Quote of the Month: "Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards."

Who's On Your Team?

How do you feel about delegation? Most of us are brought up to think that hiring someone to do something that you could do yourself is lazy, decadent, or only for the wealthy and famous. Is that how you feel? A few decades ago that thought process might have held a lot more weight.

These days, however, we are inundated with more demands on our time and attention than ever before. Caring for our homes, vehicles, and whole-selves (including our physical, mental, emotional. and spiritual needs) are just basic things that require lots of time and attention.

On top of our basic care, we have goals and ambitions that make our lives and those around us better. For many this could mean going back to school or taking classes for work, juggling demanding careers, enjoying fulfilling but time-intensive hobbies or side-projects, participating in preventative care like going to the gym, getting a massage, taking fitness classes, or working towards weight and health management efforts. Then we are have to consider the needs of others. I’ve seen clients who are balancing caregiving roles for young children and aging parents simultaneously, all while trying to spend quality time with friends and family. It can all make us feel crazy busy.

In Dr. Edward Hallowell’s book Crazy Busy he mentions delegation is key number seven of the 10 key principles to managing modern life. He states: “Delegate what you don’t like to do or are not good at if you possibly can. Your goal should be to be not independent, but rather effectively interdependent...For children and adults alike, learning how to be effectively interdependent is a major life skill.” How humbling! No man is an island—we need others to effectively manage our own lives.

With modern technology we can have our own “team” to help us do to things that we don’t like to do or are not good at. This frees up time so we can work on the projects and tasks we like and/or allows us to better use our time to do the things that take us less time or bring us more fulfillment.  

If we are around people who make us feel like we are “too big for our britches,” when we hire or ask for help, then it’s time to find new friends (just kiddin'). But feel free to use this as a good humble response: “I’ve found that to care better for myself and family, I should focus on the things that I do well and that are important to me, and delegate the things that allow me to be a better [wife, mother, husband, father, business owner, daughter, son, friend, person].”

So, who’s on your team to help you be the best you? Below I’ve included a list of folks and some links that can get the ball rolling to increase your delegation efforts.

Here are a few suggestions of people to add to your “team”:

• Dog walker/pet care professional
• Personal trainer
• Professional organizer
• Doctors
• Chef/food prep service
• Home cleaning service
• Wardrobe consultant
• In-home massage therapist
• Laundry service
• Hair care professional
• Virtual assistant

Realizing the areas in which you can afford to do some delegation can help to improve your relationships, quality of life, health, and well-being. What’s not to love about that? Simply take a look at what you’ve currently got on your plate and determine the areas in which you can start to offload. Trust me, you can always make more money, but you can’t make more time. Time spent adding quality to your life and to those whom you love. Your whole-self will thank you!

I’d love to hear from you?  What are some things you delegate to someone else? How has it benefited you?

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer & productivity student, 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.

The Day I Deleted My Future

I don’t remember the exact day, but I do remember the tears. I even remember the moment in which I created my demise and it was hours before I realized I was in deep doo-doo.

Here’s the story: I was standing in line with my husband at Wegmans and, like most young modern women, I was putting something on my mobile calendar while waiting. I must have also been playing around with the features in my calendar because I vaguely remember clearing out what I thought was an archived to-do list. I don’t remember the prompt my phone gave me, but I do remember it saying something like, “Are you sure?” and I thought I was very sure so I hit okay and moved on.

Later that afternoon I got a call from my mom asking me if I was still attending a family event. I, (in my foolishly arrogant way) replied, “Yes, Ma, I said I was coming on the calendar invite, why would I suddenly change my mind?” My mom explained how she just talked to my aunt who said I declined the event. After reassuring my mom I would be there, I turned to my husband and related what happened. I probably also added some snarky comment about the futility of replying to a calendar invite when I was going to have to verbally reply as well. This was moments before I realized the chocolate had already hit the fan. That’s when my husband replied that he also noticed I had declined all of our appointments together as well. I stopped what I was doing, turned to my husband and said,  “What do you mean?”. Before he could answer, I rushed to my computer and looked at my calendar. It was blank. Like blank-blank.

My calendar normally looks like this

My mind raced as I tried to figure out when this horrible, terrible nightmare could have happened. That’s when I realized, while standing in line at the grocery store, I had erased all the events on my calendar past, present, and future spanning about 5 years. .. .

To give some context as to why this was so heartbreaking,  I LIVE by my calendar--it lets me know who to call, where to go, and how to plan my day. I even have bedtime events and reminders on my calendar (Hey, a girl needs her rest!).

