The celebrating is long over, the decorations are put away, and each time you enter your office, you’re keenly aware that not much has changed in this new year. You’re still deluged with paper, the files are bursting with 2005 and now 2006 documents and the piles on your desk and floor are growing. How do you get a handle on this tsunami of information without taking valuable time away from the business? Try a few of these strategies for a gradual fix.

1. Empty the files first

Surveys tell us that 80% of what’s filed is never used again, so it’s time to clear out the old documents. Start with just a few file folders during down time or at the end of the day when your energy is ebbing. You may find handwritten notes from meetings that are of no use now or memos about projects that never materialized. Do you still need old sales reports? Purge these documents. Pack any archival files into storage boxes. The boxes will take up valuable space somewhere else, but at least they won’t be blocking current materials.

2. Identify what you must keep

Most of us keep documents that we believe we’ll need “later” because they have legal, tax, or financial consequences. If you don’t have enough information about retention guidelines for your business or industry, ask your lawyer or accountant to review the requirements with you. Check with other people in the same industry through your professional association. Check the web for document retention guidelines, too. Your files will shrink dramatically if you let go of unnecessary material.

3. Reconsider your filing needs

Once the files are purged, evaluate the system and identifiers you’re using. Do the categories need to be changed? Do you have problems with retrieving documents? How many people use these files besides you, and do they have any problems finding documents? Do you have enough file space? Now is the time to correct the problems you uncover.

4. Chose an alphabetical, subject, or numerical system.

A strict alphabetical approach to filing sounds easy but may be counterintuitive to how you and your colleagues think. Alphabetized subject files such as “Clients,” “Invoices,” and “Vendors,” with sub-files would be better.

You might want to consider the new numerical filing systems such as Paper Tiger that create a master database from which you can locate a file immediately. These systems allow you to enter a variety of subject headings for one file, giving you and your staff several ways to find what you’re looking for quickly. Once you understand the concept, you’ll realize that you or an assistant could create an electronic filing system using a basic spreadsheet program such as Excel.

5. Sort with a skeptical eye and a shredder

Practice your sorting skills with the daily mail or your inbox. Train yourself to recycle unwanted material immediately. Then determine the best way to deal with the magazines, brochures, coupons, invoices, correspondence, surveys, and statements in your office. Don’t leave these items languishing in your inbox.

6. Where do your papers want to live?

Papers tend to divide themselves into two filing categories: action or reference. Action files need to be close to your desk, or possibly at the front of your file drawer if the file cabinet is very convenient. These are the files that tell you to do things—make a call, send e-mail, or begin research for a new project. Reference files are for documents that pertain to your business but aren’t used every day. Files relating to clients, vendors, and recent projects belong in your reference files.

7. Deal with each piece of paper

Papers left in piles or scattered around your desk area may turn into office compost if you don’t decide what to do with each one. You don’t have to deal with the substance of each item, but you need to assign it to an active folder so that you know what step you have to take next. The subject may require more research, a call, or perhaps delegation to someone else. Force yourself to make quick decisions about tossing, filing, or delegating.

8. Keep it simple

Some of my clients have insisted on creating color-coded files with fancy tabs. If the visual element is important to you and you have the time, indulge yourself with supplies and coding that deliver a message without words: green = a financial file. Manila files and standard hanging folders will do for most of us. Use a good labeler for readability, either a portable unit or downloaded computer templates that match standard file labels.

9. Create file indexes

A file index is an overview of your files that can be hung near the files or inserted into a sheet protector and placed at the front of each file drawer. An index is a simple reference and locator system.

10. Coordinate your paper and computer files.

As much as possible, paper and computer files should mirror each other’s subject headings. Computer files, including e-mail, need to be purged regularly, too. You can consolidate files by moving e-mails into word documents, but resist the urge to print them out. Do frequent computer back-ups so you’ll always have a copy of a useful document. And when it’s no longer useful, purge it!

Follow these tips gradually, delegate some the work if you can, or hire help to get you started. Just don’t aim for a perfect filing system. It doesn’t exist and you don’t need it. But you can have a functional system that won’t keep any secrets from you when you look for material to start or finish an important job.

© Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

Adults chuckle when they hear “Are we there yet?” coming from a child in the back seat of a vehicle. Children, having no sense of time, are impatient for arrival because they don’t know how long they have been or need to be traveling to reach a destination. But some of us are guilty of the same kind of unrealistic thinking when it comes to changing our lives so that we’re more “organized.”

As a professional organizer, I’m all too familiar with people who decide to get their lives in order and ask me for the secrets to do so during an upcoming weekend. My stock answer is that getting organized is a process, not a marathon weekend activity. Organizing is the journey to new habits and systems that support your priorities.

Dealing with physical or psychological clutter requires conscious analysis of what’s not working for you, how you want it to change, and how you will achieve one or more changes. Reorganizing a bedroom, for example, may take just a few hours, depending on your To Do list. You can move clothing around in a closet and tidy up a dresser quickly, but if you want to repaint the room, look for more functional furniture, and add a new closet system, you’re looking at a variety of activities that need to be sequenced. And after making the improvements, you want to be sure that you have safeguards in place to prevent you from slipping back into old habits that made the room messy to begin with.

