On the Road Again and Maintaining Your Organizing Success

August 25, 2008 at 9:05 am (Blogroll)

Traveling is such a wonderful thing unless it’s back to back and you’re coming off of vacation.  The coffee pot just finished and I’m sure my eyes will open soon.  I really am sure about that.

I’m sitting here doing what most of you would do.  Recounting everything I packed, going over my list of things to do before I head out the door for another business trip, wondering where the office supply stores are at where I’m going, just in case my client doesn’t have everything we need.

As well, because I was on vacation and the rest of my household was not I had a ton of mail to go through when I came home yesterday.  I am thankful my husband keeps up with the bulk of the mail.  I’ve never had to redefine his system, it works for him.  The big thing though was I left home only once yesterday.  I caught up on recorded television and laundry.

The gist of today’s blog is maintenance.  When you’re organized maintaining your success is easy.  Yes, you might have a small mess to contend with, but the overall organization is still intact.  That is the joy of being organized.  Being able to spend thirty minutes to an hour getting it back in shape after being away is the epitome to being organized.

If I had not prepared for the trip ahead of time, knowing I was going away on vacation and then eighteen hours later leaving for another few days would have been overwhelming.  However, because I had a to-do list, a way to get things done that caused the least stress (other than having to get up before the crack of dawn) I made my life so much easier and less stressful.

I’ll let you ruminate on this a while.  I need coffee and need to get on the road.  More tonight!!

Later Gators!

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Teachers and Getting Organized Comment

August 14, 2008 at 12:58 am (organizing information, organizing space, productivity, time management)

I want to thank Kerrie for commenting on the article and for her service and all teachers who attempt to teach the youth of today.

While I appreciate the fact that most of the teachers Kerrie knows are organized, I have to disagree for the ones that I’ve known, know and have worked with.  Since both of my children are out of school I can say I’ve known quite a few teachers, professors and substitute teachers who do not have the organizing gene.

I like Kerrie’s call to action for organizers to get together and help out at their local schools.  It is something that after some thought about how to present it I will most likely put it out on the myriad of organizer listservs.

As with most people who serve others, organizers spend quite a bit of time helping others and I believe the donation of time for such a project should be up to the individual.

So thanks Kerrie, for the comment.

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Virtual Organizing

August 13, 2008 at 3:12 am (Blogroll, Virtual Organizing, home organization, organizing information, organizing space, productivity, time management)
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Hi folks,

Sorry I’ve been away for a bit. I’ve been in training for the past two months on making my website, my blog and my connections work better for me and for you!

Today’s topic is dear to my heart and if you are in the need for organizing you really should take a look at a possibility you may not have considered before.

Virtual Organizing!

Virtual organizing is a method that is growing around the U.S. and possibly the world. I know this because I am a virtual organizer. I can sit in my office and work with people from around the world, helping them to de-clutter their homes and offices, their garages and attics even though I am sitting at home in my pajamas. (My last International client was in the Netherlands and my domestic virtual clients are in Texas, North Carolina, and West Virginia.)

I know you have all heard about people working from home before. Telecommuting has been a trend for several years. Well, in essence, that is what I do for some of my clients. I coach my clients from home.

I have to say, I do not coach all of my clients from home. Probably half of my clients are virtual clients and the other half I drive, using expensive gas, because they need me to be with them when I work with them.

So, how exactly does this work?

Virtually, of course. I begin by asking key questions about the space you want organized. I ask about your hot spots, your most needy situations and then when I receive pictures and text by email I will then formulate a plan to work through with you.

If I were working with you in person I would formulate an outline to work by, and then when we’ve finished the job I would work out a maintenance schedule with you and then be on the phone to you every few weeks, months, then years to check in and see if the processes we put into place are still working.

With virtual work the long distance contact is more frequent, but just as important. Preset schedules for phone calls, following prescribed directions, homework and making sure you show up for online appointments can be crucial to your success.

Today I spoke with an organizer in Denver, Colorado called me to ask me all about virtual organizing. I waxed on lyrically until an hour later we finally hung up and I knew this was something that I loved to do.

CALL TO ACTION!

If you are interested in learning how I can help you with your organizing project (even helping you to de-clutter and make your space what you want it to be!! Then I want to invite you to call me, or email me, or respond to this blog in the comments section.

I am writing my August Newsletter: Organize Your Life and want you to submit ideas for articles to appear in the newsletter. Let me know what you want to hear about.

For now, remember “Organizing is an art.” A quote from Barbara Hemphill

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Time Management & You

August 5, 2008 at 3:27 pm (Blogroll, home organization, organizing information, organizing space, productivity, time management)
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It’s the dog days of summer when the August heat saps even the most hardy of our energy levels.  Finding the bottom of our Iced Tea glass empty we shrug and continue to sit as if we have nothing more productive to do than relax.  If we think hard enough we might struggle out of the lawn chair or the hammock that is gently rocking in the sea breeze only to lay back in the same and put off the inevitable.

Yes, I’m there with you.  Summer is taking its’ toll.  I’d rather stay inside than even make the one block trip to the pool where the water is as hot as my shower.  The ocean is calling my name and for the cost of a parking ticket I could certainly go to Wrightsville Beach andtake my chair, towel and sandshoes.  Yep, the sand is too hot to walk on.  I’d sit under the pier and let the water run up over my feet and legs and just enjoy the shade provided by the pier.

For lunch, I’d head upstairs to the Oceanic Restaurant.  I’d watch the people on the beach, thinking wow, they have energy to surf, and walk in the water, because yeah it is too hot to not wear shoes on the sand.

I’m actually gearing up for my summer vacation.  A wonderful beach house down on Sunset Beach.  It takes a miracle to get there, crossing a swing one lane bridge that someone, either in a boat or a car is always damaging.  But to go and stay a few days, ocean breeze, Calabash seafood, shopping at Myrtle Beach South Carolina and tons of time with best friends will make my summer!

So what does all of this have to do with Time Management.

It might be obvious, but it might not.

Schedules, making sure things get done is so crucial to you being able to go do what is important to you that I could talk for hours on it.  Here’s the gist of a long subject.

1.  If you can’t find what you’re looking for, you are wasting time.  Therefore, your time management is lost with the lost item or paperwork.

2.  If you are wasting time, you are losing out on money.  Either money for your company from which they pay you, or lost money from lost sales, lost appointments, lost anything that could have provided you with the means to do what you truly want to do.

Time management is more than making sure you’re on schedule for appointments.  It is the point at which your schedule no longer runs you!  It is what makes being able to take a vacation day or week or even a month (especially if you live in a place, like Europe, where a month’s vacation is the norm) away from your daily grind.

If you are struggling to find time in your daily schedule to get more done, faster and more efficiently then you need to talk to me.  I can help you refine your schedule, the time you spend doing nothing at all and hopefully help you get to the beach!

Well, I’m off to get the rest of my research done and get a few chapters written in my  book, Breaking the Clutter Habit.

See you later!

Denise

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