NEAT & SIMPLE LIVING

Wednesday Wisdom

               Joy is not in things; it is in us.

                                - Wagner

Sugar on CBS NEWS!

One of the reasons I often discuss the ill effects of sugar on this blog is that Sugar is known to be strongly linked to worsening or even causing depression, severe PMS, arthritis, ADD, autism, asperger's, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, yeast infections and much much more.  All of which have a very serious affect on your ability to focus and get organized.

Personally - quitting sugar made dramatic improvements in my health and in my life overall.  Whenever I backslide and eat more than a teaspoon or 2 of sugar - within days I become moody and irritable, have difficulty focusing, feel overwhelmingly sad, have difficulty sleeping and feel overall joint pain. After a year and a half off sugar, I'm still amazed at the harmful effects it has.

Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C., author of Sugar Shock, and my inspiration for letting go of sugar, was recently featured on CBS News Sunday Morning during a segment in which they spent a whole 8 minutes on our skyrocketing sugar consumption and related health problems.  If you missed the CBS News Sunday Morning segment it's not too late!
You can view it online here

http://cbs2.com/health/health_story_168113516.html

According to Connie's newsletter, there was:

"one major glaring error in the piece regarding sugar consumption figures. Americans consume 142 pounds per year (or possibly as high as 170 pounds) per person of caloric sweeteners such as sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, etc. That figure does not include artificial sweeteners as was reported in the CBS News Sunday Morning piece.

Actually, according to the Calorie Control Council 180 million American adults (as of 2004) consume low-calorie and sugar-free sodas, other beverages and foods using five different sugar substitutes approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration--saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, sucralose and neotame.

Which, of course, begs the question: Are these sugar substitutes safe to consume? This is one of the most Frequently Asked Questions I answer in SUGAR SHOCK! (I had to cover this, because while researching my book, thousands of people kept asking me if they cut out or reduced their sugar intake, was it OK to drink or eat foods with these sugar substitutes.)

Frankly, I was shocked at what I learned! Health experts urged me to warn my readers that questions have been raised about the safety of every single artificial sweetener on the market!! - despite repeated claims of safety from the FDA and the companies creating them...

By the way, in SUGAR SHOCK!, you also can learn about what some experts call a "paradoxical weight gain" that some people experience when ingesting foods with artificial sweeteners. Yeah, consuming artificial sweeteners can actually PACK ON THE POUNDS instead of peel them off!

Shocking, eh? Anyhow, you can learn about artificial sweeteners and a whole lot more by getting SUGAR SHOCK! here now."

You can get Connie's newsletter on her blog here.

Is it worth trying to change? If so, how can you make change easier?

Wednesday, I wrote about the myth of changing habits in 21 days and touched on whether or not it's worth trying to change. Changing anything, not just habits, can creates a tremendous amount of stress for some people. Assessing what habits are worth changing is part of self-acceptance and self-esteem.  It takes a strong sense of self and a steady character to resist the forces out there that make you feel like there is something wrong with you if you don't do things their way! 

Although some people thrive on change, and some are even addicted to change, even good change can create a lot of cognitive dissonance, confusion, and emotional pain. Think about the last time you rearranged your furniture.  It may have taken a couple days to not bump into things.  When I moved my office, as much as I loved it, after 5 years of going in one direction, it felt a little weird at first to come up the stairs and go in the opposite direction. But it was so worth it! 

What makes changes worthwhile? In large part, it's the degree of reward or the payoff you believe you will get once you assimilate the change - how much you care about that payoff - and how painful you perceive the change to be.  Better health, Less Stress, Peace of Mind, Better Performance Reviews at Work, Happier Marriage all are wonderful goals, but if the pain you experience in trying to make the desired change is greater, you won't succeed in changing - unless you can minimize the pain, or how you perceive the pain.

Once you decide to change, "changing" is actually a process which has predictable phases you can anticipate and emotionally and physically prepare for.  The phases of change are Initiation, Disorientation, Reorientation, and Integration.  Each of these is discussed below.

1.  Initiation - One factor that greatly affects the stress level you feel during change is whether or not you initiate the change or someone else is requiring you to change as in a job layoff, or a spouse giving you an ultimatum to lose the clutter or get divorced.  For this discussion, I'm going to assume you want to change.  There is a whole other level of difficulty in accepting changes that are thrust up on you.

2. Disorientation - This is the most challenging phase and can make or break your success in changing. The degree of disorientation and/or pain you feel during this stage is directly proportional to:

• The degree of the magnitude of the change.
• How much you are in control of the change.
• How compatible the change is with your core beliefs
• How well you are meeting your conscious AND unconscious needs
• How entrenched the old habits are or how long you've had the things
• How right for your innate personality and preferences the change is
• How risk averse you are
• How much you need to be in control
• How ready you are for the change

Feelings during this stage are relative to how much you want the change and how deeply your old habits are ingrained. 

The Role of Unconscious Needs

One of the biggest obstacles to change people face is unconscious needs.  You can learn about your true inner needs by trying to change! For example, holding on clutter may be meeting a need to avoid social contact that you don't realize you have till you no longer have the clutter.  Or perhaps you have a deep security need, or a fear that you are unaware of till you try to change.  There could even be a genetic component that is compelling you to hold on to the way things are.  Some of us are born risk takers willing to take the chance "we might need that someday".  Or perhaps we have a deep sense of security that allows us to belief that our needs will always be met.  When our unconscious needs conflict with what we want, change is more challenging.