Changing work habits to improve your daily functioning and bottom line productivity is a more challenging focus. Do you know which of your habits are counterproductive? Are you wasting time in your workday without realizing it? Do you allow others to waste your work time because you’re too passive or polite to object? Can your calendar system be improved so you don’t miss appointments or travel excessively on certain days? Changing one habit can take up to 3 weeks, so dealing with a series of habits and routines is serious work.

Assuming that we’re committed to making positive changes in our lives or surroundings, how do we know when we’re “there”? Look for a few of these signs:

1. You substitute new ways of doing things automatically without having to think about what you’re doing. Putting your keys and phone down in the same spot every time you enter your home is an example of routine but helpful behavior. Routines ultimately save time.
2. You control time by planning your activities. You don’t jump to respond to the phone or e-mail all day long. Instead, you group taking and making calls and responding to messages at your convenience.
   
3. You make colleagues and friends aware of when you are available for them, while preserving your prime time for yourself.
   
4. You feel less pressured and more creative about the important activities in your life. Getting rid of mental or physical clutter gives you more time to develop old interests or new ventures. You’re less defensive and more involved in life.
   
5. Nothing is “perfect” in your life, but everything seems to be under control and moving in the direction you want. Being organized is never a static state.

I hope your weekend plans include more than just “getting organized” because trying to reform yourself in a hurry can demoralize and exhaust you. Tackle a discrete part of the change you want and little by little, you’ll reach your destination—without having to ask if you’re there yet.

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

“Are We There Yet?” © 2006 Helen Kornblum

When my sons were in elementary school and my life was steeped in PTA and community volunteer work, my friends and I used an expression whenever we needed another warm body to take on a new project. “If you want to get something done, ask a busy woman.”

The underlying assumption, that busy women knew how to absorb more responsibility and to deliver what they promised, usually held true. No matter what age and stage we are in our lives and careers, we still recognize the women (and men) who undertake big responsibilities with gusto and never disappoint their colleagues.

What is the secret of the busy woman? Beyond her personality and motivation, a busy woman knows and uses certain techniques of time management and scheduling that make her efficient and effective. You can use them, too.

• A busy woman knows her priorities. Her involvement with her children’s school and extra curricular activities is deliberate because she wants to participate in ways that are meaningful to her. Despite her apparent involvement in many activities (whether she has children or not), she is also capable of saying “no” when asked to join, support, or lead a venture that does not suit her inclinations or her talents. This trait serves her well in the business world where she keeps a steady vision of her mission from which she does not waver.
  
• A busy woman plans her time. The tool—blackboard, paper calendar, electronic device—doesn’t matter, but her insistence on tracking her time and having a sense of purpose does. She knows how she wants or needs to spend her days and can keep her productive hours free from interruptions, unless she decides that it’s best to adjust plans. She is firm yet flexible.
  
• A busy woman doesn’t fill up every hour of the day, knowing that she’ll need to have time for unexpected events or opportunities. Her intuition and creativity help her decide when it pays to reorganize her To Do list, at least temporarily.
  
• A busy woman doesn’t procrastinate. She looks at the project realistically, breaks it down into manageable tasks with a series of small deadlines that make accomplishment easier. Embedded in this process is her willingness to make decisions and delegate or outsource when other expertise is needed. She doesn’t have to do everything herself, which gives her the benefit of collegial interaction.
  
• A busy woman is a good communicator who makes her needs and expectations for each project known. She doesn’t expect others to read her mind and she encourages the exchange of information in mutually respectful ways. Because she gives of herself so readily, people around her respond positively to her needs.

Busy women aren’t trying to be our role models, but their time management and organization skills are instructive. Personal and business success is linked to habits of mind and behavior. If you can develop or strengthen some of these traits in yourself, you will soon be perceived as a busy woman who knows how to get things done.

Helen Kornblum, MA is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

“Ask a Busy Woman” © Helen Kornblum

Many of us wouldn’t describe ourselves as being creative. The models that we have for the creative individual in our popular culture tend to be extremes.

Scientists are absent-minded professors. Great artists starve in garrets, unable to earn a stable living. Writers are unconventional in their life style and work habits. We think that to be creative, we must throw off the trappings of conventional life and follow our dreams.

Some people blame the 9 to 5 job, household concerns, predictable schedules, and family obligations for eroding their creative edge because they have no time to develop their inner selves or unexpressed desires. They lack time, energy, and inspiration because a busy life demands so much from them. They think they have lost control and the opportunity to develop aspects of themselves that they have put on hold indefinitely.

In the absence of great natural gifts or independent wealth, how do we wrest our lives back under our control so we can nurture our own creativity? One solution is to look at your life with an organizer’s perspective.

If you want to make changes, you need to analyze what you’ve been doing until now.

• What are your real priorities for your life?
  
• How are you spending your time?
  
• Who determines how you spend your time?
  
• What have you been doing that you don’t really have to do?
  
• Who else can help you with some of the things that must be done?

Sometimes we block our creative instincts by force of habit, and sometimes, others’ expectations cause us to lose sight of what we really want. Instead of stifling creative urges, we can reorganize priorities and activities to enhance our lives. We can be more creative once we understand how being organized enables us to use time differently.

Creative outlets vary. Do you want to take a class to start developing a particular talent? Do you want to start a hands-on learning project? Do you want to attend meetings of people engaged in a creative activity? Or do you simply want down time to sort out where and how you want to begin?

