NEAT & SIMPLE LIVING

How do I know what I want?

This question was asked by several participants in my latest program on "Embracing the Power of Good Enough".  It really got me thinking....  This question gets to the very heart of life!  It sure is relevant to my life right now.  Maybe yours too? 

I've been rethinking a lot of my needs and wants, lately.  Like this blog, for example.  

• How do I want to express myself with it?
• What purpose do I want it to serve for me and my tribe? 
• How do I want to share my point of view?  In small, realtime chunks like Twitter? or with well thought out inspirational and educational articles?  Do I want to be more transparent and share my thought processes about my work and about my own life with ADHD and a hyperactive creative brain? 

One thing for sure, I want to reflect on and write more about all aspects of life with ADD. In my coaching, I help people with all areas of life...so why aren't I talking about all of them on this blog?  

Almost 5 years ago, this started out as an organizing blog...but living with ADHD is SO much more than that. So I want to talk about all areas of life with ADHD, Creative Personality Type, and Highly sensitive personality including, Relationships, Career, Money, Health, Eating, Addictions, Emotional Self-Regulation, Boundary setting, and more.  

I want to talk about the meta-cognitive skills that truly empower us to live more effectively with ADD, not just the technical skills of organizing.  

Meta-cognitive skills like Decision Making, Filtering, Establishing Criteria, Prioritizing, Planning, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Goal setting, do not come naturally to creatives and ADHDers who prefer to open up possibilities,generate ideas, and keep options open. 

( Metacognitive Skills = The ability to reflect and assess the quality and process of one's own thinking, beliefs and understandings.) 

Skills such as Inner dialogue, listening, Motivating Ourselves, Valuing ourselves and embracing our imperfections and well as our strengths also do NOT come naturally to us.  We have to learn them from the ground up. 

So.this blog is going to shift again.  I'm getting ready to share a lot more...and I hope you are ready to go on this new phase of the journey with me!  

I'm not going to post stuff that I think can found all over the web...I'm going to post stuff that I don't hear people talking about very much.  Or, I might just start pulling out some "quotes" from conventional tips I find around the web and post how and why they do NOT apply to people with ADHD or how they might actually be biased against people with ADHD without even realizing it! 

I'm not interested in writing "tips" anymore.  5 ways to do this, 6 secrets to that...  UGH. I'm so tired of it.  It doesn't inspire me...so I think that's why my blog has been rather quiet.   If I'm not inspired, why would you be?  

I'm also rethinking my whole business and my role in it.  I'm working on hiring a Business Manager so that I can truly devote 80 - 90 % of my time to coaching, writing and creating while someone else handles the technology and business aspects.  

So how do I know what I want?  One way I know is by how I'm feeling.  Another is to listen to my own complaints and excuses to figure out what I'm really frustrated about and use them as a stepping stone to get to what I DO want.  E.g.  If I don't want that, why?  what is it I really want instead?  And sometimes, I have to look at my wants and expectations to see if they are realistic...or need adjustment. 

If I want to hire a business manager tomorrow...well, that's too bad.  It just ain't gonna happen.  I have to allow time to become ready to welcome the new Bus. Mgr. into my life.  "Become ready" means I have to organize and rethink everything I do through the lens of "what if someone else could be doing this for me?  What would that take? 

What do I want?  I want to stop saying: 

 "I can't do that project, or finish that book, or that audio program because I'm too busy trying to keep up with email, setting up autoresponders for classes, sending out reminders, fulfilling orders for products" etc.  Why?  Because I don't have a system for delegating these jobs to someone else.  

But I can't just STOP saying that....I have to do something differently. I have to replace those thoughts with something positive AND specific.   Like "How can I create a system for delegating?  Who would be the right person to help me do that?" 

I WANT to be INSPIRED...to have time to really think, reflect, and express - whether writing or teaching. I want to be able to put on more classes and coaching groups.  I want to MAKE the time to do it by giving over the actual implementation to someone else.

So, for a while...I'm going to experiment with using this blog to inspire myself to make this happen and hopefully inspire you too.  I'm going to use it as more of a journal of how my thinking is evolving...what I'm learning...what I'm clarifying for myself. 

With that intention and inspiration in mind, here are just a few of the "bullet points" I'm incubating in preparation for the final session of the Getting Unstuck coaching program on June 17.  It's been a year and a half and I have learned and grown so much along with the members of the program.  I'm going to keep the community of 70+ people going for free for now...but I'm working on a sustainable way to keep the connection, healing, learning, safety, sharing, love and support going.  Once I have a Business Manager on board...there will be many new possibilities for me...and my tribe...to learn and grow together.  

So here are more of my thoughts on "How do I know what I want?"

• First, this is a much better than the all too common complaints "But I don't know what I want" or "But what if I don't know what I want?"  The trouble with those statements / complaints is they tend to cause people to give up in frustration and overwhelm.
• The question  "How do I know what I want?" is a great one because at least now your brain is inspired to start thinking about ways to figure out what you want!
• The question can also be very overwhelming though.  Why?  Because it's very broad. It's not quantified or contained in any way.  There are so many ways to answer it that we freeze up...it makes our brains explode or maybe even implode : ) 
• So what's the first step to dealing with anything overwhelming like that? Start narrowing the question itself.  When? where? in what part of life? for whom? from whom? emotionally? physically? materially?  Then keep narrowing it down till you get to question you CAN answer  : ) 
• Another thought....Keep in mind that what you want or need varies hourly...our whole lives are a journey of noticing and assessing what we want / need now vs tomorrow vs. next week or month, etc.  Where we have trouble prioritizing is in deciding which need is more important at any given time.  This hour you may NEED to eat...so your question might be:  How do I know what I want to eat?  Next you may be tired and need rest...your question might be "How do I know what kind of "rest" I need right now?  a nap? a change of scenery?  a walk?   Still not easy to answer for some of us, but much more doable.  
• Even more challenging, how do I know if what I want or need right now is just as important as what others need?  How do I balance my wants / needs with those of others? 
• Because we have to make SOOO many decisions like this every day....the more we can automate "templates" or guidelines for making wise choices the more we can lower our stress.  To make templates for decision making we need "criteria". Like "Even though I love to research every option, sometimes I need to limit my number of choices, without sacrificing my need for adventure, so that I make sure I have time for ALL my needs...not just the needs of the moment."    : )  
    

IThanks so much to my clients, blog readers, subscribers and fellow learners who continually inspire me to reflect on what I know and put it to good use helping others navigate the challenges and adventures of life with ADHD!  : )

Evernote system for organizing your notes - One mom tells us how she uses it

Last week I interviewed Heather, a mom and former teacher who is a raving fan of the www.Evernote.com system for capturing notes. She shared how she uses it to capture Recipes, Favorite Quotes, do Shopping Research and more.  And we talked about:

• Uses
• Organizing strategies
• Backing up
• Using with Google
• Ways to ease into using it without wasting a lot of time. 

