Getting the Kids "To Do's" into "Got Done"

If you have school age children you are very familiar with agendas, projects, dictation, reading lists and the myriad of tasks that come home for the children to accomplish. You probably even monitor that your children sit down and do homework each evening in order to get through the list. Maybe you go as far as to check that they have the due dates in their agendas.

Have you ever taught them how to write the To List so that it gets done?

Try teaching your children to write their To Do's with action verbs up front. For example:

"Project Outline" becomes
"Write rough copy of project outline".

The task is clear and limited. You will both know what needs to be done and when it got accomplished.

Keeping New Year's Resolutions

Many of you have made resolutions for the New Year - big juicy goals for your excellent life that you are creating.

How is that going for you? Here's a site that might be helpful. Suite101.com offers a selection of articles on setting and keeping those resolutions. Here's one that I found particularly helpful by Wie Yin Yong. New habits can be a challenge to establish - as frustrating as old one's are to kick. This article on Making New Habits may be particularly helpful in anchoring the new bahiours in your life.

Someday Syndrome & Someday Wishes

How often do we use the words "someday I will..." Occassionally? Frequently? Can anyone claim never?

I have a colleague who can claim "not any more". Alex Fayle, a professional organizer used to say "Someday I will live and write in the south of Spain". Like so many of us he had his share of someday wishes. Unlike the majority of us, Alex did something about his someday wishes and made them his reality.

Someday Syndrome is not only his story but a resource for anyone suffering from the procrastination syndrome. Does this sound familiar?

• Someday My Ship Will Come In
  Waiting for, instead of pursuing, your dreams
• I'll Get Around To It Someday
  Wasting your life with navel-gazing and other procrastination games
• I Might Need It Someday
  Filling your life with stuff instead of achievements.

If you have ever suffered from procrastination, even mildly on a bad day, I recommend you to Someday Syndrome. Never was there a better time than the fresh beginning of a year to end those somdays and start creating your amazing life full of acheivements.

25 Things to Do Before Christmas: #23 - Goals

Many of us look forward to the New Year as a time to refresh, start anew and accomplish goals and make resolutions to get some things accomplished. Problem is, we don't make the resolutions until he spur of the moment on at New Year's and don't book in the time to make sure they happen.

Pull out your calendar and next year's as well. Don't have next year's yet? (That was #24). Start by booking yourself some serious time to think about your vision for your life next year. An hour alone is a great time to start but a three hour stint or 3, one hour sessions is not too long. Get it booked before the holiday swirl robs you of your planning time.

Take a look at next year's calendar and start to book in the things you want to accomplish. Loose weight? Book in your time in the gym, your session with your trainer, time to investigate a nutritionist. Whatever it will take, get it booked.

Putting things in black and white on paper has a way of increasing the intention and commitment from "would really like to" (i.e. not likely to happen) to "am really going to". Clear your vision for your life, get those goals identified and book them into your life.

Enjoy looking forward to the New Year and all the great things you will accomplish. Aim high.

Get Organized without the Buts

For today's post I'm sending you over to millionairemommynextdoor. She has a great post talking about all the buts we put into our lives i.e. all the reasons we think we should not, could not or will not succeed. Check it out.

A Clear Vision for your World

It seems the longer I work as a professional organizer, the less organizing is about the stuff and the more it is about stuff behind the stuff.

What is your vision for your life? What is your vision for your home? What is your vision for your favourite place in your home? Do you have a vision?

If we don't have a clear understanding of what we desire for ourselves it is very hard to get there - sort of like that preverbial trip, not knowing where you are going and no map to get there.

Before you start your next organizing project, develop a really clear vision of what the space, room, area, corner or cupboard will look, feel, smell, sound or function like when you are done. If you are more kinetic than visual, try imagining what the space or place will feel like and how you will function in it. Likewise, if you are more auditorily inclined (listening) try describing outloud how the space will look, feel or function.

Start with a clear vision - its much easier to know when you get there.

Courageous Organizers

I have just returned from three days at the Professional Organizers in Canada annual conference here in Toronto. It was an information packed, fun filled and industry driving conference with almost 25% of the organization's membership in attendance.

The talent in attendance was exceptional. Harold Taylor and Krista Green were both in attendance to reveal their latest training and business development programs. Elaine Shannon from the Organizing Connection and Laura from I'm an Organizing Junkie brought us up to date with the latest in online business development. Authors Karen Shinn and Gail Shields launched their new book GO! The Essential Guide to Organizing and Moving.

Having filled up my brain and note book with enough ideas to keep me planning for centuries, the conference finished off with a powerful presentation on The Courage to Succeed by Tanya Chernova and Joanna Andros of Courageous Living. They challenged the audience to step right out of the box, break the old neuro-receptor patterns that lead us down predictable roads and start to form new thoughts around our ability to accomplish those goals we never seem to reach.

It's a simple enough message but one which we often forget. When was the last time you took a courageous step? I did; I accepted the invitation to be a tip host on the Organizing Connection.

Taking Back Time

Having trouble managing or organizing time?

Do you feel as if you are always busy but get nothing done?

Take a look at what you spent the majority of yesterday - or even this week - doing. Now reflect on what you did not do.

Time management is a challenge most of us face most of the time. All too often, we spend our time busy, busy on things that come up and convince us they are urgent in nature. At the end of the day, those things rob us of the time we need to accomplish things in our life which are really important to the values and goals we hold most dear.

Try this time management tip: allocate your time such that at least 50% is spent on those tasks or projects which are directly related to your highest values and greatest goals. Now book the time and protect it from unimportant intruders.

Enjoy achieving your goals.

New Year's, New Goals

As the first one-twelth of the year comes to a close, have you planned your results for the year yet?

What would you like to accomplish by the end of 2008?

What would you like to be remembered for?

What would you like to stop doing?

What will you do more of, how much, when and with whom.

Enjoy preparing this next chapter of your accomplishments.