Time management doesn’t mean scheduling more activity in the same amount of time. It means, first, knowing what’s worth doing to reflect your priorities. And it means not doing certain activities that aren’t necessary or can be delegated.

Controlling your life means changing the status quo. Indeed, it’s a first and necessary step to respond to your creative instincts, no matter how grand or modest a scale they represent. You will exert more control by being more organized. That process begins with an honest assessment of how you want to develop yourself and the determination to do it!

Helen Kornblum MA, a Professional Organizer, is the owner of NaturalOrderOrganizing.com

“Creative and Organized,” © Helen Kornblum 2006

Have you read the classified job ads lately? More and more, employers list being organized as a necessary skill for job applicants. Read the Wall Street Journal and other business publications and you’ll find the same emphasis for midlevel managers as well as business leaders. The marketplace now values organizational skills for many reasons.

Having and using information provides a strong competitive edge in business. Unfortunately, there’s now more information than most of us can successfully manage. To make matters worse, we invite a non-stop barrage of information into our work and personal lives through technology that we are dependent on in our offices and carry with us almost 24/7. Most of this information ends up in piles of paper that litter our offices, waiting to be purged, sorted, filed, or acted on.

In the corporate world, some of the burden is borne by administrative assistants, who keep the tsunami of information at bay. But the entrepreneur is more at risk of overload because the small business owner is usually operating on a tight budget that doesn’t cover support staff. New business owners are often overwhelmed by the many roles they have to play and probably started out with little or no idea how to set up the workflow systems they need. Even experienced owners need organizing tune-ups when their cramped physical space and unproductive habits catch up with them.

The cost of inefficiency in America’s corporate offices is high. The average U.S. executive wastes 6 weeks or more per year searching for missing information, which translates to enormous costs in additional salary and lost productivity. Surveys show that 80% of the papers that are filed are never referenced again, so even more labor, space, and supplies are wasted.

Our cluttered business landscape also reveals problems with decision making and procrastination. Productivity guru David Allen, author of Getting Things Done, advises that to keep work moving, you have to decide what the next step will be for every piece of paper or project. Choosing to do nothing may be fine for the moment, as long as the work is scheduled for the appropriate time or person. Proper delegation of tasks is an equally important organizing skill for leaders who want to develop their employees.

Employers want workers who understand the mission, have strong skills, and the ability to be productive. The best writer, sales person, massage therapist, jeweler, or teacher can deliver more if she/he knows how to plan an efficient schedule, deal with interruptions, avoid time wasters, and meet deadlines. Think about what “must be organized” means the next time you apply for or hire for a job opening.

© Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer. She owns www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com and provides services for residential and business clients.

A friend and I were reminiscing about the stages of joke telling that our children went through, beginning with knock-knock jokes. She reminded me of the popularity of elephant jokes.

The only one I remembered was “How do you know if an elephant has been in your refrigerator?” My friend’s contribution was “How do you eat an elephant?” The answer to that question is “One bite at a time.” The answer is a great analogy for organizing large projects.

Are there elephants in your life right now? As we drift toward September, most of us ease out of vacation mode, contemplating the work or commitments we’ll be facing. Children go off to school, deadlines become more prominent on our calendars, and some of us wonder how we’ll get through the holidays because we already see a time squeeze in our lives.

Your first step is to identify the elephants that are lining up in the pages of your planner. Categorize them and select the one you want to work on first. It might be a special report for the boss or a marketing campaign for your home business. It could also be a longstanding project around the house. Prioritizing will help you keep your focus on a few goals and prevent you from scattering your efforts. Once your elephants are lined up, you can move them along in an orderly way by planning where you will take the first bite.

1. Break each project down into its logical stages. What must you do first to get things moving? Identifying the smaller goals for each stage gives you a realistic sequence of activities that will be manageable.
2. Assign deadline dates to each phase of the project and put them into your planner. You might want to make a separate project chart. Having that roadmap will tell you what you need to work on next to move things along.
3. Periodically evaluate how you’re proceeding. Your first analysis of the logical stages may need to be revised. A research phase for a report may take longer than you anticipated. Getting supplies for a home project may slow you down. Non-critical deadlines can be changed if circumstances change.

Can you handle more than one elephant at a time? Most of us do. And most of us meet our deadlines. Using the one bite approach helps us eliminate the stress of juggling too many tasks at once. By being more deliberate in planning, we have a sense of control about how and when we’ll reach our goals. By being aware of our progress, we encourage ourselves. And by turning out good quality work, we lose our fear of the new elephants that lumber into our lives.

Are you waiting for the answer to the joke in the first paragraph? You can tell that an elephant has been in your refrigerator because there are footprints in the butter!

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

“How Do You Eat an Elephant?” © Helen Kornblum

The title line may have worked for Scarlett O’Hara but it’s not a good motto for the modern woman who has to juggle family, community, and career. Procrastination makes some problems worse while it makes us feel anxious and guilty.

It prevents us from enjoying the present by casting doubts about the future. Want to reverse your natural inclination to procrastinate? Here are a few pointers to get you past your lack of motivation or fears of tackling certain tasks.

