Your Organizing Coach

Use Your Laptop at the Beach (!?)

I'm buying a laptop soon. One of the big reasons I want one is that I'm itching to do my computer work out in the garden, now that warm weather is here. I'm already wondering how I'm going to see the screen when I'm sitting out in the sun.

So I surfed around and came upon this wacky product on Lifehacker that shades the laptop screen. Some commenters point out that you could make one of these yourself with a cardboard box or a couple of file folders. This one does fold up neatly and attach to the lid of the computer, and that's kind of nice. Don't think it's designed to keep out sand though...

Winner: most hilarious cleaning product

I just laughed out loud when I saw these dusting slippers in the current issue of Organize magazine!  They also come in hot pink!

I must confess, I love to Swiffer, but these also look like swell fun. My floors are wood, and I can easily imagine myself getting up some speed and then sliding across the floor in them. I bet they're nice and slippery. Just put on some music and bust your best moves.

Terrific Home Office Tips

I just came across a stupefyingly comprehensive list of ways to make your office more productive. It covers everything from getting a great chair to deducting it from your taxes to setting it in the right spot, feng shui-wise. Don't see how I could improve on this, so just go read it!

Checklists for Smart People

Smart, capable people have a thing about checklists. Checklists are for dummies. They're for people who's grasp of the task at hand isn't strong enough to get the job done without one. They're for people without the wits, expertise and inventiveness just to wing it and succeed. Does that sound like you?

In a recent New Yorker article, physician Atul Gawande shows that being too smart, capable, inventive, etc. and disdaining anything as simplistic as a checklist costs lives in the hospital. Aunt Liz died not because she was too far gone for the operation to save her. She died because no one checked to make sure her IV drip line wasn't infected.

Okay, maybe in your daily life following a checklist won't save lives, but it can insure that your project doesn't go belly up because you forgot one small detail. People often lament that life is getting too fast and too complicated, but they also take pride in keeping on top of it by wits alone. It's not just doctors who are guilty of this.

Think of it this way: the best use of your smarts is to come up with great ideas, to devise better ways of doing things, to think outside the box. A checklist is just a tool to take care of the boring, everyday details that must be taken care of, but that don't need to be thought about. Smart people use tools.

Checklists can be used for any sequence of repeated steps. Here's a sample checklist for leaving the house, based on one in the book ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life. (This is a great book, by the way; you don't need to be ADD to get a lot out of it.)
 

• Find keys, cell phone, day planner and glasses and put in purse or pocket
• Pack briefcase with files or paperwork
• Turn off stove, TV, iron, etc.
• Lock doors, turn on alarm
• Stop and think: Did I forget anything?

Packing List for Holiday Travel

Holiday travel season is coming up! If you're going somewhere, use a packing list. It will ease your travel considerably.

I use checklists a lot, all kinds of them. They're very helpful for making sure nothing falls through the cracks, and I get the satisfaction of checking off items as I do them. I put everything on my checklists because I find that the most common things I forget are the ones that seem most obvious (my toothbrush, for example). When my checklist is as complete as I can make it, I can stop worrying about forgetting things and focus on worrying about missing the plane (!)

There are many generic packing lists on the Internet, such as this one on a travel website. It includes tasks to take care of before leaving home; a great addition. I recommend cobbling together several lists and then editing them to suit your own travel style and to comply with current security regulations.

Again, it's important to add in everything you can thing of and be specific. For example, the entry for arranging for pet care might also include: make sure this person has a key to get into your home! On the other hand, a checklist is great because it helps you avoid packing unnecessary items; you've already decided what you need to take. As this site points out, a packing list

"...defends against last-minute attacks of "I might need this." The worst possible time to be considering what to take on a trip is while you are packing for the trip!"

Hindsight, of course, is 20-20. You can refine your list by making notes while you're on your trip. Was there something important you forgot? Did you bring some clothes you never wore? Did you have the right shoes? Would it be great next time to have a book light so you can read in bed (I'm always amazed at how poor hotel room lighting can be)? If you're traveling domestically, what about bringing stamps with you so you can actually mail those postcards from your destination?

Happy trails!