To me, it really does seem to be simpler and therefore more ADD-Friendly than Microsoft's One-note, so I'm giving it a try. I like that it is available over the Web and not just on one computer.   

So far the biggest drawback for me is that I can't set the DEFAULT FONT to whatever I want.  I really don't like reading serif fonts on a computer screen because of my vision issues because they blur more.  I prefer san-serif fonts.  

Thanks Heather for responding to my call out for people to interview on  tools to organize notes online!  It was a big help to me personally and I hope to my readers as well!

Here's the Audio Recording of my interview with Heather about Evernote on March 11, 2010.  Enjoy! 

 

Total Running Time: 23 minutes

OneNote Podcast coming soon!  

Site Mentioned in Interview to help plan your meals, automatically generate a Shopping List is www.tastyplanner.com 

Tools to Keep Track of Notes and Ideas + Call for an expert to be interviewed or give a presentation - Are you interested?

 Thanks to Virtual Enigma...an anonymous Journal Blogger for pointing me to these 2 excellent resources from Life Hacker.  

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Do you have your own business or blog?  Would you like to write an article for this blog, or let me record our conversation for others to hear on the topic or using online note taking tools?  Contact me directly to discuss options here:  http://lotusbridge.com/about/contact.html  

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MIND MAPPING TOOLS

http://lifehacker.com/5191381/hive-five-winner-for-best-mind-mapping-software-freemind 

NOTE TAKING TOOLS

http://lifehacker.com/399556/five-best-notetaking-tools

_____________________________________________________

What I'm wondering is:

- What specifically are people using tools such as Evernote and One Note for?

- What do YOU use them for?

- What do you capture?

- Do you actually go back and use what you capture? How often?

- How do you keep yourself from over-capturing?

- What strategies do you use to organize all the captures? How do you coordinate with your paper filing system?

- How do you keep them from getting overcluttered?

 If there is anyone out there who knows a good resource that already exists, or would like to be interviewed in a podcast, or give a presentation / interview to my coaching group / mailing list / blog readers about this please leave me a comment below. Thank you!

via virtualenigma.wordpress.com

Making Peace with Your Morning Routines - Like Getting Dressed!

Today, I'm going to share with you one of the articles I wrote in response to a Getting Unstuck coaching group, member's forum question.  

Thanks to Sandy G for asking the Question:

"My hours and days vary week to week, so it's hard to get a routine going for myself, which has always been hard anyway. Any suggestions for me?"

I know everyone's case of difficulty with morning routines is not like mine, but I'm going to get real personal here and share my excruciating struggle with implementing a morning routine and getting dressed every day so that I could be on time and prepared for my days. 

Embracing Mistakes: A Power Tool for Getting Unstuck, Overcoming Procrastination, and Taking Action

You cannot make progress in life without making decisions. And can't take action and make progress, without learn to embrace making mistakes.

Most accomplished people will tell you - they could never have gotten where they are without making LOTS of mistakes.

In fact they make more bad decisions than good ones.

What is "Prioritizing" anyway? Why is it SO HARD? And What can You do About it?

When I read books on time management and prioritizing, I find that many of them focus on Prioritizing defined as reviewing your TO DO list and deciding what is

A - most important and urgent
B - somewhat important but not urgent
C - least important and least urgent

But for many of us, distinguishing what is important among the many things we care about, is made incredibly difficult by the way our brains and emotions work. Emotions and brain chemicals greatly influence what seems important or urgent at any given moment. We can think of something that needs to be done in one moment and be incredibly energized by it. It truly seems in the moment like the most important thing on earth at the time.

So we either forget about everything else and act on that feeling immediately, or we put it on our to do list in hopes of "getting back to it later."  Then, if you are at all like me, later comes around, I look at the item on my to do list, remember thinking it was so important, I but I can't for the life of me remember why! 

Has this ever happened to you?

Personally, I have NEVER been able to look at a list of Action Items, systematically prioritize it with A's B's and C's and then follow it exactly without getting frustrated. And honestly, I have stopped trying to do that. And you know what? 

Everything important gets done anyway.

Why? because there are many ways to prioritize and the ABC system (and the Covey System, David Allen's GTD, and the Julie Morganstern system) are only just a few of them! Furthermore, the ABC system is often NOT the best way for creatives and ADDers.

In fact, it is  often one of the worst ways! Why? because.......

Reader Asks: How do you Manage Documents, Projects, Tasks and Folders using your Computer?

In response to my post on Managing Multiple Priorities using Project Folders on my Computer (Windows XP) a reader, Layla, asked some great questions and I wanted to share my response with you...so here goes.

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Question 1

How do you assign stuff to folders, that could be in 2 or 3 different folders? (save 3 times, or just in one - which one?:)

 

Answer

My answer has many layers.  If it's a small file and relates to two or more book projects I'm working on, I might actually copy it twice...and clean it up when I'm done

If it's a larger file, I put the original doc in one folder and put shortcuts to the file in the other relevant folders.

If it's not that important a file, I put all the keywords I might search on in the title of the file and put it in one folder.  Then I use "Search" to find it later! 

 

Question 2

Also, do you have a section for 'Archives', or similar? And separate for 'Action files'?

 

Answer

Yes - I have an "Archives" section for my important old projects and they are backed up on my webhost and on DVDs.  I also use my webhost to back up any important files I'm working on.  I just created a folder called BACKUP-Projects on my webhost.  (I use Dreamweaver for web development and it has an FTP program built in.  You can also use any FTP program like Smart FTP  or FileZilla, etc.

I don't have a separate section on my computer labeled "Action Files" because most all of them are working files.

My "currently active"  and "frequently used" folders are linked to on my Quick Launch Bar....I have a 28 inch monitor and a 22 inch monitor sided by side so I have my TASK / QUICK LAUNCH Bar on the right of my larger monitor.

MP3s I want to listen or downloads to read are grouped on on my desktop - when I'm done I "file" them.  So I guess you could say my desktop is for individual files I need to do something with. 

Here is a screenshot of my desktop so you can see what my taskbar looks like... you can click it to see it larger.  On the left are shortcuts to software, top are my remote desktop connections for taking over other computers in our home.  In the middle are files I need to read or listen too.  Also, some are text files I use for "reference"  like design conventions for my website (html color codes, etc.)  and when I have to close my browser and want to come back to a website, instead of bookmarking it I drag it to my desktop...look at it later and then if I really want to keep it I usually file the shortcut in the project folder it relates to.

 

Hope you find something in this article that you can actually use!

 

If you like this tip, you'll LOVE being part of my online virtual organizing and coaching group called Getting Unstuck!  

