If you don’t maybe you should start. According to the following article it can help you prevent procrastination.

You know the drill… that negative self-talk we all end up saying in our heads. Well, it’s keeping you from moving forward. In fact I recently did a podcast interview with Linda Sapadin. She wrote the book “It’s About Time! The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them.” Our chat about negative self-talk backs up this article. Have a listen.

I’ll be honest, I am no expert on lighting. But I do know how important lighting is in a room. Lighting creates mood, and of course is important for several functions. Lighting can even help you stay focused or even give you headaches if it’s not appropriate for the space. Since I am not a designer, I am always looking for resources on lighting so I can learn a few tips here and there. This evening, I found tons of information in the New York Times. Check it out. It’s fabulous!

According to an article in The New York Times, Obama is glued to his BlackBerry. But it may not be long before he is forced to stop cyber-communications all together… or not. Could you imagine? 

Think you have ADHD? It isn’t just for young boys. Women struggle all the time with the disorder and have a difficult time managing simple daily tasks. Read on and learn how ADHD may be effecting you.

Many of my clients have expressed a concern about tracking their expenses. They admit that it’s a task that rarely gets done and they end up scrambling at the end of the month to get their paperwork in order. We all know that the sooner we get our money back the better our cash flow will be. In this economy, we can’t be foolin around!

So try getmyexpense.com. It’s web based and the cost is minimal. You can create reports, upload your accounts from Quickbooks and print it all for your records. Since it’s web based you can enter expenses from anywhere, anytime. I am told by many that they forget to include an expense and have to remember to include it when they arrive back to the office. Web based means you can make updates as you think of them and save time and brain power. You can categorize your expenses by project or client and you can also have your assistant print reports if you are out of the office and expenses are due. You can even have your assistant enter them for you. This works great for Attorneys, Sales Associates, Small Businesses etc.

The New York TImes put out an article recently about how people are now glued to the TV because of this economic crisis. If you’re like me your watching the news now more than ever and your productivity has greatly decreased. Read this article and see how others are dealing with it.

A lot of my friends and family are asking me if my business is feeling the effects of the economy. What’s strange is, the answer is no. You would think there would be some slow down in request for getting organized, since most think of it as a luxury. The truth is if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense why business hasn’t slowed down.

As a nation I think we are beginning to slowly understand that we need to downsize everything in our lives. Bigger is no longer better. We are beginning to accept and be happy with what we already have. The extras are no longer as necessary as they used to be. Therefore, I am getting calls from people who want to optimize their lives. They want to learn to live with even less. Who better to help than a Professional Organizer.

I have said in the past, “the economic disaster we are in is somewhat of a blessing.” Not because people are losing their jobs and homes of course, but because we are forced to reevaluate our living conditions. We are seeing more clearly what is truly important and removing anything from our lives that is complicated. We are simplifying and we are actually happier.

Not only has my business not been effected, but I have to admit… it seems restaurants are bustling. My friends even agree, Friday nights we are still waiting for a table for an hour. I went to dinner at a very popular restaurant on a Monday evening and the place was booked. To me this coincides with exactly what I am saying. We are realizing what is truly important so we are spending more time with friends and family. Meeting out for dinner and enjoying their company.

So I wouldn’t necessarily consider this an economic disaster. I would call it… an economic enhancement.

This morning on the Today Show they talked about people who have downsized. Not because they are empty nesters but because they want to simplify. One woman moved from a 1500 square foot home into an 84 square foot home. She tossed a lot of what she had. She lived with one burner on the stove, no microwave, minimal clothing and was very happy.

I share this woman’s happiness. Recently my husband and I decided to simplify as well. We got rid of cable, sold a car, sold a motorcycle and exchanged it for a less expensive one, we’re selling/donating items we no longer need and we stopped shopping needlessly. We’re also doing what we can to pay off debt so we have less bills to pay. I have to say, it feels pretty good. We have less to worry about, less to clean, less to pay for. It gives you a new sense of freedom and control.

While meeting with a new client yesterday, she mentioned there was something so comforting about the thought of moving into her camper. I have no doubts she could be very happy there. She would have more time with her children, husband and family because she would spend less time managing her home, small business and the mountains of laundry her family has. Downsizing has it’s benefits for sure.