The Role of Beliefs

Another major source of disorientation in this phase is our beliefs.  For example, when trying to let go of things, some people believe they are "losing a part of themselves"  or that "things have feelings so they need a good home to go to" or that "it would be a waste to throw away something functional" (in fact, you aren't using it, you are also "wasting" it.) These beliefs lead to intense fears and often are simply not true. But we are emotionally attached to our beliefs and they can be very difficult to change.

When you try to change, your unconscious needs & beliefs surface and can cause feelings of anger, denial, and anxiety. Unless you have truly changed the underlying beliefs, and /or find another way to meet your unconcious needs, there will often be some kind of pain and this can manifest itself in some very negative ways, even beyond backsliding, like substance abuse or developing a new addiction.

That's why even self-initiated changes such as quitting smoking can cause intense feelings of anger, denial, and anxiety - no matter how much you want to change! 

Denial is often involved in backsliding.  You tell yourself, just one cigarette won't matter, etc.  This is the phase where emotional and environmental support is critical.  For example, if you are trying to quit smoking, you may need a support group.  If you are trying to exercise on a regular basis you may need a friend or personal trainer to motivate you through the change.

In the organizing realm, you may need a professional organizer.  A lot of what I do as a professional organizer is help people minimize the pain of this phase by helping them:

• Become aware of their deeper attitudes and beliefs toward their things and toward organizing so they can change them to more productive beliefs
• Reframe their relationships to their things before letting them go
• Design change so that it works with their natural style as much as possible
• Make their environment support the change by redesigning the layout, changing the  things that are in it, and even by decorating - changing paint colors, etc. - to make the space they operate in more attractive.
• Hold their future vision so they stay motivated to get through to the other side of side of change. 
• Reward themselves for their efforts and their successes
• Integrate joy into the process wherever possible!

There actually can be joy experienced in this phase if you try to make it so!!

3. Reorientation - This is where the change starts to really take root.  Let's use the "quit smoking" habit again.  When I quit, I mean, after the many, many times I quit, it tooks years for me to stop craving a cigarette when I saw others smoking.  Thankfully, it did finally happen.  For me, the strategy I used was to make myself hate smoking was to smoke a very stale cigarette when I just couldn't resist smoking. It would make me gag and feel nauseous and the cravings eventually stopped. You don't always need to be this radical, but it worked for me!  : )   During this phase you start experiencing the benefits of the change and no longer mourn the loss of the way things used to be.

4. Integration - This is where the change becomes so ingrained, you can barely remember the way it used to be.  You know, like when people say they can't imagine life without their kids.  Or when after you've moved a couple miles from where you used to live, you stop going on automatic pilot to your old house.  Or when you never think about smoking at all and can't even remember why you liked it.  Okay that may be a little exaggeration, but I'm sure you get my drift here!

It's important to note that this model describes successful change.  But not all changes are successful. And not all should be!  Some things we should never get used to if we can help it.  Like habits that are abusive or unhealthy.

But understanding this model can help you identify your obstacles to making the personal changes you want to make.  By preparing to give yourself the support you need to make each phase successful, you can change.  Sometimes you need an external support system...and there is nothing wrong with getting the support you need!  And sometimes, you need to:

Accept the things you cannot change;
Have the Courage to change the things you can;
and have the Wisdom to know what not to bother trying to change!

Wishing you many successful changes!

Mythbusting: Are New Habits Established in 21 Days?

IMHO, one of the most pervasive myths in the area of establishing new habits is that it takes 21 days of repetition to "establish" the new habit.  What got me started on this topic?

Well, earlier today, Stephen over at HDBizBlog wrote an excellent post addressing how to establish the habit of checking a Tickler File - especially if you have ADD.  He gave very detailed tips on organizing your environment to support the new habit. In his post, however, he mentioned that it takes 21 days of "repeating a behavior on a daily basis" to establish a habit.

In the ensuing discussion, Rob from 7Breaths commented that he had never seen any real research that stated this.

Stephen found a source, but found it wasn't based on actual research - it was the writer's "empirical observation". The 21 day theory seems to have originated in the book, Psycho-Cybernetics, by Maxwell Maltz, a pop psychology book from the 70's (which was updated in 1989) (See Stephen's full article, comments & discussion here)

Back to the New Habits in 21 Days Theory.
I don't buy it. 

In my experience helping people change habits, both in the corporate world and as an organizing consultant and coach, not to mention trying to change my own habits, the 21 day theory is just another one of those popular "flavor of the month" slogans designed to "motivate" you, and help you "think Positive."  Kinda like, "you can be anything you want to be" or "you can choose how you want to feel" or "if you think it, it will happen". 

Reducing human psychology and motivation to these simplistic sayings may be effective marketing, but these one-liners are just plain NOT true.  In fact, they often end up having adverse effects because they actually make us feel bad about ourselves because we can't live up to the saying!

In the real world, many habits take much longer than 21 days to establish and even then, aren't really "established."

In reality, most people backslide and have to deal with deeper attitudes and emotional stuff, or the fact that their personality style or even genetics are simply different from other people's.  We are NOT all created equal.  We are different.  Not everyone can successfully establish any habit they choose. At least not within a reasonable amount of expended effort.

Backsliding

I've seen people, myself included, who have performed certain habits for 6 months, a year or even more and then backslide.  The habit simply never felt natural.  Give me an example you say?

Ok.  Let's take trying to establish the habit of getting up early.  Or going to bed at the same time every night. I can go for months and months of successfully getting up early (for me that's 6:00 AM)  But all it takes is one night of staying up late, because we go to a party or for New Year's eve, whatever, and I go back to my "go to bed at 2" and "get up at 9" routine - in a heartbeat.  I have to start all over again struggling to get up early and go to sleep early.

