Organizing

This month’s blog post is taking a different turn as my mother passed away recently and I wanted to write about some things I have learned from an organizational perspective during this time. Forgive me for not mentioned the emotional journey, nor any legal aspects. This is more about the logistical aspect of losing a parent and what to do before they pass, and also before it’s your turn. 

Are you someone who starts a whole bunch of projects and tasks yet rarely finish any of them? You are in excellent company! A huge percentage (89% according to a study shared in the Huffington Post) of business people don’t finish their task list.  Starting things and not getting back to them often is a result of procrastination, excessive distractions, poor planning, or simply a lack of desire.

Work-From-Home (WFH) – Hybrid Work Spaces – Home Office – whatever you are going to call it now – you probably have noticed: It is a change that is here to stay. Many people - and companies - are forced to consider different workplace options. While there are quite a few people excited to go back into an office (that they don’t live in), many are liking the new concept of working from home. Based on my clients who work for major companies world-wide, it seems to be split about 50/50 regarding going into an office or working from home.

If you are also still working from home and/or schooling from home – finding a quiet place to do what you need may be a challenge. I have heard clients tell me that with kids in school online as well as their own working from home situation – there just isn’t enough space for everyone to do what they need to. This attached article was shared with me and I felt it was worth passing along.

Most people wait until they move before downsizing – or until they retire and move into a smaller place or worse, they leave it for a relative to deal with when they die. Not okay.

I have been sitting on some awesome information for awhile and thought it might help you when attending a conference. This is for those of us who still like using pen & paper for some things. While there is nothing wrong with entering notes into your computer or tablet, I have found that writing notes by hand has some advantages. Firstly, I write less stuff. Since the majority of people who take notes at a conference rarely if ever, look back at those notes, it is probably better to just listen mindfully versus trying to scribble down or type in everything the speaker says. Since I am a speaker – I can attest to the fact that I prefer an audience looking at me and listening versus trying to jot down every word I say.

Students are just starting school again for this year and chances are many do not have the proper academic tools to do well – but there is hope! I have outlined the top 3 tips for student academic success at the college student level – although high school students can make use of these tools too!

When I took photos and developed them I created a good system for storing the ones that didn't make the first cut into my photo albums. Now that my pictures are all digital, there are more of them and sometimes I can't find them in a timely way.

I am living a nightmare. I have boxes full of merchandise from a closed store, as well as boxes (which I've categorized) full of family pictures, school programs, etc. (I'm talking about 20-30 bins full of very special items).

I have a teenager who is starting college. He is disorganized and doesn’t know what he can or should take with him for his dorm room, and how to manage his schedule, and do things like laundry and homework without help. What can you suggest? – Worried Mom