Confessions Of An Organizer: "I Was Running On Empty."

For the first time in my life...I ran out of gas in my vehicle. It was a Monday, cold and long.  I was on my way to a NAPO-WDC meeting and was stopping at the gas station after letting the gas indicator light in my SUV to glare at me for just about two days (it was icy and cold okay, don't judge me).

I pulled into the gas station about a 5 minute walk from my apartment.  As I parked next to a pump I went to reach for my wallet in my purse.  It wasn't there.  I remembered I had left it at my desk because I had just purchased something online.  Probably distracted and in a slight rush to beat the traffic on the way to Bethesda I had inadvertently left it there.

I turn the ignition again and pulled off, annoyed but determined.  I get a couple feet from a parking space near my apartment building and suddenly it happened.  For the first time ever in my driving life it happened. I ran out of gas. It was embarrassing and frustrating.  At first I laughed and turned to problem solving mode. I call my husband and soon we are off to walk to the nearby gas station to get gas.  The container we purchased and the only one they sold could contain just a gallon.

The first attempted gallon didn't start the car.  Soon I went from laughing to crying.  Bitterly sobbing actually. I remembered thinking: How stupid could I be? If I didn't leave my wallet on my desk I wouldn't be in this situation!  I wouldn't be wasting my time, my husband's time, my dad's time (who gave solutions to get the car started over the phone) and our brother's time (who took my husband back to the gas station for gas canister fill up number 2).

It surely was a Monday night for the books.

The next day my physically running out of gas was like a slap in the face!  It was a physical representation of what I going through on a deeper level.

A few weeks prior, I had pretty much bottomed out in my desire to continue with my business.

I had been so busy getting clients, serving clients, and following up with clients, going to networking events, following up with people I've networked with, having meetings with them, seeking (often costly) help in my business, going to conferences, going to trainings, sending out marketing messages, outlining marketing messages, finding time to write marketing messages, emails, spreadsheets, reconciling, receipts, files...the lists and the to-dos seemed endless and when I looked up I was dealing with client cancellations, revenue instability, and not enough prospects in my queue. I was exhausted, and I wasn't seeing what I thought was the fruit of my labor. I almost gave up. I was deeply depressed for several weeks, and I didn't know what to do. Did I still love professional organizing?  Did I want to be in business anymore?  If I was making more money would I have these feelings?

I prayed and meditated a lot. Then during my cross-roads moment, I had a few clients that all but hugged and kissed me after our sessions.  They were in desperate need of help and I used my love of organization, helping people, and skill of conveying thoughts and ideas to transfer these skills to my clients to help improve their lives hopefully then and gradually in the future. It was then I realized I love what I do!

So what gives? Why was I in such a bad place?

After deep thought, I realized I had my life and priorities upside down.  The main reason I wanted and still want in my business is flexibility of my schedule so I could pursue the more important things in my life.  So I don't have to go to a boss and ask for time off to spend doing things that add more value to my life than making money.  But I also realized that I was working way too hard and not getting the results I would imagine I would get.  I was running on empty.  It was then I decided that I would do as the world says "let go, and let God." Slowly but surely, once I re-prioritized my life and shut down this endless rat-race in my business a weird and wonderful thing happened; I had the BEST Spring and Summer quarters in my business to date. Coincidence? Probably not.

Time and time again, I see with my clients a similarity.  They want peace, tranquility, simplicity, and consistent organization in their lives but rarely do the hardest part first. Prioritizing what's really important. What is priority in your life, you will take action to protect, pursue, and procure. One of the wisest men to walk the earth said "Where your treasure is, your heart will be also."  What do you really treasure?  Before you answer, think about where you spend your time, what dictates your thoughts, what motivates you?  When you really come to grips with those things you can start to align your priorities.  When your priorities are properly aligned; peace, tranquility, simplicity, and consistent organization follow.

Fill your tank. That should always be a priority. You'll never reach your destination otherwise.

D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-Oooo-something shiny!

I'll admit it, and people who know me know this.  At times, I get distracted. Like wildly distracted.  

In fact the reason I'm writing this blog right now is because I just got really distracted and thought it was a hoot and a tragedy all rolled into one. 

So what better way to further get distracted and write a blog post about it, right?

I was looking for something to eat.  I saw a box of Jello in the pantry and thought "hmmm.... I should make this tonight..."  So I take down the glass ramekins we have that I've used in the past to find that out of the five we have, we only have two lids.  

