time

Success Breeds Success: Finish Something!

By Hazel Thornton | June 19, 2023 |

A senior coworker once gave me a great piece of advice early in my corporate career. I was feeling overwhelmed and whiny about all the projects I had been assigned. I was paralyzed with indecision about what to work on next. What was his advice? Finish something.        

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80/20 Rule

The 80/20 Rule is Your Friend

By Hazel Thornton | June 21, 2021 |

One of my favorite concepts in life is The 80/20 Rule. What is it? The 80/20 Rule, a.k.a. the Pareto principle, stems from observations made by Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in 1906, including the fact that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Or, generalizing to other situations, roughly…

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Why you need a Project Box & a Master To-Do List

By Hazel Thornton | September 9, 2019 |

Do you have unfinished household projects lying around? I can tell what my clients’ projects are at a glance – there are light bulbs that need changing; clothing that needs repairing; pictures that need to be framed and hung; and gifts that need to be wrapped. They are sitting out on the counters, tables, and…

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Six Organizing Systems Everyone Needs — System #6: Getting Stuff Done

By Hazel Thornton | November 27, 2017 |

How well are your organizing systems working for you? In the introduction to this series I shared the following: What is a system? What 6 organizing systems do I think everyone needs? What 5 questions can you ask yourself to see if your systems are still working for you, or if they need tweaking? Now…

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Are you too busy to live your life?

By Hazel Thornton | October 17, 2017 |

Once upon a time I was taught the Transcendental Meditation technique. It’s a mantra-based meditation that is done for 20 minutes twice a day, but that is not my point. The thing about the training that keeps coming back to me is this frequent admonishment: If you are too busy to meditate, then you are…

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Time Management Tip

Wanna know my #1 time management tip?

By Hazel Thornton | December 28, 2016 |

I love helping my clients spend more of their time doing what they want to, and less of it doing what they have to! I give them lots of time tips (well, I actually coach them through a whole customized program), such as: Identify your priorities, goals, and time wasters. Create an ideal schedule and…

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make chores fun

15 Ways to Make Chores Fun!

By Hazel Thornton | October 14, 2016 |

Who enjoys doing chores? No one, that’s who. But what if I told you there were ways to make chores fun? Or, at least, more fun than they seem now. Chores include house work, meal prep, yard work, paying bills, running errands, grocery shopping, tidying up, cleaning, repairs, scheduling, and planning. Exercise — body maintenance…

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The Chinese Menu Time Management Technique

By Hazel Thornton | May 15, 2016 |

Are you familiar with the Happy Family Chinese-American restaurant meal? Choose one item from menu Column A, one from Column B… and with six you get egg roll…? Well, that’s how I manage my time. Allow me to explain…

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Busting the Top 10 Organizing Myths

By Hazel Thornton | October 10, 2015 |

As part of my 10-year celebration of being in the organizing business, I thought I’d revisit this old blog post and see if I still agreed with myself. I do. Don’t believe everything you think!  Here are the top 10 organizing myths, along with the truth and some helpful links to related blog posts and …

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Getting Things Done (GTD)

By Hazel Thornton | June 4, 2013 |

Have you ever procrastinated doing something because you were afraid it might take a long time,  or lead to even more work, or make your brain hurt? And then, when you finally did it, it was easier and faster than you thought it would be, and you wondered, “Why didn’t I do that sooner?” I…

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