Organizing doesn’t have to be incredibly time-consuming or daunting. Here are a few quick projects that can get you motivated. Create A Calendar Find a calendar that fits your needs and style: wall calendar, day planner, custom spreadsheet, etc. Fill in non-negotiable obligations. Create an area to document …
Delegation: The key to success
Manager to a team member: “Please graph 2nd quarter sales, this year to last year.” Sibling to sibling: “When you go see Mom, please water the flower boxes.” Spouse to spouse: “Can you stop and get milk on the way home, please?” Parent to child: “Before you go …
Slow the heck down!
I’m at my mom’s celebrating her 89th birthday. As usual, when I visit, there’s a list of things she (I) would like to accomplish. Here’s this trip’s list: Organize photos. Install screen to hide the garage work area. Install pull-out organizers in bathroom cabinets. Get bedspread dry-cleaned. Do …
Routines
Routine: “Habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure.” Routines can support us when indecision steps in. Daily routines can help manage our schedules. Positive self-care routines can assist in supporting mental health. Sometimes we use routines without even thinking about it. I know my day goes better …
Project: Family Reunion
Our family just held our annual family reunion. It was an amazing 3-day event with up to 60 people participating in the main event on Saturday. Participants ranged from 7-months to 86-years old. Pulling off an event of this magnitude with such a varying age range can be …
Swim Lanes
I come from a family of swimmers. At a point in time, all five of the siblings in my family were on swim teams. I was the youngest at the age of six with my oldest brother being 14. I can’t imagine the scheduling chaos in our family …
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t know.” was one of the phrases I previously feared using the most. Now I embrace it. What did I used to think “I don’t know.” said about me? I was uninformed. I was unprepared. I wasn’t as good as someone else. I was vulnerable and weak. …
Bucket Management
“I need to change everything.” This is the answer I get most often from my clients when asked what they’d like to focus on first in our coaching or organizing partnership. But, change takes focus and we can’t focus on everything at the same time, right? One of …
Old Dog, New Tricks
How often have we heard the phrase “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Thirty years ago neural researchers would have sworn that mental development ended in your twenties. The prevailing theory was that “the brain simply didn’t undergo any significant change in capacity after late adolescence” …
Are you listening?
Yesterday was a day full of observation and personal enlightenment. I listened to an Oprah SuperSoul podcast with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Although the entire podcast was extremely interesting, at 23 minutes in, the term “compassionate listening” comes up. This …