On the website, we have several ongoing neat virtual interactive group "workshops" happening simultaneously!  Most of them feature audio recordings of classes and/or group coaching sessions along with e-books, powerpoint presentations, discussion forums and more!   Not only do you get learning resources, you get to ask questions and share your photos for personal coaching!   You can now join for just $67 for the first month and then $47 for two additional months.

Currently active workshops within the coaching group include:

• Take Charge of your Finances - (The third call in this series is tomorrow!)
• Organizing Your Paper
• Organizing Your Office
• Overcoming Healthy Eating Challenges
• Organizing Using Your Computer
• Cleaning your home Quick & Easy ( ADD-friendly ways to simplify cleaning)
• Understanding ADD

More are on the way!

Click here: Getting Unstuck: virtual organizing and coaching group  to learn more!

 

Simplifying Your Life - Free Class on Wednesday!

Just a reminder that I'm giving a free teleclass on ADDClasses.com this coming Wednesday!

Here are the details:

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TITLE: Simplifying Your Life:  Strategies that Work for ADHD 


(and work for anyone with "ADD-Like Traits" or a Creative Personality Type)

DATE: Wednesday, February 18, 2009

TIME: 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

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Tara McGillicuddy, is also giving a free class

TITLE: Is it Really about Time?

DATE: Tuesday February 24, 2009

TIME: 9:00 pm EST

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The classes are free, but you do have to
signup for AddClasses.com by clicking here

Hope to see you there!

Simplifying Your Life: Strategies that Work - FREE CLASS!

I'm so excited!  I've been a big fan of ADDClasses.com for a long time.  And now I'm going to be an instructor there!  I'll be giving a FREE one hour teleclass, so mark your calendar!

Here are the details:

TITLE: Simplifying Your Life:  Strategies that Work for People with ADHD 
(and anyone with "ADD-Like Traits" or a Creative Personality Type)

DATE: Feb. 18

TIME: 2:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

There will also be a handout, so don't miss this!

The class is free, but you do have to signup for AddClasses.com by clicking here

p.s. I gave a 2 hour version of this class to my Getting Unstuck Coaching Group this past Thursday and people really loved it!  Here are a few of the comments I got after the class:

"the slides were a great reference point and later memory aid. lots to think about and try out. thanks."

"these calls are such a source of energy for me and I am trying to build in a block of time right after for taking action."

"I have gained so much in just the few weeks that we have been doing the calls... You doing such a wonderful thing with the calls The program is wonderful, filled with extremely helpful information.   Thanks for everything that you are doing for us!!!"

"This is good information. Your "class" and "sharings" today are wonderful. Thanks."

"Excellent info. thanks..."

(BY THE WAY: It's not too late to join!  .   Learn More Here)

Don't forget to mark the date in your Calendar! 
   

See you there!

The TRUE cost of things

"The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life, which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run."
--Henry David Thoreau

When you think about buying things, or decide to keep things you no longer really love or use, how often do you stop and think about the true cost of things?  I'm talking about the true cost of owning the thing throughout it's life cycle.  

For example, are you aware of how much time you spend maintaining the things you own?

When you think about buying something, do you think about the time, energy and money it will take to:

- Shopping for things
- Choosing and buying things
- Storing things, choosing and buying containers, shelves etc. 
- Fixing things (especially houses and cars - do you really plan for all the repairs?)
- Cleaning things
- Looking for things
- Inventorying and insuring things
- Worrying about people taking your things and paying for security systems
- Yelling at your kids about things
- Fighting with your spouse about things
- Figuring out how to let go of things such as finding some one to give them to

How much of the cost of your home actually goes directly to storing things you can't find when you need them anyway?

Do you argue with people in your life about stuff? Is it worth the trouble?

What would you do with your time, energy and money if you didn't have to worry about so many things?

Are your things helping you avoid having to make the tough decisions about what you really want to be and do with your?  Are they filling a void in your heart and soul?  Keeping you stuck in pattern that is painful but familiar and therefore its hard to change? 

Starting to let go of unneeded things gradually can actually help you face this.  Sometimes the first step in stopping the cycle is just to acquire less and refocus all that shopping energy on self-care.  

How would your life be different with fewer clothes? fewer books, DVDs, CDs? fewer magazines? less junk mail? fewer toys? fewer photos? a smaller house? no car payments?  

MORE FROM THE WEB AND BLOGOSPHERE ON THE TRUE COST OF THINGS AND LIVING WITH LESS 

• ZEN HABITS Leo Babauta published a free e-book on Thriving on Less: Simplifying in a Tough Economy that is worth a read. He has also published a book on the Power of Less. I haven't read it, but thought you might like to know!
   GET FREE DOWNLOAD
  
• THE DEBT FREE KID - A neat post by Karissa about the true price of things...a great reminder that things really don't buy happiness.
  
• GREEN FERTILITY - Here's a neat couple of posts about the true cost of things...like the true cost of a dozen eggs...and the true cost of low cost food...this one really opened my eyes.
  
• THE TRUE COST OF OWNING A HOME - Owning a home may not be as much of an investment as you think...if you are thinking of owning  a home, think it all the way through and DON"T let the mortgage companies talk you into "buying the largest home you can afford"  or "don't worry about the total cost, just think about the monthly payment"   The total true cost can be as must as 5 TIMES the monthly payment to cover utilities, property taxes and maintenance. Even if you have two incomes, I always recommend buying a home you could afford on 25 - 40% of the lower income ALONE.  The freedom is so worth it! 
  
• THE TRUE COST OF DRIVING  A neat little calculator to help you learn the TRUE cost of driving your car. You might be really astonished! 
  
• THE TRUE COST OF CREDIT  - Tells you what it really costs to use your credit cards.
  
• THE WALDEN POND PROJECT - An activity to help kids learn the true cost of things.

Do you have or know of a great post on the true cost of things?

Post your link below!

Managing Multiple Priorities using Project Folders on my Computer (Windows XP)

One of my favorite things about my new Getting Unstuck Organizing Coaching and Clutter Support group is that by interacting with the group daily, I get inspired constantly to write about things that I just never thought about sharing before.  I'm blogging in the group every day sometimes 4-5 times a day!  (Yes, I have a blog AND a Support forum on the private group website.)

For example, last week as part of a whole series on prioritizing, I shared a tip about how I organize the many projects I have underway on my computer.  I was surprised how many people found this helpful to them.  So I thought I'd share one of my little "hacks" with you!

If you like it, let me know and I'll share more. 

so here it is..

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One way to prioritize multiple projects is to make a list of projects in the order you want to do them. (Assigning each project ABC or 123 priority can be very helpful.) It's also helpful to make some notes about why you are assigning the project a certain priority. e.g., money you need for the project? time needed? people affected by it? etc. That way you don't have to remember why you chose the order you did.

