Organising Myths Busted - You need to be a natural born organiser

Back in the blogging world I thought I’d post this article I wrote a little while ago. It is the first in a series of organising myths I’m going to bust over the coming weeks.

One of the many comments I often hear about organising is that people tell me “I’m just not a natural organiser. You’ve got to be born like that.”

Agreed, some people find organising easier than others. Some people have a natural knack for it. Those are the people who from childhood onwards will organise their books alphabetically, their toy cars by size or their building blocks by size, colour and shape.

But most of us, myself included, are not like that at all. We have all had to deal with our own disorganisation up to a point where we made a conscious decision to make a change. We decided to become organised. We went out and bought books, researched the web, went on courses and seminars and somehow found all the tools necessary to simply get on with getting organised.

Getting organised is a process that starts with the desire to get organised and a conscious choice to change a couple of habits. You set your mind to it. You then have to learn the tools. Whether these are time management techniques, or the best way to sort out your home or the most suitable approach to sort out your desk and set up a filing system, there are many different ways to get organised and not every way is suitable for every person. There is no right or wrong way. The important thing is that you make a start, stop procrastinating about it and get on with the process of organising. Along the way, there will be set backs and difficulties as you fine tune and hone your organising skills. But in the end you will achieve your goal of being organised. You will realise that you feel better about yourself, you will have a certain sense of pride about your achievements and you will feel a lot less stressed once everything is sorted and organised.

And once you realise that it is so much easier to maintain an organised environment than to create it in the first place you will want to keep things organised and not fall back into your old bad habits.

So you can either do it yourself, maybe enlist the help of a friend or you can call in a Professional Organiser. If you call in a pro, you can benefit from their expertise to help you set up new systems and you don’t have to reinvent the wheel yourself. Yes, their services don’t come for free, but think of the time you save for research and trial and error. They will also supply you with tips and tricks on how to keep it all up, making the process pay for itself in the long run.

So go ahead – get organised – you can do it!

5 Ways to Erase Daily Procrastination in Your Business

According to Real Simple magazine’s survey of 10,000 readers, the average daily to-do list has 5 to 9 tasks on it. Only 5% of the readers are productive for 3 hours during a 9-to-5 workday as a result of web-related distractions. According to the Procrastination Research Group, based on some figures, it is estimated that as much as 95% of the people are prone to procrastination. Amongst them, 20% of them are chronic procrastinators.

Procrastination is generally defined as avoided tasks or activities that need to be accomplished. Poor time management and procrastination can be a direct result of having unreachable goals, having to meet others’ standards, disorganization or the inability to handle the task. Below are ways to erase daily procrastination in your business.

1. Use the first hour or two of your day to work on things that require your attention or have deadlines. Accomplishing necessary tasks will invigorate you to do more.
2. Inspire yourself with insightful reading. Read at least one business article daily and take action. Try implementing a new idea. Don’t just read about it, but do.
3. Afternoon organization can make the next day easier. Take 15 minutes at the end of each day to think about tomorrow’s priorities. Knowing what needs to be done at the beginning of each day gives you focus and direction.
4. Break large projects or tasks into smaller activities and schedule them on your calendar as appointments. Do them in 30-minutes, 1-hour or 3-hour time blocks. You wouldn’t interrupt a scheduled appointment, so don’t allow unnecessary interruptions when working on your projects.
5. Don’t make lofty goals. Be reasonable in your expectations of yourself, your time and your commitments. Overextending yourself can cause you shut down. Be practical and realistic.

It’s always helpful to identify the source of your procrastination. Take some time to think about why you are putting things off and then try one of the above techniques. Procrastination can really be a struggle and challenge for small business owners, especially when they are simply overwhelmed and unsure of their next move. Take it one step at a time and be conscious of your actions AND inaction.

A.Michelle Blakeley is the Founder and CEO of Simplicity, Inc.; a progressive small business development firm. She manages her clients’ business expectations and prevents information overload via Micro Business Therapy™ and Micro Business Action Plans. She is featured in Forbes.com and the Financial Post as one of 30 Women Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter and the host of Simple Truths for Women Entrepreneurs on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Using Microsoft OneNote to Get Organised

I have discovered Microsoft OneNote. It usually only appeared when my printer wasn’t installed properly and a Word document would say Print to OneNote, which I dutifully then changed to my assigned printer. But then one day, I thought: Why not have a look what this programme actually does – apart from taking printing instructions from Word and Excel.

