Thought for the week...

Life always gives us
exactly the teacher we need
at every moment.
This includes every mosquito,
every misfortune,
every red light,
every traffic jam,
every obnoxious supervisor (or employee),
every illness, every loss,
every moment of joy or depression,
every addiction,
every piece of garbage,
every breath.

Every moment is the Guru.


Charlotte Joko Beck
American Author and Zen Teacher

Gremlins in my desk...again...

I always suggest to my clients to be sure and set boundaries for their offices and work spaces. Things like don't allow your children to eat and play on your computer at the same time; be sure your coworker knows to put the file back when it is returned to your office, etc. Well, I have certainly tried to set boundaries with my daughter but she always seems to sneak in to my office when I'm not looking. I tried to find a ball point pen this morning and you can imagine my surprise when all I have in my desk drawer is a red crayon. Doesn't look very professional when I am writing a thank you card to a potential client. At times I have come in to find love notes written to me in the middle of the night. I love that but when I can't find a blank piece of paper to put in my printer, I get a little frustrated. ESPECIALLY WHEN SHE HAS TAKEN ALL OF MY PAPER TO CREATE INVITATIONS FOR HER DANCE PARTY THAT IS TO BE HELD IN OUR FRONT YARD THIS SATURDAY -- I wasn't even invited...sigh...

Hmmm....what will you pick?

Yesterday I mentioned that I have been giving presentations and fielding bunches of questions. Here is another one that I have had come up a few times:

Concern: My desk is so unorganized I don't even know where to start!

Answer: Pick one thing to focus on for 10 minutes a day. One day clear out your junk mail. The next day take care of those sticky notes all over your computer monitor and put them in a notebook. The next day open all unopened mail and file it. You get the idea. Just like cleaning a dirty kitchen -- start with the dishes in the sink then move on to the counter tops. If you take just one small task each day, they will all add up into a clean working environment.

Do you have any specific questions you would like on organizing? Send them my way! You can also follow me on Twitter: snap_organizer.

Questions From the Field

For those of you who haven't heard, I have been going around the Portland/Vancouver area giving presentations on organizing. After each presentation I always ask if there are any questions. Boy are there! I thought it might be beneficial for everyone to post the questions I have been asked with the answers. You never know -- some of the answers might actually work for you!

Question for today: My refrigerator at home is covered in school memos, lunch menus, and other reminders that I need to see on a daily basis. Is there a better way to have the accessible for both me and my grade school child?

Answer for today: Tape them to the inside of a cabinet. Easy to find, out of the way. Viola!

Don't you feel better already?

Getting Ready...

We are getting prepared to take a well-deserved vacation. As always, a few weeks before we leave, I start a list of things to do, things to take, and any other notes that pertain to our trip. We have a list we use for camping and it is the same list every year. I have found that I like to create a new list when we actually get on a plane and travel. Every place is unique and I like to think about all the things we could use or need depending upon where we go. When we went to Alaska, we packed differently than when we went to Palm Springs. One thing I did think about (it was brilliant if you ask me!) was to make a note and take my own coffee. My husband and I have always splurged on the richest, darkest coffee for our espresso maker and it is really hard to find good coffee when you travel. Brilliant, I tell you! Nothing beats a small notepad, pencil, and your creative thoughts!

The Number One Rule...

People ask me all the time about how to get organized. My number one rule (quickly followed by number two) is find a place for everything. Number two is keep everything in its place. It is actually a bit more evolved than that but the basic principle is the same. Do you store your dry pasta in the bathroom just because you have more space? No, you find a place in the kitchen. Do you put postage stamps in the silverware drawer? Not unless you are mailing forks to your relatives. Think about things you have that are not finding a home. Then....wait for it...find them a home. If you don't have room, reconsider what you are actually holding on to. Chances are, if you don't have the space, you are keeping too much. Now, go read rule number one again!

Intentions and organization

One thing I have noticed that all my clients have in common is that they WANT to be organized, they have the intention of becoming organized, they just don't know where to start. It is kind of like wanting to get into shape but not knowing which exercise to start with. My advice? Just pick one. Any one thing. Doing one thing is much better than not doing anything. At least it sets your intentions into action. Deciding to get organized is much different than actually doing it. So, pick one thing -- keep all the dishes washed for one week, make your bed every day, recycle all the magazines that are 2 months or older. Just pick one thing. When you accomplish one thing it will motivate you to pick another. It really feels good!