Instead of thinking there is something wrong with me, I've finally accepted that I'm a night person - to the core. The only reason I even keep trying to be an early riser is because my husband is an early riser and so is much of the world I live in.   But it has NEVER felt natural to me and it will never be a true habit. I have to work at it all the time. But enough about me.

On the other hand, some habits can be established instantly. 

From the first minute you set up the new process or system, it works. I think the most important consideration in how long it will take to establish a new habit is how "right" and how "natural" it feels to you.  It's like a magic moment when you hit on that solution / habit that just works from day 1. 

Like when I help someone learn to put their keys in the same spot every time when they come in the house.  One client tried using all kinds of hooks on the wall in many different places - but it never worked.  He still put the keys where ever he dropped them.  To help him change the habit, I  had him show me where the keys usually landed. Then I chose what seemed to be the closest natural spot for him to easily drop his keys.  We put a small basket there, and he instantly started using it and it was never an issue again.  The secret was choosing the right habit for him.  Hooks may work for a lot of people, but for people who are natural "droppers", the hook on the wall just won't work.  Rather than spend a lot of effort changing HIM, we figured out the right environment to support changing the habit.

Is it worth even trying to change?

Some habits, like early rising, and healthy eating, are worth the effort of continuously struggling to develop them.  But many things, like using a tickler file, are optional.  There ARE other perfectly acceptable ways to followup on your commitments and actions.  If what you are doing isn't broken, and it feels natural to you, then stick with it.  No matter how other people perceive it.

Sometimes, it's just not worth the time, effort and pain of trying to change a habit and failing at it.  So if you work well with a paper planner, don't feel you have to use a PDA just because someone tells you they could never live without their's.

But if what you are doing now IS NOT working, then you do want to try something different.  But if you give it a solid week or so and it still doesn't feel right to you, don't assume it's because there is something "wrong" with you.  You may just have to keep searching for the "right" habit or solution.  Or you may have to organize yourself and your environment to support your desired habits better.  Which is exactly what Stephen did to help him acquire the habit of using his own creative approach to the tickler file.

Wednesday Wisdom - On Having Too Much

            When there is too much,
          something is missing.

                   - Hasidic Saying

Collapsible, Versatile, Reusable Shopping or Recycling Bags

Check out these neat bags that can be used for shopping or for recycling from Design Within Reach. 

I like that they are lightweight, waterproof, and can be folded and put away...and you can put a label in the front pocket.  These would be fun in a kids playroom or as beach bags!  They aren't as big as they seem in the picture. H 18" W 12" D 12" So they could also be used in the car as a garbage bag.  At 22$ for a set of 4 and Free Shipping...these are a great deal! 

Organizing with Piles - on Your Computer's Desktop!

If you love organizing your world with piles, you probably find organizing files on your computer a nightmare! A team of software developers is hoping to end all that by making your computer desktop work with your natural style. 

Their protype is called the BumpTop.  It allows you to create messy or neat piles using a pen to move documents around. 

The BumpTop mimics all the ways people use piles and visual cues to give meaning to how the piles are organized.  Whether you pile or not, this video clip on www.YouTube.com is a mindbending example of thinking out of the box! It demonstrates in 3D how you can create and manipulate piles in ways you may not even realize you are doing!   

1-800-Got Junk? Comes to NJ!

I was so excited to learn that 1-800-GotJunk is now in NJ!!  Yay! We really need you here!

They not only take clutter to be disposed of, they take your old electronics clutter and any other clutter that still works to be recycled.  They also take the good clutter that is still useful to be donated to charities they have arrangements with! 

This is great news for my clients that don't live near any charities and www.vva.org won't pick up their clutter!

I lost my internet for 3 days...Can you say withdrawal pains???

There is nothing like losing something to make you aware of what it meant to you...and make you realize how addicted you are!! 

When my Comcast Internet Service suddenly died on Thursday, I thought it would come back in a couple hours or so as it usually does...but NO...it WAS DEAD!  So was our home telephone (digital by Comcast also)

That was just the beginning of a horrifying customer service story. 

Call 1 - We called in and were told he'd have to call us back. He left a message saying some one would be her on Friday - call back to get the time.

Call 2 - We called in and the guy told us the hours, I said I couldn't do those hours because I had a client those exact hours.  I could do before 11 or after 2.  They said no, it would have to be then or we would have to WAIT A WEEK!!  I went a little ballistic, after all we have their top of the line extra enhanced all combined service.  He HUNG UP ON ME!!!

Call 3 - We were told we'd have some out here on Friday.  I would have to call in the morning after 8:00 to try and get it earlier. 

Call 4 - I call at 8 and they have me on hold 45 minutes. I give up and have to cancel my client appt. 

Call 5 - 1:00 rolls around and they never showed up.  I call in and they tell me we never had an appt for Friday.  I get the supervisor.  After another hour on the phone they tell me someone will be out.  They don't show up again.

Call 6 - Someone will be there Saturday.

Saturday - The cable guy shows up and checks everything in the house.  It's all good.  He follows they dotted line which leads him to the pole outside. 

HERE's THE REAL MIND BLOWER

Comcast had been in our area on Thursday for a repair.  The guy did not see a certain tag or something on our internet line and SIMPLY DISCONNECTED US.  No call into the company first to make sure it wasn't a LEGITIMATE customer first.  He just  DISCONNECTed the line with no authorization or checking first. I was at my desk working.  He could have just knocked on the door and asked me first and I would have showed him my paid bill.

All that pain I went through for NOTHING - All the loss of business, loss of phone service and the backlog of emails I have now, etc. etc. 

