Monthly Archives: July 2017

Are you ready for a trip to the hospital?

Unfortunately, my husband and I had to make an unexpected trip to the hospital recently.  As to be expected when leaving the house under those circumstances, we were not thinking clearly.   Because we assumed we were coming back home within a few hours, we were woefully unprepared for an overnight stay.  Fortunately for us, we have an amazing support structure that stepped in to help, which further clarified how important home organization is, especially when we were not at home.

The launching pad:  Fortunately, my husband and I always put our wallet/handbag and keys in the same place every day.  I refer to this as our daily launching pad area.  Everything you need to take with you when you leave the house should be in this area.  Knowing where his launching pad was kept me from having to run around the house trying to find his wallet to ensure I had his driver’s license and insurance information.

Clothing:  Once it became apparent we were staying for a while, our friends offered to grab some clothes and bring them to the hospital.  Although we didn’t need to have them bring any clothing, having an organized wardrobe system would have allowed me to tell them exactly where everything was that we needed . . . socks in the upper right drawer, t-shirts in the middle right drawer, jeans hanging on the left side of the closet third hanger in, etc.

Personal items:  Again, because we have a system, I would have been able to let our friends know exactly where to find the travel toothbrush/toothpaste kit; my contact care kit; makeup remover pads; etc.  All things we would have needed if our stay had been extended past 24 hours.

Accessories: One of the most important things we can do in these situations is to stay in contact with our loved ones.  I didn’t have the foresight to bring a phone/iPad charger with me when I left the house, so having them bring chargers was a necessary.  It was nice to be able to say “The chargers are in the kitchen, center plug.  Please bring the 4-plug charger, two small Apple chargers, and the one large Apple charger.”  Because things were actually where they were supposed to be, it was much easier for our friends to help us out.

I hope to not have to do this again, but I feel better knowing the effort we put into organizing our home made it much easier for people to help us.

How would your current state of home organization work in a crisis?

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Member Color - Web
National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President
ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website
Institute for Challenging Disorganization:
Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.
Coach Approach for Organizers
Graduate of the Comprehensive Training Program: Coaching Essentials; Strengths-Based Coaching; Brain-Based Coaching; Life and ADHD Coaching; and Organizer Coach Integration
Graduate-level training: Body-Based Coaching; ADHD Coaching Competencies

How’s your cell phone courtesy?

Smartphones have become a necessity in our lives these days.  No matter where we look, people are texting, emailing, calling, dictating, taking photos, etc.  So much so, that we sometimes lose connection with the people sitting right next to us.

Since July is National Cell Phone Courtesy Month, I thought it was the perfect time to give some thought to:

  • Who uses mobile devices?
  • How do we use our mobile devices?
  • How can we be more courteous when we do use our mobile devices?

From a 2016 Pew Research study:

% of U.S. adults who own cell phones:

Any cellphone Smartphone Cellphone, but not smartphone
Total 95% 77% 18%
Men 96% 78% 18%
Women 94% 75% 19%

How do we use our smartphones?

From a 2016 Statistic Brain survey of mobile device users:

Percent who said their mobile phone is the first and last thing they look at each day 29 %
Percent who said they need to have the latest mobile technology 18 %
Percent who check their mobile device every 30 minutes or less 37 %
Percent who said they could only go a few hours without their mobile phone 34 %
Percent who said they prefer to communicate by text message 32 %
Percent who have asked someone on a date via text 20 %
Percent who say their mobile device make them better parents 65 %
Percent who would take their mobile device to work over their lunch 66 %

Anyone else shocked by these number?  I sure was.

Which leads me to, how can we be more courteous when using our mobile devices?

Put your device away.

I don’t know of anyone that appreciates having a meeting or meal with someone who chooses to leave their mobile device on the table.  It sends a pretty clear message that the phone is as, or more, important than the person sitting right in front of us.

