all of us. It wasn’t rocket science….

Productivity Secret-There are specific times of the month that certain tasks flow better than others….

I have mentioned this in my presentations before. The room goes quiet, eyebrows are raised….yes…deep thinking is happening.  That aha moment when we realize that there are weeks of the month that we could conquer the world, write 100 proposals, build a school….and there are times of the month when you could bite the head off a small child…ok that may be a bit harsh but there are days when all you want to do is curl up with a good book and a hot cuppa.

So why for heavens sake do you plan strategic meetings on a week where the possibility of hurting your co-workers is pretty high?

Just for fun;

• Figure out where you are in your cycle right now
• Evaluate how your week is going
• Which of your Top 5 items are you accomplishing
• What things are you avoiding
• What would you rather be doing

Now you need to get deliberate about what you do and when you do it. For instance on power week plan all the activities that need your highest energy level, on the introspective week do your deep thinking….etc.

Here are some more great articles and resources that I have found about this Productivity Secret.

Miranda Gray- A 28-day plan to help you Boost  Productivity and Work satisfaction

Honoring the Feminine

Do the cycles of Moon affect us? I found this great resource at Evolving Alchemy

Now if you will excuse me I have to go and curl up in ball, pull the quilt up over my head and have a good cry!

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By Elaine, February 15, 2010 8:14 am

I was warned that this would happen…

People told me to be prepared…

Well that day has come…

I woke up this morning and the creative well is dry, it is shriveled up,  I don’t have one thing that I feel like writing about. The productivity of the past few months is fading fast.

Could it be that I have hit a creative wall?

Did the ups and mostly downs of the past 7 days finally take their toll?

Oh my…will the thrill of writing these posts and feeling the words flow seamlessly out of my fingertips on to the virtual paper come back to me?

I am sure that tomorrow or even later today I will feel inspired…I Hope!

How do you handle creative dry spells? What techniques do you use during the creative times to help with the not so creative days? Please share.

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By Elaine, February 12, 2010 9:12 am

I love it when multiple organizing tips come together.

Here is an enhancement to the 5 Minute File that I mentioned last month…I hope you are all using this one and a recent post on Batching Tasks.

This video gives you a visual on both concepts…..Enjoy!

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By Elaine, February 9, 2010 9:24 am

I have been asked  this month to be a part of Janey Barclay’s Professional Organizer Blog Carnival . This carnival is a collection of Blog Posts written by professional organizers. This is a huge honor to be in such esteemed company and for you this is an awesome collection of resources to help you get and stay organized.

This months theme in “Time Management”.

The Dictionary says that management is…the act or manner of managing; handling, direction, or control.

Let me start by saying that I do not believe that you can control or manage time!

….yes I have said it out loud. Let the controversy begin….What I do believe is that we can manage, direct, handle or control how we use our “Valuable Time” and how we manage, direct, handle or control how to fill the “Valuable Minutes”  in our day.

With this all in perspective now I would like to introduce you to “Batching”.

I am not talking about cookie baking here I am talking “Tasks”….you know the stuff that fills our day and uses up our Valuable Time.

“Batching Tasks “ is quite simple….you take similar tasks that require the same thinking process or have similar activities attached to the tasks and you do them at the same time.

Here are some real life examples of how you can use “Batching Tasks” to increase productivity and save Valuable Time for other activities.

• Checking and replying to e-mail at certain times during the day….not every second of the day.
• Returning phone call from the day at a specified time at the end of the day.
• Combining tasks that take 5 minutes or less to do using your “5 Minute File“.
• Bookkeeping and finances, yes it has to be done, pick a time batch it up and Just Do It…

I am sure that there are many more examples but these are the most common, you will certainly find ways to Batch your own tasks as you maneuver through your activity filled days.

Managing your tasks and not your time!

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By Elaine, February 8, 2010 10:10 am

If it isn’t a chicken perhaps it is a shiny object. Or maybe its the telephone or the sound of the e-mails as they are arriving or the Crackberry that rings non stop or the mess on the desk that is calling you….oh there are so many distractions.

How do you ever expect to accomplish anything today?

Today I speak from experience and I want to help you.

I am highly distractable and I have a very long list of things I want to accomplish in my lifetime.

Knowing that these two things cannot co-exist I had to do something… and I did.

I put the distractions in their place by eliminating some of them and minimizing others, here are some ideas you can implement today to banish the chicken or at least minimize the damage;

• get call display on all your phones and only answer the urgent ones.
• turn the e-mail notification noise off.
• move all the work clutter you are not currently working on out of sight.
• take the crackberry off your hip and turn it off while working on important stuff
• for some more examples of potential distractions visit my previous post on Time Hijackers

I know this is not rocket science it is common sense, sometimes you just need someone to point you in the right direction….or call you on your stuff!

