Before I left, my biz complained that I was going for 6 whole days. It worried that my email was on autorespond and my phone was off with an “I’ll call you back in 6 days” message on it. When I walked out the door with my bags, it was seriously fretting.

My business moped around the whole time I was gone, waiting for me to get back so I could again pour into it my undivided attention and 110% of my time, energy, sweat, and tears.

But when I returned, instead of automatically, unthinkingly stepping into the fray, I took a good look at how things had been before I left.

It wasn’t pretty. In fact, when I considered how I would soon be plugging away for 14 hour stretches as before, the thought made me physically ill. In my heart, I knew I had to pay attention to this and possibly make some changes.

The Big Picture versus reality
I did some brainstorming about how I wanted my new life, my married life, to be. Everyone has an image of what their perfect day looks like. In mine, I work for 5 hours and then move on to doing other things I love – spending time with my new spouse, playing with the cat, cooking delicious meals, taking walks, oodles of reading, meditating, and hiking in the Oregon woods.

I didn’t want my partner to say “I miss you,” anymore. We had so much fun on our honeymoon, I wanted some of that in my everyday life. Though I run a small business because of the freedom it gives me, I had been feeling enslaved. Not good.

Making changes
After I reflected for a couple of days, I realized that in order to do create a new relationship with my business, I had to: A. cut out some of the things I have been doing and B. start learning to say “no” to the inevitable other things I might say “yes” to since I’m such a time optimist.

The sad news is that I’m leaving b5 – I’m going to stop blogging My Organized Biz. This is painful to my heart. I’ve met so many amazing readers and bloggers in the last 3 months and I’m genuinely going to miss connecting with you on a daily basis. The daily connection from blogging requires two hours of writing and planning and an hour of internal work with the b5 company. Simply put, if I stop blogging, I get 3 hours closer to my goal of a simpler life.

Change is hard (but good)
If you’ve thought at all about simplifying your worklife, I will assure you that cutting things out (like I am with blogging) initiates the grief process. So make space for it. Not writing the blog is just one of several things I’m stopping and there’s a huge urge to fill the void so I don’t feel the pain.

As for my second goal of learning to say “no” to the myriad opportunities that could potentially fill my new-found time, I’ve started working with business coach, Kathy Mallary The Inspired Market-Her and am getting tremendous support toward my goal. My work is becoming more purposeful and I’m finding more enjoyment from working in shorter, more intense time bursts.

I’ve also met two small business gal-gurus whose contributions to my life are immense and whose work I highly recommend: Havi Brooks of Fluent Self and Lisa Hunter at Extraordinary Women Thrive. All three of these women are helping me learn to say “no” more skillfully.

What’s next?
Not a big fan of goodbyes, I’ll let you know that even though I’m no longer blogging, my business is thriving and I’d love to see you there. I love working with small business owners who are stuck in their office with their stuff.

I’m introducing a new offer soon that I think takes the cake and my newsletter subscriptions are going like crazy. My message is still the same as on the blog: you are not the problem so let’s fix your space so you can love your work again.

If you’d like to stay in touch with me – and I’d love it if you did – you can always find me at Inspired Home Office.com. Well, at least for 5 hours a day.

Much love and gratitude to you and wishing you the best of success – and freedom – in your work,
Jennifer

Post from: My Organized Biz

So often, when we’re working on something, we “save as” without giving a moment’s thought to how we’ll need to retreive it someday. We just give it any old name that makes sense – adding it to an old folder or creating new ones willy-nilly.

I have a client who’s goal is to set up his virtual folders to be so logical that anyone could quickly find the information. I like that.

In order to retrieve files and data easily, what’s needed is some consciousness. You don’t need a yoga pose or deep breathing (although they wouldn’t hurt), but here are 3 steps that can help:

1. Figure out what you’ve got - Most people have no idea what’s in their virtual files unless they’re used regularly. So I recommend taking 30 minutes to go in and actually look. Get friendly with your files.

It’s important to not judge what there, but simply observe and take stock. It was useful to you at some point, and that’s enough for the first step.

2. Figure out what you don’t need - Once you’ve gotten more familiar with the contents of your electronic files, start culling the herd. Chances are good that there are things you don’t use or even recognize. Just delete ‘em. If you’re not sure, create an archives folder that you can visit at a later date when you’re sure.

The benefit of deleting things is that you decrease the sheer volume of decisions you need to make about where things should go (the 3rd step). Plus, it just feels good. So does hitting “Empty Recycle Bin”.