Now, that idea is fine, but too cumbersome for me.  First of all, why keep yet another list when I need to keep all my projects in a computer folder anyway?   

In "My Documents" on my computer. I have a "Projects" folder. In that folder, I created a folder for each project that is self-initiated, like books I'm writing, workshops, etc. (Client projects have a whole separate system.)

The folders then are automatically in a list. But as you know, on the computer, folders display in either alphabetical or chronological order. That just isn't helpful for me and the way I work.

I prefer to see them listed in the order I wish to complete them. That way I don't have to think about the order or look through a whole list to find the project I want. My current project is always at the top. To make them appear in completion order, what I do is add a number to the front of the Folder / Project name.

My projects that I MOST want to complete in the next few months I give a 1 to. That moves them to the top of the list. Then I assign my 2s, then my 3s.

Just doing that allows me to focus now only on the 1s. I ask myself, of all the really important ones which is MOST imortant?  Then I rename the folders to have 1a 1b 1c etc. This puts all my projects all in order - AND I never have to worry about where the list is, or create a file folder for Project Lists! When I forget what my priorities are, I just open that folder and there they are.

When I have content that applies to a project I'm not working on right now...I file it away in that folder.

In each Project folder I have a simple TEXT (.txt) file that has my goals, objectives and notes about the project. Could be an outline, names of people I want to involve. etc.

To make things even easier, I have a shortcut to my projects folder on my Windows Quick Launch Bar. So it's ALWAYS handy. I also have a corresponding binder with pockets for each project that has paper associated with it.

By the way...

Guess what 1a was for me this last 6 months?

You guessed it...The Getting Unstuck Coaching Group!!!  : )

If you like learning ways to simplify like this, consider joining Getting Unstuck Coaching Group and get unlimited access to tons more ideas like this.  Or, you can also get lots more great organizing ideas like this in my organizing books.

So, what do you think?  Was this worth me taking 2 hours to write this up to share with you?

 

Ask Seth Godin a Question! About marketing, having ADHD, anything!

When the brilliant, Terry Matlen of www.addconsults.com  saw a post by Seth Godin on Bryan Hutchinson's blog at www.adderworld.com, she emailed him and asked if she could interview him AND HE SAID YES!!!.

Seth Godin is a marketing genius who has revolutionized the world of business and marketing through He's written 10 books, including his latest: Tribes, and The Dip . He's also the founder of www.Squidoo.com.

In a recent article in Business Week,  as I told you in December, Seth mentioned that he has ADHD.

If you've read any of Seth's books - you know he is not only a creative market genius, he practices what he preaches.  And he doesn't let having ADD stop him from succeeding! 

I'm so thrilled that he came out with having ADHD, as I know how difficult a decision that is.  I was terrified how it would affect my business, and it has!  But truly in a more positive way than I could ever have imagined. It's such a relief to not feel like I have to hide who I really am. 

The choice to "come out" is not right for everyone because many people still DO have preconceived notions about people with ADHD "being unreliable" or "flaky" but that is simply not true!  People who embrace their ADD and learn to manage it, as well as find the "gifts and treasures" often succeed in STELLAR ways. 

The more people who come out and speak openly about it, like Ty Pennington, Michael Phelps, Richard Branson, Howie Mandel and so many more, the more people will realize its not a "disability", it is a "challenge" we can learn to deal with and integrate into our lives.

When you cultivate the treasures and manage the difficulties that accompany ADHD, you can learn to "design a LIFE that fits"  AND "design a BUSINESS that fits" and allows you to flourish.  Having ADD is NOT a reason to give up on yourself!

Seth Godin,  Terry Matlen and other heroes of mine including Sari Solden,  Jennifer Koretsky, Denslow Brown, and Tara McGuillicuddy (to name only a few) are all wonderful examples of how you can design a business that fits you and achieve remarkable success!

Want to Ask Seth a Question?

Terry Matlen has graciously offered people to submit questions for her interview with him about what it's like to have ADD!  I can't wait to read how he designs his life and work to fit him!

All you have to do is email them to her at AskSeth@addconsults.com  Then, look for the interview in an upcoming newsletter.  You can read her archives and sign up for her great newsletters here!

Wishing you all the best!

p.s.

We had our first Getting Unstuck Coaching Call yesterday and it was AWESOME!  During the 2 hour call, we got deep into the decision-making process, how we "predictably" get stuck at each stage, and what we can do to "get unstuck" at each stage.  We also got deep into ways to help us let go of clutter painlessly. People are already writing to me with all the great ways they've already started getting unstuck!   We have 22 wonderful members now, and there is still room for lots more! 

ITS NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN as a CHARTER MEMBER! 

The call recording came out great and is now posted in the group. You can easily listen online, or download the recording.  Plus you get all my ebooks and lots more unreleased material included!

Do you make To Do lists but then don't follow them?

The topic of "to do lists" is an issue that many people agonize over. If you are like the hundreds of people who tell me they make lots of lists, but have difficulty following them or even finding them, you are not alone! 

Difficulty following lists is very common among people with a creative or right-brain dominant personality style as well as with ADDers. In addition, people with certain kinds of brain injuries or head injuries may find it easy to "make" lists, but have much trouble "following" lists. 

There are many psychological, neurological, learning style, sensory, and even genetic reasons why some people are not good at "following" written instructions of any kind, including their own lists! 

I'm going to spare you the theories, but promise me you'll stopping beating yourself up!  It's not that you are lazy or procrastinating...it's how you are wired.  So let's accept it and work with it.  Even though it's not easy for you...there are some tricks to making your lists easier to follow.  

Here's the thing about making lists. Writing itself is a very effective way to clarify what's on your mind, process information and enhance your ability to remember things. So there is a good reason to keep on making your lists! They help you:

• Remember things better (just like taking notes)
• Slow down your brain to the speed of writing so that you can think more clearly and get your ideas out.
• Articulate your ideas. 
• Reduce your fear that you will forget the items

Before we look at ways to make lists easier to follow...let's look as some of the things that make them more difficult to follow.  Lists may be harder to follow if:

• There are too many items 
• Handwriting isn't clear or the lettering is not big enough
• You use light colored ink or pencil 
• The paper used is colored and does not provide a high contrast with the ink used 
• Action items aren't listed in order of priority and you have to scan the whole list to decide which things to do next.
• Item don't list all the information you need to act on it, e.g. for some people, if they don't write the phone number and have to hunt it down, they will skip write over that item on the list.  
• The spacing between the items is too close.  
• More than a day or 2 goes by before you look at it again (particularly if you have ADD, the list may lose all sense of urgency)
• You have any kind of reading or vision difficulties such as a mild dyslexia
• You are stressed when you look at the list 
• You have lots of other ideas going through your head when you look at 
• The items are so brief that you forget what was actually meant. For example, I have seen many examples of people writing things like "Call Doctor" and then forgetting which doctor and why.    

