2016 is here! Let’s Kiss Burnout Goodbye this Year.

Looking Back and Moving Forward: The Best Tips, Tricks, and Highlights of 2015

You’re probably going to hear this question a lot but at the risk of redundancy, where in the heck did 2015 go?! I mean, really. Looking back on this past year that flew by, I’ve started to wonder--what great new things did you start in 2015 that you hope continues in 2016? What new endeavors do you plan on focusing on this year?  

For me, 2015 was the year to go as paperless as possible and create better workflows in my business. I’m happy with the progress so far--and, hopefully, I’ll be able to figure out the best platform to offer teachings to help clients do the same. Yet, this was only the tip of the iceberg of all the great things that happened in 2015.

New scheduling and productivity tool

Some of you may have noticed a few changes in our operations. One particular change is we’ve empowered our clients to book their own appointments using a new scheduling program. You’ll also notice there are particular phases of the organizational process of working with Dexterous Organizing that we implemented and hope to improve upon. Take a look and check it out.

The best of 2015’s organizing tips, tricks, and hacks

On the brink of burnout? Looking for some time-saving hacks? Need expert tips on the best ways to organize your desk? You can find all this and more in these Dexterous Organizing 2015 highlights:

• We helped journalist Brigid Schulte organize her desk, and all the tips and tricks we shared with her were featured in this article in The Washington Post in January online and in print.
• I had the privilege of helping a busy career woman who was suffering from burnout. This superwoman’s comeback was documented in another article featured in The Washington Post. Check the article out here.
• After suffering from my own personal bout with burnout, I made some priority changes in my own life and business, and I’m happy to say my business took a huge upswing this spring and summer as a result!
• We welcomed a few new organizers who joined Dexterous Organizing to help our clients. I’m currently working with the two new organizers-in-training and hope you’ll soon help me welcome them onboard the DexOrg team!

While we’re proud of everything that happened in 2015, there’s one thing we’re extremely thankful for. If you read one of my latest blog posts Confessions of an Organizer: I Was Running On Empty, then you know I wouldn’t have been able to pull through some of the tough times without some of the best clients EVER!

Over the past year, I’ve been lucky enough to work with some super busy people that do amazing things in and outside their homes everyday. I’ve had the pleasure of working with a couple doctors (MD & PhD), realtors, several IT professionals, many sales executives, a handful of single moms, full-time moms, and moms and dads struggling between business/work and the kids, small business owners, two massage therapists, a host of world travelers, nurses, and several educators. You guys make the world go ‘round and it brings me joy that you entrust Dexterous Organizing to help your world go ‘round a little more smoothly.

I don’t know where the heck the last 12 months went, but I’m hoping we get to share a heck of a lot of positive and productive things in next 12!

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer & productivity consultant, blogger, speaker, and educator that assists and empowers busy professionals, business owners and those experiencing major life transitions to create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call to begin your journey to better productivity and more organizational prowess. Also visit our website at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or give us a call at (703) 606-8968.

Friday's Inspiration and Motivation: Organization is Beautiful!

Organization is beautiful! I think that  you can also create your version of organized that works for you and helps you be a better person for yourself and those around you.  It takes honesty, it takes guts, it takes work but that's what makes it beautiful.

Confessions of an Organizer: Why I (finally) love audible.com and my Kindle (again)

So I like to read for both personal pleasure and business and personal improvement.  I love, love, love the fact that many of the e-publications I download are with me when I have my mobile device(s) with me. So if I ever find myself with a few minutes to spare or waiting unexpectedly, I can get some reading done and turn otherwise wasted time twiddling my thumb into reading time.

In the last few months, just started getting back into audio books and began subscribing to Audible.com I griped at the monthly fee of $15/month, but realized that I did get through books much faster by adding a new way to digest a book. I found time to listen to books in my vehicle or when I'm doing mindless work like washing dishes or on the treadmill. But I soon noticed a challenge, as some books I have only on audio and some books I have only as a e-book or pdf.  Which means some books only got completed during certain activities.

Then one day I decided a book I was reading was getting left by the wayside so I decided that I would use one of my audible.com credits and finish it off by listening to it.  Then I found out an amazing discovery! Audible.com teamed up with Kindle a few years ago, (so I admit I'm slow on the uptake when it comes to keeping up with technological advances) and introduced a technology called Whispersync for Voice.  This allows you to read on your Kindle device or app, and listen to the same publication on audio and they sync to your current place.  That way you can work on one book whether you're listening to it the car or reading it at the doctor's office you can keep pace and complete the book faster.

Love it!

For a short clip of how the sync works:

Do you like to read? When do you find time to do so? Do you take advantage of technology to keep up on your reading?  What technologies do you use? We want to hear from you! Let us know in the comment section below.

Friday's Inspiration & Motivation: Go Slowly, But Don't Stop.

Sometimes we are right at the finished line but we give up because the progress is too slow. Are you still working on the same pile of paper from last month? Don't fret, keep going.  When you see the effort you put into letting go of unwanted paper, you will put more thought into letting less into your life to begin with.

In today's microwave, on-the-go, mobile world, it's easy to forget that habits take time to develop. Don't stop because progress is slow, go for the finish line!

Friday's Inspiration & Motivation! You're A Work In Progress

Labeling yourself as someone who is always/has always been disorganized, is setting yourself up for failure. Give yourself the space to grow, know your limitations, don't compare your progress to another person but continue to work at it.

I believe in you!