3. Deliberately move “like” things together - When you know what you have and you’ve removed what you don’t need, the next thing is to determine how to put it all together. If you have a lot of sub-folders for classes you’ve offered, for example, create a folder for your classes, and store them all there. This may sound basic, but lots of us just store documents anywhere.

The most important thing is naming the folders with logical titles. Abbreviations and numbers aren’t recommended because they’re hard to visually scan. Just ask yourself, “What do I call this thing in real life?” – and name it that. Note for a few days if they’re working for you – and change them if they’re not.

Lastly, repeat. As your business grows, so do the documents you use. Set aside some time on a 6-12 month basis where you evaluate your file storage. Tweak what’s not working for you – and you’ll find yourself muttering less and enjoying your work even more.

Post from: My Organized Biz

BIG thanks go to:

Ann Espo at One Bag Nation shared practical ideas to give everything a place.

Vicky White at Life Design Strategies wrote how to Position Your Desk for Power.

Karen Henderson of Get Organized & More shared Feng Shui Tips that Energize Your Office.

Coach Alison Marks of Inside Out Design Coaching asked Is Your Workspace Working Against You?

Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer wrote that Organization is a State of Mind.

Coach Maggie McCauley of A New View wrote about Filing with Ease.

Happy Monday!

Post from: My Organized Biz

The downside is that I’d like to use these miles a couple of weeks from now and United imposes a $75 penalty for scheduling so close to the departure date.

I know I’m not the only one ticked off about the “creative” ways airlines are making ends meet lately. Checked bag fees, penalty fees, and racheting up miles requirements are more the norm than the exception. I also know I’m not the only one who laments the lost halcyon days of hot roast beef carved in-flight and Pucci-clad stewardesses. Flying used to be stylish. Today, it’s more like herding cattle into mass transit. /rant.

So I’m faced with the decision of buying a $300-400 ticket or spending $75 for my “free” ticket. If I’d been truly organized, I would have kept track of my miles and known I had a free trip. I probably would have booked it months ago when I had the chance. But what’s the use of self-critical mind chatter?

The advantage of buying the ticket is that it earns me more air miles and I get to keep the free ticket to fly for free later this year when prices are even higher.

That’s my thinking. Have you faced this dilemma recently? Would you use your “free” $75 trip or spend $400 to fly and save the free trip for a longer, more expensive flight?

Post from: My Organized Biz

In reality, though, the office extends beyond the desk… to the living room, the kitchen table and, yes, the car.

I’ve been lugging around a frightful amount of crap in the trunk for at least 5 months. Last night, I lay in bed thinking those things that only come up in the wee hours. “What would I do,” I wondered to myself. “If I got a flat tire?” This led to me mentally disassembling the contents of my trunk onto the imaginary roadside in an effort to free the doughnut. When Triple A showed up, I realized I’d be mortified.

So today I tackled the trunk.

Equipment:
Trash can
Recycle bin
Vacuum cleaner

Here’s what Heather the Neon looked like before (Yes, those are burned-out lightbulbs. Don’t ask.):

After no more than 20 minutes, here’s what she looked like:

Everything that remians is used for my staging business and there’s plenty of room to get at the tire or bring home groceries.

And here’s the thing: not only did it only take a mere 20 minutes, I felt physically lighter. Like I’d lost 10 pounds. It was amazing.

What’s in your car trunk right now?

Don’t forget about the b5media Blog-a-thon on June 20!

Post from: My Organized Biz

That’s right – put on your liveliest, most raucous music about as loudly as you can stand. Then start purging your pile. Whether it’s Brahms or Black Sabbath, there’s something soothingly distracting about the lyrics and tempo that helps take your focus off the tediousness of this task.

Got neighbors or family that don’t appreciate your taste? Get out the headphones and sing along softly – if you can. Before you know it the pile will dwindle down to a few items and your office will be renewed.

My musical weakenss? The Dixie Chicks. What’s yours?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Today’s feature comes from AJ West at Lifehack with an post about how to free yourself from paper clutter.

Want to know which papers to keep – and which ones to throw away? Do you know what the government expect you to have on file if you’re ever audited? Here’s the post you’ve been waiting for. And AJ serves it up.

This is also timely information considering tax season is just barely behind us. Maybe you set an intention for that proverbial new leaf. Check it out here.

When you sort through your papers, how do you know what to keep and what to get rid of? How do you know something is worth keeping?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Post written by Maggie McCauley, ACC, LICSW

Ah, the dreaded filing task! UGH! We tend to make this the very last item on our “to do” list, don’t we? That’s mainly because we haven’t created proper homes for it. Our battle with paper can end with the creation of a good system. It doesn’t matter which paper system we put in place as long as it takes under a minute to find it or put it away and it makes sense to us. Here are three things you can do to right now to eliminate the dread of filing.