There are many more items I could add, but I think you get the idea.  Everyone is different in terms of what works best for them, but here are some tips that might help you make your lists easier to "follow".

• Limit the items to 4 - 6 short items on them
• Use very clear large lettering, I use a black Sharpie for lists I really need to follow
• Put lots of space between items.  This makes it easier for your brain to focus on one item at a time. 
• Put a little box or circle in front of each item so that you can check it off when you are done
• Put high priority items at the top, lower priority in the bottom half of the list. 
• Use color or other visual cues to help you highlight the highest priority items:  e.g., highlighters or my personal fave is to draw "clouds" or "bubbles" around the  most important things.
• Use brightly colored paper with high contrast to your ink.
• Use a TO DO notebook that is ONLY for Action Items.  Put a removeable tab or post-it on pages with open items in your notebook. 
• Don't mix things you would "like to do" with things that you really "will or must do". One trick I've used is to turn the notebook upside down and use the back of the book to capture "brainstorms" and "ideas" or use a separate notebook all together.   
• Some people need "novelty" to help stimulate their brain to pay attention to their lists, so using different color paper and highlighters may be effective.  So if you are the types that likes trying out new ways to make your lists, have fun with it, but be aware that if you try lots of complicated software to do lists you are probably wasting a ton of time learning and setting up new ways to do your lists.  Try to restrain your "novelty needs" to simple, easy changes. 

Alternatives to linear lists and paper may also help you follow lists better.  I use different methods for different kinds of lists. Some of the tools I use:

• Digital Recorder
• Calling in to my Voice mail 
• White boards (I have a couple small ones that I use like pads of paper, and one on the wall fo rwhen I need to move around to think/) 
• Mind Mapping 
• Flip Chart that I hang on a nail on my office door 
• Post-it Flip Charts that I hang on my wall.  
• Magnetic pads for my refrigerator  
• Chalkboard in the kitchen 

You may need to experiment with alternate ways to find the best way for you to make your lists, and you may need different kinds of lists for different things.  Some people need to stick to one kind of list, others need the diversity.  Give yourself permission to play and experiment till you find methods that not only attract you but are easy to read and follow later.  Another option is to just give yourself permission to make lists with the intention of helping you get things off your mind without the expectation that you have to follow them! If they helped you remember, and you did the action item without looking at your list. That's good enough.  

Have a quirky way to make lists work for you?  Leave a comment below!

Perfectionism & Me - Debbie Jordan Kravitz Interviews me for her book!

On October 9, 2008, Debbie Jordan Kravitz, interviewed me for her upcoming book on Perfectionism! She was so easy to talk to, and so compassionate that I really opened up to her and revealed things I've never talked about "publicly" before. We also laughed a lot and I have to thank her for asking such insight-provoking questions and helping me to understand my perfectionism even more deeply yet in such a FUN way!

Listen to or download the MP3 recording our conversation about Perfectionism and Overcoming Perfectionism here. (note this is about an 86 MB file)

You can listen live right now here! Though it make take a minute to get started.

As another step on my personal journey to recovering from perfectionism, I decided to share the recording with you - in spite of how imperfect I may sound. I hope it helps you in some way understand your own issues. Here are some of the topics we talked about:

• When did you first realize that perfectionism was part of your personality?
• How perfectionism became an issue for me in college and at work
• How becoming a Professional Organizer taught me about ADD
• How perfectionism, ADD and creativity are connected
• How I learned to overcome / manage my own chronic disorganization and clutter issues
• Consequences of perfectionism - what made you realize you needed to change and how do you keep it at bay?
• The biological bases of perfectionism
• How perfectionism is related to your self-concept, image, reputation, ability and desire for being known for quality
• How I learned to give up being perfect about email, writing and other things
• How self-monitoring works
• and much more....

Debbie Jordan Kravitz, can be found at  www.DandRcustomorganizers.com Debbie is my new BFF (BloggingFriendForever) and the brains behind the really cool blog, Virtually Organized. 

Here's the link to Download our discussion on Overcoming Perfectionism!

Are you sick of choice?

I just have to rant a little. I am so sick of all the decisions to be made about the stupidest things!

I went to get dental floss at the grocery store and found they stopped carrying the kind I usually use. As if that wasn't annoying enough, there were at least 20 kinds of floss to choose from! I just got overwhelmed and gave up. I decided to look online for it and found out Oral-B stopped making it! (That seems to happen a lot lately.)

It's gotten so out of hand with all these choices for every little thing! Such a colossal waste of my time to spend 10 minutes deciding about DENTAL FLOSS!  How can we make this stop?  sigh...I guess I just have to close my eyes and pick one and hope it's not that thick band kind that I hate!  I never thought I'd be dreaming of good old-fashioned, plain waxed floss.   LOL   

You gotta laugh just to keep from crying sometimes : )

p.s.  the Book title contest ends at midnite tonite!  Is your entry in?  I'll be announcing the winning decision by the end of the week.  : )

http://blog.neatandsimple.com/2008/10/contest-name-my.html

My Summer of Seeking Simplified Sustainable Success! : )

Dear Readers,

I'm just dropping in with a brief update to let you know why you haven't heard from me for quite some time and what's in the works.  Since I started this blog about 3 years ago my personal life and health has become the victim of serious "scope creep"!  In my passion and enthusiasm for helping people I found myself saying "YES" to so many new clients and new ventures like guest blogging, pursuing coaching training and the very intensive Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization program, press interviews, writing a column, joint ventures, group coaching programs and much more that I found myself working 12-18 hour days, 7 days a week for the last 6 months since I got back from our Thanksgiving vacation.  I didn't even take holidays off.  The results have not been pleasant to say the least.

Not only have I exhausted myself and my husband, we also have several family events that are requiring a lot of attention.  In addition, a storm blew threw our town early this week and took down over 200 trees including 4 on either side of our house.  We have a huge cleanup job in front of us.

As a result of all this chaos, I've had to step back and take a long hard look at my commitments and see how I can carve out the time I need to not only fulfill my most important commitments but also work on a plan to get my life back in balance.  This past month has required much soul searching and making many VERY painful decisions to say "NO" to activities that I REALLY LOVE, but have to stop for a while so that I can "sharpen the saw" as Stephen Covey says.

Since this is a blog about keeping life NEAT & SIMPLE, I thought I'd share with you my current plan taking a "Summer of Seeking Simple Sustainable Success".  After all, it's not success when everyday becomes painful to get through.