1. Don’t let procrastination become a chronic habit, a mindset that calls up a negative script in your mind. You can change a habit. You can be positive by reminding yourself that you have succeeded at other difficult tasks before and felt successful. Quiet those negative voices and listen to your best self.
2. Challenge your fears. Is it fear of failure, or success, or of finishing that holds you back? Explore those feelings to understand your discomfort but insist that you start the project anyway. Fears hamper decision making. So if you want to refinance your house but are afraid of making a mistake, remind yourself that you bought the house in the first place with no regrets now.
3. Think about your priorities and then look for the benefits of starting the task. What will you gain? What might you lose if you don’t do it? Turning in that report on time might do wonders for your reputation at work and you need that for a promotion. Keep that goal in mind. (It’s much better than thinking you will be fired if you don’t turn in the report on time.)
4. If you really don’t know how or have enough information to do the task, get yourself educated or informed—quickly. Even though lack of information is a valid concern, you don’t want to use it as a stalling technique. You don’t need to have every detail about every health insurance plan available. You need enough information to feel confident that one plan will cover your particular health needs.
5. When you absolutely don’t want to do a certain project, negotiate with yourself or others. Can you delegate it, trade it, or hire it out? You don’t have to do everything that you have been assigned or imposed on yourself. So if keeping up with the yard work in 100 heat becomes too much for you, ask a lawn service to pick up the slack. And if you hate the prospect of de-cluttering a kitchen or bedroom, hire someone to help you. Yes, that’s when a professional organizer can ease your pain and relieve your guilt.

There’s no perfect moment to start a project. But every moment is good for visualizing yourself making a plan, grouping tasks into a manageable schedule, assembling the tools you need, and then accomplishing the goal. Athletes use this technique all the time. Visualizing completion and success will bring you closer to the reality of getting the job done, without delay. Put procrastination where it belongs—on the sidelines, so that you can start moving ahead.

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

“I’ll Thing About It Tomorrow,” © Helen Kornblum

I am a fan of old-time radio and have vivid memories of taking a pre-dinner rest with my sisters during which we listened to The Lone Ranger. Brace Beemer played the Lone Ranger who I remember. He had an authoritative voice, a take-charge attitude, and a talent for finding effective solutions by the end of each half-hour program.

For some of us, the Lone Ranger is an unhealthy model. Or at least his name is. We absorb the ethos of doing everything ourselves and forget the value of collaboration and delegation. The Lone Ranger had the reputation for operating as a solo act, but the fact is that he relied on Tonto, his trusted Indian friend. The successful outcome of many a program rested on Tonto’s taking a critical message to someone on time or carrying out a clever scheme that enabled the masked man to capture the bad guys.

It is particularly unwise to be a lone ranger when you are running a small business. Yes, you have to wear many hats, especially if you have no other staff, but you can still rely on some organizing strategies to help you.

• Consider outsourcing financial services if doing your own books is a source of anxiety or error for you. Accountants, bookkeepers, and tax preparers save you time, and eventually, money, by freeing you to service your market, develop new products, and tend to marketing.

• If you have staff, teach them to take on more responsibility by preparing them to do some of your tasks. Match their talents to the needs of the office. A successful outcome has a lot to do with how effectively you delegate, the subject of a future column.

• Talk to other business people about the kinds of problems you are facing. The networks you have cultivated should give you support and information. No sense reinventing the wheel here. Others have probably dealt with a similar problem before you, and while their solution may not be a perfect fit, it will at least give you food for thought.

• Do some homework on the Internet to find possible solutions or ideas for change. Won’t you be pleased to discover a product or service that was developed for precisely what you need!

• If there is just too much for you to do, revisit your priorities and master project list to identify the things you have to postpone or delete, at least for the time being. It’s never a mistake or a defeat to reshape your workload to match your resources.

The Lone Ranger had a straightforward job, a sidekick, and a supportive environment in a script that mandated him to triumph in 30 minutes. We don’t have a hope of getting paid employment to match. Then again, we don’t have to conduct our business alone if we’re savvy about using our strengths and connections.

© Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

Trite as it may sound, May the Force be with you is my favorite New Year’s greeting, especially for people who have promised themselves, once again, that this year they will “get organized.”

Whether we admit it or not, most of us feel an inspiration for change, for improvement, for a fresh start when we use our new calendars. A week or a month don’t seem to offer the same possibilities as a whole new year. It’s too bad, really, because the weeks and months give us better benchmarks for making changes in our behavior.

Behavior modification is what a resolution is all about. Psychologists and life coaches give us good advice about how to get ourselves started.

1. Be realistic and specific

“I’m going to lose weight, upgrade the house, be a better mom/spouse/daughter, and get a new job” might as well be “I’m going to get a medical degree, become an astronaut, and grow 4 inches.” Success hinges on narrowing your ambitions and stating exactly what you’re aiming for.

2. Write it down

If you can’t sketch out a plan for getting to your desired outcome, your resolution will remain a pipe dream and demoralize you later. If you’re running your own business and you’re aiming for expansion, you need to figure out what actions on your part will stimulate more business. Maybe more or a different kind of marketing would be appropriate. Maybe promotion to a new market segment would work.

3. Fill in the details and the dates

You have decided to target a new market. What tactics will you use? A mailing campaign? Speeches or seminars to the selected audience? Print advertising? Nail down the details and the dates for completion of the various steps you want to take.

