Monthly Archives: January 2018

Me Time

“Rest and self-care are so important.  When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow.  You cannot serve from an empty vessel.”                   — Eleanor Brownn

My husband and I just returned from a week’s vacation.  Not only was it lovely to go from 40-degree weather in the Seattle area to 80-degree weather in a tropical climate, it was nice to leave behind the worries of work, pet care, and our leaky garage roof.  All things I couldn’t manage from hundreds of miles away.

Settling into the new routine, or more appropriately no routine, allowed me some much-needed me time.

I spent my me time focusing on my life balance.  Spending time just hangin’ with my husband was magical.  We played a couple rounds of golf.  We took a walk together. I read two books.  I went to the gym. I meditated outside (easier to do in 80 degrees than 40 degrees). And, we spent a lot of time just lounging by the pool, basically doing nothing.

I asked a few of my friends what me time looked like to them and here is what I heard:

  1. Getting up a few minutes before the rest of the household and just enjoying the quiet.
  2. Reading.
  3. Taking a walk by themselves.
  4. Meditation (this is a big one for me too).
  5. Exercising
  6. Trying out a new restaurant with friends.
  7. Getting a manicure/pedicure.
  8. Joining a book club.
  9. Turning off the electronic devices.
  10. Calling a friend.

Why worry about me time?  WebMD has some thoughts on this.   Although this article is biased toward women, I think men have the same challenges.

“There’s a tremendous amount of stress and pressure put on women: being parents, being daughters, mothers, wives, professionals. All of these roles combined leave many of us not taking adequate care of ourselves — which is what sustains us and gives us the energy to take care of all these other responsibilities that we have,” says Randy Kamen Gredinger, a Wayland, MA, psychologist and life coach specializing in women’s issues.”

Whatever your thoughts about me time are, experts agree it is important to schedule it.  I know with my clients, if it’s not on the schedule, it just doesn’t happen, even with the best of intentions.

So, here’s my challenge to you:

Look at your calendar and set aside at least ten minutes of me time every day.

How will you spend your me time?

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter Vice-President

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professional Resource Member

 

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Tough Conversations

I needed to have what I perceived to be a tough conversation with a health care provider recently.  I wanted a specific course of treatment that I wasn’t sure she was going to be in favor of.  I did the research to support my request, but still worried and fretted over that upcoming conversation for the better part of the week.  When I actually had the conversation, there was no push-back from the health care provider at all.  She was fully in support of my request and was more than willing to prescribe what I’d requested.  All that worry was for nothing.

How can you ensure your tough conversations go that well?

1. Do the research: If you want the outcome of a tough conversation to go your way, do the research.

  • Want a raise? Be ready to explain why you deserve it. What have you done to contribute to the bottom line?  What are comparable employees in similar industries being paid?
  • Want a better deal with your cable company? Know the current price of comparable packages and be prepared to explain how long you’ve been a valued, pay-on-time customer.
  • Want a prescribed treatment plan? Detail the reputable resources you utilized to come to your decision about the treatment plan and why you believe it will work for you.  Starting the conversation with “this guy on one of my blog sites said I needed to do this” may not be your best lead.

2.  Know what you want:

  • If you want a raise, be specific. “Based on the information I’ve provided I deserve an extra $5 per hour” is much better than “I want a raise.”
  • If you want a better cable deal, saying “I see your bundled package for new customers is $125/month. How can I get that same deal?” is better than “I need you to reduce my monthly bill.”
  • If you want a different prescription, say “I would like to try Adderall because I understand the side effects are less severe than Concerta.”

3.  Be polite: No matter what you are requesting, it is better to be polite than confrontational.  Keep a calm tone of voice, call the person you are speaking to by name, don’t argue, say please and thank you.

4.  Talk to the decision-maker: If you aren’t happy with the response you received, ask to speak to a supervisor.  Understand that each person has a prescribed level of authority and if they can’t give you what you are asking for, possibly the next person up the line can.

5.  Write a Thank You note: If it makes sense, write a thank you note to the person or company that has been of assistance.  The power of a thank you note cannot be overstated.

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President

 

 

Certified Organizer Coach

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

 

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.

Are you stuck on your “get organized” resolution?

Historically, “get organized” is in the top ten New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m not a big believer in resolutions, but I’m a big believer in goals.  And I think getting organized is a fantastic goal.

As you might imagine, I get a lot of calls this time of year.  People are energized behind their goal (see, I’m eliminating  “resolution” already) to “get organized” in the new year and are looking for support.  Some people know what they need to do to accomplish their organizing goal, others need some assistance.

