Monthly Archives: November 2009

Time Management Made Simple

Last week the Wall Street Journal test-drove three time-management systems: Getting Things Done The Pomodoro Technique Franklin Covey’s Focus. The article concluded, unsurprisingly, that each technique had benefits and drawbacks. More interesting though, was author Sue Shellenbarger’s insights from focusing on time-management techniques. She found: An overlong to-do list was a set-up for failure To […]

Reflect On Your Success – And Reward Yourself! [Mission #26]

Wow – we’re at the halfway point of 52 Organizing Missions! We’ve covered a lot of ground and made some major strides in decluttering, simplifying and getting organized. This week is a good time to pause and reflect on your achievements over the course of the program. And enjoy a little reward. Get Organized Mission […]

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Gratitude Journal Template: My ‘Happy’ Thanksgiving Gift For You

Happy Thanksgiving To All My American Friends And Readers! I’d like to offer you a little gift that seems just right for a day of giving thanks. It’s an interactive Gratitude Journal Template: a downloadable, single-page PDF for listing all the things you’re grateful for – or at least 40 of them. The cool thing […]

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Get Organized For Thanksgiving: Grocery List Template

Use This Grocery List Template To Get Organized For Thanksgiving Doing your grocery shopping for Thanksgiving? Use this list to keep track of the items you need, by category. You can type into it and save it to your computer, or print out and write. Either way it’s re-usable. It’s available in my Holiday Planners […]

Get Organized Advice For Messy Teens

Organizing guru, Oprah regular, and fellow Australian Peter Walsh has some good advice for organizationally-challenged teens – and their parents. In a recent Good Morning America article (from which I’ve taken *these quotes) he countered some of the common excuses that lead to adolescent organizing angst. If your teen says: Peter replies*: But my stuff’s […]

Organize Your Online Life – And Raise Your Self Esteem In The Process

There’s a report this week about a depressed woman losing her health benefits because of some happy snaps on Facebook. There are many similar stories, including an MI6 chief’s blown cover and a sickie faker busted by Facebook. How do you avoid this kind of conflict? There are two main ways. 1. Censor your online […]

Bust Your Procrastination Demons [Mission #25]

  Welcome to Mission#25 of our 52 Get organized Missions. Procrastination is a pain. Not only does it stop you from getting things done, it also drains your energy and leaves you feeling bad about yourself. No doubt you’ve been super motivated by last week’s mission Get Organized Mission #24: Create A Chore Chart. So […]

Do You Use Information as Procrastination?

What are your goals? Do you spend lots of time reading or learning about weight loss, starting a business, or getting your finances sorted, but never make any progress? Information as Procrastination Could you be using information as a form of procrastination – a way to trick yourself into thinking you’re doing something productive? Some […]

Detox Your Fridge Before The Holidays

Time to give your fridge a mini detox?   Spend 5 minutes removing expired condiments, sprouting fruit and vegetables, and other noxious former foodstuffs from your fridge. Give the shelves a quick wipe down. Low on any refrigerated items? Pop them on your list. Now doesn’t that feel fresher? 🙂 This was a popular Today’s […]

Create a Chore Chart [Organizing Mission #24]

Welcome to Mission #24 of our 52 Get Organized Missions. One of the secrets to personal organization is to do a little every day. Unless you actually enjoy cleaning, filing and organizing (I sure don’t!), it’s more enjoyable and effective to focus on daily or weekly chores than massive, exhausting sprees. So this week we’ll […]

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52 Organizing Missions Update – A Cool Tool & Awesome Prizes!

  Hi there Mission-mates! I’d like to: Let you know about a cool new tool to help with 52 Organizing Missions Tell you about an opportunity to win awesome prizes Ask you what you think. 1. NEW: Set The Get-Organized Timer If you’re looking for a little extra motivation to get you moving, I’ve got […]

Enjoy Good Relationships [Mission #23]

Welcome to Mission #23 of our 52 Get Organized Missions. Good relationships have many health and longevity benefits, yet we rarely consider how we can improve our friendships. This week, over the next 3 steps and 30 minutes, that’s exactly what we’ll do. If you’ve completed the previous mission Get Organized Mission #22: Organize Your […]

Goal Setting 101: How To Use SMART Goals to Change a Habit

You might find it easy to apply SMART goal principles to your life goals or other personal goals, like losing weight or getting better grades.

But what about changing habits – can SMART goal setting apply there, too?

In today’s class *puts on teacherly glasses* we’re going to turn a desired habit change into a SMART goal.

Don’t Let Self-Help Turn Into Shelf-Help

Does self-help become shelf-help for you?   Here’s a trick to better use what you read: As you read, have a notebook & pen beside you. When you find something to do or remember, make a note. Transfer actions to your schedule with a due date. Share ideas to remember – email or call a […]