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5 Tips to Survive the Time Change

spring-forward-clockWith snow on the ground today in Western Washington (although my crocus and tulips are poking through it) and over 18″ of snow over the last few days on the other side of the Cascades, “Spring” seems pretty far away.  Nonetheless, this Sunday morning we “spring forward.”

I don’t know about you, but I’m not looking forward to login an hour of sleep this weekend!  I really, really enjoy a good 7-8 hours of sleep each night and cutting it back, even an hour, really messes with me.  I hesitate to say, it may even make me a bit cranky.

If losing an hour of sleep causes the same consequence for you, here are a few simple steps that may make the transition just a bit easier for you too.

  1.  Start going to bed 15 minutes earlier in the days leading up to Saturday night.  Make every effort possible to be get plenty of sleep the week before the time change.  How much sleep is that?  The National Sleep Foundation has some guidelines on that.
  2. Maintain your regular eating and sleeping schedule.  Eating earlier or later than your body is used to will cause it additional confusion.  Maintain healthy nutrition (like we shouldn’t do that every day!) so you body isn’t trying to combat a lack of sleep and nutrition at the same time.  If you normally go to bed at 11:00 and get up at 7:00, follow that schedule on Saturday/Sunday also.  Your body’s going through enough without changing that schedule too.  Plus, if you don’t maintain your Sunday schedule, Monday will be even more difficult!
  3. Get some additional exercise a few days leading up to Saturday.  Several studies site the benefits of exercise (but not right before bed) in helping our bodies and brains wind down faster, resulting in better sleep.
  4. Go outside.   Sunlight on your SPF-protected skin will help your body’s circadian rhythm get back in sync.  Try for an hour outside on Sunday
  5. Resist taking a long nap on Sunday.  Although we may be tempted to get that lost hour of sleep back by taking a nice, long nap on Sunday afternoon, resist the urge.  If you do feel like a nap is in order, keep it to around 30 minutes or less.  Anything longer will also mess with your circadian rhythm.

Other tips from Dr. Yoseph Krespi, Director of the Center for Sleep Disorders at New York Head and Neck Institute:

  • Drink plenty of liquids, yet avoid caffeine and alcohol later in the day.
  • Make your bedroom into a sleep sanctuary: dark, quiet, and cool (somewhere in the mid to upper 60’s is perfect).
  • Don’t tackle any complex tasks right before bed.  Your brain will find it more difficult to shut down.
  • Start unwinding an hour before bed.   Have a cup of chamomile tea, take a bath, relax. If you are relaxed vs. stressed when you actually make it to bed, your body will have less to do before going to sleep.

Although I’m not looking forward to losing an hour of sleep this weekend, I am looking forward to what it means . . . . Spring is right around the corner!  Bringing with it the promise of more sun and more time enjoying the great outdoors!

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President
ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 websiteCertified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Do you suffer from present bias?

I went on a trip last week.  I knew trip was in front of me months ago.  Months ago I could have started exercising and dieting so I would feel better about being in shorts and swimsuits.  I didn’t.

“Sue” has a major project due the end of this month.  For a several months we’ve been slotting time in her day planner to work on the project.  She hasn’t.

“Kathy” is working on losing weight.  Even the looming threat of a class reunion wasn’t enough motivation to get it done.

“Bob” continually struggles to save money even though he has a goal of long-term financial security.

What’s going on here?

Rather than exercise, I elected to take an extra 30 minutes with my morning coffee.  Even saying repeatedly to myself as I was drinking my coffee “I really should go jump on the treadmill.”

“Sue” made the decision to spend the time she allocated to working on her project on helping other people with their projects.

For “Kathy”, the opportunity to watch TV with her family was more important than going for an exercising walk.

And, “Bob” decided a new set of golf clubs “wouldn’t make that big of a difference in the long run and besides lots of my friends bought new clubs. I didn’t want to be odd man out.”

Everyone represented in these stories made a conscience decision NOT to do something that would have helped achieve their long-term goals.

What makes us do that?  Present bias (a close cousin to procrastination).