#!&$@  

I guess they get damaged, or accidentally thrown out...who knows?!

EBay popped into mind.  I head over to the computer and after about 5,10...15? minutes I find EXACTLY what I was looking for.  Who'd thought there would be someone selling 3 Pampered Chef glass ramekins lids this week...but there they were and I placed my bid.

Now...what about dish towels?  I search there but no reviews...what if I'm getting the best dishtowel for the best price?!?  I head over to Amazon.com to look at reviews but although they were great the ones the reviews were also saying something about shrinkage...after 5,10, 15? minutes of looking at reviews I suddenly realized I was spending WAAAAAAY too much time and energy on looking up dishtowels.  I realized this when one of the reviewers for these particular dishtowels went on a two paragraph rampage and in part said this:

"Here's the deal. They're towels. They are just kitchen hand towels. Yet when I ordered these, I got a treatise from Amazon on how to properly care for my brand new kitchen towels, including step-by-step instructions on washing, drying, and maintaining. This immediately turned me off to the point that I almost returned them because honestly, THEY ARE TOWELS. You should wash them. Dry them. Fold them. Use them. Repeat." 

And How!

Why am I sitting here wasting time worried about kitchen towels.  I'm over it....and I'm hungry. Because I was, for heaven's sake and albeit an hour ago just looking for something to freakin' eat!

It happens to the best of us.  We live in a world of distractions.  Our phones ding, our online shopping turns into a session on Facebook or Twitter.  We have a myriad of options and we want to make sure we are "getting the best deal" and not a penny over.  Meanwhile we're stressed out because we never have time.

Since becoming a professional organizer and productivity consultant, I've gotten a lot better at noticing when I'm distracted and staying on task and focused.  Obviously it's not a natural talent.

So here's a few ways I "auto-correct" from venturing down a rabbit-hole of distractions:

1. Set a timer for short periods of time.  (helps me stay focused for short periods and knowing I'm being timed keeps me aware that I can't afford to be distracted).

2. Stay away from people.  (I'm an introvert....people drain my energy and in the DISC assessment I'm an I/S which means I like to talk which means people distract me. It's a weird combination which ultimately means I work best alone on focus-driven tasks.)

3. Limit notifications on electronic devices.  I've turned off my email notifications.  I can check my email on my phone but it's on my terms.  I've never looked back.  It's great.  If you're scared you are going to miss an important email, set a reminder to check your email at certain intervals.

4. Let the phone ring.  That is what voicemail and caller ID is for...right?

5. Have a "totem".  If you've seen the movie Inception you know there was a visual reminder of reality. Maybe even a better movie reference is Somewhere In Time Yes, "Come back to me!". One thing I do is, when I'm about to venture off into a "secondary adventure" (aka a distraction), I'll write down my thoughts or what I was originally doing so I can get back on task and not have to think too hard about it when I'm ready to continue.

6. Talk to yourself.  Thoughts disappear like mist, by saying something you want to reminder out loud, it reinforces the thought and keeps it in the forefront.

7. Mindfully succumb to the distraction.  But I put a string around my mind to pull me back.  If you have, Siri, Cortana, or "Ok, Google", tell it to remind you in 5,10...15 minutes to (fill in the blank). It's like a bookmark for your thoughts.

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.

There's Never Time for the DMV (Yes Department of Motor Vehicles)

I usually don't do this because I know it hurts so bad. That's putting things off until the very last minute. But despite experience and my learned ways as a professional organizer and productivity consultant, I am still human and I still don't like going to the Department of Motor Vehicles aka DMV (or ironing...) these are things I'd rather not do. But I make myself do them, I plan for them.

Until I don't.

I rationalize it away (mistake number 1). "There are more important things to do than sit at the DMV for 2 hours". That's true...but...

I ignore it and conveniently forget to schedule a time to do it -- avoidance (mistake number 2).

I research the heck out of it. "There has to be a way I can do this online. .." (mistake number 3).

Then the day comes I can no longer wait. Well I could but I'd pay fines and get in trouble with the law and stuff. No bueno.

My mistakes catch up with me and my heart rate quickens and my breath shortens and I could kick myself for trying to SQUEEZE this dreaded task in my week when I could have done it weeks ago.

This rarely happens to me and if it didn't you'd have to check me for an on/off switch or a stick up my...(use your imagination).  We are all human we procrastinate things we hate to do. Which is why I have a job.

