Everyday Strategy: Stop Using Post-Its!

Don't get me wrong; I LOVE Post-Its (especially bright-colored ones) and they have their purposes, but for keeping track of your Master List of tasks, they are not the right tool. If you like to write them down, use a spiral bound notebook you can carry with you everywhere. Personally, I am a huge fan of using Outlook Tasks. There are countless ways you can stay on top of your tasks, calendar items, and contacts.

Everyday Strategy: Start Your Morning the Night Before

In order to get out the door on time and with less stress, think of all the tasks you could do the evening before to streamline your morning routine. Here are a few ideas:

• Choose what you plan to wear tomorrow. If it requires ironing, do it ahead of time.

• Set the timer on the coffeepot.

• Prepare and pack lunch items in advance.

• Make sure your cell phone is charged.

• Make sure your car has gas.

• Put your "go to" bag or any items you carry with you by the door.

If you have kiddos, you know how important it is to be in control of your morning.

• Pick out what they will wear or if they are old enough, have them do so.

• Prepare and pack lunch items in advance.

• Sign any paperwork that needs to be returned to school.

• Have your child's backpack by the door.

• Have coats or outer wear by the door.

What could you add to this list?  This list is not intended as a "be all / end all" list, but rather to get you thinking what will work for you or your family. Copy this and then make your own. Make a checklist and use it create more streamlined, less stressful mornings.

Tools for Time Management

When our kiddos were in middle school, the house we lived in only had 2 bathrooms. Grooming had become a VERY important part of the morning routine for our daughter and son, then in middle school. Many a morning dispute arose over who had been in the bathroom too long. I quickly found a simple solution!  

 A few weeks later, my sister was visiting. I was in the kitchen when I heard her laughing and calling to me from the hallway. "

Sis, please tell me what an egg timer is doing in your bathroom!

" I explained that when that timer "dinged," each child knew their time was up: no arguing with one another; no arguing with me; the timer helped by giving an AUDIBLE BOUNDARY. More than ever today, people get lost in the amount of time they spend on projects. Clients and colleagues as well, admit they intended only to check their email, ended up logging onto FaceBook, which then led to someone's (then) interesting blog, and suddenly, they find they wasted almost their entire morning. At National Conference this spring in Ohio, one of my product favs was the Time Timer. Their tag line is "Make Every Moment Count."

The abstract concept of elapsed time is easy to see and understand with their graphic depiction

. This tool allows users to manage time more effectively in meetings, classrooms, therapy sessions, testing venues, at home and any other activities which require limits be set. There are different types of tools to fit any type of user: Some the size of a small alarm clock, large visuals for education, wrist watches, software apps for your computer and iphone -- endless possibilities. 

 Whether you choose a simple egg or kitchen timer or one of the many options that Time Timer has to offer, I challenge you to use a timer for just 1 week.

SEE YOUR PRODUCTIVITY SOAR!

Own Your Time

One of my favorite books on time management and productivity isn't the newest one on the market. It was re-written in 2005 after its original writing in 1996 for the Hertz Corporation and its then struggling employees.  In "Organizing for Success, author Ken Ziegler includes a fantastic quote that I often share with my audiences: "From time waste there can be no salvage. It is the easiest of all waste and the hardest to correct because it does not litter the floor."   -- Henry Ford.With that, I usually hear some dreadful groans and then the room grows dimly silent -- as the truth of that statement is sobering, given the frenetic way in which we live our lives today. "However," I go on to encourage my audience, "Time CAN BE the great equalizer.” It is simply a series of CHOICES. Your time IS truly your own.Whether you are seeking to gain control of your time for purposes of time management, efficiency, achieving goals or  improving your quality of life, make good and wise choices each day, my friends. Then reap the rewards of owning your time.

Best back to school organizing tip?

Back to school means shopping of all kinds. Kiddos grow fast and that can mean a variety of new purchases will be made some time in late summer to prepare for the school year. Clothes and shoes from the prior year have been outgrown.Typically, new backpacks, lunch bags or boxes, and school supplies must also be purchased. Depending on the number of students, this can make for quite a few shopping bags arriving into the family home. Before attempting to put any new purchases away, ALWAYS remember the ONE-IN / ONE-OUT RULE. For every new item purchased, one old one must go out! Before putting away those 4 new pairs of jeans and 1 pair of khakis for young Parker, Mom and Dad, remember to make certain that a total of 5 pairs of pants go OUT!Options:

• can be handed down to a smaller sibling

• can be given to a younger or smaller family or friend

• can be donated

• or if they are really stained, soiled or torn, simply thrown away

When young Parker has less clothing clutter to sort through and his room and clothing storage is kept simpler, he will be more likely to engage in the process of getting himself dressed and ready for school.Happy, calm mornings result in better relationships between parent and child. Parker is off to a good start and ready to be an engaging student!Mom and Dad, remember to apply this ONE-IN / ONE-OUT rule to your own purchases as well, throughout the year!

The Key to Accomplishing a Major Task?

The key to accomplishing a major task you ask? Realizing it is merely the sum of several small tasks. Change your mind-set from, “I only have 20 minutes” to “I have 20 minutes to work on my ideal (*) project. What part of this project can I complete?If a project seems long in duration or burdensome, break it down in your mind or visually. If you are visual, mind-map it on paper or on your computer. i.e., Q: “How do you eat an elephant?” A: “One bite at a time.” (*) Your ideal project may vary from writing your business plan for the coming year to stripping the wallpaper from the dining room and repainting. Whatever your project, apply these principles for productivity.

5 Must Haves for Your Kid's Dorm Room

Whether you and your spouse are crying on one another's shoulder or HIGH-FIVING behind Junior's back, one way or another, you've got to embrace reality. Your baby is going off to college. It seems like just yesterday you just brought him home. My sister has always said she believes "the terrible teen years" are God's way of preparing parents' hearts so they don't literally break when kids DO go off to college.Face it, your kiddo needs to be ready for this new phase of life. Hopefully you've been doing much of the groundwork over the past 18 years, instilling morals and values. The rest is reminders and lists and such. One lesson I learned from my two and the entire process -- don't try to get TOO involved NOW (which was hard for me as a hands-on, generally organized Mom). Now is a time for them to work with their new roommate(s) on some problem-solving, explore their new environments, learn new rules and regs, and test their wings.That said, I'm sure Junior won't mind you helping him to "GEEK-UP HIS DORM ROOM" with some of the latest technology available as seen on CBS Early Show this morning:5 Gadgets to Geek-Up Your Kid's DormIf your student needs a little help, but perhaps is not particularly open to listening to Mom or Dad at this time in his life, consider working with a skilled Professional Organizer during this transition to provide him with all the tools he needs to get a good start!

Book Review - Greatest Book on Coaching for Small Business

I just completed an audible book from www.audible.com.  It is called “The Greatest Book on Coaching for Small Business,” by Terry Ostrowiak. This audible book, 2 hrs. 25 min., was packed with so many positive gems. If you are a small business or a small business coach, it’s a keeper. But don’t shy away if you don’t fit into those categories – there are tips throughout for encouraging others in our daily walk of life (and who doesn’t need that!). ~ Kat JacobyInformation from his website www.quantumleapcatalyst.com

Terry Ostrowiak is a Business Catalyst who assists open-minded executives, in small businesses, to achieve Quantum Leap Results, targets and goals, faster and more easily than they could do it on their own.

A featured speaker at international conferences, Terry has shared the platform with Earl Nightingale, one of the world's foremost experts on "success", and Og Mandino, the renowned motivational speaker and leading author on "success" with sales of more than 30 million books.