And remember, unless you are an emergency service provider, it’s probably okay to let a call go to voicemail or look at a text when you are not engaged with another person.  (Caveat:  I will sometimes keep my phone out if the person I’m meeting is late and may need to get in touch for directions; I may pull my phone out if someone has specifically asked to have something looked up, or a photo or contact shared; etc.)

Keep it quiet and calm.

Whenever possible, keep your phone on vibrate mode.  If you need to take an emergency call, politely excuse yourself and take the call in a private area.  Also, remember your voice and gestures travel.  Even if you think you are out of sight or earshot, you probably aren’t.

Follow the law and “house” rules:

Many localities have very stringent and specific laws pertaining to using smart phones while operating a motor vehicle, even when stopped at a light or stop sign (Washington is enforcing much more strict laws starting on July 23rd).  If you absolutely need to check your phone, find a safe place to pull over.

Some places (hospitals, airplanes, courtrooms, libraries, movie theatres, etc.) request no cell phone use as not to disturb others.  Follow the rules for wherever you are, they are there for a reason.

Don’t use you cellphones as a social blocker:

I get it, sometimes we just don’t know what to do with ourselves.  We’ve all been in new or awkward situations where we don’t’ want to feel “alone.”  Picking up our cellphone allows us to “connect,” but not with the people we are surrounded by.  Looking at our phones sends a clear message of “don’t bother me, I’m busy.” Put your phone down, take a deep breath and engage face-to-face with those around you.

Watch where you are going.

Twice yesterday I had people nearly walk into me in the grocery store.  I came to a complete stop in order to avoid someone who was distracted by their phone from running into me. Imagine if those same people were on a busy sidewalk or crossing a busy street. “Don’t text and walk” is becoming as important as “Don’t drink and drive.”

Cell phones are part of our lives . . . let’s all use them responsibly.  🙂

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Member Color - Web
National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President
ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website
Institute for Challenging Disorganization:
Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.
Coach Approach for Organizers
Graduate of the Comprehensive Training Program: Coaching Essentials; Strengths-Based Coaching; Brain-Based Coaching; Life and ADHD Coaching; and Organizer Coach Integration
Graduate-level training: Body-Based Coaching; ADHD Coaching Competencies

Every Day Is A New Start

I like to think of myself as a decent golfer.  Not a great golfer, but a decent golfer.  Because I spend a fair amount of time doing it, I frequently use golfing as a metaphor for a lot of life’s little challenges that get thrown my way.

For example:

Skills vs expectations :  A golf “index” gives a benchmark of your skill set which helps manage expectations when you are out on the course.  How honest are we about our skill level and how fairly do we manage our expectations based on those skills?

Practice makes you . . . . better, not perfect:  If you watch any professional golf, you will see that even professionals, who practice for hours and hours every day, sometimes hit horrible shots.  It is unreasonable to have an expectation that we will do everything perfectly every time.

Honesty is paramount: Golf is referred to as “the gentleman’s game.”  One of the biggest tenants of the game is that golfers call penalties on themselves should an infraction occur.  This is just as important in life as it is on the golf course.  If you do something wrong, admit it, correct it, and move on.

Don’t give up.  What I find funny about golf (and frankly very frustrating) is that I can golf really well one day, and horribly the next . . . at the very same course under the very same conditions.  Why is that?  I didn’t forget how to golf; the course didn’t change; I didn’t change my equipment.  Just one day I could do it, the next day I couldn’t.  But, for whatever crazy reason, I will try it all over again the very next day.  I won’t give up.

Which leads me to my point on handling life’s little challenges:

  • Manage your expectations.
  • Practice, but be reasonable.
  • Be honest.
  • Don’t give up.

And remember, every day is a new start.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Member Color - Web
National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President
ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website
Institute for Challenging Disorganization:
Level I Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding.
Level II Specialist Certificates earned in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD.
Coach Approach for Organizers
Graduate of the Comprehensive Training Program: Coaching Essentials; Strengths-Based Coaching; Brain-Based Coaching; Life and ADHD Coaching; and Organizer Coach Integration
Graduate-level training: Body-Based Coaching; ADHD Coaching Competencies