The Clutterologist

I will flagellate myself before the blogging community for my long absence from posting. I promise to do better going forward. I have been busy working on several different projects, all centered on how to build a better business. More and more I find myself working with small business clients in the context of my organizing business, and I am finding that in order to "organize" a business person I must address business issues. In a way I become a trusted advisor and general consultant to these small business people. They need solutions that work for their life, and small business people tend to have a more integrated life--their business and personal lives have blurry lines and they need organizational systems that work for both. One of the most basic suggestions I have for people who have time management problems is to make sure they have only one planner/calendar--whether that's paper or electronic--that covers their entire life. It gets way too confusing wh...

This post may be a bit overdue, but the first Accelerated Networking event of the Boston chapter of eWomenNetwork went superbly last week. It was so exciting to see something that I have been talking about and working towards for so many months actually take on a life of its own. The thrill of networking for me is not only what it can do for my business--although a lot of people do go out to networking events thinking solely about what others can do for them--but it is how I can build relationships with others who I may be able to help or who may be able to help someone I know. In a lot of ways the NOUN (network) has become a VERB (networking) but really the NOUN is the objective. You want to have a network of your own, made of people who know and trust you. You want a true network built on real relationships and not just a stack of business cards with people who may or may not remember meeting you when you call them six months from now. What does this have to do with organization? Wel...

I have decided to finish off my discussion of this book quick and dirty because I have been writing about almost nothing else on my blog. My interest is waning in it and I have so many other things to share. So here goes: 8. Seed your routine tasks throughout the day, rather than trying to carve out blocks of time. 9. Heighten productivity by seeking out projects that engage your interest and energy. These last two steps really address sort of the yin and yang of our day--the pull of wanting to do something interesting and fun while still feeling the pressure of having to do boring, routine tasks. How can we get through the tasks without them dragging us down? How can we actually use excitement and interest in projects as fuel to propel us through all our day's activities more productively? Two things really have to happen. First you need a good system for capturing and tracking your routine tasks. Whether you use a to-do list or call-back log or a file with priority paperwork, you...

For those of you that are new, I have been going through the 9 Organizing Laws as outlined by Stephanie Winston in her book "Organized for Success." She shadowed and interviewed successful CEOs and high level executives looking to see if there were consistent organizing principles that they all shared. No matter what industry, personality, or specific position she did find similarities, and those she boiled down into the 9 Organizing Laws. If you want to see my commentary on the first six, see my previous entries. Now #7 is "Claim an hour of priority time every day." This is the time of day to focus on--naturally--priorities that require your undivided attention. It depends on your particular job and biorhythms, but your priority hour should be when you are at your peak performance. If you know that you are a morning person but get draggy after lunch, don't schedule your time for 1pm. If you have an office where your staff starts at 9am, maybe your best bet woul...

I will be conducting a workshop on Oct 20th for people who need help with what I call the Productivity Triangle--Time Management, Clutter and Procrastination. Some people might call it the Bermuda Triangle of productivity because those are the three things most people struggle with the most and they are the most directly related to how productive we are on a daily basis. It's a four-hour workshop that will cover both the concepts of how these sides of the triangle are interrelated and the practical methods of improving behaviors with respect to the concepts. I want participants to be self-aware of HOW they are contributing to their problems and walk away with a personal action plan. As part of the workshop fee, participants get a follow-up coaching session with me so that I can help them truly implement their plan and stay on track. The details: Oct 20 from 8:30am-12:30pm at the Regus Business Center, One Adams Place, 859 Willard St, Quincy, MA. Seating is limited so pre-registrati...

I have been taking it all in this week. The devastation and the human suffering is almost too much to watch sometimes--you want to shut off the TV and toss out the paper and simply give thanks that you and your family are safe. It's one of those reminders that bad things can happen before you know it--and no part of the country is really exempt. The thing I have to wonder is how many people out there are truly ready for an emergency. Think about which documents would be important for you to have if your family was suddenly homeless? Now, do you know where those documents are? Can you grab them in an emergency? Are some of the more valuable ones stored in a fire proof box or bank lock box? How many of us have taken the time to actually inventory our homes--insurance industry recommends a videotape if possible--so that when it comes time to settle claims it's easier and more accurate? You can find several over-the-counter family organization binders that include checklists, pouch...