"...The Path of Our Life
Minimalist Joshua Becker said in his e-book, Simplify: “Our actions will always follow the true desire of our heart. What our heart believes and loves always determines the path of our life. We can mask our true wants for only a short while. Without a true heart change, we always return to our heart’s first love. This truth applies to all areas of life: our energy, our time, our relationships, our spirituality, our money and our possessions.”
Organizing possessions, especially mine and those of my clients—warms my heart and is the focus of much of my time and energy.
What warms your heart and where do you channel your time and energy?
Scattered Possessions: Piles
Mastermind group member once said she thought of me when she read this tagline on the side of a ScanMyFiles truck while sitting in traffic: “reducing piles, producing smiles.”
I love this tagline! It totally fits my company, Scattered Possessions (Professional Organizer) too, because we help individuals and families decrease and organize piles of: clothing, collectibles, cookware, and more. Outcome? Both clients and organizers are happy as well.
How to Get Organized: 7 Ideas to Encourage Family Members to Start and Finish Tasks
I found that making a master "to-do" list at the beginning of a week results in a more productive week because I prioritize tasks for each day. This method works well for me and helps me act, persist, and finish those jobs. Goals and/or tasks, written down, tend to get accomplished, whereas thoughts alone may drift away and remain unacted on.
Project lists may vary between individuals due to varied interests and objectives. A high-ranked task for me may not appear on another person's list.
Examples of my list toppers for family members:
Donate at least half of an abundance of shirts stored in the closet, of which 10% are frequently worn and the rest "hang on."
Decrease the number of containers filled with duplicate household items and stacks that reach toward the ceiling and await a new home elsewhere.
Remove a 1960's era car that sits idle and wastes away in the garage, while new cars live outside, exposed to hail, rain, and heat.
Reduce the abundance of hobby items jammed into the garage, acquired over numerous years and abandoned as new interests emerge.
Recycle or shred stacks of dated documents from years ago that no longer serve a useful purpose and continue to spread over the desktop, or shift from one side to the other, and grow higher daily.
Replace the decrepit garage door well past its prime.
Sell or donate Vietnam-era stereo equipment which resides in the recesses of the closet or garage, not turned on nor touched for decades.
Have you tried or experienced the following, without results?
Repeatedly requested that family members: remove unused articles from the garage; reduce unworn articles of clothing that clog the closet; and decrease the clutter from flat surfaces (desktop, kitchen table, countertops, and floor, etc.).
Constantly thought about projects placed on the "back burner" and ignored.
Continually organized and sorted scattered items and multiples of the same type of products and tools into like groups, and cut down the many empty containers in the garage, only to have them increase again?
Ideas that may help family members jumpstart projects or smaller tasks--high on my list, low or non-existent on theirs.
"Plant a seed."
Suggest they take pictures of unused stereo equipment and advertise the components on E-Bay or Craig's List; find someone interested in restoration or donate the stereo pieces.
Perform Internet research for desired services then offer those options to family members for further action.
Ask how you might help your family member move forward on their project.
Mutually agree on a date to start and finish the task or project.
Gather articles needed for project implementation and completion; label containers for trash, recycling, and donation. Silence phones, computers, and other electronics to lessen interruptions.
Engage your patience, encouragement, compassion, and empathy.
Encourage family members to reduce their abundance of possessions...now…so that their loved ones are not left with that responsibility in the event of a medical problem/emergency or catastrophe which prevents them from taking care of it themselves.
Please share ideas or tips that have worked for you to engage your family members in starting, working on, and completing tasks/larger projects.
How to Keep Yourself Zeroed In On Your Tasks
My main goal this morning was to work on my business blog first—review prior posts and write a new post. Instead, I sat on the porch settee and drank a cup of coffee, sorted my papers, started a load of laundry, tidied the kitchen, pre-shrunk fabric for masks, reconciled my business bank statement, etc. I distracted myself from my mission. Do you plan a priority project for the morning/day, then you take care of other tasks instead? How do you keep yourself focused on your main project? Some “tricks” I try:
Create a workspace where you feel good. I tried three areas in my home for a home office. One was near the hub of home activity and distracting. The second was a bedroom room, smaller space, darker, and seemed to block my energy. The third which is now my office is larger, has more natural light, and inspires me to stay focused on my goal until finished or at least complete several steps of a larger project. Playing my favorite music helps too.
Make a master list. This one is my favorite. I am more industrious on the days I make a master “to-do” list. I schedule several “assignments” from this list on my paper calendar which helps me concentrate on one item at a time. It is like setting a timer, allows me to work on one aspect of my job at a time; I switch to another job when the scheduled time is up. If I do not make a list, I most often find something – anything! – to do other than what I need to do. If we get off track, try again the next day.
Change your scenery. I go to my “other office”—a local coffee shop or the new library—to rekindle my creativity and stop myself from nibbling on food.
Use distractions to give yourself a mental break – and then resume work. Our cat would walk across the keys on my keyboard, causing me to pause typing…for obvious reasons. (Her helpful blog contribution: juik6t5xsdbv0op76yt2q1vgf;). I embrace the interruption then refocus on my task when she wandered off
I stop several times during my workday to tidy my workspace because I find untidiness to be a work progress distractor.
I would like to hear from you about how you get yourself back on track if you stray from your goal of the day.