Thursday, May 31, 2012, 12:58 PM
I've just spent the last 90 minutes at my desk, and while it was not much fun, I feel much, much better. I've completed some tasks that have languished on my desk for far too long, and I have captured all of my outstanding to-dos in a comprehensive list.

Clients always want to know the secret to handling all of the paperwork (bills, statements, forms, etc.) AND their many tasks, but they don't always like my answer: DESK TIME. It sounds ridiculously simple, but if you don't carve out time in your schedule to sit down and process your paper and tasks, you will fall behind and feel out of control. Where you sit can, of course, vary. Some people have traditional desk setups, while others have more of a mobile work style. Similarly, when you carve out this time needs to be a personal decision. Some will need a shorter, daily time slot, while others may prefer a once weekly schedule. The trick is to pick a schedue and PUT IT IN YOUR CALENDAR, AS IF IT WERE A DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT.

Before you sit down, you may want to set up a shredding bag and a recycling bag. Once you're ready, here are some strategies that may help:

1) Sort your paper into the following categories: shredding, recycling, bills, filing, actionable. You'll need to designate a place for bills and clean out your files if they're jammed.
2) Capture your tasks in a list. This includes the actionable items you just found while sorting. You can then prioritize your list. One helpful tip: if you can do it in 5 minutes or less, do it on the spot.
3) Start with the most urgent tasks, and complete what you can during the allotted time.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about this, so stay tuned :)

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011, 09:13 AM
I hope that all of you who are reading this survived the hurricane intact, but I think that's wishful thinking, at least where I live. I walked around my neighborhood yesterday and it was really sobering to see the enormous piles of destroyed carpets, couches, trees, and other belongings waiting at the curb for pickup. I'm truly sorry for everyone who suffered losses during the storm. My husband got hold of a generator and saved our basement--I'm very grateful.

What was interesting when I was walking around, and in various conversations I've had, were the comments people made about their possessions. More than a few people told me they while the storm was devastating they were relieved that it forced them to throw away long forgotten, useless items that were now waterlogged. These folks finally got rid of stuffed animals and plastic toys their kids used and abandoned years ago. Others told me about books they had to discard. Books are very hard for people to let go of, but one friend told me the books she threw away were nice, but basically sat in her basement and were never reread.

Again, this is not to say that people were not upset about the expensive carpeting and furniture--they were, and rightly so. It's that the experience forced them to do what I do with clients during an organizing session--separating out what's important and meaningful from what's not.

A good friend said it best: "My newly finished basement was destroyed, but my parents home was untouched. I'll gladly take my basement flooding in exchange for their safety".

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One word: PAPER!! 
Thursday, November 18, 2010, 08:57 PM



2) Immediately throw all junk mail into your recycling bin.
3) Place all bills in a designated bill area.


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Thursday, September 30, 2010, 08:55 AM





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Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 04:00 PM

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