Wow, was I amazed. I suddenly had a really good organising tool at my fingertips. If you’re already using OneNote you’ll know exactly what I mean. If you don’t, let me show you what you can do with it.

In OneNote you create virtual notebooks. Just like a real notebook you can divide it into sections which contain pages. And that’s where the similarities with a real paper-based notebook ends. Because it’s virtual you are not limited to an existing number of sections and you can re-arrange them at your leisure. If you end up with a lot of section you can group sections together (into Section Groups) to form a higher level and you can have sub-pages to create lower levels of more detail if pages aren’t sufficient. And everything can be renamed and rearranged any way you need it.

You can easily copy/paste from any other programme including from web pages, import pictures, videos, sound clips, links, etc. You can take screen clippings which will be referenced where you got them from. You can add hyperlinks to webpages or other files or to somewhere else in the notebook.

You can mark any bit of text with tags like ‘To Do’,  ‘Contact’, ‘Remember for blog’ or whatever else you need, since the tags are also customisable. And you can also link to Outlook and schedule tasks.

That’s the how, now for the why and what for. If you ever needed something really versatile to catch all your ideas, references and random scribblings – OneNote will do the job. And here are just some ideas what you can use this programme for:

• create a wedding planner notebook
• use it for studying multiple topics/subjects
• a hold all for your goal setting
• a project planner
• a notebook to catch your ideas for a book
• a research project
• a moving house log
• the possibilities are endless …

There is a free trial version on the Microsoft website so you can have a play and see if it’s for you. The trial also comes pre-installed on lots of new computers. OneNote is also part of the Office Home & Student package and the Office Ultimate package.

Have some fun and try it out!

A Fun Time Management Technique The Pomodoro

First of all a very Happy New Year to everyone. How did the first couple of weeks of the new decade go for you? Did you do any resolutions and set some good goals? And are you still on track? If not, don’t worry. Simply start over today. You don’t have to wait until the 1st Jan, 2011. You don’t even have to wait until the 1st February this year, not even until next Monday. Simply start over today, now. Put that cigarette down now, start using your diary now, cut down on alcohol and fatty foods from your next meal or do some exercise as soon as you finish work today. Whatever your goal is, keep working towards it. A little bit every single day.

If your goal is time management I found a great little tool on the web recently. It’s called the Pomodoro Technique. The basics are that you use a kitchen timer (the Pomodoro is exactly that, a tomato shaped kitchen timer) and set it for 25 minutes at a time and work on your to do lists.

Here is a little excerpt from their website:

The basic unit of work in the Pomodoro Technique™ can be split in five simple steps:

1. Choose a task to be accomplished
2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
4. Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
5. Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

On the website you can download the workbook as a pdf for free and there are groups to join and Twitters to follow. You can even attend a workshop in Milan – combine a nice break in a beautiful city with some time management training!

Christmas Organising

With Christmas fast approaching I thought it would be a good idea to talk about a nice and fast way to organise the festive season. Some people start months before and once December comes around, they're done and everything is organised. Not everyone is this organised or even wants to think about Christmas before December starts.

Here is a list I found on the Style at Home website that I would like to share with you. It covers 12 days of Christmas Organising and tackles pretty much all areas. If you jump in today (8 days to go) simply leave out tasks you can do without and combine a couple of days. You can still get organised, even if you haven’t started yet.

Keep your holidays in step with 12 days of Christmas organizing ideas.

Cooking and wrapping and decorating -- oh my! With so much to do in the days leading up to Christmas it's easy to get overwhelmed with holiday tasks. This year, minimize the annual festive frenzy with Style at Home's 12-day countdown to a stress-free Christmas.
Day 12
• Clean out the fridge and freezer to free up space.
• Gather your holiday recipes and cross-reference the ingredients you have with the ones you'll need to buy.
• Check your inventory of cookware, serving pieces, and food storage containers to see what’s missing. If you're in need of something, contact a family member or friend to see if you can borrow or share items.
Day 11
• Shop for groceries and pick up everything you'll need to complete your holiday recipes. If it can be baked or cooked ahead of time, buy the ingredients now.
• Be sure to purchase plenty of frozen hors d'oeuvres and finger foods - they're a lifesaver when guests drop by unexpectedly.
• If you have kids at home, hire a babysitter rather than taking them with you. Shopping alone will help you stay focused.
Day 10
• Cook any dishes ahead of time that you can. Casseroles, appetizers and desserts can be frozen, thus saving you time on the big day.
• Before starting your cooking and baking, lay out all the ingredients and baking supplies you'll need. Try to clean as you go, minimizing the mess.

