Lots of activities can be considered hobbies!
Do you have a big project you’ve been putting off?
Is it because you are waiting for the perfect time to devote your entire self to getting it done?
If you try to do too much at once, you risk getting overwhelmed and exhausted. Chances are you’ll get discouraged, go away, and never come back to it.
This is the view from my home office desk.
I think the key to being productive is to be comfortable and happy spending time in your office. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a corporate cubicle; a dedicated room at home with a door that closes; or another space you’ve carved out for yourself.
If you love your office, great! Carry on.
If you don’t, though, here are some tips and inspiration for decluttering your office and making it a place where you really enjoy spending time.
These are stressful times.
And I think we’re all feeling it one way or another.
(I originally wrote this post during a specific national crisis, but really, every day is stressful for someone, isn’t it?)
Are you remembering to take care of yourself?
I forget sometimes, so I’m writing this for myself as much as for you.
Organizing for stressful times means planning what you will do for yourself when, not if, those times occur.
Here are my suggestions: (more…)
Click to enlarge.
I love nothing more than a clean, tidy, organized home!
But those are three completely different things.
Embrace the clutter!
Why on earth would I, a professional organizer, say such a thing?
Well, think about it. What’s the opposite of embracing something? Fearing it? Ignoring it? Avoiding it?
Doesn’t it seem like anything you fear, ignore, or avoid persists? It doesn’t go away, it just nags at you. Doesn’t it? Maybe not every second of every day, but repeatedly and persistently.
Meanwhile, it usually gets steadily worse, not magically better. Right?
Why not embrace your clutter – and yourself, and your flaws – and make friends with them?
When I help a client sort through their things, there are any number of reasons why they have difficulty letting them go.
This, despite the fact that they don’t love or use them. “But it was a gift! But I might need it someday! But I paid good money for that!”
Wait! WHAT? (Cue screeching phonograph needle on vinyl.)
You spent good money for that? Oh…well…that’s too bad. But so what? (more…)
Love ’em or hate ’em, garage sales (yard sales, tag sales, whatever you call them) are here to stay.
Here’s why I hate ’em: (more…)
I know how to get stuff done, and I can teach you how, too. I have tools and systems for all the stages of workflow (collect, process, organize, review and do). I have an inbox and project lists which I clear and review weekly. I say no to activities that don’t support my goals and priorities. For the most part I capture and process new tasks as they occur to me, adding them to my Master Project List or scheduling them on my calendar. I have a notebook handy for capturing stray thoughts when I want to stay focused on my current activity and not worry about losing the thought.
But life happens. Sometimes I get lazy, or sick, or preoccupied, or I’m traveling, or busier than usual, and stuff piles up (physical and mental clutter), and I start to get overwhelmed. (more…)
Clutter comes in many forms. If you are worried about something, but aren’t doing anything about it — or can’t do anything about it — it’s mental clutter. For any persistent, worrisome thought, ask yourself: Can you do something about it? If you think so, or if you don’t think so, or if you’re not sure — think again just to make sure. If the answer is yes — you can do something about it – great! Do it! The pure fact that you are doing something about it will help you to not worry about it so much.
Why can’t you part with your mental clutter? Here are some reasons why this is difficult:
Home Office AFTER
How does your home office make you feel? If you have the sort of business where you have clients in, are you embarrassed to let them see it? One of my organizing and redesign clients said, about her cluttered, drab room, “I feel like I’m going to prison every morning.” Oh no, that’s terrible! Depending on how you use it, you might be spending more time in your home office than you do sleeping in your bedroom! (Which, by the way, is the other most neglected room in the house for décor, but that’s another story.)
So, what can you do? Here are 3 steps to falling in love with your home office:
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