What does "Lessons from My Garden" have to do with "getting organized? One of the things I've learned after 20+ years as an organizing consultant is that organizing has something to do with everything!
Here's how organizing principles apply to the art of gardening:
"Half of any job is using the right tool!" (Note I said "using" ? not "having!") It took a blister to convince me to buy a new pair of loppers to finish trimming the butterfly bushes. With the new tool, pruning was easy and painless.
"Today's mail is tomorrow's pile." While it's certainly important to clean up the trash, weeds, and other undesirables in your garden, if you limit yourself to that activity, you can work very hard and see little results. One of the things my landscape designer taught me was to pick one small area and plant beautiful things to inspire me to keep going. With Paper Tiger, we encourage you to start using Paper Tiger to organize your desktop ? you can worry about all those old piles later! After you get the new system in place, you can incorporate the old files into the new system ? and if you don't, they'll eventually be old enough that tossing them will be easy. In the meantime, you have what you need to do today's work, and you won't be creating new unidentified piles!
"Clutter is Postponed Decisions?." One of the first steps in creating any rewarding garden is determining what kind of garden you want ? vegetable, herb, cutting, perennial, etc. As great as all those options are, if you try to have all of them in the same space, the result will be disappointing. Or, to apply another Paper Tiger principle, "Put like items together!" Create a specific area in your garden for herbs, another for cut flowers, etc. In the same way, you can create separate "locations" in Paper Tiger for personal papers, active projects, CDs, clients, etc.
"Successful organizing begins with a vision." The most beautiful gardens are first planted in someone's mind! The initial question I ask every client is "If we were to meet three years from now, what has to happen for you to feel happy about your progress?" Their answers are varied, and include such statements as "I'll be making $100,000/year," or "I'll be taking six weeks of vacation every year," "I'll be working at home," or "I'll have a full-time assistant." If we don't have something to aim for, we'll never get there.
"Organizing doesn't have a 'right' or 'wrong.'" The most exciting aspect of my work is the "art of organizing." I frequently tell my clients, "You paint a picture for me of what you want to accomplish, and I'll help you create and sustain an environment to make that happen!" What works beautifully for one client would be a complete disaster for another.
"Organizing is a process not a destination." A garden, like organizing, is a continual process of reassessing what you like, what you don't, rearranging existing plants, and trying new varieties. And so it is with organizing! Continually asking three questions: "Does it work?'' "Do I like it?" "Does it work for the others I care about?" Be willing to take risks, don't worry about mistakes, and just keep learning!
? Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.productiveenvironment.com
green cleaning service Park Ridge ..No matter how young or old you are, you must... Read More
Back from my amazing summer excursion, a month long drive... Read More
My studies of the highly successful prove that they continually... Read More
Get your act together Make sure that you have all... Read More
We speak every day without fully recognizing the impact our... Read More
If we are involved in a project, how hard should... Read More
Thomas Edison wrote his quote " I have not failed,... Read More
On a raw, cold day in the European Alps, Lance... Read More
Sometimes success is found through the things that you don't... Read More
Self-esteem is very important. It is the way we view... Read More
Of all the things that can have an effect on... Read More
"Most people don't plan to fail. They just fail to... Read More
We were at some friend's house the other day and... Read More
I bet you want to be wealthy, but somehow the... Read More
What do we want most from life? Certainly, we all... Read More
Becoming successful is not easy. We all get tossed around... Read More
Those of you who know me, know that I am... Read More
Lesson 1. Category Well Being Plan to do this.Stop blaming... Read More
"Write checks on a regular basis to those who you... Read More
1. Clearly define what you want and what is most... Read More
'No man is an island' the saying goes. The implication... Read More
So many of us want success, but how many of... Read More
In 1989, when the Berlin Wall came down and the... Read More
Last Thursday evening, I was the guest of a group... Read More
The purpose of man is in action not thought -... Read More
emergency cleaning services Morton Grove ..It was one of the worst periods of time in... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
How do you define success?According to the Collins dictionary, success... Read More
The starting point of all great success and achievement is... Read More
The present model of business and career motivation, the one... Read More
If failure is the roadway, then Perseverance is the vehicle... Read More
Clown around Among the Plains Indians, heyoka, or sacred clowns,... Read More
'No man is an island' the saying goes. The implication... Read More
Thoughts move faster than the speed of light.Expectations jump faster... Read More
Are you successful? What does that word mean to you?... Read More
Create an environment that is so inspiring and nurturing that... Read More
You may not realise it yet but you may have... Read More
All of us could work on our skills in influencing... Read More
Becoming successful is not easy. We all get tossed around... Read More
Successful people do not achieve success on their own, they... Read More
If you ask most people whether they would like to... Read More
The other day I went shopping at the local consumer... Read More
You're considering a new career, new place to live or... Read More
What the anteater and otter show us about success?It's been... Read More
Success is the most desired ambition of the human beings.... Read More
One the most important Self Improvement skills to develop to... Read More
How does an online marketer define success ? There are... Read More
Coaching is about living great lives. It's about living lives... Read More
You will have the greatest success if you read the... Read More
When entering second adulthood, many women will begin a journey... Read More
Success |