Day 9
• Go gift shopping and try to cross off everyone on your list. Pick up a few small extras for last minute hostess gifts and unexpected visitors.
• Remember to include the people who make your life easier all year: the mailman, paperboy, or anyone else you can think of. Give them each a small gift and have it delivered right away in case they take time off over the holidays.
• Check and see if you need to stock up on any wrapping materials. Make sure there's enough paper, ribbon, gift tags, and the one thing everyone always runs out of – tape!
Day 8
• Have a tree trimming or decorating party. Pull some hors d'oeuvres out of the freezer or serve hot chocolate and sweet treats. Have holiday music on hand and make it a fun occasion for everyone. Having friends and family over to help you decorate will save you time and help you relax.
Day 7
• Run errands and pick up any extras you may have overlooked on your last shopping trip. Think about things like logs for the fireplace, batteries for toys and gadget gifts, ornament hooks, club soda for spills, extra ice, matches to light candles, and replacement bulbs for strings of lights.
Day 6
• Hire a babysitter to watch the kids and devote some time to wrapping gifts. Make it enjoyable by listening to Christmas carols or watching your favorite holiday film while you do it.
• If you're heading out to holiday parties over the next few days, print out the directions now. Put them all together and leave them by the front door.

Day 5
• Check all the linens you'll be using such as tablecloths, placemats, and napkins, and make sure they're clean and not musty. Give them a wash and iron or treat yourself to a professional dry cleaning.
• Pull out the special guest towels and decorative soaps and place them in the powder room.
• Clean out the foyer closet and free up space for guests’ coats and boots.
Day 4
• Go to the grocery store and stock up on anything you may have run out of or missed on your last trip. Pick up perishables like fresh vegetables and dairy products.
• Purchase any flowers you might want for holiday centerpieces and displays. It's just enough time for them to open up and settle so they'll look perfect for the big day.
Day 3
• Enlist the help of every member of the household and give the house a good spot cleaning. Dust, vacuum, and tidy up so you don't have to worry about it at the last minute.
• Take the turkey out of the freezer and put in the fridge.
Day 2
• Set the holiday table and get candles, flower arrangements and music ready. Prepare everything you can so you can relax on the big day.
• Order takeout or pull a stress-free meal out of the freezer. Give the oven -- and yourself! -- a break and rest up for the following day.
Day 1
• Pat yourself on the back as you enjoy a relaxing holiday with those you love the most!

Have a very Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year 2010!

Thursday’s Thought – Clutter Free Gifts

As it’s all about pre-christmas on the blog at the moment, and the last post was on ideas for clutter free gifts, I thought I’d add a few more thoughts on the subject.

Giving someone a voucher for something may seem like an easy option, an avoidance of thinking about what to give. But if you think about it in more detail, that doesn’t have to be the case. It could show that you have actually put more thought into a present than simply going into a shop and buying something.

Giving someone a voucher for a treat (like a pampering session) or phone top ups or downloads (such as i-tunes) means that you do care about what is important to them. You have thought about something they could really benefit from.

If you give someone a physical item as a gift, do you really always think about the following:

• will the person actually like the item?
• have they got the space to store it/display it?
• have they got time to do what it takes to look after it? (if you’ve ever received a nice item of clothing that can only be hand washed or dry cleaned you’ll know what I mean)
• does it need new batteries every week to keep it going?

You get the idea.

What I am trying to say: as long as you are really trying to put some thought into your “clutter-free” gift (such as a voucher for their favourite shop) your recipient will prefer that to the umpteenth pair of socks or the obligatory tie.

Clutter Free Gift Ideas

With Christmas approaching, some of us dread the idea that yet more clutter is going to enter our house in the form of presents. But this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Quite often we get what we wish for, so why not put things on your wish list that are not actually “things”.

Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing: presents to wish for or to give to your loved ones (since of course you don’t want them to drown in clutter either).