4. List and prioritize the daily, weekly, monthly steps

Never underestimate the effectiveness of small, gradual steps toward change. Remember the proverb about the longest journey beginning with a single step? Once broken down into meaningful and manageable mini-goals, progress toward a big goal becomes palpable. You’ll want to have a measuring stick to guide you—sales quotas, completion dates, readings on the scale—or else you will lose your way and your motivation.

5. Remind yourself why you’re doing this

The motivation for change has to come from you. If your job is intolerable and you want to move on, keep envisioning new circumstances and satisfactions that will make going back to school worthwhile, despite your already busy schedule. If you start a diet but don’t remove all the temptations from your own cupboards, you’re kidding yourself. If you resist getting up early enough to get to the gym, you might want to rethink the sincerity of your resolve to get more exercise. Or maybe you need to find a more acceptable tactic to achieve that goal.

Are you wondering where the mystical effect of “the force” comes into play? It’s the force of habit that you need to pull or push you through making changes. Current habits may be counterproductive in your quest for new outcomes. Habits of the mind can undermine your progress. You may complain about the overwork, the boss, the system, which fills your workday with negative stress. Can you make it a habit to change your focus? Find constructive solutions for yourself or plan an escape route to a better job.

Most of us understand the power of habit when it comes to physical behaviors. We’ve heard before to put our keys down in the same place when we enter the house, to forgo carbohydrate-rich snacks in favor of fruits and veggies, and to carry our planners with us at all times. Changing habits in our thinking is a harder task but worth practicing. Understanding what we truly want to achieve, practicing the behaviors to move us in that direction, and celebrating our progress are the keystones to meaningful resolutions.

Happy New Year and May the Force Be with You!

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

“May the Force Be with You!” © 2007 Helen Kornblum

Are you still in vacation mode, enjoying the pool and a relaxed schedule? The calendar’s reminders that the children will be returning to school soon may change the tempo of life in your household and create stress. In addition to the more compressed timetable that school imposes, what causes stress for you and your family during the school year?

The answers might be different in each household, but the solutions spring from some universal behaviors that you and your children can adapt to help maintain balance and family harmony.

How did your family deal with the past school year? If there were ongoing difficulties would your list look something like this?

• Scheduling of multiple and often competing activities
  
• Rushed departures, missed buses, forgotten lunches or lunch money
  
• Misplaced flyers, homework assignments, permission forms
  
• Last-minute requests for participation or supplies
  
• Hectic evenings that feature scant time for homework and late bedtimes
  
• Insufficient quiet time for calm meals and relaxed conversations

Even the most resilient families experience moments of unpredictable chaos. But families can function smoothly, despite setbacks, by using organizing strategies that encourage calm and control.

Planning Together

Resilient families are organized to accommodate everyone’s schedules and needs. Often they have to compromise to achieve balance, but they do it well ahead of time to avoid conflict. These families use a planning system—a paper calendar, a blackboard, a computer program, or a personal digital assistant (PDA). The choice of hard copy or electronic planner may include preferences for size, format, and portability. It’s a good idea to have the children use the planner if they are old enough.

You can teach the family to use the planner by holding a weekly planning meeting. Why not practice now with their remaining summer activities? Once school information starts to flow home, add dates and times to the planner. Start with the basic schedules so you can anticipate conflicts with extra-curricular activities. You can’t be in two places at once, but you can avoid putting yourself or a child in this situation by making adjustments for double booking well in advance.

The children will enjoy the planning session, especially if you couple it with a dessert or some other pleasant routine. Gradually they will learn to add or give you notes from school handouts that they receive in class. During the week you can review the calendar with them to develop their planning habits.

Information in the planner will allow you to create To Do lists that match upcoming events, such as buying supplies in advance of a school project. It will alert you to the likely arrival of permission slips for upcoming field trips. It will enable you to adjust the family’s activities when any one person has an especially busy week. Having an overview puts you in better control of events by helping you feel prepared.

Not surprisingly, the children will benefit from their involvement in planning. Children don’t like jarring surprises any more than you do. They thrive on routines because knowing what’s going to happen gives them a sense of well-being and security. Although children have a different sense of time, talking about what’s going to happen “later” or “tomorrow,” or “this term” is the early training ground for time-management skills. Give each child his or her own calendar; nonreaders can begin by using stickers or pasted pictures.

A Realistic Sense of Time

Knowing what is scheduled for a busy Monday isn’t the complete key to family success. Another planning muscle that needs to be exercised is a realistic sense of time--how long each activity takes and what you have to do to get ready for it and then clean up after it. This can be a hard lesson to teach children.

Try engineering some activities to help the children understand sequences and the passage of time. Have them keep a log, for example, on how long it takes for a particular activity, such as baking a cake with you or doing a special craft project. You can also set time limits for daily routines, such as bath and bedtime rituals. Have the children set the timer or alarm to help them gain perspective on how long something takes. If your 9-year old asks you to let him go outside to play after dinner, promising that he’ll do his homework “later,” you’ll have a schedule against which he has to measure just how much time he really has and what his priority must be on a school night.