“The present bias refers to the tendency of people to give stronger weight to payoffs that are closer to the present time when considering trade-offs between two future moments.” (O’Donoghue, &, Rabin, 1999)

How do we break ourselves of present bias?

For me, I could have said “I will not have my coffee until I’ve been on the treadmill.”  Months ago, the end of February was too far way, but my cup of coffee was right there.  Instant gratification without any effort.

For “Sue,” when presented with an opportunity to help someone else or work on her project, she elected to work on the other project.  Because of that, she received immediate gratification, in the form of appreciation from her co-worker.  I suggested “Sue” tell her co-worker “I’m working on something right now, but I can help you in a couple hours.”

“Kathy” was in a similar situation to me.   TV time with the family was immediate gratification.  The impending class reunion was just too far away to be important. She needed to implement weekly goals (more immediate gratification), not focus on the distant class reunion.

For “Bob,” he needed to work with his financial planner on yearly goals, not retirement goals.  Seeing how a $1,000 set of golf clubs impacted his goal to save $5,000 this year completely changed the focus.

What present bias is standing in your way of long-term success?

 

The Value of Kindness

You may have heard a bit more chatter about random acts of kindness over the last few days.  That’s because Random Acts of Kindness.org designated February 12-18 as Random Acts of Kindness Week.

I decided to pay more attention to what was going on around me this week.  What random acts of kindness did I see?

Someone . . .

. . . paid for the next person’s coffee.

. . . waved someone into the parking spot they were waiting for.

. . . let a harried mother shopping with three children in front of them in the grocery line.

. . . committed to giving five compliments every day this week.

. . . committed to saying “thank you” at least five times every day this week (amazing how a simple “thank you” changes the mood of the recipient).

. . . made a surprise visit to a shut-in neighbor.

. . . complimented a mother on well-behaved children.

I did not ask the people I observed if this is how they operate every day of their lives or if it was something special they did because they were more aware of random acts of kindness this week.  My guess is that it’s just part of their DNA.  It’s how they live their lives. Performing random acts of kindness brings them joy.

What I do know is it brought me great joy to be more aware of kindness this week.  Witnessing the kind things people did for each other made me want to do more for others.

Question:   What kindness do you see when you really start to look for it?

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Coaching Certifications (Coach Approach for Organizers):
Coaching Essentials; Strengths-Based Coaching; Brain-Based Coaching; Life and ADHD Coaching; Organizer Coach Integration; Body-Based Coaching; ADHD Coaching Competencies

Proud member of:

Member Color - Web

National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Seattle Area Chapter President

ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website

Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD)

Level I Foundation Certification in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding

Level II Specialist Certification in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD

 

 

Time Management: What. When. How.

February is National Time Management Month
“Time is really the only capital that any human being has, and the only thing he can’t afford to lose.”     — Thomas Edison

Time.  We all have the same amount of it, right?  How is it that some people are just better using it than others?  Well, David Allan, the guru (at least in my book) of time management  has a great strategy for getting things done.

Here’s a snippet of his philosophy:

  1. Capture:  Use an in-box, a to-do list, a white board, an electronic task manager, or any other capture device that works for you.
  2. Clarify: Be very clear about what the next step is.  Ignore it?  File it?  Delegate it? Work on it later?  Work on it now?
  3. Organize:  Where does it go (filing cabinet, car, assistant’s desk)?  When does it need to get done (organize by priority)?  Where can I do it (office, car, doctor’s office)?  Organize all phone calls in one place.  Make a list, geographically if possible, of all the errands that need to be run.
  4. Reflect:  Frequently review your lists.  Lists may need to be reviewed daily, weekly, monthly or yearly depending on priority.  If something has been on a list for a while, can it be deleted?
  5. Engage: Simply start the process.  Sometimes starting is the hardest part.

If you are looking for some great resource materials on time management, I can heartily suggest the following books as a start:

Product Details

Getting Things Done:  The art of stress free productivity

Product Details

Eat that Frog!