Innovative Time Mgt Strategies: Outsourcing, Email, Voice Mail and more

Check out my new page on Innovative Time Management Strategies! 

If you have a super unusual, creative and effective strategy for saving time, or a link to a great post or blog that gives great tips or online resources for any of the following:

EMAIL - Ways to really save time on EMAIL like using auto-reply templates

AUTOMATING Your Work Flow

OUTSOURCING

BUILDING A SUPPORT TEAM - Personal and Business

Please leave a comment below or on the page so I can add YOUR contribution to the list!

 

HELP! I HATE FILING!

UPDATED - 9-2008

My friend Dr. Amie Ragan, author of the brilliant "Psychology of Clutter"blog, recently invited me to answer one of her reader's questions about how to get over your hatred of filing and even make it more fun. "Fun" is a lot to ask when comes to filing!  But believe it or not...it's possible!  With a few adjustments you can learn to appreciate and even LOVE your files! 

Check out my Guest Post where I answer Mack's question about how to make filing less of a pain on the Psychology Of Clutter blog!
_____________________________________________________________________________

Dr. Ragan's blog is sadly, now gone from the web, but the article is now reprinted below!

______________________________________________________________________________

Reader's Question

About Organizing your papers. I know several prescribed methods for doing so, and I use a file cabinet along with an inbox to store papers until filed. I keep a fairly good filing system. However, I hate actually filing and will put it off until the box is full or I can’t find something important (like financial papers). Honestly, I would like to throw half of this stuff away, possibly including said financial papers. Is there any way to make this more fun? And in a related question, what papers do you consider it essential to keep and for how long?

Mack

My Answer
________________

Hi Mack,

You are so not alone!! Most people hate filing.  But it's not the fault of the files!  It's usually the little things that people do in setting up and using their files that make them painful to use. Like overstuff them! Another reason people hate to file is that they don't use quality filing cabinets and supplies they actually like. So many people's file cabinets are practically falling apart or get stuck when you open them, etc.  A quality filing cabinet, drawer, or even a desktop file box which contains your most frequently used files and is located near your desk or bill paying area can change your life!

The best way I have found to avoid putting off filing is to ELIMINATE your "To File" pile altogether.  Keep your frequently used files near enough to you so that you can file papers immediately and it won't back up on you.  Plus if your files are near where you work, when they start getting overstuffed, you'll notice immediately and can take 5 minutes to purge your thickest files. 

There are many ways to learn to love your files and I've included more of them in my article, The 10 Most Common Filing Mistakes and how to correct them.

If you are serious about keeping your paper under control, check out my new e-book titled  "Take Charge of Your Paper ."  There are also lots of ideas on how to arrange your workspace to keep your files handy in my "Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Home Office".   There is a specially priced combo pack which also includes my  "Personal Paper Retention Guide:  What to Keep and for How Long"   
Happy Filing!!

p.s.  Also get my free ebook "100 Surefire Ways to Organize Your Busy Life!"

Making Your Natural Adrenaline Moments Work For You!

This morning I was coaching a client with ADD and she had the neatest breakthrough that I thought you might like.  In my ADD coaching training I learned about a phenomenon called  "Completion Chemistry."

Essentially it means that many people, especially those of us with ADD, are more motivated to work on a task when we need to FIND something.  For example, we may hate to file or put things away while we are in midst of doing other far more interested things.  But when we really need to find something, we get a burst of adrenaline for the "hunt".   

My client was teeling me about her successes of the week and mentioned how she had needed to find something in the box of papers she had gathered up while organizing last week.  The box had been sitting there for days and she had had no motivation to work on it.  Suddenly when she needed something in that box, she got a burst of "energy" and become motivated to finally sort out some of the papers in that box.

What a perfect example of "Completion Chemistry"!  I let her what a great strategy that was and explained how she could use it more often and she LOVED it!!!  She felt so validated that she already had an effective strategy and now she could consciously work with it and harness it more often - without feeling guilty about the time she let pass before she got around to organizing the box. 

She even came up with her own name for the strategy  - "Riding the Wave" 

We talked about other ways she could apply this and came up with the idea of using the energy of a deadline to help her "activate" for other tasks by leaving extra time before the deadline and she is goign to try this...instead of seeing the task of having to take her daughter to  a 4:30 appt every day as an interruption, she is going to start getting ready to go an hour before use that hour to "scan" the first floor and do any little tasks that need doing, like sort the mail, return a couple calls, put things away etc. 

I'm leaving at 5:00 tonite to go to the regional NAPO conference in Washington DC so I'm going to ride my adrenaline wave to get packed and ready to go and then answer as many emails as I can, return  calls, and tie up other "loose ends" as FAST as possible!   

How do you "ride the wave of completion chemistry" in your daily life?  What new situations can you apply this concept to?

Organize Your Financial Papers To Make Tax Time Less Stressful - Part 2

See Part 1 Here:

Organize Your Financial Papers To Make Tax Time Less Stressful - Part 1

___________________________________________________________________

STEP 4 -Decide if you Need to Establish Sub-Categories

If you use a tax preparer, just separating INCOME, EXPENSES, and STATEMENTS may be enough. Ask them how they want the documents submitted.

If you are doing your own taxes, you only need sub-category folders for those categories that have a lot of paperwork.  If you have a lot of tax deductible expenses, I highly recommend using some kind of financial record keeping software to keep a running total for you throughout the year.

If you need sub-categories for INCOME OR EXPENSES, I recommend using a financial filing system with categories that reflect the categories you had entries in on your tax return last year.

1. Review last year's return and note which expense and income categories were used.
2. Use those sub-categories as the basis for creating a MASTER FILE LIST to guide you in creating a file structure.

For example, if you deduct expenses related to rental properties you own, and you have a lot of expense receipts, create a folder called Rental Property Expense receipts.

A sample MASTER FILE LIST structure may look like this.

• INCOME

o Salary & Wages (Include all your W-2s and /or 1099s here)

o Commission

o Interest & Dividends (1099s and Year end statements only, you don't need the whole years worth of documents to prepare your return.)

o Rental Income

• EXPENSES

o Donations

o Property Taxes

o Mortgage Interest

o Medical

o Childcare

o Job-related Moving

STEP 4 - Choose a Final Home for Your Papers

Once you have it all sorted out, you can see how much paperwork you have and choose an appropriately-sized container. With fewer than 12 or 13 categories, an accordion file could be a perfect solution for organizing your tax - related paperwork. Keep it in a handy location so that as you receive tax documents, you can immediately file them. In doesn't matter where, as long as it is near where you process mail and pay bills, easy to access, easy to use and easy to put away.