A Sense of Calm and Accomplishment

Planning builds habits. Habits become embedded into routines. Routines allow us to perform certain activities automatically, eliminating the stress of decision-making or wasting time on behaviors that don’t require much focus. Ultimately, we create more time for ourselves and our families when we move through the mechanics of our day without arguments or hassles. And for families, that extra time can be put to good use in enrichment activities, celebrations, and community involvement.
Reducing stress during the school year has many rewards. Start with small changes and help the children practice. Encourage them by showcasing their success, which in turn benefits the family. Using good tools and a confident mindset, you can help your family enjoy a smooth school year.

Helen Kornblum, a Professional Organizer, founded Natural Order Organizing to help individuals, families, and businesses create more space, use time productively, and reduce stress by learning new routines can be reached at 352-871-4499 or naturalorder@cox.net.

“Organizing for School without Stress,” © 2007 Helen Kornblum

Are you juggling a family and work outside the home? Does family life and community work keep you busy beyond words? In either case, you have probably learned to use a planner to keep track of your many priorities and errands.

Planning is a basic life skill. Why not start teaching your children about the benefits of time management? Put up a family calendar that everyone can use to enter their special school dates and extracurricular activities. Young children may not read or write, but they can use stickers or pictures for events that affect them. This activity, started early, will prepare students to maintain their own school and assignment calendars as they get older.

A family calendar, kept where all of you can see and use it, is an early warning system for potential overlaps and double-booking. It will help you see if one child (or you) are over-scheduled. You can also use it to claim and protect family time.

Once the calendar habit takes hold, the family will have a growing sense of control about how they spend their time and if they are doing the things they really want to do. Time is our most precious commodity. Keeping track of it helps us learn to value it and use it well.

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing.com.

“Planner, Planner on the Wall” © 2006 Helen Kornblum

If your To Do list seems to hang around forever with unfinished items, you may need some reminders about dealing with procrastination. All of us procrastinate sometimes, but when avoiding tasks becomes your way of living, you’ll want to find some help.

1. If procrastination has become a habit for you, remind yourself that habits can be changed. People stop smoking, lose weight, and improve parenting skills by learning new, productive behaviors. What’s your mindset about getting things done? Forget your reputation for putting things off. Quiet those negative voices in your head. Remind yourself of other difficult tasks that you tackled and succeeded at. Be your own cheerleader.

2. Confront the fears that hold you back, especially those that thwart decision making. Perfectionists are afraid of being judged by the final product, although ironically they are their own harshest critics. Maybe it’s time for a reality check about who is really judging you.

3. What are your goals? Does taking action bring you closer to achieving those goals? If you want a promotion at work, finishing a report on time will help you. A positive spin on the benefits of doing something can motivate you more than thinking, for example, that you’ll be fired if you don’t get the report done on time.

4. You don’t have enough information to make a decision? Okay, that’s a valid concern, so get yourself the data you need—quickly. Don’t inundate yourself with information or you’ll create a stalling technique. Use instinct, prior knowledge, and a limited view of the latest thinking to take action. The prolonged agony of indecision is worse than dealing with the consequences of any decision you make.

5. If you really don’t want to do something, look for a way out. Can you delegate it, trade it, or hire it out? You don’t have to do everything and some things, after you consider them carefully, may not be worth doing in the first place.

A good technique for dealing with procrastination involves visualization, which athletes use to ensure their success. There’s no perfect moment to start a project, but every moment is good for visualizing yourself making a plan, grouping tasks in a manageable schedule, assembling the tools you need, and then moving toward the goal. Imagine yourself completing and succeeded and you will have made progress in your stand against procrastination.

© Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

“Procrastination Slowing You Down?” © 2006 Helen Kornblum

Building a business requires a networking toolkit that consists of your business identity and techniques for good communication.

• Always have lots of business cards handy. Take more cards than you think you could distribute and keep a box in your car so you can take advantage of unexpected networking opportunities.
  
• You can find a good business card design from web sources, but a graphic designer can create a logo that truly reflects your brand. Avoid the temptation to put too much information on the card. Don’t print on the back of the card because you will want to make notes when you’re networking.
  
• Prepare a clear name tag to wear on your right lapel so it’s in the line of sight when you shake hands. Put your business name on the top in large letters and then your name underneath, in slightly smaller letters.
  
• Keep your hands free when you network. Men have pockets in their clothes so juggling business cards isn’t too hard. Women can wear a light shoulder purse rather than carry a big, awkward purse. Have your cards and a pen available so you’re not fumbling when you need to concentrate on the conversation. Keep your cards separated from cards you collect
  
• Don’t forget to smile no matter how uncomfortable you may feel in a networking situation. Many of us are uncomfortable with the uncertainties and awkwardness of initiating conversations with people we don’t know. The more you practice, the more relaxed you will be just talking with anyone in your environment. After a while, promoting yourself will not seem embarrassing or unpleasant.
  
• Prepare a memorable “elevator speech.”—a concise and lively explanation of your business that will tell people exactly what you do.
  Be prepared to listen attentively when others give their elevator speech. You are listening for conversational clues to areas of mutual interest with the other person. Don’t confuse networking with selling. Networking is a reciprocal process in which each person gives and receives information that can be mutually beneficial.
  
• If the other person hasn’t given you enough information on which to build a conversation, ask him or her to give you an example or explanation of what has been said. Your questions will draw forth information that you can use to create a connection between you and your networking partner.
  