Product Details

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com

Coaching Certifications (Coach Approach for Organizers):
Coaching Essentials; Strengths-Based Coaching; Brain-Based Coaching; Life and ADHD Coaching; Organizer Coach Integration; Body-Based Coaching; ADHD Coaching Competencies

Proud member of:

Member Color - Web

National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Seattle Area Chapter President

ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 website

Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD)

Level I Foundation Certification in Chronic Disorganization; ADD; Client Administration; Time Management; Mental Health; and Hoarding

Level II Specialist Certification in Chronic Disorganization and ADHD

 

 

The Power of Flexibility

We’ve had a home in the mountains for quite some time.  We get a lot of snow.  We are prepared for a lot of snow.  We knew the risks of snow inconvenience when we built our home.  We accepted and embraced the risk.  As a general rule, the snow has not affected us.

Well, the last few days have proven an exception to the rule.  Over 30″ of snow in the last couple of days.  Yikes!  A major highway was closed for an extended period of time.  This resulted in my not being able to maintain commitments I’d made to family, clients, and colleagues.

I had a decision to make:  How was I going to let this affect me?

  1. Release the stress associated with the change in schedule.  It’s easy to get twisted up about having to adjust your schedule.  If you couldn’t control it, acknowledge that fact and let the stress associated with the unexpected inconvenience go.
  2.  Analyze the “why” behind the schedule shift.  Could you change it?  If not, let it go.  If you could have changed the path that resulted in the schedule shift, what could you have done differently?  Learn from the event.
  3. What’s the next step?
    1. Communicate as quickly as possible to let people know you will not be able to honor your commitment.
    2. If necessary and possible, reschedule commitments.
    3. Make the most of the newly-found home/office time:
      • Get some work done (clean up your e-mail, de-clutter your office/junk drawer, update your contacts list, etc.)
      • Enjoy the unexpected time with friends and family.
      • Do the reading you’ve not previously made time for.
      • Give a family member or friend an unexpected call.
      • Write a blog post about flexibility around unexpected events.  🙂
  4. Lastly, figure out what is to be learned from this experience.  I learned that I need to update my electronic contacts lists so I could contact my clients and colleagues more easily from any location.  A small, but powerful, learning experience.

I’ve learned a lot about myself and my processes over the last couple of days.  What can you learn when the world throws you a curve ball?

Cindy Jobs

 

 

www.organizetosimplify.com

Proud member of:

Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), Seattle Area Chapter President

ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 websiteInstitute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD)

Give it a minute!

 

“Patience is a virtue.” (Attribution)

Most of us have heard that quote at some point in our lives.  Patience isn’t something I’m particularly good at, but certainly something I continue to work on incorporating into my life every day.

I had an experience the other day that reminded me of how powerful a bit of patience can be.

My mom was visiting from out of town and we decided to experience the 3:00 elk feeding at Nelson Preserve at Suncadia Resort.   We arrived at the feeding station about 3:30.  No elk.   A few cars were there already, but left about 10 minutes after we arrived.  Clearly they couldn’t wait any longer for the majesty of nature to arrive.

About 3:45 two more cars arrived.  They were clearly together.  One gentleman came over and asked where the elk were.  “Usually here at 3:00” he says.  He turned away and headed back to his car.  No more than 10 minutes later he signaled to his buddy that it was time to leave.  They’d waited no more than 10 minutes.  Patience was not a virtue they were exercising that day.  Unfortunate, as no more than 5 minutes after they left, the elk started pouring in from the trees.  It was amazing!

About 15 minutes later there were close to 60 head of elk enjoying the hay that Suncadia generously leaves for them. (Thanks Suncadia Resort for taking care of our furry friends!)

Suncadia Resort Elk Feeding
January 28, 2017

Now, I don’t know what else those other folks had going, but I’m so glad that we had the patience to wait.  It was a wonderful experience.

What have you appreciated by practicing patience?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com
Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President
 ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 websiteCertified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

How do you A.C.T.?