STEP 5 -Submit / Prepare Return

By mid - February, all your 1099s should be received and organized. All you have to do now is take them to your tax preparer to do the rest! Or, if you prepare your own return, consider using an web-based or software system such as Turbotax to simplify the job. It stores your past returns and pre-populates this year's return. I find that with Turbotax, I get my refund much faster and as a bonus, It's Deductible is included free. Last year I got over $1000 back just because I kept track of my donations and used It's Deductible to determine the value of the donated items. The values they give are IRS approved and actually more than I would have guessed. So for $1000 it was worth the half hour it took me to keep track of and enter the items into It's Deductible. How else would I get paid $2000 per hour?

STEP 6 -Get Ready for Next Year - Archive Your Paperwork

Instead of creating a whole new system for next year, empty the system you created this year, put all your documents in a single envelope or folder labeled Tax Documents - (YEAR). Create a separate folder for your final Tax Return as well, and archive them in a safe, out-of-the-way place. You will keep the tax return forever, but after 3 - 10 years, you can shred the backup. here are only a few documents you should keep forever and those should filed separately - never put them with your backup. For example, paperwork related to the purchase or sale of Real Estate should be kept forever.

STEP 7 - Celebrate and Relax!

Now you can celebrate and congratulate yourself for a job well done! When spring rolls around, take your refund and do something fun as a reward for not waiting till the last minute!

NOTE: The tips in this article work for most people, but if you have a unique tax situation or are overwhelmed trying to decide what will work best for your organizing needs, consult a financial organizing professional to help you set up a simple, efficient, easy-to-maintain system and ensure a stress-free tax season!

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© 2008 Ariane Benefit, M.S. Ed, Organizing Coach,

RELATED

• Organizing Tax & Financial Papers Digitally
• See my New & Improved A-Store!
• Check out my book on how to get your entire office including papers organized!  The"Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office" 

Organize Your Financial Papers To Make Tax Time Less Stressful - Part 1

It's that time again!

The barrage of catalogs in your mailbox is turning into a flurry of year-end tax statements. If you dread tax time and usually spend your spring stressing over getting taxes done on time, these tips are for you! The best time to prepare for tax time is the year before, but if you didn't do it last year, start now! With these simple tips, you'll get your taxes done EARLY and be ready to enjoy spring! And once you have your system in place, it will be even easier next year!

Set an Early Deadline To Submit Paperwork! - The first step to becoming the master of your own financial well-being and reducing tax stress is to FORGET ABOUT April 15! Make YOUR Tax deadline the end of February or Mid-March and start getting your paperwork organized NOW.

If you use a tax preparer, call right now and schedule an appointment for as soon as possible. If you do your own taxes and have difficulty setting a deadline, consider getting a friend, family member, or coach to hold you accountable to meet your deadlines. Once you have a deadline, it's time to organize your paperwork.

STEP 1 - Gather Financial Papers

If the paperwork you need to complete your tax return is scattered, gather all the papers you need into a single box, basket or other container. If they are already in folders or other containers, gather the file folders into a single file container and move on to step 2.

STEP 2 - Sort

Sort your papers into broad categories such as INCOME, EXPENSES, and STATEMENTS. You can subdivide STATEMENTS into BANKING, CREDIT CARDS, INVESTMENTS, RETIREMENT, but if your papers are all in a jumble, using 3 major categories at first makes the job faster and simpler and requires far fewer containers. You can always micro-sort and break down the categories later if needed. But, honestly, most people never go back to the past years records so why bother? My rule of thumb is to not over-organize things you don't use regularly. Keep it SIMPLE. Unless you deduct expenses on your tax return, you don't really need to keep your credit card statements anyway.

STEP 3 - Eliminate

Eliminate any unneeded papers as you go. Keep only receipts that prove your taxable income and deductible expenses.

Eliminate receipts that are NOT tax-deductible if they are ALSO for items that are:

• NOT insurable
• NOT under warranty
• NOT income to you

For example, you don't need to keep electric bills unless you claim a home office deduction.

GET THE NEAT & SIMPLE GUIDE TO DOCUMENT RETENTION

Learn what to keep and for how long CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE
It is a "must have" tool for anyone looking to keep less paper
and feel more confident about letting go of paper that is
cluttering up your space. Includes tips for Shredding,
Identity Protection, Managing Passwords and much more!

To determine exactly what papers you personally need to keep and what you can let go of, ask your tax advisor.

SHREDDING: Be sure to shred any documents that contain information that could be used to steal your identity such as: social security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, etc. You do not have to shred paper solely because it has your address on it. Your address can be found anywhere and everywhere anyway!

_________________________________

PART 2 is coming on Wednesday!

_____________________________

NOTE: The tips in this article work for most people, but if you have a unique tax situation or are overwhelmed trying to decide what will work best for your organizing needs, consult a financial organizing professional to help you set up a simple, efficient, easy-to-maintain system and ensure a stress-free tax season!

____________________________________________________________________

© 2008 Ariane Benefit, M.S. Ed, Financial Organizing Coach

RELATED

• Organizing Tax & Financial Papers Digitally
• See my New & Improved A-Store!
• Check out my book on how to get your entire office including papers organized!  The"Neat & Simple Guide to Organizing Your Office" 

"What's Wrong with Me? Why can't I manage my time?"

Q & A with Guest Author, Karin Vibe-Rheymer-Stewart, PhD
Time Management and Organizational Master
http://www.dailymastery.com/

I recently had an extensive conversation with Karin and was delighted to find that her approach to time management consulting is very similar to my approach in working with creative and ADD / ADHD clients to organize their home offices and paper.  I hope you enjoy this guest post by Karin.

Also check out Karin's unique Daily Mastery Holiday Survival Program which is designed to help you get through the holidays with less stress!  It includes emails, personal telephone sessions with Karin, Energy Healing Meditation Sessions with Cathleen Campbell, an Emotional Freedom Technique, Aromatherapy and Feng Shui practitioner.   This is a very creative package at an extremely reasonable price!  I highly recommend you check it out.

Also check out my newest articles on the Clutter Control Freak blog!
7 Neat & Simple Ways to Reduce Your Holiday Stress
Declutter Your Holiday Greeting Card List

Reader Question

What's wrong with me? No matter what I try, I can't seem to get organized enough to manage my time. I have all the right tools, (blackberry, a great computer planning system) but my schedule is in shambles.                                          

Sandra, New York       

_____________________________________________ 

Karin's Response

Thank you so much for your question. In fact, most of my clients have the same issue! First, know that there's nothing wrong with you:  you just have different brain wiring than most and don't have the right tools for your style. 

During a quick conversation with you, you shared that while you have everything you are "supposed" to have (a blackberry, a great computer planning system) you still have trouble managing it all. You keep losing track of time, and never have a good sense of what your day is like. Even though you have a file drawer beautifully organized by your assistant, everything ends up in piles on the desk, competing for space with lots of post-it notes and other pieces of paper.      