Okay, enough of my rant.  I will be calling in and giving them h*ll on Monday.  And I WILL switch to Verizon as soon as they offer their new Fiber Optic Service in our area. 

One thing it did do was make me realize just how dependent I am on the internet right now.  I felt like I had been handcuffed and pinned to the floor without it.  I do everything on the internet.  Look up phone numbers, bill pay, check on my credit card balances, business etc.  I hate that I'm that dependent...but I'm really glad to be back and here with you again.  : )

Your Health: Fast Foods That are Surprisingly Healthy!

One of the top reasons people give for not eating healthy is that it takes too much time to prepare healthy food.  Since I stopped eating gluten 2 years ago and quit sugar in December 2005 I've been working on ways to eat healthier without spending too much time menu planning and cooking.  The criteria I used for choosing healthy fast foods are:

• Sugar Free (Not because they say so…but because there really isn’t any sugar of any kind including artificial sweeteners in the list of ingredients!)
• Gluten Free (not made with wheat products - If I list something that is healthy in every other way but has gluten - I’ll note that it is not Gluten-Free)
• Low or no Salt / Sodium
• No chemicals or preservatives or food dyes
• No transfats

Note:  MANY organic foods are loaded with Sugar - look on the label for evaporated cane juice, honey, molasses, raw sugar, etc.  It’s a myth that they are any better for you that white sugar!

Here's our list.  I wish it was longer!  But that gives you an idea just how insidious and pervasive hi salt hi sweetener foods are in our grocery stores.

FROZEN FRUIT & VEGETABLES -  This may seem obvious, but if it's that obvious, why do people say it's hard to eat healthy? We use frozen fruits to make ice creams with our Vitamix in less than 2 minutes.  Use this link to get FREE shipping ($25 value) on a Vitamix if you choose to get one. Frozen veggies are 1000 times healthier for you than canned because they don't have all the salt added.  And they taste much better.

Dried Fuit such as Just Strawberries   (Courtesy of Jeri Dansky)

Fresh Bagged Salads - I always have a bag or 2 in the fridge and I keep a little salad kit in a clear container in the fridge.  It has: Salad dressing, nuts, tofu grated pecorino cheese, tomotaoes, carrots and anything else I buy to go with the salad so I can make a salad really quickly.

Greek Yogurt by FAGE - This stuff is awesome! It tastes way better than regular plain yogurt and has no sugar.  It tastes like sour cream so I also use it as a dip for no salt sweet potato chips by Terra!

TOPPS Brand Frozen Turkey Burgers (Believe it or not, these are the ONLY turkey burgers we have found that have nothing at all added.  Just 100% Turkey - All the “seasoned” ones have sugar & salt added)

TOPPS Brand Frozen Hamburgers - Same thing.  These are the only frozen hamburgers we found without additives of some kind. 

STEAK-Umms - These are pure 100% beef.  No added chemicals, salt or sugar.  I was shocked at this one!  My husband loves them.

SWEET POTATOES - They can be microwaved in about 7 minutes.  Just wrap in microwaveable plastic. I know ...it's not very "green" but it realy does make them a lot moister and they taste way better.  The trick is to let them sit for a few minutes before unwrapping.   Larger potatoes will take longer.  If you bake sweet potatoes, they are not only delightfully naturally sweet, they are one of the most nutritious foods you can eat because they contain beta-carotene just like carrots do.  They taste so much better when you don’t add brown sugar to them.  You can also mash them. At StopNShop and some other grocery stores you can buy them pre-wrapped and you have a quick nutritious lunch or snack anytime.

From Cynthia Friedlob, I wrap sweet potatoes in a paper towel to microwave them and the are still nice and moist. I think the trick is not to overcook them. No brown sugar on top, but I like my cinnamon!

EGGS - I recommend Cage Free, Organic, No Hormones or Antibiotics used, Omega 3 eggs preferably with a vegetarian diet.  Eggs are easy to boil and easy to peel if you peel them right after rinsing with cold water.  Keep them in the fridge for a really convenient protein snack. For a quick lunch or dinner, I take a bag of frozen corn, thaw it by pouring warm water over it in a colander, then sautee it in butter and sometimes garlic or parmesan or whatever I'm in the mood for.  I set aside half and put it in the fridge for later.  Then I add eggs to the corn and scramble it.  You can also add mushroom, onions anything other leftover veggies and you have a delicious and REALLY quick healthy meal.  This was inspired by the Spanish Fritata. 

VAN's Sugar and Gluten Free Toaster Waffles - LOVE these!  Perfect for a quick snack anytime.  Instead of sugar, you can mash up a banana or other fruit and just spread it on. YUMMO!

SALAD DRESSINGS - Annie’s Naturals - What is surprising about this one is that only a few of the flavors are sugar and sweetener free.  So far these are the ONLY flavors we have found in ANY bottled dressings that are actually sugar, sweetener and gluten-free.  And they are GREAT tasting too!

• Artichoke & Parmesan
• Lemon & Chive
• Basil & Garlic
• Sea veggie & Sesame
• Red Wine and Vinegar
• Shitake & Sesame
• Organic Green Garlic

Whole Foods 365 Organic Italian Dressing (Courtesy of Jeri Dansky)

ALMONDS, NUTS, TEA!  Courtesy of TeaPartyGirl

What are your favorite healthy fast foods?  Leave a comment and I'll them to add to this list.

My Office Redesign and Reorganization Makeover

Check out these photos of my new office!  I've been working on this redesign & reorganization since last Thanksgiving.  I moved in last weekend and I'm LOVING IT! Bear with me here.  This is a LONG post explaining all the steps and ingredients that went into designing the office - with pictures.  I hope you find it worth the long read!

