What we're reading
Are you the disorganized type with piles of paper on your desk? Or are you the type who goes for fashion over function?
Well, Smart Computer Softwares Blog has a great post called 12 Tips for an Organized Desk to help you get a handle on your office space.
I especially like this point:
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Do you feel overwhelmed?
Are you always rushing from one place to another?
Is the word “fun” a very distant memory?
Do you feel like you’re drowning with all the things you have to do?
Are you frustrated because you wish you had more time?
Do you feel frazzled and stressed out?
Then this book is just for you!
Go here to read more and download the page of contents.
If you have a passion for organising and you'd like to turn that into a professional organising business, then I'd love to help you!
As you know, I'm a professional organiser AND a coach so you get the best of both worlds - someone cheering you on and guiding you to get your own business up and running in record time.
My 6-week, how to become a professional organiser group coaching programme started on Thursday 20th March but it's not too late to join in. You'll get instant access to the downloads and you get all the valuable bonuses too!
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The headlines are alarming. February job losses are up, the dollar is weak, and oil prices are above $100 a barrel. Many economists are warning that the U.S. is headed for a recession – or may already be in one. So what should the average American do? The Debt Diva, Clarky Davis of CareOne Credit Counseling, says you can’t control the economy, but there are steps you can take to recession-proof your life.
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I would be lost without lists.
I keep a running grocery list on the fridge. I keep a general to-do list on the first page of my planner and my daily to-do list is on a sticky note on the front cover. I keep a prioritized list of long term to-do’s (pet vaccinations, auto servicing, etc.) in the “notes” section of my planner, and then I write all my appointments in the monthly calendar section (I prefer monthly to weekly so I can plan ahead better).
But every once in a while I find myself somewhere without my purse and no pen and paper handy, and something mildly important that I need to remember – ack!
That’s when I use the power of association.
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I got together with 3 awesome business owners and we put together this 40-page book in record time. Nothing like group excitement and accountability to get us moving! I am so proud of how this turned out and I know you're going to LOVE it!
You can get your copy of this gorgeous FREE book at http://organiseyourbusiness.com.
Let me give you just a little hint about what's in there:
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At some point, you’ve probably seen Peter Walsh dishing out his organizing advice on Oprah or on TLC’s Clean Sweep. His latest book is called Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? An Easy Plan for Consuming Less and Living More. Here’s a short description of the book, courtesy of its publisher Simon and Schuster:
“When it comes to clearing clutter, it isn't about the stuff itself; it's about the life you want to live…
Using his expert techniques honed from years as a clutter expert and organizational consultant, Peter demonstrates…how to clean up not just the spaces…but the routines around them…
Peter knows all the pitfalls and in Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?, he gives you the tools (and courage) you need to get over all your excuses, [and] face the issues…”
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It happens without warning. One day you notice your home has turned into a collage of papers, junk, and stuff – everywhere. You’re not alone. Today more than ever it seems that the flotsam and jetsam of living, like the waves of an ocean, continually beat at our doors, flooding our houses with all manner of stuff until our homes are bulging at the seams. A typical home is now cluttered and dirty to the point of exhaustion. All this accumulation also makes going home or being at home, a cause for dread because we’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things surrounding us. Can you relate?
Kathryn Weber has written an incredibly helpful article on Bellaonline.com called 8 Signs Your Home is Out of Control — and What to Do About It.
The eight signs are:
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All I Want for Christmas Is LESS STRESS!
If that’s how you feel, I’ve got the solution for you! It’s the 2007 Holiday Guide. This guide will help you glide through the fast-paced season that begins at Thanksgiving and continues through the New Year. Karen Henke has pooled her organizational knowledge and her vast collection of resources into one great place for the holidays.
In her Holiday Survival Guide, you’ll find everything you need to keep your holiday season organized and stress-free, from budgeting and gift ideas to decorating ideas and choosing the right wine. She even includes an old-fashioned sugar cookie recipe (I’m always a sucker for a good cookie!)
