There are a lot of pessimistic people in this world. I know, I used to be one of them. Ok, I wasn’t pessimistic all of the time, but when confronted with a challenge, I found my mind would typically focus on the negative. Or when I had a bad day, I would lie in bed that night and ruminate on what went wrong and worry about everything else that might go wrong as a result. I started … Read More
I’m making a commitment to mindfulness in my life. For me, this means I’m spending more time being present and single tasking, as opposed to multitasking. Mindfulness is challenging for anyone, but especiallly those of us with ADHD. Studies are showing mindfulness can benefit those with ADHD and books like The Mindfulness Prescription for Adult ADHD by Lidia Zylowska, MD explain how. When I find myself getting worked up about something (i.e. less mindful), I’m learning to take … Read More
My preferred way for disposing of stuff that’s too good to throw away, such as the items in this photo, is to pass it on to friends or family, or to donate it to charity. Yes, I could possibly sell some of this stuff, like the nearly new purse, but selling it means I first need to identify a place to sell it such as a consignment shop, ebay, Craig’s list or a garage sale. Then I … Read More
I’m a big fan of mind mapping tools. Mind mapping is a way for relational thinkers such as myself, to build structure around an idea or ideas. A mind mapping tool, such as iThoughts HD, which I blogged about earlier this year is a great tool for creating a list of things to pack for a trip. The first step when using a mind map to pack is to figure out how many bottoms (pants or skirts) … Read More
I recently helped a client pack for a trip. She had previously felt unprepared for trips, having found herself either over packing and lugging a hopelessly heavy suitcase, or under packing and not having what she needed. We did two things to help ensure a better outcome for this trip. First, we created two packing lists. The first list was items she takes on a typical domestic vacation. The second included items she needs when traveling overseas. Using … Read More
Every once in a while I like to share a favorite with you, be it an organizing product or something that makes life simpler. Today I want to share my Leopard Print File Bench, which makes organizing my files simpler and my living room more fun and functional! My office is in the living room of my home. I chose to have my office there because I can easily see what’s going on elsewhere in the house … Read More
I’ve read a lot of books about organizing and related topics over the years and am often asked to recommend books I’ve found especially helpful or insightful, so I thought I would share my five favorite organizing related books with you. These books are listed in no particular order and I have given a brief explanation of why I they are on this list. Organizing from the Inside Out, Second Edition: The Foolproof System For Organizing Your … Read More
Last time I shared my cluttered desk with you, along with the reasons it ended up being so cluttered. Today I want to share the steps for getting it back to ready. These aren’t the only possible steps that might help someone get their desk back to ready, but they are the steps I used and hopefully they might give you some ideas for steps you may want to take… I cleared everything off my desk – I … Read More
Marilyn Paul introduced me to the concept of “getting to ready” in her book, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When you Can’t Find Your Keys. In her book, she describes being organized as: “a dynamic between a state of readiness for action and taking action. It is the rhythm of taking action, creating the natural disorder that comes with taking action, restoring order with helpful habits and useful systems, and thus returning to readiness for action.” … Read More
Today’s app is so much more than just an iPad app. Instead it is a cloud app, available to me on whatever internet accessible computer I am using, on my iPhone, and on my iPad. The app is called Toodledo. Per the Toodledo website: “Toodledo is a three syllable word pronounced “two-dull-due” or more technically \’tü-dəl-dü\. It is a play on the words to-do and toodle, which is a british term meaning “take it easy”. The idea … Read More