Here is the BEFORE which I showed you in my Show Me Your Desk Challenge.

PHOTO 1 - BEFORE

THE MISH MOSH HAD TO GO!

As you can see, I was using a mish mosh of leftover furniture which was functional, but not very attractive.  That was fine when I was doing corporate consulting and no one came to my office.  But now I interview people and have some client meetings here, so I decided it was time to do what I do for others and redesign my own office!

I aso decided to move to a larger space to accomodate the greater number of projects I have going on. My dear husband suggested we dismantle our guest room, which was not used often, and offered to help me build the office of my dreams!  He has been so awesome.  He spent many hours painting and 5 hours building my new desk and file cabinets.  I could not have done this without him!

THE BUDGET

With a budget of $1000 in mind, I started sketching a design for the office and for a desk that would meet my list of needs.  Then we started shopping around for furniture. The good news is I only spent $700 including new desk, monitor riser, shelf file cabinets, and new storage containers in my accent colors Chocolate Brown & Black.

PREPARING THE NEW SPACE

First step was to empty the guest room.  We then repaired the peeling walls and ceiling and stripped the radiator of 60 years of cracking paint and repainted it.  (The perfectionist strikes again.  At least I didn't try to strip the windows! Okay I confess, I tried, but gave up after I realized I was destroying the grooves in the molding.)

After several attempts at priming that did not cover the stains from old wallpaper glue, we finally put a thin layer of joint compund over most of the walls and voila, no more stains!  We also customized the built in bookshelves that were intended for a child's room by removing the decorative moldings that blocked full use of the shelves (see photo 6).

Choosing the Paint Color

We painted the room a gorgeous light sky blue that has an alive feeling to it.  (Benjamin Moore 2067-65)  I chose this color for several specific reasons. 

1) Blue is an excellent feng shui choice for study. 

2) Light blue is also the feng shui color of harmonious expansion and gentle growth.

3) Blue & White (my trim color) brings the energy of the unlimited sky and happiness in to the space.

4) Over the years I've met people who do Aura readings and I was told that my aura is a very light sky blue.  I was told to surround myself with that color would bring out my highest potential.  Is this true?  I don't know, but it can't hurt and I LOVE the color! And in the growth phase I'm in right now, I need all the help I can get to stay centered.

It took 6 months working on it here and there when we could, but boy was it worth it!  Here's my new office! I now have storage to my right AND to the back of me that is all I need and more.  It's like a spiral around me.  I LOVE IT!  On my monitor, the blue looks kinda purple, but it's not.  It's definitely blue.  : )

PHOTO 2 - AFTER - View from my office door

THE STORAGE FURNITURE

I was able to repurpose existing Ikea shelving (IVAR) we had stored in the attic along with pieces I'd been using in my old office so that saved a bit of money - but even if we had to buy it new, the IVAR series is not very expensive.   

Here's the view behind me.  The entry to my new office is directly in front of the door.  In a way, it's like a cubicle...only much better! You walk in the door and straight into my "nest" as my husband calls it. : )

PHOTO 3 - The storage system behind me

THE DESK

For my desk, I sketched what I wanted, then shopped around at untold number of websites and furniture stores. After using the neat online office space planner at Ikea, I finally chose the GALANT system from IKEA because of it's versatility.  With the add on pieces I was able to design a desk exactly to my needs.  It flows from the back wall to the window you see in Photo 4 below.  Then it flows and aligns with the door.  It's like it was custom built for the space! Well, I guess it was actually custom built : )

Using the T legs, I got to adjust the height of the desk to my perfect ergonomic keyboard height. 

Another feature I love is that there is nothing underneath the desk!  The frame of the desk allows the whole thing to be supported with just 3 legs so I can slide my chair around with NO interference.  You can't do that with 2 desks put together in an L like I had before. It also allows me to easily keep my MailMate shredder, trash and recycle bins under the desk See Photo 5. 

We built a monitor riser (shown below) so that I can slide my keyboard under it if needed. And I can keep phone chargers, digital recorder, etc. under it. We built the monitor riser using one of the half-rounds that go with the Galant desk and attaching 6 inch legs called CAPITA to it.

I also got my computer OFF the floor finally so I can easily use my USB ports and card slots to get pix off my camera!  I can't believe I kept it so far from me for so long.  What was I thinking??? oh well.  Fixed now!  : )

BTW - My cat, Alex still has a home on my desk.  I just moved it so you could see the desk. : )

PHOTO 4 - The Monitor Riser, Computer, Action Zone, Client Booking Zone

This desk now has very functional zones for:

Booking client appts  Everything I need is handy in this zone. My phone, calendar, voice mail log and client folders.) BTW: I have my client folders in my Feng Shui prosperity corner with a light shining on them.  Since I moved in, I've been booking a new client every day this week - And this is normally my slow season!

Action Management - My action system is to the right of me. I'm using my Heart Shaped Napkin holder (Photo 4) to hold my High Priority action papers. I have a step file behind it. It has action folders for:

• To Purchase
• Enter at Computer
• Notes
• Blog & Article Ideas

Project Management Zone- To the right of my action system are all my project folders and binders.

Hanging Files and Supplies - Under my project system are 2 file cabinets (IKEA JONAS Drawer Unit) with file drawers and supply drawers to replace the ones my old desk had.  Instead of using the casters that come with JONAS, we slipped the drawers into the IVAR 20 inch deep shelves.  They fit neatly and don't roll around when I use them that way.  Plus it lifted them off the floor so the file drawer was not so low.  The only thing I don't like about this file cabinet is that the files go in sideways...which makes them a bit of a pain to get in and out of the drawer.