People hate organizing. They get overwhelmed by it. They are uneducated about it. It's too emotional and for goodness sakes they don't understand what to do with a few boxes /bags/closets/bins of STUFF. Clothes, paper, their time. It's emotional and it's overwhelming and we can be dumbfounded about it.

It's ok.

There is never time for the DMV. But, the reality is. You have to make time.

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.

Did you lose this often?

Thinking of all the things we possess, umbrellas are the easiest possession to leave behind.  There is no lost and found in any restaurant or theater that doesn't contain one I'd imagine.  I think it's because we only carry them some times, we drop them on the floor because they are wet and often when we leave if it's not raining there is no reminder to retrieve our forsaken friend.

But then there was Davek Alert umbrellas that recently got funded on Kickstarter for their tech-infused unforgettable umbrellas that on top of their already stylish and built-for-combat design will include a censor that will be synced with your smartphone in order to alert you when you've wandered too far from your umbrella.  Of course for an umbrella that costs starting at $99 I'd be less likely to wander off too far without a reminder!

But we thought it was cool and wanted to share it!

Tell me, if this umbrella could potentially last you 5-10 years because of it's well-made design and technology would you buy one?  Let us know in the comments.

When You Don't Know How to Let Go

Recently I got an email from a client.  She was pretty frustrated and wanted my advice. I lack the skill of paraphrasing so this is what she said:

"...I need your help with trying to explain to us that it is normal to purge with stuff & move on. Especially with clothes. Do you have a statistic or something you have done on research that shows how once you have used something it is best to get rid of it after some time?"

I was able to cull upon my experience with clients, and all the organizing books I've read, and probably a few things I've been wanting to say to a few clients but they were either unprepared to hear or not ready to receive.  She was ready.  After I hit send, I thought to myself..."Either she's going to think this is bunch of bologna or she's going to take what I say and make a powerful shift."

I'm not one to brag but after reading my email I got two emails from her, an email and a text from her husband...it was all good!  In fact I quote her: "Wow Andrea, this was the more informative email I have gotten & exactly what I needed. Thank you, Thank you, thank you." Music to my eyes (it was an email, so...).  It was most delightful that what I said resonated with her and hopefully she got it and it will begin a journey of not being chained to the weight of things, keeping them, letting them overflow in her life and essentially being stuck in a web of wanting to change but not knowing how.

Here's what I wrote:

Hi _______,

I'm doing well thanks I hope you both are doing well.  This is very deep subject.  One that you might want to sit down for. :)

One of the best ways to analyze how to purge anything is to start with not the stuff but come to a consensus of what you do want, not what you don't.

What I mean by that is:  Often holding on to things is more than just "the stuff."  It's because it makes you feel important, or you think if you let it go it will erase your memories or you think by getting rid of it, it devalues the item or the person who gave it to you.... or that discarding it will even devalue you. By creating the vision for what you want,  you can navigate better through the stickiness of discarding stuff.  You can recognize it's value but realize it no longer fits into what you want for your space or your life.

Try these two things:

1. Create a mind map title it: "Our House" each branch from that will signify a room. Try to describe the room, it's functions for you personally, what activities you'd like to do in the room, how you'd like to feel in that room/space,  WHO (not what) belongs in the room, etc. without putting any STUFF, no furniture, no clothing, on the map it's okay to THINK about the room having furniture but for this exercise don't write it down, just write down the feelings you'd like to feel that YOUR organized room will evoke.

2. Go through each room and as you decide what to keep and what not to keep, ask yourself is it USEFUL (can you wear it, does it function) and does it "spark joy" [a phrase used in the KonMari Method of organizing].

And just to make it clear, here is the definition of joy: 
a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.
"tears of joy"
synonyms: delight, great pleasure, joyfulness, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, happiness, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy;

If you pick up an item and you say "meh".  Guest what? It's not sparking joy. :)

If you get stuck then reference your mind map.  For example, if you are in your closet and your mind map has the word COMFORTABLE on it and you hold in your hand a dress that's too small, doesn't fit right, or doesn't fit your style then it's not comfortable, so it has to go.  It doesn't matter how much you paid for it (you can consign it), it doesn't matter who gave it to you (unless you're going to frame it or make a quilt out of it), it goes.  Be ruthless!  

By the end of this exercise, you will have a room or rooms that you enjoy being in.  There will be nothing that isn't useful or doesn't spark joy and only things in your room that fit what you described the room to be.

