It's Not About Your Stuff

Organizing Tips For Staying Focused, Managing Time, Organizing Your Computer, Letting Go of Clutter, & Making Life Easier

A professional organizer’s quick tips for staying on track

By Jessica Duquette

Managing your minutes

the only three things you can do with time are sell it, savor it or squander it.

• Avoid checking email first thing in the morning, the distraction throws off the rhythm of the whole day. Instead cross off two or three of your more urgent action items and then get to your email.
• Create a quick action plan for the day on a large post-it, and prioritize by what is most important and urgent to get done and do those first.
• Important things are not always urgent and urgent things are not always important. Learn to evaluate in the moment whether or not you can afford to commit to a project or action before choosing to do so. If you have conflicting feelings and someone else is waiting for your response, let them know that you will get back to them in a specified period of time.
• Brain Dump. Write everything you need to remember on a piece of paper to clear your mind and allow the space for critical thinking. This paper should always be disposable!

Managing your mind 

the hand that’s open to let go is the hand that’s open to receive.

• Schedule a time to clean out your purse and your car. It will always make you feel better about yourself and help you think more clearly.
• Allow yourself to purposely let go of things that you feel like you are attached to. Discover what the emotions are behind the grasping and really nurture yourself on that level. Grieving a past time in your life, such as when your kids were babies, or when your parents were alive or when you were 30 pounds thinner or 20 years younger? Afraid that you will not have or be enough? Ashamed that people will discover that you are a fraud? None of these feelings are about the things you are holding on to. Clutter is NEVER about the “stuff”, it’s always about you and clutter always has the result of keeping what you want away. (please reread that 3 times till it really sinks in)
• If an item reminds you of someone, you can take the memory and implant it in your body. Try breathing in the memory of your grandmother or your daughter when she was a baby, breathe every last bit of the essence of the person from the item and then see what happens!
• Honestly evaluate the places in your life where resentment, blame and acting the victim are stealing your joy, your energy and your vitality. Determine if holding on to these toxic feelings are serving you and forgive…yourself, the situation, the other person. Keep in mind, forgiving someone is not the same as condoning unacceptable behavior.
• Notice how your clutter is screaming at you. What would it be saying if you could actually hear it? What are you saying to the world, including the people that you live with, by keeping the clutter? This step takes a lot of courage to face.

Clearing off your desk in one minute---whew!

Clearing off your desk in one minute? Ok, I cheated a bit. What I mean is that I recently recorded a podcast on One Minute How-To, a great site where there are dozens (and counting) of podcasts on how to do all kinds of things (in case this sounds familiar, I did another recording a few weeks ago).

I squeezed in an entire protocol for clearing and organizing your desk into about a minute. Boy, did I have to talk fast!! Check it out:

One Minute How To Clear Off Your Desk

This month has been really crazy for me, I was out of town for a week a couple of weeks ago and this week, I will be out for another 10 days, doing a speaking engagement in Santa Cruz and then up to Seattle for the fabulous, exciting Blog Business Summit, for which I have been a guest blogger!

All this to say that I apologize for not being more present here, I miss my blog! And I will try and get some posts in from the road and when I get back...watch out!

Remember, I am on your team!

..· ´¨¨))  -:¦:-
         ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
       ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   Jessica -:¦:- 

     -:¦:-    ((¸¸.·´*

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Coupon Mantra

You know what a mantra is? It is a sacred phrase, word or even a sound, usually given to you by your teacher or guru, that you repeat over and over to help you concentrate your focus and elevate your vibrational state.

Here's Wikipedia's definition:

The Sanskrit word mantra- (m. मन्त्रः, also n. मन्त्रं) consists of the root man- "to think" (also in manas "mind") and the suffix -tra meaning, tool, hence a literal translation would be "instrument of thought". Mantras are interpreted to be effective as sound (vibration), to the effect that great emphasis is put on correct pronunciation (resulting in an early development of a science of phonetics in India). They are intended to deliver the mind from illusion and material inclinations. Chanting is the process of repeating a mantra.

I use mantras all the time, as 'thought tools" but of a different sort, the kind that make my life easier...(I guess my version bypasses the 'deliverence from material inclinations' aspect, but adaptation is a good thing, most of the time.)

Here's one mantra I offer my clients all the time (and thanks to Ariane Benefit of Neat Living for inspiring this post!):

coupons in the car, coupons in the car, coupons in the car.

What? What this means is if you collect (and use!) coupons, grocery, retail store, gift cards or certificates, etc. leave them in your car. photo courtesy of Kinney Drugs

Why? Because there is nothing more frustrating than driving by Bed, Bath & Beyond, knowing you need something there, having the extra 25 minutes to spare, knowing you have a 20% off coupon, but realizing it's at home nestled snugly in a neatly labeled folder called COUPONS.

You can go crazy with one of those fancy coupon holders, craft your own, or I use a plastic envelope, the kind you can get at Staples or Office Depot for less than $2.00  (Sorry, I couldn't find a better photo).

BTW, for hard core coupon users, Ariane recommends Mrs. A's coupon organizer. Check it out!

I hope this helps! I am always amazed at how many people say... "I never thought of that!"

Remember, I am on your team!

..· ´¨¨))  -:¦:-
         ¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
       ((¸¸.·´  ..·´   Jessica -:¦:- 

     -:¦:-    ((¸¸.·´*

Did you find this post helpful? You can easily get my blog posting updates automatically by email! Just click here to subscribe to the feed, and you won't have to keep checking back every day.