PHOTO 5 - My Hanging Files with Shredder, Recycle Bin and Archived Folders under the desk

Mail Processing Zone - To the left of my phone I use a magazine file as an inbox.  I also have one to hold a notebook and my Voice Mail log.  Next to that is my To Read magazine file. What you don't see in the picture is my black cat cup which holds my favorite pens, letter opener and scissors.  Everything I need to process my mail in minutes is right here.  letter opener, shredder, computer, recycle bin, calendar, action system, hanging files, etc. Anything that needs to be filed or shredded gets filed or shredded instantly.  If it's a To Do item and will only take a minute or 2, I do it immediately.  E.g., a bill to pay (I use online bill pay so it's REALLY quick.

PHOTO 6 - My View Out the Window, Mail System, Client Booking Zone

THE POWER OF REDESIGN

Redesigning this space was so much fun...and made such a huge difference in my productivity and ability to focus that I'm seriously considering formally adding Redesign / Interior Refining to my services.  I already do redesign furniture layouts for clients but I always thought of it as just part of organizing as you can see in my office redesign photo gallery.  I even redesigned my backyard which you can see pix of here. 

Redesign makes it hard to take recognizable before and after shots, but who cares.  It makes a huge difference in how my clients feel about their spaces and makes them much more likely to maintain the new systems.  Everything is positioned to make their activities easier AND look good too.

I'm learning more and more that not all professional organizers do this.  

I'm really excited about diving deeper into how organizing and redesign combined affect the emotional, mental, and spiritual side of changing one's habits.  It's simply not enough to decide to change.  There is always a need to organize to make your new habits easier to act on.  Making systems and spaces "attractive" is a critical component of changing habits as well.  For me, the changes in my space have made an unbelievable difference in my habits and in how I feel about everything!   

Okay, if you are still here, thanks for reading this far and forgive me any typos as I curb my perfectionism and decide to post this even though I want to re-read it for the 20th time!  : )

If you liked this post, signup to get Neat & Simple Living posts by e-mail here:  http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=19722

RELATED POSTS

• Office Organizing
• Project: Breaking Free from Clutter - had a home office in the kitchen
• Project: Another Home Office in the Kitchen

Help! : ) I'm Decluttering & Simplifying My Blog - Got any suggestions?

Helping Monica Ricci make her blog simpler and a little more visually appealing inspired me to take a hard look at my own blog.  I wasn't thrilled with what I saw. Averaging over 6000 visitors a month I realized that I really need to focus on making it simpler, easier to read and navigate. So I've started the process of simplifying, decluttering & improving it with a new look. This project is NOT easy!  With over 350 posts, it's a huge undertaking so I'm breaking the project down to make it more manageable.

So here's a few of the things I'm doing to improve the blog a little bit every day.

1. Make the title banner better describe what's in the blog.
2. Reduce the number of categories. I've cut the categories nearly in half already and plan to get it down to 10 or so. Recategorizing 350+ posts takes a lot of time!
3. Rewrite or Delete Old Posts - The process of recategorizing has been especially painful because my perfectionist self reads the old posts and cringes.  I want to rewrite every single one!  I've learned so much over the past 2 years of blogging and some of those old posts are embarrassing! Some of them I'm just deleting rather than taking the time to rewrite them.
4. Declutter Columns - Using the New Pages Feature Typepad finally rolled out. Wordpress has had this for years.  I'm not sure how I'm going to do this, because the Typelist feature only works if you post the content in the column.  I'm not sure I want to give up the convenience of the typelists.
5. Write shorter more frequent posts.  This weekend I caught myself writing a mega post again and the light went on.  Why not break it up and pace out the posts daily? Since my last vacation I had gotten out of the habit of programming my posts for future posting.  I do this because I can't write a post every day when I'm working with clients.
6. Use more headings & photos.  I've been doing this for a while.  But I never went back and did this with older posts.  Looking at some of them now - I don't even want to read them they are so bland looking.

I truly appreciate all of you who have subscribed to Neat Living and included me in your Feed Reader!  I want to make this blog better for you so I'm asking for your help.  What can I do to improve the blog even further?  Questions I have are below.  You don't need to answer them all, but if anything comes to you while reading the questions I'd love to hear your feedback.  You can leave comments below...or if you don't want to publicly tell me how to improve, you can email me at: abenefit@neatandsimple.com 

- What do you like about this blog that I should NOT change? 

- What should I STOP doing?

- What would you like to see that isn't here now?

- What would you do to improve the Neat Living blog?

- Do you think I should narrow my focus and specialize in 5 or fewer topics?

- Everyone is doing daily themes...I've liked being more spontaneous and writing about whatever moves me. Should I do some daily themes too?  Does that really make you read a blog more often?  Or is it just a writer's preference?

Thank you in advance for taking a minute to help me make Neat Living Blog a little Neater!

GTD with ADD

As you may have noticed, I've been making a concerted effort to get out there and get to know some new productivity blogs and resources. Here's a really neat blog for folks with ADD who, like me, have struggled to use David Allen's "Getting Things Done" productivity system. 

Check out the GTD with ADD channel of the HDBizBlog 1.2!

Stephen Smith has laid out a tremendous amount of content so his system seems to be working for him!   And he has even promised to write a post addressing my issues with Tickler Files and GTD.  Can't wait!

Check out the GTD with ADD channel of the HDBizBlog 1.2!

Other interesting posts...Getting Things Done and the Weekly Review - A great guide to the importance of reviewing your goals and your planned actions on a regular basis. 