• Voucher for a “Meal Out” at your favourite restaurant
• Cinema ticket
• Theatre/Concert tickets
• Voucher for “services” to offer such as
• babysitting
• cleaning
• decluttering
• walking the dog
• house sitting
• DIY
• washing/valeting the car
• Voucher for a “Girly Day Out”
• Voucher for a “Boys’ Weekend Away”
• A Massage
• A Facial
• A Spa Day
• Any holistic treatment such as Reiki
• Adventure Days
• A cooking course
• Promise to be an Exercise Buddy
• Membership to a Club
• Weekend Break
• Offer a kid’s sleepover at your house so that the parents get to spend some “couple time”
• Charity Donation for particular cause (Oxfam do “un-wrapped” presents – the recipient receives a card and a simple fridge magnet showing what was given in his/her behalf)- (Save the Children have a Wishlist programme doing the same with Children’s gifts)
• If you’re good at cooking, offer to be the Chef for a night (maybe for a dinner party or just so, for their family)
• Mobile phone top-up
• I-tunes vouchers
• Apps for i-phone
• Music lessons
• Driving lessons
• Any lessons
• or how about the ultimate present: give the gift of decluttering - Well Organised Gift Vouchers 

Tuesday’s Tip – Clutter Entertainment

I found this great little video on YouTube that I would like to share with you today. It’s a clip by American comedienne Lois Morton named: Confessions of a Clutterholic.

Enjoy!

How to Motivate Yourself for Cleaning

Cleaning is one of those jobs that some of us really need to gear up for; it doesn’t come naturally. This post is for you.

Here are 5 super ways to get the oomph, to put your rear into gear to tackle the cleaning that needs doing around the house.

1. The Ultimate Motivator - Invite Someone Over To Your Home

Nothing gets you more going than knowing someone is going to pop in at a certain time. You will want to make a good impression and not let the sides down. After you’ve made the inviting phone call, go through the house with a visitor’s eye and you will see all that needs doing much clearer. Make a list and work through it. You’ve already got a natural deadline – you know when your visitors should arrive. And as a reward for all that hard work you can spend some relaxing time with your friend.

2. Clean Out Some Clutter

Decluttering is a very freeing exercise. As you get rid of items that you have been holding on to for years you begin to feel a sense of freedom, relief and clarity. It sounds corny, but it’s true and you won’t find out for yourself until you try it. Start in a small area, like a shelf or a side table. This will motivate you to tackle bigger projects. And with all those newly discovered clear surfaces you will find that cleaning almost does itself!

5. Rearrange a Room

This is another very good way to freshen up a room. In the process you will want to improve things and will start to clean and organise without even thinking about it. You don’t need to completely redecorate which can be costly, but simply move furniture, artwork, decorative items, etc. You will then want to keep it that way, all shiny and new looking, and are more likely to keep on top of things. And you never know, improving one room like this could even motivate you to extend that new fresh look to another room and soon your whole house will look like new.

Goal Setting – Taking Action

Setting goals is only the first step in achieving them. It is great to know what you’re aiming for but now you need to decide what it is that is going to move you towards your goals, so that in the end you will achieve them.

You have written down your goals and put them in a visible space so everyday you are reminded of what you’re working towards.

Now you need to take some action. Commit to doing one small thing every day that is going to move you towards your goal. This is the best and fastest way to getting there. Create a plan of action steps you need to do to accomplish your goals.

This action plan can take the shape of mini goals you set out to achieve that will ultimately lead to the main goal. These mini goals should be quite easy to achieve and only contain a few actions each. This way you see progress and are motivated to keep going.

Setting goals is not going to achieve them.
Writing goals down is not going to achieve them.
Taking small action steps every day IS going to achieve them.

Tuesday’s Tip - Motivational Quotes - Goals

Since I’m intending on keeping the subject on goal setting going for a little while longer – there’s loads more to discuss – I thought it’s time for some topical Motivational Quotes. Here’s what I found:

"The most important thing about goals is... having one."
-- Geoffry F. Abert

"A goal is a dream with a deadline."
-- Napolean Hill, Author

"Long-range goals keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures."
-- J.C. Penney, Retailer

“Chance can allow you to accomplish a goal every once in a while, but consistent achievement happens only if you love what you are doing.”
--Bart Conner

“The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of setting goals and achieving them. Even the most tedious chore will become endurable as you parade through each day convinced that every task, no matter how menial or boring, brings you closer to fulfilling your dreams.”
--Og Mandino

Let me know what you think. Comments welcome!

On Track to Achieving Your Goals – Write Them Down

Last time we spoke about making goals precise and realistic to make them achievable. This time I want to talk about how to go about achieving your goals.

The first and most important step is to write your goals down. Don’t just have them flying around your mind, hiding in between all those other bits you need to remember. Write them down and then put them somewhere where you can always see them. This could be posted on the fridge with a magnet , on a yellow sticky note or in your diary or all of the above. This way you are always reminded that there is something you are working towards and your subconscious will do some of the work for you. It will, for instance, come up with different ways how to overcome obstacles and find different avenues to follow to help you along the way.

