Your Organizing Coach

Your Brain: Distracted

Your brain craves novelty and will be distracted by it whenever it appears. Period. It's neuroscience.

In his article about why it's hard to focus, David Rock explains that attention uses up brain resources, so it's limited (although more coffee sometimes helps). Also, there is always some kind of neural activity going on in your brain and that contributes to its restlessness and distractibility.

To compound these problems, the effect of distraction tends to accelerate. That means once you start giving in to an urge to, say, check email by opening your email program, it will be much harder to keep yourself from doing it than if you nipped that pesky desire in the bud.

What's the answer? You already know. You have to turn off the distractions. Stop fighting your brain's natural tendencies and work around them instead.

The other, more subtle, answer is to develop mindfulness. Rock has another fascinating article about that topic, where he shows that the brain has two different networks to experience the world. One filters through the self (attributing meaning to events, for example) and the other is direct sensory experience (being present in the moment, for example). It's not surprising to find that people who are good at being mindful have more cognitive control and thus can manage distractions better.

Candy store from D'Arcy Norman's photostream

January is Get Organized Month!

What? But it's already nearly half over! Claire, why didn't you tell me this before???

Relax. Get Organized month is a just a friendly reminder that you should start working on that organizing project. What I want to emphasize today is to keep it simple. Pick just one thing that you can actually get done this month. Thus, you will fulfill the promise of Get Organized month.

What one thing shall I pick?

• Get an inbox, or start using the one you have
• Make an appointment with yourself to sort through one box (one pile, one folder) this month. Make sure to budget time to put away/throw away/give away the contents
• Donate all those old magazines that you will never have time to read. Where? Doctor's office, school (for collage), East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse or give away on Craigslist.

So, that's the secret. Pick a task you know you can accomplish by the end of the month. Doesn't matter if it seems too easy. That kind of reasoning is why you haven't done it yet. On Groundhog Day, celebrate!

Phone Coaching to Get You Organized

Getting yourself organized is not rocket science. Unless the Muppets' game "One of These Things Is Not Like the Others" left you scratching your head, you can sort stuff into categories. You're also capable of making decisions instead of adding to your teetering pile of things you'll decide on at some later, unspecified date (which, honestly, may never come).

Jumping rope is not rocket science. Making and eating a healthy salad isn't rocket science. But people don't always do those things on their own. They hire personal trainers, or go to gym classes, or join Weight Watchers. Of course, you can learn the "how-to" from trainers and classes. But there's another big thing they provide, and that's accountability.

If you avoid the jump rope session in your living room, no one will know. At the gym, your trainer is standing right there, so of course you're going to jump. Also, you've decided to be at the gym at that time to do that very thing. Working with a professional organizer provides that structure too.

Say you don't really want to hire an organizer, what can you do? Well, I'm glad you asked because I'm offering a new service; accountability coaching. It's a simple way to stay on track with your organizing goals, whether you're decluttering a closet, managing your time or sorting out the paper on your desk.

The way it works is that you call me once a week and we'll talk for 15 minutes. We discuss what you got done last week, how it went, what problems came up and how to deal with them, what you're planning for next week and how you'll make that happen. It's amazing how much progress you can make when you know you'll be reporting in to someone! Also, talking about what you are doing can uncover issues you might not have recognized and help you overcome obstacles you now know how to handle.

Accountability coaching is perfect if you have a pretty good idea of what you want to organize but you don't seem to be getting to it on your own. It's also great if you don't live in my area and can't see me in person. Click the link above for more details, or the one under Phone Coaching in the left column. Or right here.

As always, the initial half hour phone consultation is free. I'm also offering a money-back guarantee. If the sessions don't help you make progress after one month, I'll give you a full refund. What have you got to lose?

Tricks to Motivate You

I answered a question on Linked In today about whether it's possible to become more disciplined. My answer wasn't really about discipline though, because that word turns me off. It makes me think of following rules, being punished if I don't, rigidity and fear. Ick.

So my answer was about motivation instead. And tricks. Fun ways to get yourself to do stuff. 

If the end result of your work is something you really, really want, it's not hard to get motivated. If you don't want the result, why bother? Whatever project you're putting off, trace it back and find out what the original motivation was and whether it's still valid. 

If it's valid and you still don't want to do it, pay someone else to do it! Or, try some of these tricks.

• Work on your project for just two minutes. Use a timer. If you get inspired, keep going. If not, you got two minutes worth done, more than you had before.
• Imagine the day is over and you're looking back over what you got done. What will make you feel like you got something really worthwhile accomplished? Then, do that thing.
• Make a "Not To Do" list. Put anything that you're not getting around to and that can go undone without the planet exploding. Keep the list somewhere safe. This tells your brain that it can forget about those things and relieves you of that mental clutter.

  What tricks do you use to get yourself going and stay on task? 

Rabbit out of a Hat from laneesque's photostream.

Top Ten Reasons that Getting Organized Brings Happiness

At this time of year, there's a lot of talk about happiness. The holidays can be stressful so there are plenty of magazine articles about how to be happier in spite of them. 

Studies have shown that getting organized is one of the top ten or even top five of popular new year's resolutions. If you don't like making resolutions because they're too discouraging, check out my post on creating realistic ones.

And now, here's why you should make that resolution:

1. It makes your life easier
2. It lifts stress and worry
3. You’ve accomplished a goal that’s been on your list for years
4. It’s positive self care that you deserve
5. It smoothes out family relations
6. You feel proud to invite people into your home or office
7. You can help others more easily because you can find that item you want to give them 
8. It creates a pleasing and serene physical space 
9. Your mind is decluttered so you can think about the important things in your life
10. Your pace of life isn’t so hectic, so you actually have “free time” 

Now that you're inspired, why not contact me for a free half hour phone consultation? Use the "Email Me" link on the left side to start. Remember, I can help you via telephone if you're not in my area, so don't hesitate to contact me. Make it a great new year! 