RELATED POSTS

• The Top 50 Productivity Blogs from Zen Habits
• Create a New Filing System in Minutes with Smead FasTab Hanging Folders
• Are You Forgetting Something? Cure Brain Overload with an Easy Reminder System!

Organizing Blog Reader & Blog email Subscriptions

Having trouble organizing your Blog subscriptions? The Organizing Junkie started a riff on how to organize over 241 blogs she has subscribed to!!  The comments on this post provide tons of great ideas on how to organize your blog subscriptions.

In response, Marcia wrote an interesting post about 3 ways to keep your blog reading under control

How I Manage my Blog Reading

I had to stop using a blog reader a while back. I work full-time out of my office in addition to writing this blog and it was just too distracting and time consuming - I could not keep up. I find it much easier to subscribe to blogs I love by email.  Since I already have to check email every day (except on weekends) it keeps things simpler for me. 

My favorite is Feedblitz because it sends me one email a day with all the latest posts consolidated into one email. I can quickly scan the email if I have time. If I don't, I just have to pass for that day, but the next day I can read them.

I really wish everyone would use Feedblitz for email subscriptions instead of using Feedburner's email service which sends each blog's posts out as an individual emails.  That gets so overwhelming I end up routing those to my Outlook "Blogs" folder and I can't check that everyday - so, they pile up unread.  If you are not using Feedblitz I'm probably not reading your bog every day.  Sorry!

Speaking of that, are you getting my posts by email?  Just click below to get started! You'll only get an email when I post...and the max is once per day.

http://www.feedblitz.com/f/?Sub=19722

Biggest Time Wasters: Interview with the Experts by Productivity501

Mark Shead, the Mastermind behind Productivity501, one of my newest favorite blogs, interviewed me and 25 other productivity experts.  He asked us all the following three questions:

1. What is the single biggest way people waste time without even realizing it?
2. What change has made the most difference in making you effective in life?
3. If someone were to read just one post from your site, which would you recommend they read and why?

The answers are awesome.  In fact, I'm guilty of many of them so it was a great refresher and reminder to be more conscious of how much time I spend on email, surfing, and yes, my dreaded nemesis, perfectionism.  But enough about me, stop wasting time and check out my answers in this awesome post!  : )  Interview: Biggest Time Waster at Productivity501. 

Organizing & Following up on Voice Mails

Terry Matlen of ADD Consults offered this article by Suzanne Babb on Organizing and Controlling Voicemails    Terry also recently featured my article Choosing the Right Planner for You on her site.  I'm so honored!

My Tips for Organizing and Following up on Voicemail  

I use a RediForm message book.  This has been working well because as is typical for me, I customized it to my needs!  I like the large spaces for me to write in so I can write large and be able to read it without wearing my reading glasses! : ) 

So here's how I customize it. Since I know the message is for me, I made up my own way to use the fields.

• TO field for the caller name
• FROM field for their phone numbers
• DATE field for date of message
• TIME field for the date I returned the call.
• MESSAGE field is the message, plus I note whether or not they have called me back.  After 2 - 3 followups I stop calling them.

Just recently I discovered two other Rediform tools which I might consider giving a try.

Incoming / Outgoing Call Register

Follow-Up™ Voice Mail Log Book

How do you handle following up on your voicemails?

I recently figured out how to allow people to leave active links in my blog comments!!

If you write or have written a post about voicemails...submit your link here by clicking on comments and typing it in! And by the way...it is NOT a no-follow link : )  If the link you submit is not related...sorry but it will be deleted : )

Thanks!

Clearing Clutter - Everyone's Doing It! Are you?

More posts from my weekend of catching up!

John Trosko of OrganizingLA, published his secrets on clearing clutter in Frontiers Magazine, Congrats John!

Dr. Amie Ragan posted her Weekend Project to put away your winter clothes...I commented about how we cleaned up our attic this weekend!  that was 3 hours VERY well spent - we cut our clutter in half. Wish I had thought to take before and after pics...

Brandie of Organizing Simplify posted “How do I organize my spouse?” 

Related Clutter Posts on this Blog:

• Breaking Free from a Prison of Clutter - Project with Photos
• Detaching from your Stuff
• Surviving & Overcoming Living in Squalor
• Supporting Someone Who Lives in Squalor
• Lose Weight, Eat Healthier & Reduce Kitchen Clutter
• Clutter Clearing Pays Off Big Time!
• Could "Clutter Dating" help couples improve their marriage?
• Clearing Clutter - How Clutter Affects You
• Clearing Clutter - Why Clutter isn't ONLY your Fault
• ThinkBuying  My take on resisting consumerism.

Pets are Clutter???!!!

This weekend I finally had time to catch up with a few of my favorite blogs and commented on quite a few of them. Nearly all of them were dealing with clutter.  I don't have time to post all the great tips I learned...so I'm just going to share these great posts with you over the next week. : )  Here's the first!

Dealing with Pet Clutter

The Unclutterer, one of my new favorite blogs to check in on, likes to provoke controversy with topics like Pets are Clutter!  I know he doesn't mean it cuz he actually has a cat!  : )  But the comments are really interesting on this one! The photos here are my cats, Alex, Sofie and Sasha - Aren't they just too adorable for words???

Related Pet Posts on This Blog:

• Q & A: How to organize cat, dog, & pet stuff to keep your home easy-to-clean
• New concept for hiding your cat's litter box!
• Here's a PURRfect strategy for processing incoming mail : )
• PURRfect Contentment, Alex, Part Deux : )
• Can you have too many cats?