If that doesn't help, ask yourself why am I not allowing myself to let this go?  Then write down why: is it fear? is it sadness? is it anger?  Come face to face with the emotions.  Statistics won't help, logic sometimes won't help.  Why we buy is almost always an emotional decision, letting go of items is almost always an emotional one too.  The reasons why we buy and the stuff we hold on to, is often a deeply personal and psychological journey which is often why we avoid it.

If you need a more logical examination to help you let go, think of it this way: Remember that when you paid for it and you used it, you got your value out of it.  Say if you bought an umbrella you paid $30 and you used it 20 times you paid $1.50 each time to keep the rain from falling on your head.  I think a wise investment, and most of us use an umbrella more than 20 times.  But if you now have 10 umbrellas they start to diminish in value because they go unused and are also taking up space for things that could be more useful or spark joy. Giving/donating/selling the not useful umbrellas to someone who actually needs an umbrella will make them valuable again.  Does that make sense?

Here is a book you should check out: Peter Walsh, Its All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff 

So hopefully this conversation was helpful for you too.  It's not an easy road but when you come at it from the positive of what you want, when you let go it's leaving space for the things in life that really and truly make you happy.

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.

How Being A Productive Employee Can Make A Not-So-Productive Business Owner

4 employee-minded behaviors to change to be a more productive (and sane) business owner

1. You respond to email within minutes...maybe even seconds.

I remember clearly the culture at my former employer.  Someone would send me an email and about 5-10 minutes later I'd get a phone call or they'd show up at my desk asking: "Did you get my email?" It drove me crazy and then like a rat in a lab, I soon became conditioned to respond to emails more often and quickly. So in the beginning of my business, I sat at the computer for HOURS responding to and acting on email.  But it was a rabbit hole of activity that made me feel busy but never productive. I'd end the day with no more clients or prospects then when I started the day and I felt overwhelmed with added things my emails added to my plate.

CHANGE: It took a while but my relationship with email has changed dramatically. I'm no longer pressured to have my inbox at zero everyday. When you're sitting at a desk all day it's easier to manage emails that flow into your inbox.  But as an entrepreneur, and especially one in the service industry, you aren't at your desk much.  You are (or should be) in activities that generate prospects (at vendor shows, out speaking, at networking events, building relationships over coffee), and/or actually working with clients or working on deliverable items. Often you can choose to set a automated response that alerts your clients and vendors that you will respond to their email within 24 hours. If they need to reach you immediately, then give them an alternative like a mobile number for calling or texting you.

Related article: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-many-times-a-day-should-you-check-your-email.html 

2. You use supposed down time to take care of personal matters.

Don't get me wrong, being able to have the flexibility in my schedule is one of the best things about being a business owner.  Recently I was sick and I was able to reschedule my whole day's activities to different times of the week so that I could spend time to recuperate. If I was an employee I would have had to jump through a lot more hoops in order to make the kind of changes I was able to make last minute. On the other hand, when you don't have a boss telling you where you should be during the week, the lines can be blurred about your responsibilities between home life and business.  It's easier to shrug off to do items that don't have a short-term effect on your business like networking and following up with clients to take care of personal matters like shopping and getting your oil changed. Since I hate grocery shopping during the weekend with our 9am-5pm counterparts, I still prefer to shop during the week.  But I try to let it be a specific day of the week and hours, so that I have some control over when I do it (like Wednesday from 8am-12pm) and make sure it's not crowding out time I should be doing something in my business.

CHANGE: Having time "buckets" in your calendar that feed into your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. Make these times just about non-negotiable. If a friend or family member wants to in crouch on that time, you can definitely say "I'm sorry I'll be working on ______" or "I have to work then, could we try for {random alternative date/time}?"  If you had a boss you wouldn't be able to get out of work and your friends and family would understand, it shouldn't really be that much different just because you work for yourself.

3. Your success is tied to money.

Now this one is LOADED.  What does it have to do with productivity you might ask? Well...if you are in business simply for the money you won't be in business for long. As an employee you usually have a yearly performance review.  If you've done over and beyond your job description you rightly and justly expect recognition for your hard work and effort.  Usually that recognition comes through in a form of a bonus or a raise.  Often times as a business owner you put in countless hours that you don't get paid for.  Invoicing, client follow up, and networking are all some of the various and many activities you must do to get results but you can't bill for.  Therefore your motivation has to come from another source, otherwise your incentive to get busy on those time-intensive fun-sucking activities will be just about zero. Another disadvantage to being motivated by money alone is in the first few years of most businesses the revenue you get is reinvested back into your company and you get to enjoy little of it.

