In the three years that I have been organizing I notice this pattern. In most of my clients homes there is, what I call, “The One Room”. It is a room that has big aspirations to be a craft room, a meditating room, an office, a reading room etc. It’s potential is limitless. However over time it has become the dreaded storage room. It has become stuffed with boxes, christmas ornaments, old papers, used furniture, or clothes they no longer fit into. It has become way too easy to toss an item inside and quickly close the door and forget the stuff is even there. But here is the interesting part. Each time I enter a clients home for a consultation they overlook this room and label it a low priority. They rarely want to put time into organizing it. Perhaps they think because the door can be closed and company never sees it, it isn’t a room that needs their attention. Or perhaps it is because frequently the client knows half the items in the room can be donated or tossed and it’s just a matter of doing it. It’s also possible they are just so embarrased by the room they can’t bare to have another person in their with them. And let’s face it, it makes sense that they might want their kitchen organized first. The kitchen is a room they use every day.

However, Once I evaluate the situation, discuss the clients needs in more depth and learn more about whats really happening, the “One Room,” always ends up needing to be the top priority. I think this occurs for a few reasons. The first reason reminds me of something my father says. “It’s like wearing an Armani Suit, with underware full of holes.” So you look great on the outside, but underneath you know you’re a phony. It’s the same scenario with the “One Room.” Your guests may not know it’s there when they come to visit, but you do. And because you do, it drains you mentally. Also, clutter breeds more clutter. You say to yourself, “Well the room upstairs is already a mess, just put it in there.” This concept is very real for my husband. For him it doesn’t even need to be a room, if a corner is slightly cluttered, he’ll add to it and think it will go unoticed. There is also a more practical side of it. Because the “One Room” is full, everything else trickles to other corners and spaces of the house. Because you don’t have a craft room, meditating room, home office, or reading room the craft supplies, paperwork, or books don’t have a home. 

So I urge you to consider the impact your “One Room” has on you. It may be giving you more trouble than you realize. 

It continues to amaze me how many business cards I find when working with a small business owner. Stacks and stacks of cards in piles or in a box. These small pieces of paper are extremely valuable. Every time I tell my small business clients that, they always ask why. On that card is a potential client, referral source, friend, vendor, partnership etc. These cards are a means to your survival and marketing your business successfully.

My plan of action starts with determining your categories. For example; vendors, clients, business resources, personal etc. Sorting these contacts gives you the means to target the appropriate markets. Their names, phone numbers, addresses and email addresses can be used in your distribution lists, mailers, cold calls etc. So why not make it easier to market yourself. You can sort them in any way that makes sense to you. Perhaps Attorneys are a great referral source for you. Or maybe you market your business according to zip codes. You can create an e-newsletter that is directly marketed toward that demographic.

The second course of action is getting these contacts into your current contact management system. Whether it’s your Rolodex, Outlook, or a program like ACT, they should be enteried on a regular basis and kept in the categories you have preset. Yes, this takes time, but there are ways to make it easier. Purchase a business card scanner. The information on the card is scanned and automatically saved accordingly in the scanner software. The data you have now scanned can be saved as a comma delimited file and used in Excel, or uploaded to your current contact management software. You can even manage it using the scanner software.

Perhaps, right now, you don’t see the need to market your business. Do this anyway. You never know when you might need this data and what a relief it will be to have it all in one place and ready to utilize.

Since I started as an organizer over two years ago I have worked with many individuals who have Attention Deficit Disorder. For each of them I recommend the use of a timer. But every time, without fail, the suggestion goes in one ear and out the other. In all the time I have been in business, only one of my clients agreed to use a timer and he loves it. And not only does he love it, his coworkers love it too. It keeps him on task and it helps everyone else around him help him to stay on task.

I recently had another client ask me about getting a timer. I was so excited she asked me without me mentioning it. I asked her what prompted her to ask. She said it all became clear when she was cooking a pie. She set her timer to go off when the pie was done. She went upstairs to tidy up while the pie was baking. When the timer went off, she realized it had been 40 minutes. She never would have realized that without the help of the timer.

For those of you out there who think a timer is a waste of time, I assure you, it isn’t. Especially if you have Attention Deficit Disorder. The timer does not need to be set every-time you start a task or end a task. In fact it is somewhat the opposite. Instead, set the timer for a set period of time. I recommend 15 minutes. Let the timer run until 15 minutes is up. Then ask yourself, “Am I doing what I am supposed to be doing?” If so, great, keep working. If not, get back to the task you should be doing. Hit the button on your timer again and let it run again for 15 minutes. Do this all day, or just at work. Whenever you need it.

This method does a few things. It keeps you from being distracted for too long. Which tends to happen when you have Attention Deficit Disorder or have a difficult time focusing. It also teaches you to gauge your time better. You’ll learn that certain tasks may take a lot longer than you thought. Or they may take a lot less time than you thought. The timer also becomes a tool for interrupting others. Sometimes you may be stuck talking to someone who chats a lot and feel guilty interrupting them. The timer does it for you. The conversation is interrupted giving you a chance for a clean getaway.

I recommend a certain timer for this purpose. You can find it at SurLaTable on their website http://www.surlatable.com/product/cdn+digital+timer+on+a+rope.do?search=basic&keyword=timers&sortby=shortdesc&asc=true&page=1. I recommend this particular timer for a few reasons. The first is it has a lock on it so you will never lose your time if you bump it while wearing it. It also has a great long string so you can wear it around your neck, or it has a clip so you can clip it to your pants or shirt. Or it has a magnet so you can stick it to any magnetic surface. This can be very useful depending on where you use it. However, I always recommend wearing it so you never forget to use it. Also, the clip is nice so you can wear it without anyone seeing it. It also has an easy big round button to reset it. So when the timer goes off, you hit the reset button twice and your back in action.

It has come to my attention lately that several individuals I know don’t keep a daily schedule. In many cases these individuals are business owners or are contractors. I want to take this opportunity to emphasize the importance of a schedule.

My guess is if you are not keeping a schedule it is for one of two reasons. 1. You think having a schedule means you are limiting yourself, but I promise you the opposite is true. 2. You simply aren’t sure of the best way to keep a schedule. I am not going to tell you that keeping a schedule is easy. In fact, not everything I have in my schedule is always completed. I have my moments when I just don’t feel like doing what I set out to do.  However it does remind me that I have a goal and that I have to bump it forward to another day. Your schedule is not only a means to planning today, it is also a means to planning tomorrow, the rest of the week, and the upcoming month. Without a schedule you are simply floating through your days, weeks, months and taking on whatever comes. Not to mention you are also relying on your memory, which I do NOT recommend.

So if there is one thing I want you to take away from this entry it’s this… buy a day planner NOW. Or if you are computer savvy use Outlook, iCal, or Lotus Notes. Use your calendar to write down everything you are going to do tomorrow. And I mean everything, phone calls, errands, meetings, anything that will take you more than 10 minutes.  There is no right way or wrong way and you don’t have to do everything you write in your schedule. I am willing to bet, however, that you will be more likely to get things done simply because you wrote it in your calendar.