• Don’t hold back on giving out information based on your expertise that can help another person. The more you give of yourself, the more likely you will receive similar consideration from others. Generosity of spirit says a lot about who you are and makes you a desirable business contact. Sharing information helps to build your credibility quickly.
  
• Your mental involvement should be reflected in your physical behavior. Good listening includes direct eye contact, some physical feedback such as a nod or a smile, and verbal affirmation with comments or questions.

Remember that networking is an ongoing, continuous process, a mindset that makes us generous and more likely to establish a real connection with others who can help us. Whether you realize it or not, you are networking all day long, representing yourself and your business as an individual worthy of consideration. Similarly, you take the measure of people whom you meet in all kinds of circumstances. Remain open to interactions with others. It will be good for you and for your business in the short term as well as the long term.

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com

“Ready, Set, Network!” © Helen Kornblum

My mailbox has been overflowing with holiday catalogs since October. Because of my background in editing and marketing, I tend to read the text describing the various products to see how the writer creates the brand for the parent company.

Sometimes I chuckle at the psychological appeals used to make items desirable. Sometimes the organizer in me shudders at the manipulation used to make the public buy clutter. Here’s a recent example:

“A decorative necessity for today’s busy cooks….This trendy storage caddy is exactly what you need to keep all your menus organized. The ultimate gift!”

The storage box offered costs $50 and is designed for display on a kitchen counter. A “necessity”? I doubt it.

Merchandisers have perfected the art of convincing us (well, some of us) that we need items that don’t enrich our lives but rather look pretty, cute, or clever. Sales on these items often encourage us to give gifts that deteriorate into clutter from the moment they come out of a box or stocking.

Choosing meaningful gifts for loved ones and friends can be difficult even when we know something about their likes and tastes. We may misjudge someone’s “need” even when we focus on their interests. Here’s an example. I own three wine bottle openers. One corkscrew is old, probably part of my husband’s bachelor kitchen. I bought an Oxo corkscrew a few years ago because it was easy to use. Last year, my oldest son gave me a modern opener that has been used once, when he demonstrated how it works. His gift was sweet and generous but it sits, still in its box, high on a shelf in a kitchen cabinet. It’s too big for the drawer where I keep the others.

One of my sisters has a collection of penguins. She says she bought one figurine years ago during a trip. Her family misinterpreted the significance of the little fellow and gave her more penguins for other occasions. Many of them are ugly and unwanted. Oddly, she keeps them all on display even though she would rather use their display bookcase for books. When I asked her about donating them or at least packing them away, she said she would feel guilty doing that because they were gifts. I frequently tell clients that a gift is not meant to doom them to a lifetime of storage. It’s okay to honor the giver but part with the gift.

My philosophy about gift giving changed several years ago when I read a comic quotation that said we spend the first 50 years of our lives collecting things and the next 50 years trying to get rid of them. So what’s a good substitute for “things” in our society? Why not try experiences, services, and consumables? Gifts that give us the opportunity to learn, relax, or add to our aesthetic enjoyment can touch us more deeply than receiving another gadget.

This notion of gift giving to enrich the spirit isn’t new. The first gifts of the wise men to the baby Jesus were frankincense and myrrh, fragrant resins. It’s a stretch to equate a gift certificate or a gourmet food item to these early offerings, but the intent is still the same: honoring the individual.

Gifts to Honor and Delight
(without creating clutter)

Recreation:

* Movie passes, theater tickets, passes to tourist attractions, paintball passes, video game rentals, Netflix

Learning:

* Certificates for specialty classes (now offered by Santa Fe Community College and other entrepreneurs); bead work, art, dance, gymnastics, photography classes
* Magazine subscriptions related to particular interests

Memberships:

* AAA, *** of the month club (available in 1-month, 3-month, and annual contracts), AARP, local clubs and networking groups

Services:

* Massage and other salon and health services (spa, acupuncture, pilates), organizing services, garden consulting

Consumables:

* Pre-paid phone cards, gasoline smart cards
* Plants, flowers, wines, gourmet food items such as condiments, specialty coffee and teas, fruit baskets
* Restaurant coupons

Donations

* Local, national, or international charities and non-profit organizations.

Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer who helps residential and business clients deal with issues of space, time, and life skills. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

“Simple Gifts” © Helen Kornblum

Publix recently mailed out a sales flyer listing products that stimulate our urge to spring clean for a “fresh home.” Instead of promotional text, the piece has photos of products that offer the promise of change for the better—bleach, liquid cleaner, fabric softener, refresher spray, sponges, and fresh flowers. The flyer conveys a simple message that relies on our sensory memories and feelings about spring.

As an organizer, I can offer a similar brochure for everyone who vowed to change their ways in 2007 so they would never again face late charges on bills or have to redo reports that were lost in the office. What products, real or imaginary, offer the magic ingredients to capture the essence of spring organizing in your life?

Let’s start with a quart of motivating oil. Getting organized for its own sake isn’t enough. You will work hard to change habits and behaviors, but if you don’t know why you want to invest so much of your effort, you’re not likely to succeed. Pinpoint the reasons for making changes in your life and the benefits that mean something to you. Write these down and post them for future inspiration.