Nag Me, Please

Nagging is just another form of reminding, isn't it? How you feel about the subject dictates whether you think of a reminder as a nag or as a helpful productivity tool.

There are lots of ways to nag yourself; put books by the door that you have to kick out of the way if you're not going to pick them up (and return them to the library), stick Post-Its on the mirror where they block your view, leave things out where they'll visually bug you till you do something about them.

And now there's HassleMe. This service lets you compose your own nagging emails and then sends them to you on an irregular schedule. Since you won't be expecting them, you can't tune them out quite as well as your own homegrown nags.

I could also see using this service for non-nagging purposes, such as sending myself encouraging notes. Or to remind myself  of things I actually want to do, but tend to forget about.

Thanks to this Mashable post for enlightening me about HassleMe and 99 other nifty productivity tools.

Visualize Your Home Office into Reality

Last week I made a presentation to a group that included a visualization at the beginning. I wanted to talk to this group of nascent entrepreneurs about their home offices.

For me, one of the best things about having my own business is my home office. It’s not fancy, but it’s mine! This visualization is about on how your office should feel, rather than how it should look. The thing to focus on is visualizing whatever makes you feel joyful and centered.

Start by imagining it’s tomorrow morning. You’ve awakened naturally after a good night’s sleep. There’s no need for an alarm clock because you’re in charge of when you get to your office. You feel alert and relaxed. You look out the window, starting to feel what kind of day you’ll create for yourself. Maybe it’s raining, maybe it’s sunny. Whatever the weather, it’s a brand new day for you to create wonderful things with your business.

You arrive at your office feeling eager to work. Your office may be a separate room, or a desk in the living room or a laptop computer on the kitchen table. Wherever it is, you arrive there knowing that you are in your office.

You have arranged it to suit yourself. You have a comfy chair, a cup of your favorite morning beverage, a window to look out of, whatever makes your office a pleasant place to be. You might have a cat in your lap, or your dog lying next to your chair.

Perhaps there are other people there whose presence supports you in your work. You may be wearing your favorite sweater and some nice, warm socks. You may have some music playing that inspires and motivates you. You have all the materials and supplies you need close at hand.

Take a few moments now to see your office in your mind. If you don’t have one yet, imagine one that you can create when you get home. If you do have one, imagine yourself there now and see if there’s anything else you want to add to make it an even nicer place to spend time. If you have a home office space that you don’t really like, this is the time to improve it. Don’t think about what you dislike about it. Stop reading for a minute or so and close your eyes to do this.

You’ve set your own office hours. Maybe it’s afternoon or evening instead of morning, if that suits your schedule better. Whenever it is, now it’s time for you to focus on your business. You’ve arranged to be free of distractions during your office time so that you can use all your energies toward creating your business. There will be plenty of time later to handle non-business tasks. You set aside this time because your business is important to you.

You know how much it matters to work in a pleasing and comfortable environment. The happiness you feel being in a place that supports you translates into more creativity, more joyful interaction with your clients or customers and greater ease in producing your work.

Now imagine doing whatever tasks your business needs doing. If you make a phone call, imagine that the person you are calling is happy to hear from you and that the conversation is productive for both of you. If you’re doing billing, feel proud and satisfied with the work you’ve done for that money. If you’re paying bills, reflect on how successful your business is and how much each vendor helps it be successful. If you’re starting a task that makes you feel unsure of yourself and your abilities, turn your thoughts to the great service or product you’re providing and know that your efforts are aligned with the highest good for all. Stop reading for a minute or so and close your eyes to do this.

Next you get to take a break! Reward yourself for the good work you’ve done. Choose something that feels like a treat to you. Maybe you want to call a friend on the phone. Maybe you want to take a walk. Maybe you want to plan something fun for the weekend.

Take a moment to remember the good feelings you have about the office you visualized. Remember the positive attitude you felt while doing your work. Any time in the future you can recall those feelings and give yourself a lift. Stop reading for a few moments and close your eyes to do this.

Now we’ll come back to the chair you’re sitting in, today. Bring yourself gently back to the present. When you’re ready, open your eyes. Stretch a bit if you want.

How did that go for you? Did you hook into a good feeling that you can bring back whenever you want? Remember to jot down any great ideas you got about arranging your home office!