Zen living room from Wonderlane's photostream

Containment

I love it when simple changes make a big difference. Example: a pile of fruit on your dining table is just a random pile of fruit. Put the fruit in a bowl or basket and, voila!, you've got a centerpiece.

My client was bugged by some items out on his coffee table, but didn't really want to put them elsewhere because he used them all the time. The remote control(s), the TV Guide, the stereo controller and a note pad were fairly neatly arranged on the table, but they looked, well, unorganized.

We discovered an attractive wicker tray in the pantry and stationed it at one end of the coffee table. All the items fit snugly inside without piling. What a difference! Not only did the table now look more orderly, but it's easy as pie to use and put back any of the items.

See if there's a horizontal surface at your house that would benefit from containers. They can be trays, shallow boxes, ceramic dishes, woven baskets or whatever fits the bill.

Flower centerpiece from roblisameehan's photostream

Greatest Hits

Sentimental clutter is hard to get rid of. The watch, the birthday card and the piano all bring back memories of people we loved and good times we had. Throwing those things away seems like an affront, a cold detachment from our feelings. However, if you kept (or are keeping) every nostalgia-inducing item, you'll run out of room for anything else.

Try this. Get all that stuff together either physically or on a list. Categorize it by type (letters and cards, furniture, jewelry, dishware, etc.). In each category, pick the best one or two. By best I mean the most meaningful, most beautiful, most pleasurable ones. The rest you give away, donate or toss out. You're creating a "greatest hits" collection.

The beauty of this is that it not only winnows down your collection, but it concentrates it. Say you only have your grandma's engagement ring and not her flower pots, old slippers, dining table, teacups, wall clock, set of quilting magazines, closetful of fabric and painting of a cow.

That ring is eight times more precious. That ring is the pure, distilled essence of your feelings. Don't dilute your memories by spreading them all over the place.

Greatest Hits from wrestlingentropy's photostream

Multitasking vs. Creativity

Here's another, unsung reason that multitasking is not so great: it stifles creativity. I've been reading Marc Lesser's book, Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less. He focuses a lot on what "doing" is. Much "doing" is what he calls busyness. It's extra effort we put in because we feel it's required, or we're just not comfortable not doing, or we crave activity of some kind.

Often we multitask by listening to tapes while driving, or talking on the phone while taking a walk. It feels good to get those two tasks out of the way by doing them at the same time. Yet when we're driving or washing dishes or walking around the lake, we're not really doing just that one thing.

We're letting our minds wander a bit, observing what's around us, feeling the soapy water on our hands. Those are the times when insights come to us. I'm talking about "aha" moments such as the famous one Archimedes had in the bath. And this is not just for artists and scientists. Creativity is important in all facets of life.

The next time your find yourself trying to get too much done in too little time by doing it all at once, remember that if you allow some space, some ease to come in, the answers may come with them. You won't always have a magnificent brainstorm when you let your mind be quiet. Regular practice encourages your brain to think in new ways and make you more productive without working harder.

Peaceful walking from LaPrimaDonna's photostream

The Seven Deadly Organizing Sins: Wrath

This is Sin #5 on the list, which also includes lust, gluttony, greed and sloth. Wrath, or anger, is sinful because it's destructive. It can harm others and it can harm you as well.

Here's a scenario: Overwhelmed Olivia decides to beat clutter once and for all. She buys an organizing book and sets aside a weekend. By Sunday night, she's only on the third cabinet and she feels frustrated. Then she gets mad; mad at the book, which she throws behind the bed, and mad at herself for not being able to get this project done.

Her anger really comes from trying to achieve a goal with an impossible timeline. Even if you've got a team of people dragging all your stuff into the driveway for you to make rapid fire decisions on, you're still not going to finish in a weekend.

Olivia's goal also may not be realistic because of other time and energy commitments. She's bound to feel angry if she never has a spare hour to go through that back closet.

To avoid sin: Be kind to yourself. Know that you are doing your best and that perfectionism is your enemy. Do no compare yourself to others, especially people on TV shows! You have your own unique talents, energy levels, working styles and preferences.

Why I Procrastinate

Why do I procrastinate? Yes, I do it too! I distinguish between taking personal time and actual procrastination (which is an essential skill for solopreneurs), but procrastination does happen.

When I'm procrastinating it's usually because I think I won't do a good job or I think I'll outright fail at something. So, it's fear, mostly. When I'm trying to think of something to write on this blog, I reject lots of ideas because they seem too obvious or I don't think I have anything interesting to say about them.

I don't like to fail or to be wrong. No one does. I have to take myself by the hand and reassure my scared little self that if I don't do anything, that's another way of failing, so why not "just do it"?

What's the worst that could happen? That people will think I'm stupid and irrelevant. Actually, what's even worse is that no one will pay attention to me! Again, if I don't give them the opportunity to ignore me, I also don't give them the chance to read something that might interest them.

Being more objective about my task helps me. As a professional organizer, it's part of my job to write posts that help people. I do it because it's my job, not because I want people to like me (okay, I do want that, but I can't focus on it). I can't help all of the people all of the time, but I know that some of my ideas are good and will help some people. That's enough.

Other reasons to procrastinate: you prefer thinking up ideas to doing the actual work, you don't want to be controlled by others ("you can't make me!"), you always put the needs of others before your own, or you can't get going until you're in crisis mode.

How do you procrastinate and what do you do about it? I don't think it's possible to completely avoid doing it; just learn to recognize it and fix it. We all need little tricks up our sleeves to get going again.

Hand holding from dino_olivieri's photostream.