If you are feeling a little stuck, try some of these tips:

  1. Check your motivation: What was your motivation around the get organized goal?  Ask yourself “why did I set this goal?”  Possible answers could be:  save time, save money, reduce stress, get out of the house on time, reduce clutter, etc.  The answer to that question will help motivate you toward action.
  2. Confused on where to start?: Start with your biggest pain point.  Is your kitchen so disorganized making coffee is a hassle?  Are you spending so much money on things you already own that your finances are getting stretched?  Are you stressed about not getting to work on time because you can’t find your keys?   Success in your biggest pain point area will motivate you to move on to the next.  If you can’t decide where your largest pain point is, close your eyes and point toward an area.  Progress anywhere may lead to success everywhere.
  3. Set aside time to organize: I’ve found a lot of people are very aspirational when it comes to planning projects (and organizing is a project). They say “I’ll get to that next week.”  Well, next week comes and goes.  I suggest people mark organizing time on their calendar.  When your calendar says “organize the pantry on Saturday between 2:00 – 4:00,” chances are the organizing date will be kept.
  4. Sort items into three large categories: Most items can be categorized into three major groups:  Keep, Give, Toss.
    • If you use it and love it, keep it and give it a place of honor and respect.
    • If it’s functional but you no longer use it or love it, give it away.  Determine the best place for the giveaway item.  The best place could be a relative, friend or charity.  Whatever you decide, set a deadline to get it out of your space and into theirs.
    • If it’s no longer functional, toss it.  Some of my clients find this to be a difficult part of the process because they are concerned about contributing to our landfill problems and I appreciate that mindset.  I encourage my clients to check with their local municipality regarding recycling and check out alternatives to just throwing something away. For example, my recycle station accepts household metal like toasters and Goodwill will accept clothing that’s no longer wearable (just mark the donation as “textile recycle”).  Research and creativity can keep a lot of things out of landfills.
  5. Track your progress: Take a “before” picture of the space you are working on and continue to take pictures throughout the organizing process.  Even if you haven’t completed the process, seeing change is motivating.  Be sure to take a photo after you’ve completed the project not only as a reminder of how far you’ve come, but to give yourself a clear picture of what you’d like the space to look like on an ongoing basis.

I encourage my clients to remember a couple things:

  • Organizing is not only a project, but a way of life.  Once you are organized enough for your lifestyle, a few minutes a day will help maintain your newly-organized spaces.
  • Largely attributed to Sheryl Sandberg “Done is better than perfect.”  The thought that something needs to be perfect will stop us in our tracks.

Whatever you do, don’t give up on your new year’s goals like the Allstate “Mayhem” character has!

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President

 

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

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.

Persistence

Last year, for the first time, I selected a “Word of the Year.”  I’d heard many positive things about this process so I thought I’d give it a try.  But, to be honest, I wasn’t sure why I was doing it.  What was the benefit? How did it work? What was the word supposed to do?

So, I gave my “Word of the Year” a job and a purpose. It had to:

  • Resonate with me on an emotional level.
  • Anchor my daily life.
  • Provided focus.
  • Assist in setting intentions.
  • Be the core of my decision-making process.

In 2017 my word of the year was “Calm.”  Although my husband will question how effective it really was (at least to him, on an external level), I found great value in the focus word.  In moments of stress and pressure, I found great benefit in closing my eyes, taking a deep breath and thinking about just being “calm.”  It truly did provide an anchor for my daily life.

This year I’ve chosen the word “Persistence.”  According to dictionary.com, persistence is:

  1. Persisting, especially in spite of opposition, obstacles, discouragement, etc.; persevering and,
  2. Lasting or enduring tenaciously

Checking with my trusty thesaurus revealed:

  • Tenacity
  • Determination
  • Doggedness
  • Resolve
  • Diligence
  • Endurance
  • Purpose
  • Grit

It also revealed many more word that resonated with me, including stubbornness which I elected to ignore. 🙂

I have some mighty goals for this year.  All of which will require persistence in spite of opposition, enduring tenaciously, resolve, purpose and possibly a bit of stubbornness to be honest.

What’s your Word of the Year?  What one word will help you achieve your goals?

Happy New Year, everyone!

Cindy Jobs, COC, ACC

Looking for more information?

Click here for 15-minute organizing tips.

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

 

 

 

National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals, Seattle Chapter

National Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter Vice President

 

Coach Approach for Organizers

 

 

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.