These are all clues indicating someone whose right hemisphere tends to be the dominant hemisphere in your brain, a right-brainer for short. Typical right-brainers all share the following characteristics:

• "Out of sight, out of mind" is their middle name
• they don't have a very good sense of time
• they tend to be very creative
• they are great with the big picture, but details tend to evade them.   

Most tools touted as the standard in time management and organization are unfortunately made for the rest of the population, the left-brainers. As a result, right-brainers are often left to wonder if something is wrong with them. In truth, what's wrong are the tools recommended to them and how they're encouraged to use them.   

Discovering this is often a revelation. In Lauren's words (Lauren was a participant to one of my Daily Time Mastery programs), "finding out that I was a right-brainer was such a huge relief. Suddenly, a lot of things made sense, and I could select in the program the tools that really work for me." 

Here are some of the tools that worked well for Lauren and my right-brainer clients: 

• Use a paper calendar instead of an electronic calendar, so that you can visually see how your time will be occupied. For a right-brainer, the classic view on an electronic calendar listing all appointments in a row for the day is very confusing. The visual is the same whether appointments are at 9 am and 10 am, or 9 am and 4 pm, so it looks like they are the same. Also, writing them down by hand helps you remember them.
• Time Managmenet
• Store active papers visually (i.e. the things you're working on right now, or will handle soon). Use containers such as trays or magazine holders to store your active papers on your desk, rather than tucking them away in a drawer. Because of your "out of sight, out of mind" tendency, things in drawers disappear. That's why the papers accumulate on your desk: you want to make sure that they don't disappear. Keep only your reference file in file drawers. 

I hope this helps!

About the Author
____________________

Karin Vibe-Rheymer-Stewart, Ph.D., Founder and President of Daily Mastery, a premier time management and organization services company, is a time management and organizational expert specializing in empowering clients to increase their productivity and create their ideal work-life balance. Karin combines 15 years of experience, professionally supporting others in organizing their lives, and personally as a business owner, manager, and mother to provide a unique perspective and proven tools to her clients who “want it all” in today’s 24/7 world.

Check out these Top Lifehacking, Productivity & Frugal Living Lists!

These are some of the best compilations of blogs covering Lifehacking, Productivity & Frugal Living!  Okay, so yeah.  I'm a little biased.  They all list Neat & Simple Living on them!  But that only makes them better lists right?  tee hee : ) 

Seriously, check out all the great blogs they list! You won't regret it!

From WhitePapers.org
Personal Productivity Required Reading List: 100 Kick-butt Lifehacking Blogs

From The Frugal Panda
Top 50 Frugality Bloggers

From Zen Habits
The Top 50 Productivity Blogs (most of which you haven’t heard about)

From Personal Development Demands Success
The Personal Development List

Update 9/9/07  - I'm reproducing the Personal Development list here by request!

It's extremely long so, click on the continue reading link to see it....

May all your productivity goals come true!

Five of my favorite sites that I find useful in my work

I've been tagged by Monica Ricci to share 5 of my favorite sites that I use most often to perform my work. I do a LOT of research for content and for products.  Here are my faves.

1.   www.Google.com   - I aways start my searching here, then if I don't find what I need quickly enough, I try www.ask.com

2.  www.wikipedia.com  - Another great resource.

3.  Amazon.com - This is where I start researching products because they have a lot of reviews and it gives me a benchmark on pricing.  Also, I can see if there are used products for sale and there often are.

4.  www.stacksandstacks.com  - This is a great site for finding unique organizing products and they also have reviews which are extremely helpful.   It's even better now that they have a blog!

5. www.cnet.com/ - This is great for researching technology, you get editors and user reviews.  It helped us buy our latest printer! 

Monica also tagged Dr. Amie Ragan.  Her list includes one of my favorite sites (www.webMD.com)

Now I have to tag 5 people please include a link back to me and let me know when you've posted so I can link to your post!

• All of you!  Anyone who would like to participate is welcome and I'll include a link to your list here!
• Dwayne Melancon Genuine Curiosity
• Julie Bonner Declutter It!
• Lorie Morrero Clutter Diet Blog
• Dawud Miracle Dawud Miracle
• Kara Sheridan  Kara's Place to Breathe and Believe

Wednesday Wisdom - On Keeping Perfectionism at Bay

Several of you have asked me to write about my tips on how I work at overcoming perfectionism. I've been working on a post about my battles with perfectionism, but one thought comes up over and over again.  

“Today’s Solution is Tomorrow’s Problem.”

 

I'm not sure who said it first, but I first heard it in 1989 from our Managing Director when I was an Education Manager at Arthur Andersen's Center for Professional Education in St. Charles, Illinois.  It has stuck with me all these years because it seemed so profound to me at the time.  It was one of those Light Bulb moments when you have to unlearn what you thought was true and start reframing your mind to understand things in a completely different way.

In 1989, the quality movement was in full swing and my perfectionism was feeding on it.  The pursuit of perfect quality was causing me to work 100+ hour weeks and I was stressing badly.  My health was suffering in a big way. I was rapidly burning out in the name of quality.

One day my managing director said, "Ariane, quality is important, but perfectionism is a losing game." I was quite taken aback.  He went on to counsel me that it was just as important to balance the amount of effort and time that you put into things according to the true potential lifespan of the solution.  Why?  Because today's solution ultimately becomes outdated or outgrown and becomes the problem you have to fix or rework in the future.  And because if you don't get solutions to market at the right time, all of your work will be for nothing.  It was then I started really learning the concept of choosing what not to do at all, and what not to bother to do perfectly.

Today whenever I catch myself spending a lot of time at something trying to make it perfect - I think about this concept and consider the following 8 questions that help me conquer perfectionism (Kara, this is for you!) : )

 

1. Will anyone get hurt if this isn't perfect?
    
2. Will anyone get hurt waiting for me to get this perfect?  (this includes me...like will I lose sleep? miss out on time with my family and friends?)
    
3. Does the lifespan of what I'm working on justify the time it's taking me?
    
4. Will this solution lose its value to others if I don't finish it more quickly?
   
5. Will I miss a deadline or other commitment if I don't ease up?
    
6. If I don't put a solution in place quickly will the problem keep getting worse as I try to get the solution to be more perfect? 
    
   (This is a good one to remember when agonizing over paint colors or organizing solutions.  I've been known to take years to choose a paint color and meanwhile the walls get dingier and dingier - not anymore!)
    
7. Will the solution take more time to implement than coping with the problem will take?
    
8. In 5 years, will I feel the time I spent on making this perfect was worth the sacrifice of other things that I could have been doing with my time?
    

So now, without any further attempts to make this post perfect, I'm moving on to my next thing to get done - like get some sleep!!  : )