When working with clients, I hear a lot about how there just isn’t enough time or energy to do everything they want to do.  In actuality, it’s not really a time or energy  issue . . .  it’s more about decisions around where to spend their time and mental energy.

I’ve found it helpful for my clients (I use this myself, also) to break down how they use their time or energy into three categories I refer to as A.C.T.

A – Action:  This is where we should spend the majority of our time and energy.  This is the area where we can get things done.  Decisions are within our control.  Actions are doable. We are in charge of our destiny. “Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan.” (Margaret Thatcher)

C – Consciousness:  These are things that are facts and issues we can’t control, yet are worrisome to us.  This category may include the health and welfare of a loved one; whether or not we will get a promotion (once the Action category is no longer in play); climate change (yes, we can do our part, but we can’t control all of it), etc.  Until we let our brains process things in the consciousness zone, they will just sit and ruminate.  Acknowledge them, say a polite “thank you” then let them go.

T – Trash:  This is the easier stuff to let go of.  Falling into this category may be the actions of others (can’t really control those, can we?); the weather (unless, of course you’re having an outside wedding and it looks like rain, then the Action category would be appropriate); things that have happened in the past (can’t change those), etc.  Let go of things you can’t control that don’t have a huge impact going forward.  To these items, I say “Why did I waste my time and energy on you?  Good riddance!”

When your time or energy starts to get the better of you . . . A.C.T.

Cindy Jobs

www.organizetosimplify.com
Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President
 ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 websiteCertified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

The Art of Apologizing (or not apologizing)

Sometimes I focus on the strangest things.  Recently I’ve been paying attention to how much I apologize.  As it turns out, I apologize a lot. Multiple times a day.

This made me curious, so I did some research.

  • Do women apologize more than men?
  • How does apologizing make us feel?
  • What am I apologizing for?
  • How can I apologize more effectively?

As it turns out, contrary to popular belief, women actually don’t proportionately apologize more than men; however, the confusion may lie in what we find apology worthy.  Women apologized with more frequency, mainly because they believed they created an apology-worth event.

I was astounded to find that not apologizing may be better for us than actually apologizing. Although, in my opinion, we should always apologize for things that truly hurt people or property, possibly not apologizing  for minor transgressions may have benefits. According to researchers Tyler Okimoto, Michael Wenzel, and Kyli Hendrick:

“Results showed that the act of refusing to apologize resulted in greater self-esteem than not refusing to apologize. Moreover, apology refusal also resulted in increased feelings of power/control and value integrity, both of which mediated the effect of refusal on self-esteem.”

Who knew?

So what is it that I apologize for? Here’s a small list over the last few days:

  • Being slightly late. (I mean, like, two minutes.)
  • Eating the last slice of bread. (We don’t eat a lot of bread.  This didn’t impact anyone.)
  • Taking a call from my mom while I’m in the middle of a conversation with my husband (Really!?  She’s 87 and lives 500 miles away.  I will always take that call.)
  • Calling my mom, then finding out she has company. (Seriously! She lives 500 miles away.  How did I know she had company?)

I got to thinking.  Would any of the men in my life feel a need to apologize for those things?  Absolutely not.  So yes, I apologize more because I’ve convinced myself I need to apologize.

So, if I do find a need to apologize, what does an effective apology look like??

  1. Expression of regret
  2. Explanation of what went wrong
  3. Acknowledgement of responsibility
  4. Declaration of repentance
  5. Offer of repair
  6. Request for forgiveness

So, let’s pretend I’ve just broken an expensive serving dish:

“Mom, I’m so sorry, but I just broke your platter.  I was washing it and my soapy hands just didn’t hold on.  It’s all my fault and I am so sorry!  Can we go shopping together so I can replace it?  I hope you can forgive me, I will be more careful in the future.”

Or, let’s say I’m five minutes late for a lunch appointment:

“Thanks for waiting for me, I’m really looking forward to catching up.”

No significant harm done.  Acknowledge the minor transgression and start the lunch date on a positive note of appreciation.

It’s up to each of us personally to decide what we need to apologize for, but maybe not apologizing is better for everyone involved.  Your call.