Shredder Review: Staples MailMate & Tips on What to Shred

The Staples MailMate Shredder is an excellent personal shredder for day-to-day moderate usage -- like shredding those credit offers and other junk mail as SOON AS it comes in.  No more piles of "To Shred"  paper! I keep mine right under my desk which is where I open mail. (I also have a bin for paper to be recycled.) They are small and inexpensive enough that you may want to have one in your kitchen as well as in your home office or whereever you bring your mail into the house.

Here are the “pros” of the shredder: 

• VERY Easy to empty basket  
• Shreds using the Cross-cut method which truly destroys what you are shredding.  It comes out in tiny bits!
• It's very powerful and can shred non-paper items like CDs, credit cards, etc.
• Can shred quite 20 pages at a time - even unopened mail like those stupid credit card offers & all those "convenience checks" the credit card companies send
• Compact size &  Light weight
• Has Child safety features like auto off
• Fast shredding
• Jam resistant - I haven't not had a single jam with it in the year and a half I've had it.  My old shredder jammed all the time.
• Price - with a $20 rebate which is very easy to submit online, this cost around $40.

Here are the “cons” of the shredder: 

• A little loud but quieter then my previous shredder!
• Shredder slot is small for paper - you have to fold the paper first to shred it
• Small basket (needs to be emptied often, but it's extremely easy to pull out the basket and dump it into your wastebasket)

What to Do With Your Old Shredder
If, like me, your spouse has a home office in the basement and you are on the second floor, you can put your old shredder in the office of whoever uses it least!  (My husband got the old one : ) 

WHAT TO SHRED AND WHAT NOT TO SHRED

I only shred paper that has financial account numbers or my SSN on it.  If I shredded everything with my name & address on it, I'd spend way too much time and energy sweating.  You can just tear it and recycle it, or mark it out with a Sharpie.

Besides, most identity theft occurs from people with access to your files.  Beyond that, identify theft has gone high tech.  Your info can be gotten from public records, easily available mailing lists, and from places where you actually use your cards to shop. E.g., a hacker gets into a company's stored credit card numbers, etc. 

See Related Links & Posts:

• OptOut - never receive a pesky pre-approved credit card offer again. Do it online or call 1-888-5-OPTOUT.
• Getting Rid of Junk Mail
• Tips for Processing Incoming Mail

ADD News: Studies Reveal Fish Oil Alleviates ADD Symptoms, Improves Focus, & Helps with Bi-Polar Disorder, too!!

This is exciting news!  Dr. Edward Hallowell (Ned) who is the author of 2 of my favorite books on ADD / ADHD and the ADD -like lifestyle (See Crazy Busy, and Delivered from Distraction:Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder ) has a blog!!  http://www.drhallowellsblog.com/

And on his blog is a post with extremely good news for people with ADD & BiPolar Disorder. 

"A new study from Mass General Hospital and Harvard Medical School has found that omega-3 fatty acid supplements to the diet in the form of fish oil are an effective first-line intervention for ADHD and bi-polar disorder."

If you or anyone you know has ADD / ADHD & BiPolar Disorder, read this article and the comments too.  I've never been diagnosed as ADD but like a lot of people I sometimes wonder if I have it or it's just my Crazy Busy lifestyle : )   

Regardless, I already take fish oil supplements.  Dr. Ned recommends omegabrite or Barry Sears's Omega RX brand which I'm going to switch to. The recommended dose is not abnormal. Just 2000 mg a day. 

The primary reason for taking fish oil supplements is to get omega-3 EPA and DHA fatty acids in your diet because your body can't produce them on it's own.  The benefits are stated as:

• improve mood
• reduce inflammation
• reduce hunger and burn fat faster
• good for your heart

I've also heard it's good for your skin and reduces aging symptoms.  And now it may improve ADD / ADHD and Bipolar symptoms. What really neat about this is that it's a nutritional approach. I truly believe that as much as 75% of our chronic health disorders have roots in nutrition.  Someday genetic studies will find that diets customized to our genetics will replace traditional medication approachs for chronic conditions.  And there are precedents.  For example, the standard treatment for Bi-Polar disorder is Lithium. Lithium is just a naturally occuring salt!

If you haven't already, check out Dr. Ned's Post.  : )

Challenge: Organize Al Gore's Messy Office!

How fascinating!!  Dr. Amie Ragan, the brilliant mind behind the Psychology of Clutter blog posted this photo with a challenge to professional organizers including me to stage an intervention. What a great foto find, Amie. Thanks for the challenge!

Here's my response.  I would be absolutely thrilled to work with Al Gore!  I actually campaigned for the first Clinton/Gore campaign and met him very briefly back in 1987. I got to shake both of their hands.  It was so exciting!

I love his work, especially his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". He has accomplished so much and been so productive, I would actually pay him to let me work with him and learn first hand how he does what he does!  Then I would see if I could help him become even more efficient. I imagine he must have excellent time management strategies to have accomplished everything he has and I'm sure he could teach me a thing or two.

If I were so lucky as to have the chance to work with him, I would first focus on learning how he works and how his system works for him. I would only attempt to "fix" things that actually bother him AND that would truly save him time and improve his productivity. 

My guess is he has intense powers of concentration and can block out all the clutter rather easily.  He strikes me as having an excellent memory as well, so I wouldn't be surprised if he actually can find things in those piles.  Probably not everything, but probably most of what's important to him. My approach would be to make sure I don't try to over-organize him or change him too dramatically. After all why fix what isn't broken?  Just because it looks messy doesn't mean it's not working for him! 

I'm definitely jealous of his monitors. As someone who uses 2 monitors, I'm already wishing I had a third!  It makes it so much easier to research and write! 

Check out Dr. Amie's post to see what other organizers are saying!