A shout out to  James at Men with Pens who inspired today’s post, thanks James for sharing and being real.

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By Elaine, February 1, 2010 10:27 am

Over 5 years ago I learned one of the most valuable KICKASS Business Tips ever… No really I am not kidding.

I learned it from Cameron Herold who read it somewhere….and used the concept for himself with some…OK lots of success…check out his bio…and, at that very small conference that he happened to be at 5 years ago…actually he was not supposed to be there at all, he was the stand in speaker…he shared a very simple yet profound concept that not only changed my life but all the people I share it with.  Just in case I never said it personally…Thanks Cameron for that nugget.

That nugget is The Top 6 things I must do Tomorrow . It is a story about Ivy Lee and Charles Schwab.

Around 100 years ago, Charles Schwab, president of Bethlehem Steel, wanted to increase his own efficiency, and of the management team at the steel company. Ivy Lee, a well-known efficiency expert of the time, approached Mr. Schwab, and made a proposition Charles Schwab could not refuse:

Ivy Lee: “I can increase your people’s efficiency – and your sales – if you will allow me to spend 15 minutes with each of your executives.” ….read the rest of the story

Over the years I have modified Ivy’s method and have come up with my own version, it goes like this.

• At the end of the work week take 15 minutes and think about your annual goals.
• Take a simple recipe card and write down 5 things you want to accomplish that feed into your annual goals.
• Any paper or files that are related to the 5 goals needs to be gathered together.
• Take those 5 things and put the most important on the top and organize the rest in descending importance.
• E-mail a copy of this list to yourself and mark it important.

What you have now is your game plan for the next week. Wow…you can actually relax this weekend knowing that you have a game plan. It is out of your head and on paper…what a stress reliever.

Oh and did I mention that they are the goals for the WHOLE week…not for a single day. So by the end of the week if you accomplish only the first 2 items you have tackled 2 very important tasks that add to your bottom line.

Now I have to ask…”Is that the most awesome KICKASS Business Tip Ever?”

As a side note here is my Top 5 for this week.

-Mail Organizing Connection Home Organizing Videos to Costco Head Office Buyer.
-Add Clutter to Clarity Lunch and Learn page to website and promote to 10 local companies, get testimonial from past clients for the page.
-Send E-Mail out to Professional Organizer Biz 101 participants regarding the schedule, payments and what we are doing each week.
-Add 6 Blog posts this week
-Finish reading “Made to Stick” and do a book review live on Ustream .

Please note that all these goals feed into my annual goals. This is not everything I will do this week as urgent things come up and to be honest you need to address some urgent stuff when it happens. If I accomplish one of these items every week for the next year I will have completed 52 strategic steps towards my goals. I would say that is better than nothing!

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By Elaine, December 4, 2009 10:57 am

Planning day for 2010 has been a few days in the making. The Skipper is off at sea and the children are at the Grandparents in the country decorating and having a great visit. I am now home alone with my flip-chart, markers and a head full of possibilities.

Now comes the tricky part… taking all my ideas, possibilities and dreams for 2010 and Organizing them into a plan for the New Year. For this to happen I have a system I am going to use to keep me on track and focused. To be honest this focus stuff is why most people say they want to do planning but can’t… you need to stay focused.

I am breaking my next 2 days up into segments where I will focus on 5 key areas of my life… and thanks to James Ray and his book Harminic Wealth… The Secret of Attracting the life you want I have a great template for this first step.

James refers to the 5 pillars of your life as;

• Financial – This is your wealth building pillar, I will deal with my life’s work in this section.
• Relational – By knowing and loving yourself you are able to love others, I will dig into all my relationships here.
• Mental – Turning your thoughts into action. What is my unique Genius and how am I using it?
• Physical – Moving toward life. Checking on my health and all areas related.
• Spiritual – The bridge to Spirit. How have I been showing up in my relationship with my creator?

I question and challenge myself in all of these areas and how I am showing up in all these areas of my life. During this questioning I use another resource from a mentor of mine. Michael Losier from my hometown of Saint John NB Canada is the How To Expert on the Law Of Attraction. His Contrast through Clarity worksheet is always the basis I use for doing this check-up.

Although I have 2 full days to work on this amazing process I will probably spend the whole month of December tweaking my Vision for 2010.

Tonight after I have all the ideas on paper and out of my head…. sometimes I have so much in there it hurts, I will create a vision… Thanks to Tracey for helping me with this part. I will close my eyes and imagine it is December 31st  2010 and I am reviewing the past year. Savouring all the wonderful moments I have shared with my family, belly laughs I have shared with close friends and recalling the excitement of successes I have enjoyed in my life’s work.

As Stephen Covey says in his second habit, you “Need to begin with the End in Mind”.

As the time nears 10:00 am I am ready to start my planning, I challenge you today to join me and create your own plan for a ROCKIN 2010!