Office Transformation

 

This week I have been transforming my office space into a more tranquil one. What that means for me is the following:

• I want the space to feel tranquil and somewhere I want to spend time
• I want to be able to go through mail and action files easily and quickly
• I want to maintain the tranquil atmosphere even when I’m working on a project

I am going through each and every file in my filing cabinets

• Tossing what is no longer needed
• Tossing anything I can find on the internet
• Tossing anything outdated
• Shredding all information that has personal data on it

For my action files:

• I’m keeping them in a separate filing cabinet
• I have a 3×5 card for each action file with a brief description of what needs to be done. This is handy for me in order to prioritize my day and week
• In the case of phone calls that need to be made, the 3×5 card will have a phone number, and any other important information – this is great for when I’m not at home and have a few minutes to complete a task

 

I’m hoping to finish this task this week, so I can move onto downsizing the stack of reading I’ve accumulated over the last few months.

Adversity and Talent

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.

Horace

I think this is a great quote. I’m sure that many ideas, products, businesses, and inventions have come about because people experience difficulty and adversity in their life.

Think about your own life and what talents may need to be dusted off ,or at least explored.

Tranquility – My New Intention

A week ago, I joined a  six-month Success Circle with Sally Evans http://www.EmbracingCreativity.com. One of our assignments for this week is to come up with a word or words that will guide us in our endeavors. Without hesitation I knew that the word had to be tranquility.

Here is the Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary definition for tranquility.

“Free from agitation of mind or spirit; a very deep quietude.”

I printed out the word “tranquility” along with the definition and have posted it on my bulletin board and on my refrigerator. What I hope to gain from this exercise is a few things:

First, I like the sound and feeling of quietude running throughout my home, office and life.

Secondly, with a word like tranquility guiding my actions, I feel that it is inevitable that my behavior will change for the better. It is not enough for me to have my home organized – I need and desire it to be tranquil.

I’ll keep you posted on the exercise and the Success Circle.

I’m Overwhelmed with Paper

I recently had a client ask me about what to do with all the paper clutter – especially all the reading material she collects. It helps that I can completely relate. I believe that paper clutter is the number one problem that many of us face. It is also a huge deterrent to a peaceful life.

To determine if you need help with this problem, read through the following list:

• Do you have so many pdf’s that you have printed notebooks full of information?
• Do you have reams and reams of things that you have printed?
• Do you have an abundance of self help books, books on careers, and books on making more money, spending and investing wisely?
• Do you have stacks and stacks of catalogs?
• Do you ever get to the bottom of your “To Read” stack?

If you answered yes to more than one of these areas you probably could make some changes.

When I look at the list of books, articles, magazines, and catalogs that I want to read I often get overwhelmed. Looking at my own stack of reading, I realized that even if I could double my current reading speed, I would never be able to finish reading all the material that I wanted to.

Here are some questions I came up with for a reality check:

1. Am I unrealistic in my ability to collect and manage my reading materials?
2. Am I afraid that I’ll miss something important if I don’t read everything?
3. Is having too much to read and do counterproductive to living the life I want?

I had to let these realizations sink in before attempting to make some long overdue changes. I created another list of questions in order to help guide me in altering my behavior.

1. Do I really need to print this? I must ask myself this each time before hitting the print button.
2. In six months or a year will reading this article, book, etc. really matter to the direction I want my life to go?
3. Am I reading or saving this because I’m feeling insecure?
4. Am I reading or saving this because I’m avoiding do something else?

 

Review each of these questions and your answers to determine if there is a pattern of behavior. Be patient with yourself while making changes.

A Pessimist Sees the Difficulty

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.

Winston Churchill

Like a lot of things in life we can choose to be either a pessimist or an optimist. I’m going for the later. How about you?

Planning for Life’s Little Emergencies

 

Sometimes life throws a monkey wrench into our perfectly laid out plans. Our normal days, weeks and months are planned out with meticulous care. Work, school, errands, cooking, cleaning, family and play time, and working out – they are either scheduled into our calendars or at least haphazardly attempted.

But what happens when something that you did not plan for arrives? I recently had several unplanned events that threw my organized and planned life completely out of balance.

I’m grateful that these events are almost resolved and that I can go back to some planning. However, what happened to my paperwork and writing was most unpleasant to me. Here is what I’ve learned from this experience.

While most of the time my way of doing things works well, it is not adequate for the week or weeks of being sick, family obligations, or extra work load. It is indeed the week of family visiting from out of town, taking an extra class or two, looking for employment, remodeling and the like that is likely to put a huge dent into whatever routines  normally embraced. So, that said, what I feel is needed is a Plan B approach to life.

My Plan B:

• My Plan B consists of a simplified and relaxed version of my normal routine.
• Simplify meal planning, shopping and meal preparation. This is not the time to try out new gourmet recipes and do a lot of entertaining.
• Reduce or eliminate as many errands, events, and shopping excursions as possible.
• Make sure to stay on top of mail and bills – even if the filing has to wait until the crisis is over.
• Make sure to fit in some exercise and meditation to help with the extra stress.
• Ask for help from friends and family.
• Watch funny movies and television to boost spirits.
• Try not to load up on junk food and sugar.
• Let go of the guilt – this is not the time to worry about what you are not getting done. You can always get back to the projects and plans.
• Plan for at least one fun thing per week (especially important when stressed).

 

Once the event or crisis is over it is a good time to reevaluate how you faired. I found that I’ve been pushing myself too hard and that my “action files” were at bursting capacity. What I assumed to be a month or two of work is realistically more like six!

The bottom line is once you are back on your feet; it will take several more weeks to catch up. I would suggest continuing on a scaled back routine until you are back up to speed.

It’s good to be back.

A Mediocre Idea

A mediocre idea that generates enthusiasm will go no further than a great idea that inspires no one.

Mary Kay Ash

Sometimes we limit ourselves because we think our ideas are not genius. While I’m not suggesting mediocrity, I do think that most of us come up with a lot of ideas that we dismiss before giving them and ourselves a chance.

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