After my "power play," my calendar looked like this

I use my calendar for every doctor’s appointment, client meeting, wedding, and even funerals. I set it and forget it. It is my proof of life, my personal assistant that keeps me on track with my day and to-do lists--my way of documenting my existence and how I keep track of all my future events.

All of it gone--with one button push while in line at the grocery store! Hours earlier as I was glancing at magazine tabloids about Kim Kardashian (because when isn’t she in the tabloids?) and recipes on the best dessert of the season while I single-fingeredly threw my life into cyberspace wasteland.

As the panic drained my face of color my dear husband sprang into action as he saw the tears rolling down my face.Together we began to look for a solution and came across a software called Spanning Undelete for Google Calendar (particularly the one in the Chrome Apps Marketplace). Here’s what to do if you ever (God-forbid) need to get your calendar back:  Install the app, and sign into your Google profile. The app will see all the calendars you have created so you can then go in and click all the calendar events you’d like to undelete. The only caveat is all your undeleted events will also have “undeleted” in the title (which, in my opinion is a small price to pay for getting everything back!).

My digital misstep happened sometime in the summer of 2015. But in November 2015, Google created a “trash” folder for Google Calendar. During the time of my catastrophe, once you deleted an event you were up a creek without a paddle. Now the trash folder for Google Calendar holds deleted messages for 30 days. This new feature is great for things that you need to add back within a few days (like an event that was cancelled but then is suddenly back on). But for calendar events that you want to resurrect prior to 30 days you can use Spanning.

So, if you’re ever standing in line at the grocery store and you push a button and it says “Are you sure?” Well, you better be, or you might just be deleting your future, too!

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer & productivity student, 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.

Quote of the Month: "The best things in life aren't things"

10 Fun & Fantastic Things To Do In a Blizzard

A blizzard is upon us a time where everyone in our immediate area has to take a mandatory chill-pill. There are some of us who are excited about all the work we can catch up on and some of us are looking to binge on Netflix all weekend. Then there are still some of us that are mixed in the middle.  We are haunted by the guilt to be productive but overwhelmed with not knowing exactly where to start and unmotivated because we also want to get in some Amazon Prime.

I think this list is built for the couch potato and the workaholic alike. Getting things done - some on the fun side - making this blizzard business both memorable and mildly productive.

“The most wasted of days is one without laughter.” - e.e. cummings

I hope you get to incorporate one or two of these in your snow day(s) and feel free to share any other pictures and ideas with me on Twitter or Instagram! @b_dexterous #DexterousSnowDay I'll be sharing mine.

1. Go through print pictures. Getting rid of duplicates, pictures of random things like trees that aren't photogenic or of people you don't know or no longer like.  Pictures should either document or make us feel good about the past if your pictures do neither or make you feel horrible get rid of them.
2. Go through all the pens in drawers on desks everywhere and get rid of the ones that don't work; scribble or doodle while you watch Netflix or catch up on Hulu or DVR to find the ones that do work.
3. Go through last year's receipts and get rid of ones that are expired and sort through the ones that have purpose into retrievable systems. Envelopes and handwritten labels work fine.
4. Complete a fun tutorial on YouTube. Since your tablet or laptop can fit in the kitchen you can cook with Buzzfeed. I know you have food because you left hardly any at the stores...

   

   Taken at a local grocery store near me two days before the blizzard was due to arrive.
   

5. Go on Pinterest and start on a crafting pin you saved.
6. Put your digital photos in a cloud storage (or two). Dropbox or Flickr are suggestions.
7. Get your tax packet ready for your accountant or tax preparer.
8. Get rid of expired food and medicine and personal care products while you jam to Taylor Swift, Beyonce or your favorite Amazon playlist.
9. Revisit an old hobby. Play video games that were boxed away, board games that never get played, open the jigsaw puzzle you saved for a rainy, snowy  day.
10. Schedule or fantasy-plan your next vacation. If the snow is not your thing get out of the brain freeze and start planning your vacation this summer. You might find some great deals. If your schedule or bank account only make a stay-cation possible, research the summer fun things in your city or do a fantasy vacation which studies have shown bring happiness too.

Bonus: Reconnect with old friends and family you haven't talked to in a while. Instead of a text, call or send a heartfelt note via snail mail...when the post office opens again of course.

May all of you remain safe, sound, and warm during inclement weather and I hope you get a few things accomplished while you're stuck inside.

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

Quote of the Month: "Action Expresses Priorities"

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.