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I’m constantly finding new blogs to love. I’m trying to keep my Google Reader under control, but I always seem to find a blog to add. Here are some of my favs:
No Credit Needed Blog where you can find fantastic tips and advice for organizing your life to the point where you don’t need credit and can live debt free (what a concept)! And by the same author, No Calories Needed Blog which is where I found FitDay and their handy free online account that helps you track your food intake and calories burned so you can keep your diet organized.
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If you haven't met the Flylady, do yourself a favor and go on over to check her out.
I love Flylady because of these great time management principles:
1. Make it a habit
When you start the Flylady system, you start working with one habit. When that habit is routine, you add another and then another, until your home cleans itself and you have your life back.
2. "You can do anything for 15 minutes"
This is so true and a great technique for procrastinators! After 15 minutes, you can stop if you want or you can choose to continue. Usually once those first 15 minutes are done, you've built up momentum and you want to carry on with the task.
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Are you looking for the perfect system for organising your business?
The new 68-page Organise your Business system is here!
This handy system consists of the Business Control Journal and Organise your Business e-book. Comes complete with forms and templates, ready to use.
Get your business organised so you can focus on inc.ome-producing activities.
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Visual clutter - the kind that makes it hard to find anything in the picture - can waste time, or even create dangerous situations. So MIT engineers have designed a visual clutter detector to identify when bad design hampers a person’s ability to understand information, causes confusion, or interrupts concentration.
The scientists say the impetus was that "we lack a clear understanding of what clutter is, what features, attributes and factors are relevant, why it presents a problem and how to identify it."
A clutter measuring device may sound funny, but it's actually "a breakthrough that could help everyone from fighter pilots to Web site designers."
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Are you a Felix or an Oscar? Or do you fall comfortably somewhere in between?
“Put Your House on a Diet: De-Clutter Your Home and Reclaim Your Life” by Ed Morrow, Sheree Bykofsky, and Rita Rosenkranz offers a lighthearted look at clutter in our lives and some practical ways to take control of it.
Take this quiz from the first chapter of the book and find out your pack rat potential.
Sample question: • There is a place for most things but hardly anything is in its place, and many more things are in something else's place. All places and all things are dusty. (2 points)
I just saw this comment from “Mom on strike” and had to reply in a post:
"I NEED HELP with my two boys 15 and 17, my husband-51 and my mom, none of them will do anything or help me in any way. I don’t get it. Our daughter who is 20 is very neat. She will purge her room etc two times a year. Now she is in college and is very neat. What happened!! What can I do.
Please help.
Amy"
Oh Amy, I sympathize! My advice? You have the right idea - strike! That's what it took for me.
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I loved so many things about The organized life - secrets of an expert organizer by Stephanie Denton
It is small enough to hold comfortably and best of all, has gorgeous, bright, thick, glossy, coloured paper. I’m a very tactile person and this book feels just yummy in one’s hand.
I also loved the way it was written – not too wordy, but extremely rich in content.
The one thing you need to remember, on each page in a huge font: “the less you have, the less you have to organise”
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My husband loves new books and he just picked up The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. Ferriss is a 29-year old wonder boy who's managed to create a deafening buzz in the marketplace with his book and his unconventional, rule-breaking philosophies.
He's also apparently Champion of the Universe at everything he attempts, not unlike 70's series super-couple Jonathon and Jennifer Hart (come on, you remember Hart to Hart, don'tcha??)
Television acting? He can do it. Tango? He can do it. Chinese kick-boxing? He can do it. Do you speak four languages? He speaks SIX! Oh ye mere mortals, I warn you do NOT try to outdo this young feller! Now I know I'm being a bit irreverent, I'm (mostly) teasing, and I admit I haven't read the book and I don't know if I will, but so far, Christmas Boy digs it. And typically, if he digs it, I know I will too, because I trust his judgment.
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