David Allen said it well when he said “If you have the executive discipline to know how to deal with input, technology is a huge boon.” In addition, I would say if you have patience for learning, technology can be your best friend. I like David Allen’s use of the word “input.” When my husband and I walk our dog we always laugh at our dogs excitement and jokingly say “iiiiinnnnnpuuut.” Our dog is so stimulated he can’t focus on any one thing. The same goes for us on a daily basis. So does technology save time? Read this article in Forbes and find out. I’ll bet the article doesn’t surprise you. 

I find excuses very common when I meet with a client for the first time. They immediately worry that I may judge them and they want to justify their behavior. What these individuals don’t understand is I am the last person who will judge them. I know far more than they want me to know before I even walk through the door. I make every attempt to clarify that there is no room for blame and no reason to be defensive. The fact is, it is what it is.

All too often excuses are made that inflict blame on others in the home. Without fail it seems important for my clients to tell me how others have contributed to the clutter in their home. Rarely do they accept their role in it. They also tend to avoid their true problems because the excuses make it easier to mask them. Now, don’t get me wrong, this behavior is completely understandable. The embarrassment and shame that go along with a cluttered home are huge contributors to this behavior. I have been known to make these excuses myself. We have all done it at one time or another.

In order to help my clients move forward and break their bad habits I have created a new set of rules to use while working with them. I feel it will help a lot of you not only with a cluttered home but in all areas of your life. These rules were developed as a means to keep my clients focused on what is REAL and TRUE. They put a stop to the smoke and mirror routines we all play in our lives.

Rule #1
We do not talk about HOW the home got cluttered.

Not talking about how the home got in the condition it is in allows us to work with what we have and what is REAL. It forces us to see things as they are and to stop making attempts to blame others and to justify the bad behavior.

Rule #2
We only work on finding solutions to our problems.

Staying focused on solutions gives us the opportunity to think positively. It gives us permission to move forward and makes change easier to bare. Seeing the solution we can envision what is missing and fill the void.

Rule #3
We only look at how we can change our own behavior.

If our homes are full of clutter, we have played some sort of a role in making it that way. There are no if, ands or buts about it. Therefore, we need to identify our own unhealthy behavior and identify how we can do better. We will only spin our wheels trying to get others to see the error of their ways. So instead set an example for others and create a chain reaction. Everyone stops the defensive behavior and works productively to develop solutions.

It’s official, I finally hired an independent contractor. It’s part of the reason I haven’t blogged in a while. Business is doing well and I needed a hand.

Candice is her name. She had her first session a couple of weeks ago and my client couldn’t be happier. I chose Candice because she was very secure about her own needs, she was honest, direct and had a deep seeded desire to help others. I instantly could tell she was able to set boundaries, communicate well and could empathize. These are the kinds of traits you need to have to be a professional organizer. She’s a natural. In addition, she has family members with physical/mental handicaps and is a mom and wife. This means she brings a whole new skill set to the table here at NEAT. Her niche is not yet determined, but she enjoys working with children and those with handicaps.

Oh and I saved the best part for last… she is working at a discounted rate while she is training. This is a great time for anyone who wants to save money to have a professionals help for a LOW LOW price. So please spread the word. If you know someone who has complained about being disorganized or if you have been interested in getting some help, but your budget has been tight, give us a call. Candice is ready and willing to help. She works weekends and weeknights.

Do you get high off shopping? Do you find, when you’re shopping, that something completely takes over your body? Do you buy and buy and then completely panic when the credit card bill comes in? Maybe you don’t consider yourself a chronic shopper, but you do get a great feeling when you spend money. Well, as this article states, you are not alone. A study was done to find out what’s happening in our brains when we shop. It’s quite amazing what they found out. Take a look. 

Last night I was watching Suze Orman. She is the financial wizard that you have seen on the Today show. Well, she has her own show where she answers questions from incoming callers. They ask her questions about their finances and how to get out of debt. However, after watching her show it seemed like she was more of a psychologist.

One caller had an issue with their niece who constantly asked them for money. They were tired of always saying yes, feeling guilty, and never having money for themselves. Their niece was completely irresponsible with money and continued to ask for money whenever she was in a jam. Suze told the caller “Start saying no out of love, instead of yes out of fear.”