Studies have shown that people who write their goals down are more likely to achieve them than people who don’t. One famous study from Yale in 1953 said that the 3% of Yale graduates who had written goals had more wealth years later than the other 97% of the class combined. Makes you think, right? If it worked for these guys then it can work for you, too.

Formulate your goals in the positive. Instead of saying what you don’t want, what you want to avoid or what you want less of, specify what you do want, what you want to attract and what you want more of. We get what we focus on. If you focus on “less stress” you inadvertently focus on “stress”. The brain doesn’t really register the “less”. You will get more of what you don’t want.

Also, keep writing them. Refine them. Make them more precise. This makes your goals more real since it’s a process that is always fresh in your mind.

The Art of Goal Setting

How do you set goals? That is a question that is actually quite legitimate. Most of us have stuff we want to achieve. Make more money, be more organised, be healthier, to name but a few. But are these actually goals? Well, they are a good start I would say, but to become goals they need a bit more thinking.

Let’s look at one example: “I want to be more organised.”

Good idea, but how do you know when you have achieved this? Is it when all your CDs are alphabetically sorted? Is it when you are no longer late arriving at appointments? Is it when all your laundry is always up to date? What does being organised mean for you?

Another example: “I want to be healthier.”

Same questions: How do you know you have achieved this? Does your blood pressure or blood sugar (or both) have to be a certain level? Do you want to reach a certain weight? Do you want to be fit enough to run a marathon? And by when?

Being not very specific about setting your goals is one of the reasons why the famous New Year’s Resolutions usually fail. We are so vague about what we want to achieve that we have no idea what “achieved” actually looks like.

We usually don’t attach a time limit either, a realistic one to be precise. Unless you go on “The Biggest Loser” you are not likely to lose 3 stone by the end of January when you start on the 1st January. Unless you are a very lucky person you are not likely to win the lottery and therefore end up £1 million richer within a few weeks time.

So, the gist of today is: be specific about your goals. And give them realistic time limits. What precisely do you want to achieve by when?

Next time we’ll talk about what we do with those goals so that they don’t just stay dreams that won’t come true.

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Tuesday’s Tip – Go and Set Some Goals

Everyone talks about goal setting these days. But why exactly should you do it? Just because people keep telling you to is probably not a good enough reason. And I completely agree with you on that one. But what about if you look at these 5 reasons:

1. Goals can give you a target to aim for
   If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there?
2. Goals can help you focus
   What do you want to achieve today?
3. Goals can motivate you
   If you know what’s at stake you will want to stop procrastinating.
4. Goals can help you set priorities
   Find out what’s really important to you and do something do improve exactly that.
5. Goals can be a roadmap
   Find your way from where you are now to where you want to be.

Start today by writing down your goals and see where they can take you.

Today’s tip is the first in a series of posts on goal setting. I believe that goal setting is a great way to organise your mind and your time so it’s very relevant to the Well Organised philosophy.

Piling or Filing

Many people have piles on their desks. And for some of them these piles actually work. Some people are very visual and want to leave everything out in sight that they are working on because they are worried they'll forget it if it's files away. One problem of those piles is that they take up a lot of space. Another one is that no-one but you will know where anything is. Co-workers have virtually no chance of finding anything on a piler's desk.

There are a few practical solutions that save space and will make it easy to at least identify which pile holds what.

Using filing trays is one option. The ones that are stackable and are usually used as in-trays. Simply divide all your piles out into your different projects, then assign one tray per project and also label the tray.

If your projects are very paper intensive and would take up more than one tray, you can either divide your project logically into two trays (i.e. one for active documents, one for background literature) or you could use a literature sorter which can hold a lot more.

Getting your paper organised will help you save time finding things which you can use on actually working on your projects rather than looking for relevant documents.

Back Among The Living

Dear Readers,

After quite a long absence due to holidays and other inconveniences, 2 1/2 months to be precise, it is really highest time to update the blog again. I am sure you have missed my useful posts and Tuesday’s Tips and can’t wait to receive more.

So, to stop all this anticipation and because it’s Tuesday, here is a Tuesday’s Tip to get back into your organising:

Tuesday’s Tip – Cleaning Caddy

If the thought of cleaning fills you with dread because it always takes ages to gather all your supplies together, why not invest in a cleaning caddy (£2.98 from B&Q), that stores all your cleaning products and can be easily carried from room to room.