 

Cindy Jobs

Organize to Simplify RGB www.organizetosimplify.com

Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President
 ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 websiteCertified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

5 Quick Tips to Pack It Up

The holidays are nearly behind us, but there’s possibly one more thing most of us need to do . . . . pack it up!

Tackling this task can either be liberating or daunting, depending on how organized and prepared we are.  Here are some thoughts on making it easier, if not this year, certainly in years to come.

  1. Reduce, reduce, reduce:  It’s always easier to pack away less stuff, so I suggest my clients take a good, long look at what they are planning to pack away.  A couple questions to ask yourself:
    • Do you or someone in your home love it?  If it holds great memories and you decorate with it every year, pack it up.
    • Has it been trapped in a storage container year-after-year-after-year?  If that’s the case, it’s probably not your style and doesn’t hold great memories.  Give it away.  Someone else will probably cherish it.
  2. Give it away:
    • Has someone you know admired the decoration?  Ask them if they want it.  Gifting items to someone who has admired them is an easy way to release things that no longer serve us.
    • Is there a local charity, church, etc. that cold use the item?  Gifting things to those that can’t afford them brings extra honor to the decorations.  (NOTE:  Most charities will gladly accept Christmas decorations even at the end of the season, but it’s best to check before you try to drop them off.)
  3. Store it: There are nearly as many ways to store decorations as there are decorations themselves!
    • Specialty containers like these from the Container Store can be extremely functional, but not very cost-effective.
    • Other simple solutions:
      • Wrap lights around cardboard, use a extension cord holder, or for larger quantities, utilize a hose reel. Check it out.
      • Liter-size water bottles work well to hold beaded garland.
      • Plastic produce clam-shell containers from warehouse stores are fantastic for glass ornaments.
      • Egg cartons work well for small, breakable ornaments.
  4. Traditions:  What traditions served you well this year?  Did everyone still enjoy trekking into the woods for the Christmas tree? Was neighborhood caroling a big hit?  Midnight/sunrise service still magical?  If so, plan it again for next year.  If not, let it go.  No need to carry on traditions “just because.”
  5. Holiday Cards:  Be sure to keep track of who you received holiday cards from this year and add them to your 2017 holiday card list. If you still have the envelopes, double-check the addresses to ensure your records are up-to-date.

Going through the sort, purge, and store process probably isn’t the most fun thing you will do this holiday season, but it could very well be the best gift you could give yourself come holiday time next year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Cindy Jobs

Organize to Simplify RGB www.organizetosimplify.com

Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President
 ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 websiteCertified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization

2017 Word of The Year

I’ve never participated in the popular “word of the year” exercise, but I’ve known lots of folks that have and they find it very inspirational.  So, this year I’m giving it a go.

Picking a word was difficult for me.  There were so many words running through my head I found it hard to focus.  Wait!  Was “focus” the right word?  Nah, I’m pretty good at focusing anyway, no need to focus on focusing.  Too redundant.

One of my clients selected “process” as her word of the year.  I’m pretty good at process too, so that one didn’t resonate.

A friend and colleague selected “positive.” In her words “I feel like putting the word “positive” out there in my consciousness will help me be on the lookout for more positive and maybe I can snowball positive-phew!”  Brilliant, Monika!

I was getting pretty agitated about this whole “word of the year” thing.  “Calm down, it will come to you.”  Wait!  What?  “Calm” that was it! I could certainly benefit from more “calm” in my life!

Using my trusty thesaurus, I found “calm” was even more perfect than I imagined:

Tranquil, Peaceful, Quiet, Still, Cool, Composed, Unruffled, Serene, Relaxed, Peace, Quiet

All things I truly want to be.

So, look out 2017!  “Calm” Cindy is on her way!

Cindy Jobs

Organize to Simplify RGB www.organizetosimplify.com

Member Color - WebNational Association of Professional Organizers, Seattle Chapter President
 ICD_LogoTag_Horz_72 websiteCertified Premium Subscriber, Institute for Challenging Disorganization