This phrase completely hit me. In so many ways we all have the same issues. We get so overwhelmed because we continue to say yes to everything that is asked of us. It’s almost like we never actually stop and think about what we are saying yes to. The word “yes” just automatically spits out of our mouths. If we didn’t we fear we would look incompetent, unappreciative and as woman we always fear being too bitchy… right?

Yes, it’s true, I have a difficult time saying no at times. It’s easy to give advice on this topic but when it comes time to take action it can be difficult. I do have to say, however, there is one trick that works for me and maybe it will work for you.

Here it is, are you ready?......I choose to say nothing.

I actually learned it Alcoholics Anonymous/ALONON. You are taught that you have choices. And one of those choices can be to do nothing. That’s right, doing nothing is a choice. It doesn’t mean you’re a slacker or avoiding something. You can simply choose to say or do nothing. Isn’t that awesome??? So if someone asks me to do something and I get that weird feeling in my gut. I simply say, “I am not able to give you a yes or no answer right now, can I get back to you?” Then I sit on it for a while. Genius isn’t it?

It’s possible you have never considered your communication skills and how they are impacting your ability to stay organized. Well I am here to tell you it means everything.

Recently I had a session with a client who was fed up. She was having a difficult time staying organized and she couldn’t figure out why. I have been working with her for close to 4 months so I have learned a lot about her and her setbacks. I had no doubts that her communication skills at work were causing her home to be disorganized.

Allow me to explain… She admitted she had a difficult time delegating tasks to other subordinates. She took on projects that she was not responsible for and she took all her work home because she was always putting out fires at work. The paper work she brought home would pile up so much that it began to spill into all areas of her home. The master bedroom, the dining room, the guest room and so on. She even admitted that she barely touches the files she brings home because she is just so tired after work.

Here lies the problem. The clutter is almost always a symptom of something bigger and more serious. Therefore as a Professional Organizer it is my job to identify the core problem. It can be tricky. Sometimes we think we know, but then our clients throw us for a loop and we have to start from square one. Sometimes the core problem is so big we can’t begin to know what our clients may be going through. But almost always communication skills are a huge factor when clutter is concerned. And the longer I am in this business the quicker I can pick up on it.

When I do see this as a factor for my clients I immediately recommend a therapist or business coach. Learning to say no, delegate, make decisions, communicate your needs, etc. is crucial. Not only to be effective at work but to keep your home neat and clean and your life sane.

So what I am saying is… believe it or not, the road to an organized home is not always purge, sort, recycle, donate, trash.

Have you seen the Dr. Phil episode about the extreme hoarder? I know, I know… I talk about this topic all the time. But it’s all over TV and there is so much to say about it. Especially this episode of Dr. Phil.

Ok, so let me set the stage… the extreme hoarder was a mother of three, divorced or widowed (I can’t recall), with a live-in boyfriend. She owned one home and one condo. Both of them were FULL of stuff. She had an alcohol problem, in the past she had a drug problem. She lost her job as a nurse because she was writing herself prescriptions for drugs. She had an eating disorder and she would hoard food. She had 7 refrigerators full of spoiled food and used coolers to store the food that wouldn’t fit in the refrigerators. Her live-in boyfriend was abusive and claimed he was a recovering alcoholic. The children had no bedrooms to sleep in because the home was stuffed. Two of them slept on the couch, in the living room together.

So you can imagine, this is an extreme case. And not only is their hoarding in the home, there are tons of other issues as well. Addiction appears to be the core of the problem. Dr. Phil barely skimmed the surface of this family’s issues in a one hour show. I was disappointed to say the least. Not that Dr. Phil didn’t solve their problems, of course. But because this family’s problems were just too serious and too big to obtain any sort of understanding or deeper knowledge of the situation.

There was no educational component to this episode.  It was simply a bird’s eye view of what is happening in this particular family’s household. Dr. Phil made no attempt to explain the mental illness and addiction that was very apparent. He didn’t even provide a hotline to call or resources for viewers if they are experiencing similar situations. So this is where my disappointment lies. It means nothing to merely ask a few questions and air a family’s dirty laundry on TV. In my opinion it’s simply degrading, disrespectful and childish. I will step off my soapbox now.

I am sure I have now sparked some sort of urge in all of you to see this episode. You can view it by going to http://drphil.com/shows/show/1080. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.