A jar of realistic expectations, packaged with a complimentary sample of small goals, belongs in your organizing shopping cart. Getting organized doesn’t change the state of the world or your life right away. Pick a few goals that are manageable for you and resolve to keep your focus on just these. Achieving these first will make you feel competent and ready to tackle more.

Buy the super size package of positive thoughts because you will need them often. You will want to luxuriate in new, self-generated feedback that gives you visions of gradual but solid accomplishments. Look for the brand that repeats “You can do this” and “Be patient with yourself and keep at it every day.”

A large tube of anti-procrastination cream is perfect for your initial efforts at creating new behaviors. The cream helps soothe your fears of failure, of making mistakes that will embarrass you. When you use the extra-strength formula, you also override perfectionist tendencies that keep you from taking action or making decisions. Once you experience progress by taking small steps toward completion, you will need less of the cream to get started on new projects.

One or two boxes of guilt erasers help you cope with saying “no” to temptations like over-committing your time. They will also get you past the guilt of recycling old gifts that you have never liked or used. These erasers loosen emotional attachments that you imagined or imposed on yourself.

I’m tempted to add other items to your organizing product list—don’t we all need a powerful obstacle-dissolving spray?—but you have enough to get started. The season to address your organizing issues doesn’t matter, although the extra light in spring could boost your energy. Just keep your organizing product list around for frequent reference. One of these days, you will realize that you are ready to start. Spring cleaning may begin with a jug of bleach, but organizing begins with mental readiness.

© Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer in Gainesville. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

Publix recently mailed out a sales flyer listing products that stimulate our urge to spring clean for a “fresh home.” Instead of promotional text, the piece has photos of products that offer the promise of change for the better—bleach, liquid cleaner, fabric softener, refresher spray, sponges, and fresh flowers. The flyer conveys a simple message that relies on our sensory memories and feelings about spring.

As an organizer, I can offer a similar brochure for everyone who vowed to change their ways in 2007 so they would never again face late charges on bills or have to redo reports that were lost in the office. What products, real or imaginary, offer the magic ingredients to capture the essence of spring organizing in your life?

Let’s start with a quart of motivating oil. Getting organized for its own sake isn’t enough. You will work hard to change habits and behaviors, but if you don’t know why you want to invest so much of your effort, you’re not likely to succeed. Pinpoint the reasons for making changes in your life and the benefits that mean something to you. Write these down and post them for future inspiration.

A jar of realistic expectations, packaged with a complimentary sample of small goals, belongs in your organizing shopping cart. Getting organized doesn’t change the state of the world or your life right away. Pick a few goals that are manageable for you and resolve to keep your focus on just these. Achieving these first will make you feel competent and ready to tackle more.

Buy the super size package of positive thoughts because you will need them often. You will want to luxuriate in new, self-generated feedback that gives you visions of gradual but solid accomplishments. Look for the brand that repeats “You can do this” and “Be patient with yourself and keep at it every day.”

A large tube of anti-procrastination cream is perfect for your initial efforts at creating new behaviors. The cream helps soothe your fears of failure, of making mistakes that will embarrass you. When you use the extra-strength formula, you also override perfectionist tendencies that keep you from taking action or making decisions. Once you experience progress by taking small steps toward completion, you will need less of the cream to get started on new projects.

One or two boxes of guilt erasers help you cope with saying “no” to temptations like over-committing your time. They will also get you past the guilt of recycling old gifts that you have never liked or used. These erasers loosen emotional attachments that you imagined or imposed on yourself.

I’m tempted to add other items to your organizing product list—don’t we all need a powerful obstacle-dissolving spray?—but you have enough to get started. The season to address your organizing issues doesn’t matter, although the extra light in spring could boost your energy. Just keep your organizing product list around for frequent reference. One of these days, you will realize that you are ready to start. Spring cleaning may begin with a jug of bleach, but organizing begins with mental readiness.

© Helen Kornblum, MA, is a Professional Organizer in Gainesville. She owns Natural Order Organizing, www.NaturalOrderOrganizing.com.

1. Follow Santa’s example and make a list. Better yet, create a spreadsheet to cover family, friends, co-workers, and any other people to whom you plan to give gifts.
   
2. Create a realistic budget. Decide your range of spending for each person on the list. Now add names and budget amounts to your spreadsheet.
   
3. Look for gift ideas in catalogs and on the Web. Look for price comparisons and advance notice of sales. Note two ideas for each person on your list.
   
4. Consider “clutter-less” gifts that can be experienced (tickets to a play, a massage), or consumed (specialty food items). Gift certificates allow recipients to select their own gift.
   
5. Before you head out, empty your purse or bag of all non-essential items to lighten your load. Take an envelope to store all your receipts, marking them for each purchase or recipient as you collect them. Take your shopping spreadsheet!
   
6. Plan your itinerary so you follow an efficient route to the stores that you plan to shop in. And don’t forget about local, independent businesses where service and quality (not to mention easy parking) might make your shopping trip a holiday treat.
   
7. Shop with a buddy so you can spell each other holding packages or help each other with purchasing decisions. Two heads are better than one to avoid a foolish extravagance.
   
8. Head out early, wear comfortable clothing, plan to take frequent breaks, and bring a bottle of water. Serious shopping demands good physical conditioning!

“Tips for Holiday Shopping” © Helen Kornblum