If you have more cleaning items than fit into the caddy think about scaling down. You don’t need different products for each surface in every room. A window cleaner (for windows and also great for bathroom sink, shower and bath), one surface cleaner for more delicate surfaces (ideally something that is environmentally friendly) and a general purpose floor cleaner. If you have laminate floors, use the laminate cleaner for the all floors. And you will need a cleaning cloth of course, ideally one that can be thrown in the wash once you’re done with it.

By cutting down on your cleaning products you will save money and also do your bit for the environment.

Tuesday’s Tip – Take Pictures of your Treasures

If you have a lot of items that you can’t seem to part from but that are taking over the house, why not take a photo of them. This could be children’s artwork and crafts, special outfits, knick knacks, items you received as gifts but no longer fit into your lifestyle, etc.

Pictures take up a lot less space than the actual items, and you can even turn them into a nice scrapbook.

Then, when nostalgia hits, simply get out the pictures, or look at the scrapbook and reminisce in your clutter-free home that reflects the current you.

Holiday Checklists

It’s now the end of June and universities are already on their holidays, and school wills be closed in a few weeks time for summer holidays. Many of you have booked a summer holiday, whether here in the UK or abroad and you will be thinking about getting ready for the trip.

There are lots of things to think about, whether it is transport, passports, what to take for the trip, what to pack, who’s looking after the pets, etc.

The friendly people from freechecklists.co.uk have made life a lot easier by providing free checklists on the internet that you can print out. There is a whole category for travel so that all different kinds of needs are captured.

A lot of people will be travelling in roughly a month’s time, so here is an excerpt from the list “Travel Holiday Month Before” (it’s about half of the original):

• Check you luggage is appropriate to airline/size/weight BA Easyjet
• Check in-flight entertainment for yourself/children
• Arrange special boarding requirements e.g wheelchair
• Arrange   any special meals
• Arrange car hire   Go to Hiring a Car checklist
• Consider surprises for children to open/play with en route
• Buy medicines for journey/whole trip Go to Health Abroad checklist
• Think about camera/film and buy more as required
• Finalise arrangements for leaving your home. Go to Leaving your home checklist.
• Check your documents are in order. Go to Travel Documents checklist
• Check you have told all friends/family/work of your itinerary
• Order foreign currency/travellers cheques.

If you check out the site, there are lists for a whole host of other topics. The creators of the site seem to have aviation background, where checklists are the lifeblood of everything working well. Flying is as safe as it is, because everything runs via checklists that are always up to date. I think we can learn from that. Checklists make things run smoother, even when you’re not flying a plane.

Thursday’s Thought – Start! Begin! Now!

This week’s Tuesday’s Tip didn’t quite make it and since Wednesday’s Wonderings or Wednesday’s Womblings or similar all sound a bit ropy I came up with Thursday’s Thought as a nice alternative.

And it’s all about beginnings. Have you noticed that the most difficult thing about pretty much anything is getting it started? And once you have started it is much easier to keep it going? It’s that first bit of movement that takes the greatest amount of energy. If you have ever tried to push a car (or pull a truck if you’re into that sort of thing) you will have noticed that once you’ve got that thing to move, it’s not as hard to keep it moving. Some physical principles are at play here (google Newton’s First Law of Motion for more information).

And this not only applies to physics but to getting things done as well. Make a start. Find out what the first thing is you need to do to start your project, to get this show on the road and do it. Now! And then simply move along with it while it’s own momentum keeps it going.

Time Saving Tips

We all have different ways of dealing with our time and most of us often complain that we don’t have enough time. But time is a finite resource and no matter how many wishes and pleas we send out to the universe, there are only 24 hours in a day. The secret is to make the best use of the time you have available.

Here are some time saving tips, that will hopefully free up some valuable time so you can spend it on things that are important to you.

Weekly Planning Routine

Setting a weekly planning routine will help you manage your time better. Make time to write and prioritise your projects and tasks, reconnect with your mission and goals, and create a plan for the upcoming week.

Don’t file an item that still requires any action

Avoid filing an item that still needs your attention before you record it in your diary. Otherwise, you might easily forget about that item and the associated work that you still need to do. This applies to paper as well as emails.

Record your favourite TV programmes

If you can’t live without certain TV programmes why not record them instead of watching them live. You don’t have to plan your schedule around the TV, but watch the programme at your leisure and you can then fast forward through the ad-breaks, saving even more time.

Give each item a home

A key principle of organisation is giving each item a home. This should be ideally somewhere near where it is actually used, saving time when putting away and retrieving alike. This alone can drastically improve the organisation in your home and office.

Learn to speed read

This is a valuable skill in particular if you spend a lot of your day reading documents. There are classes and books on the subject.