GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK TODAY

If you’ve ever wondered what you’d do without a microwave oven and a take-out pizza, computer, printer, cell phone, and the list goes on.  Well, maybe it’s time to rethink how wonderful they really are.  If modern technology was supposed to be so “freeing” then why did our grandmothers and maybe even mothers seem to have more free time and less of these, so called conveniences?  They even had time to hang clothes on the line and bake pies!  What’s the deal?

Well, these labor-saving devices cost a fair bit of money thus if we want them we must have enough income to buy them.   Two pay checks may be needed or lots of extra work by one person, thus time pressure.  Is it really worth it? 

If you’re feeling this kind of pressure lately maybe it’s time to consider some of the following suggestions:  Take a nap.  What?  You’re wondering if you read that right.  Yes, you did.  Believe it or not history records many prominent leaders manage to take time for a naps.  Winston Churchill, for instance, at the peak of World War II, insisted on an afternoon nap.  He once wrote, “I regretted having to send myself to bed like a child every afternoon, but I was rewarded by being able to work through the night until two or even later.” 

Other nappers from history include Napoleon, Anwar Sadat, Thomas Edison, Harry Truman, and… Judy Warmington!  I love naps!  It’s not a waste of time according to sleep researchers who are near consensus that regular naps improve alertness, energy, and mood.  So, I don’t know what you‘re going to do right now, but I have to get going… (yawn)…and get my nap in today….

WASTE TIME PRODUCTIVELY

Sometimes the best way to finish a project is to stop doing it.  The late Norma Vincent Peale counseled busy people to drop everything and simply walk for half an hour if they’re stuck on a problem.  Peale himself found chores to do or just read mysteries as he waited for solutions to find their way up from his subconscious.   This is called “planned procrastination” and can be a very good use of time!

In our society we tend to look down on “wasting time” that way, when in fact some of the best hours one spends can appear useless at first.  Upon close observation one finds that scientists, artists, and other creative people routinely spend long periods of time idling around, allowing ideas to slowly germinate.

Author, James Michener, claims that the foundation for his successful career was laid in the years he spent foundering before starting to write at age 40.  In his words, “It may well be that the years observers describe as ‘wasted’ will prove to have been the most productive.”

Along with productive so-call “wasted time” we can find and use bits of time that otherwise become truly wasted.  While we can’t control most of life’s dreaded delays; we can control our reaction to them.  By simply changing your perspective you can find and actually enjoy using “bits of time” when standing in line, waiting for a delayed flight, or even being stuck in traffic.  One of Larry Gatlin’s best country songs, “All the gold in California”, was composed during a Los Angeles traffic jam.

BEFORE YOU INVEST IN MORE HIGH TECH

In this day and age we seem to get so wrapped up in high technology with its promise of ease that we forget to compare it objectively to low-tech counterparts.  Perhaps you, too, have a food process that rarely or never comes out of the cupboard.  Why when it chops carrots so fast?   Probably because you’ve found that the knife to chop carrots cleans up so much faster that it isn’t worth getting it out!

I’m not trying to “tech-bash”, but to point out how, if we’re not careful, it can control the pace of our lives.  In his book, “The Riddle of Amish Culture”, sociologist Donald Kraybill, points out that, “Anyone stepping into Amish society suddenly feels time expand and relax.  The great irony here is that in the Amish society, with fewer labor-saving devices and other technological shortcuts, there is less ‘rushing around’.  The perception of rushing seems to increase directly with the number of ‘time-saving’ devices.” 

Perhaps there’s merit to considering the Amish and Mennonite sects that severely limit the use of modern conveniences.  Although I don’t think I’m at all ready to give up my car for a horse!

I think you get the point.  The next time you’re tempted to purchase another piece of high tech equipment you might want to take time to consider the complete ramifications to your time and space management.  Maybe you need to just say “no”.  It’s hard to do because you’ll feel the pull of keeping up with the times, but “no” is the single most important time-balancing word in your vocabulary.  It conjures up fears of not being liked, of not being respected, and especially, of not being productive.  Actually, forcing ourselves to become more focused, refusing to take on more tasks or technology can, oftentimes, make us more productive!

STOP MAKING EXCUSES

How organized are you?  Sometimes you know in your head that it makes sense to “clean the house” or “clean your desk” but a little voice in your head keeps feeding you excuses.

What can you do about that little voice?  Have you ever said, “I’ve been meaning to ---”? 

Some people suffer from an inability to make and act on decisions, and that’s a root cause of disorganization.  Make a commitment to get personally and completely organized.  Put it on the top of your priority list, and then act on it.  You’ll thank yourself when you feel all that breathing space in your formerly cluttered life.

But, you say, “I’ve never been good at organizing.”  This is irrelevant.  Few people are naturally good at organizing.  It’s a learned skill.  People who are good at organizing recognize that it takes effort to maintain organization.  Things don’t just happen to get out of order or lost.  You can control clutter if you’re committed to work at it, and get systems for order in place.

Another frequently used excuse is, “I don’t know where to get started.”  Attend a good seminar, take notes and put the ideas into practice.  That little voice keeps making excuses.  “I have so many other things to do.”  Well sure you do, and that’s why it’s so important to get organized! 

An organized person has the time to do what’s important.  He or she chooses to pass up things that aren’t and, as a result, doesn’t feel so anxious or frustrated about getting things done.

One last excuse:  “Organizing will take too much time.” Initially it may take one concentrated weekend and/or several week nights to get organized, but think how much time you’ve already wasted running around in circles!  Remember, every minute you spend planning you’ll save three or four minutes later.

If you’re still not convinced you can do this on your own you can always contact a Professional Organizer to stand beside you and coach you toward better organization in your life.  (Sometimes I jokingly call this “Rent a Nag!”) To find one in your area you can make your request contact us to see if we have an organizer in our network that lives in your area. 



10 Tips to De-Clutter Your Work Place

1.  Annually (or semi-annually) set a date for an official company-wide purging day.  

2.  Begin with your desk using the “Finger-Tip Management” system.

Imagine 3 circles around your desk: 

A = Most frequently used. (Can reach easily while seated.)

B = Used from time to time. (Must stand or stretch to reach.)

C = Least frequently used.  (Must take steps to reach.)

3.  When purging papers stay focused – you’re “weeding, not reading”.

4.  Ask the following 3 questions when purging paper:

a.  Did you remember you had it before now?

b.  If you get rid of it, could you find it again from another source? 

c.   If you decided to keep it, will you know where to find it?

5.  Reference Paper Retention information for what to keep and what to toss.

6.  Shred any papers that contain company or personal information.

7.  Archive as much as possible by removing papers from immediate space and storing off-site and/or scan and shred original documents.

8.  Set up a Tickler system for papers that do not need immediate attention.

Tickler system: 

• A set of files or an accordion file January – December
• A set of files or an accordion file 1 – 31

*File papers in the month they are due.  The first of each month take papers from that month and sort into days of the month file(s).  Every day look in the file of the day for what needs attention that day.

9.  Make purging a habit by routinely taking the last 15 min. of each day to purge and organize your desk, a file, a shelf, a drawer, etc.

10.Make major purging and organizing a yearly project in your office.

 Related Article:  The Grand Rapids Press