Make room. You’ll need twice the space you think you’ll need in your filing cabinet. Keep files for current documents, archives (year+), and resources.

Follow the two step rule. When paper comes in it gets sorted or acted on. Sort– keep or toss. Act– file, pay, fax, mail, recycle, or review. Set up a mail sorting system to accommodate this rule with coordinating file folders.

Develop categories. Track all the important paper coming into your home or office for one month. As it comes in assign it a category. Create larger categories using colored hanging file folders (clients, marketing, receipts, banking, etc). Then use manila folders for sub-categories. Label clearly, alphabetize, and stagger tabs. At the end of a month you should have clear idea of the kind of paper categories you’re generating.

We live in the information age. There is power in knowledge and having information at our fingertips. Keep only the most valuable and usable information from the most highly regarded sources. Remember, 80% of what we file away we never look at again. The choice is ours—we can be in charge of our paper or let our paper be in charge of us. Take charge!

Maggie McCauley, ACC, LICSW is an Organizer Coach—Certified Life Coach & Professional Organizer. She has a background in clinical social work and has been working with adults promoting balanced, vibrant and healthy lives for over 16 years. She is a member of the International Coach Federation, the National Association of Professional Organizers, and Toastmasters’ International. You can reach her for comment at www.anewviewforyou.com.

How does your filing system work? What tweaks have you made that make it more intuitive and easier to use?

Post from: My Organized Biz

Post by Brandie Kajino

Have you ever felt like you could never “be organized”? An audience member talked with me about this after a presentation recently. She said, “I just don’t think I can BE organized.” I was saddened by her comment, because she clearly felt a great deal of shame about it. Unfortunately, society has a very strict interpretation of what “organized” means, and it’s not really working for a lot of people.

First of all, organization and perfection have nothing in common (besides the “-tion” part of the word). Secondly, “being organized” just means you can find most anything you need in 5 minutes or less. Organization is about systems for life and success. What organization looks like is different for everyone. Thirdly, organization is a skill, or a state of mind. There are a few simple things that can guide you to organization success in your own life.

Here’s a few tips when deciding what to do in your situation:

1. Keep it simple. There’s no need for color coding and decimal systems, unless you’re into that. You can always step things up later, but keep it simple in the beginning. A notebook and a pen can be a great place to start on a task (or “To Do”) list.

2. Be honest with yourself. Do you like technology of feel sick when you head the term, “PDA”? Do you prefer to write things out long hand, instead of typing? If you feel overwhelmed when looking at an organzation tool, it might not be the right one for you.

3. Be true to yourself. Even if you don’t “feel” organized, I bet there is something in your life that you are proud of. Search your heart and mind, and find that one thing that felt successful at. Look at why you are proud of it, and I bet there is something you can glean from that experience that can apply to other areas of your life.

“Being organized” is a state of mind, and it doesn’t always come in a box. You are unique and intelligent, so take it easy and do what works for you.

Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer, is a dynamic speaker, author and professional organizer. Brandie helps home office professionals get organized. Her website includes free resources, teleclasses, personalized services and a blog with dozens of articles. Visit her web site or call her at 971-533-7735.

Post from: My Organized Biz

Post by Alison Marks

Most likely, there are ways that your work environment makes you have to work harder than you need to. Try these ideas to turn your work space into a powerful tool to support you and your productivity:

Fresh Eyes. Come in from outside with “fresh eyes,” as though you were visiting for the first time. What do you notice? How do you feel? What can you tell about the person or people who work here?

Declutter. The #1 most powerful tool for creating a supportive space! Give your eye fewer things to look at. This brings clarity, helping you to really appreciate and utilize what’s there.

Yin/Yang Balance. Yang is active and energetic – bright colors, movement, electronics, loud music or noises. Yin is soft, calming and restful – pastels, soft light, textiles. Give yourself enough yang to keep you motivated, enough yin to feel nurtured.

5 Senses. There’s no reason not to bring pleasure to work. What delights your senses? Sometimes one small change can make a huge difference. Some ideas to try: use aromatherapy, add a soft rug, bring in a fountain, or play soft music.

Making some of the changes suggested here will bring satisfaction and flow into your day. Good luck!

Alison Marks helps busy women create sanctuaries in their homes and peace of mind in their workplaces. She is a San Francisco-based design coach, Certified Feng Shui Consultant and professional organizer. For more information and articles, visit her at InsideOutDesignCoaching.com.

In what ways does your work space support you and not? What’s one small (or large) change you will make?

Post from: My Organized Biz