Making It All Click Together

People who think they know me, actually buy my laid back, retro hippie vibe, it's-all-good, everything-just -falls-into-place aura. Little do they know what the woman behind the current is doing to produce that show! My life is a mosaic, a 10,000 piece puzzle that clicks together and seems pretty smooth, and is certainly productive and the trick is ridiculously simple. When your world is just not clicking together the way you would like, there are really simple steps to make that happen - it’s ridiculously simple and quite intuitive - but it took me a long time to realize what I needed to do.

Did you ever hear the adage “if you want something done, give it to the busiest person you know?” That would be me, and that old saying has true wisdom because the busier I am, actually and ironically the more organized I am. It’s a lifestyle, amazingly stress-less and surprisingly productive. Let me share the 3 absolutely life changing things you can do, that kick start your organizational super powers, and if you have heard them before but never implemented them or never did all 3 - you have a whole new world of sweet, calm, ordered organizing superpowers ahead.

Carry a small notebook and a pencil with an eraser wherever you go, even next to your bed. I know, too simple, but an amazingly powerful organizational trick. Mind clutter, you know, all the lists, dates, names, ideas, to do’s, appointments that roll around in your head but are not immediately needed? Scrape them out of that gray matter and write them down. Freeing your mind of this slush of great but rarely used data will rev it up and get you positioned for organizing greatness. If you screw up what you write down, erase and correct. It feels wonderful, and freeing. This step will support the next two - you need all 3 to make it work, so keep reading.

Every night before bed review what you need to do the next day, and prep. Preparation the night before will save you tons of perspiration (work and stress) the next morning. You deserve to ease into your morning, without feeling overwhelmed, rushed, and like you're forgetting things. Let's make it happen! Here are some key things to do - and you and your life may call for a few more. Set your wakeup alarm with enough time to make sure you do not have to hit the ground running when you get out of bed. I always add an extra 15 mins for the contingencies I cannot plan for (the phone call that comes in just as I am getting ready, the neighbor who stops me on the way out, the dog that needs an extra walk before I leave, etc.). Lay out your clothes, pack a bag, if working at home, set up your workspace, make your lunch, think through the schedule and logistics, get directions to your destinations if need be, make sure you have cash or whatever you may need, or add getting it as part of tomorrow’s tasks. Set up a coffee or tea pot, decide what you will have for breakfast. Put things you must take with you by the front door or a note on it listing the things you will take that might be out of sight (your lunch, your cell phone, your medications, whatever). PS. If you are a parent and smart enough to teach your children this trick, you will not be running around looking for homework, sneakers, laptops, phones, their favorite whatever, stressed and running late - because everything they need they will have set for the next day. Spouses, roommates, partners will love you if you can help them form this life changing habit.

Keep a PAIN LIST, in your notebook, or on the fridge, or taped to a wall. This list is the backlog of things you will do, one by one, piece by piece to move your life, lifestyle, health, business you name it, into the shape you want. It really is that simple. Riddle: How do you eat an elephant? Answer: One bite at a time. Actually Italians have an ever better image for this. If you have ever eaten really amazing, aged, delicious sausage or prosciutto, when you see the whole slab it is pretty gross, crusty, fatty, might have bulging strings around it, gross. But slice it really thin and add some melon slices, and you have the prettiest little chic small appetizing plate in the world. I do not advise people to sit down and make a To-Do, or Honey-Do list all at once, and then try to figure out how in their busy lives they will ever actually accomplish any of it. Rather, the PAIN list is where you write the things that bug you and you want to fix as you go through your normal daily personal, business, family, and professional life. The list captures the changes/fixes needed to make your quality of life better. So it can be projects around the house, health and body upgrades, people you mean to contact, meeting new people, starting a fitness program, letters you want to write, recipes you want to try, places you want to go - in short, a list of the puzzle pieces to the happy, organized life you deserve. Think of your list as the big ugly prosciutto, seems like a lot, not appetizing or fun, and just plan to set aside an hour or so each week to take the babliest of steps on any item there, briefly but consistently. In fact when you make your PAIN LIST, you can break down tasks that take about an hour. E.G. Clean out drawers in the kitchen - 1 hour at a time. Then this weekend - you just do one drawer for an hour and you have your journey, you took the first bite. The trick is to acknowledge that you matter, your peace of mind, health, happiness really matter amid all of your other responsibilities, challenges, and time crunches. This one hour a week is a reflection of your new commitment to organizing and contouring your life around you the way you want and deserve to have it. Slice it up and take it piece by piece, step by step, each one a tiny investment in a one of a kind contribution to the world, the very best version of you. When you realize how much control you actually have over your life, and your world, you are empowered in a whole new way. Like Dorothy’s Red Ruby Slippers, you always had the power, but were you clicking your heels just the right way?

Ultimately, my steps are simple and proven. Using this method my career has skyrocketed, I have lost over 100 lbs of excess weight, and met the love of my life (all results of items I once listed on a PAIN LIST). I challenge you to try it: clear your mind of clutter, focus making each day a better experience for yourself and everyone in your immediate household, and you focus at least 1 hour per week on moving forward on things that make you happy,