CHANGE: There are tons to be proud about in your business besides your revenue and bottom line. Perhaps launching a new initiative, increase your prospect base, building a profitable relationship, or getting great feedback from your clients are all things that can help you put coals in your fire when money isn't flowing in or when you start to feel unrewarded for your hard efforts. Reflecting on your successes will keep you motivated to keep going and be productive when it seems like you're working for free.

4. You pride yourself in having an empty inbox at the end of the day.

In some of my past employment, I had more day than I had work. I prided myself on getting all my work done before the close of business.  When I started a business however, I soon realized that I often have more work than I have hours daysssssss. (Yes I meant to put all those s's). It stressed me the heck out too!  I soon realized that I was doing the workload of 4 positions and so I had to prioritize. I'm not going to lie and say that I've mastered it. But I will say that I've gotten a lot better at deciphering what's important, and when to call it the end of the day.

CHANGE: It's often easy to spend time in what you like to do and shrug off on the things you don't. Often the things you don't like to do are the things that actually generate the money. Making sales calls, generating content for your social media and blog, sending out a newsletter, and planning your marketing strategies and implementing them are sometimes difficult and sometimes icky.

Other related articles: https://experiencelife.com/article/how-to-beat-the-self-employment-blues/

Are you a business owner? Tell me in the comments below what you had to change (or realize you might need to change) from your employee-mindset to your business owner mindset?

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.

Springing Forward To Take a Nap!

Do you miss that hour?  This weekend I had the audacity to go to bed late Saturday night with plans on rising early Sunday morning on the weekend the SPRING FORWARD in Daylight Savings Time went into effect.  So yeah, I missed that hour.

Did you know the Bill Anthony and his wife Camille, authors of two books, The Art of Napping and The Art of Napping at Work, founded Napping Day.  This unofficial (but should be official) holiday was created to help people adjust to DST.  Are you going to participate?  I wish I could, but by the time I found out about this holiday I was already booked to capacity.  Maybe I’ll celebrate belatedly later this week.

And for those who are workaholics and productivity powerhouses, don’t stress!  Napping has been a proven productivity and morale booster at such data-driven places to work Google, Zappos, Nike and Time Warner.

For those not still convinced or not sure how to actually take a power nap (not the 2 hour slumbers some people I know call naps *side eye*). Here are some tips from my colleague and fellow Organizer, Nealey Stapleton of The Organizing Botique:

How To Power Nap: Tips For Successful Naps

Find the right time. Some people like to nap right after lunch, others (like me) prefer the middle of the afternoon. My ideal nap time is 3pm. That is the time that I begin to lose focus, so I'll stop what I'm doing and take a 30-minute power nap. I wake up refreshed and still have time to get work done before I need to start preparing dinner.

Don't oversleep. If you take too long of a nap, you'll have trouble waking up, will feel groggy and probably decrease your productivity. Set an alarm, and keep your nap short and sweet. A great way to wake up happy is to use the Sleep App.

Quiet, dark and covered. Do the best you can with this one; I find it much easier to fall asleep if I'm in a quiet, darker setting with a blanket. If you don't have shades on your office window, then perhaps you could keep an eye mask in your desk drawer. Likewise, you could keep ear plugs to drown out the sounds of a busy workplace.

Get comfortable. Interpret this any way you'd like. For me, getting comfortable means loosening my pony tail and taking off my socks. It could mean loosening your tie, taking off your shoes, changing into sweat pants, taking off your jewelry, whatever you can do to make yourself more comfortable.

Focus on your breathing. This is such a great little trick. Whenever I have trouble quieting my mind (which is often!), I focus on my breath. I literally picture the air filling my stomach as I breath in and then the air leaving my body as I exhale. When I do this, I don't waste any time trying to fall asleep...I just fall asleep. It's lovely!

- See more at: http://www.the-organizing-boutique.com/how-to-power-nap.html#sthash.yFBesZaP.dpuf

Happy Napping!

Andrea Hancock is a professional organizer, blogger, and speaker that assists and empowers busy professionals and business owners create and maintain organizational systems that work for them personally.  Andrea is also founder of Dexterous Organizing, a results-oriented professional organizing company.  To receive free productivity and organizing tools, or to venture into a more organized home, office, and life, click "I'm ready to get started!" at www.DexterousOrganizing.com or by phone at (703) 606-8968.