Adventures in Life Design

Forget Resolutions! Try This New Year Navigation Tool Instead

 

Wow, I can't believe that 2010 is almost over! Where did the last 6 months go? I guess time flies when your life is crazy busy!  

Of all the productivity tools that I rely on to help me keep my hectic life managable, there is one that is deceptively simple but very effective. It’s not a digital gadget, software program or fancy planner calendar. 

3 Key Ways to Simplify Your Life

 

Does the “daily grind” of your life leave you feeling like you're running on a treadmill with no relief in sight? Because of the unrelenting frenetic pace of modern life, many people find themselves yearning for a simpler, calmer way of living. If you're one of them, here are three very simple but extremely effective ways to put some simplicity and serenity back into your life.

Learning Isn't Just for Kids

   

It’s back-to-school season and kids all over the country are returning to the classroom.

I can vividly remember my own childhood back-to-school experiences at the end of each summer. I felt both dread (I hated leaving behind the freedom and fun of outdoor summer activities) and excitement (new school clothes, new supplies, and new things to learn).

I’ve always have a passion for learning. Although my school days are long behind me, I continue to study and learn on an ongoing basis and strongly believe in the idea of lifelong learning.

It used to be that learning was simply something that one did as a child and young adult in preparation for going out into the adult world and getting a stable job or career. After that, the main focus of one’s activity shifted from learning mode to working mode. From that point on, learning or training became an occasional (and minor) activity in one’s adult life.

But times have changed…dramatically.

How to Stay Focused

Do you often find yourself struggling with distractions and having a tough time keeping your attention on important tasks or projects? If so, you're not alone.

Being able to maintain your focus on the task at hand is a crucial skill, especially for those of us who are entreprenuers. Mike Michalowicz of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur blog recently surveyed his readers and compiled a list of different methods people use to stay on-task and maintain focus. He's posted it on his blog and you can read it here: How to Stay Focused - 63 (Very Focused) Ways.

I submitted my own personal focus tip to Mike's survey and was delighted to see that it was among those featured in his list. I call my process "Working in Bursts (55/55/30)". It's #56 on the list.

Regardless whether you’re an entrepreneur or not, there are some great tips and ideas on this list. Be sure to check it out.

Busy and Overwhelmed? Multitasking is Not the Solution

Are you a multitasker? If so, you may want to reconsider. I've not only read many articles on recent research that shows multitasking has adverse effects on on productivity, but I've also found that to be true from my own personal experience.

The other day I saw the following post on Twitter by Alex Goodall: "Learn how to multi-task: you'll be able to screw things up faster." His post not only made me laugh out loud but it also made me nod in agreement. Been there, done that...way too many times! 

For example, the next week or so will be a very busy time for me. Having just returned from a week-long trip out of town, I need to get caught up on work projects and take care of some important personal tasks. At the same time I also need to push ahead on my work projects in preparation for an important family commitment that will require my full attention for two weeks.

As I dove into my to-dos on Monday and juggled multiple tasks simultaneously in an effort to make faster progress, I quickly became overwhelmed and started to feel panic stricken. I realized that I'd better do something ASAP to get myself on track or I'd end up being totally stressed out with a bunch of major problems on my hands. 

Clearing Out the Clutter in Your Life

   

Whether it's cleaning out the yard, decluttering the house, re-organizing the garage or getting a fresh lease on life with a new diet or lifestyle, springtime is the season when many of us yearn to clean up the messes in our lives.

Here are some great resources to help you clear out the clutter so that you can make room in your life for your dreams...

Putting Systems to Work for You

I recently read a great blog post that I wanted to share with you. It's called Time to Get Serious About Strengthening Your Systems by Pamela Slim over at Escape from Cubical Nation. I encourage you to check it out here.

I first learned about the concept of using "systems thinking" a couple of years ago in a business presentation done by Rich Schefren. As a former engineer, I could immediately see the benefits of applying this concept to to my business, and quickly realized that I could also apply the same principles to my personal life as well. Even the small and simple systems that I've developed have made a big difference in my life. They help me stay on top of things, be more efficient and effective and lower the stress level.

Systems thinking can produce amazing results in your life. In my program Getting Ready for Change, I devote an entire module to talking about how setting up a few simple systems can help with common daily life management activities. The great thing is, your systems don't need to be complex in order to produce remarkable results. Even the simplest ones can make a big difference.

To give you some idea, here are some of the systems that I use:

• Watering plants: Even though I've always had a green thumb when it came to gardening, I often get busy with other things and forget to water my houseplants. So I developed simple system for watering my plants...I just do it on Wednesdays. My reminder is that "Wednesday" starts with the letter "w" and so does the word "water". That way every time that Wednesday rolls around, I'm reminded that I need to water the plants. (I know, I know...my mind works in strange ways!)  I also have a small sticky note in my weekly planner that I move from Wednesday to Wednesday as an added reminder. That I don't need to "remember" because the sticky note does it for me.
• Data Backups: I do something similar for this. I do all my backups on Friday evenings while I watch my favorite program on TV. I have a small sticky note in my planner for that too.
• Clean out the fridge: I used to forget to clean out the fridge. It wouldn't get done until I'd come across some slimey, moldy blob that used to be a vegetable which would remind me it was time to toss stuff out. Now I clean the fridge out every Thursday evening after dinner. That's when we take the trash out for Friday morning pick-up. Because it's done weekly it's quick and easy. No more "biology experiments" to clean up after!
• Remembering Birthdays/Anniv.: To remind me to send out birthday cards on time, I set up a little card deck. I took 12 brightly colored index cards (hot pink or bright yellow works well) and wrote the name of a month at the top of each one. So I have 12 cards, one for each month, on which I list the birthdays that fall into each month. I keep them in my address card file except for the card for the current month which I keep on my desk near my planner. I pull out the next month's card in the last week of the current month, so that I won't miss any birthdays that might fall within the first few days of the month. 
• Credit Card Receipts: When I pay for purchases using a credit card, I never put the receipts in the bags with the purchased items. Instead I fold up the receipt and put it in a slot in my wallet. That way I don't loose it. When I get home I put it in a little plastic bin on the desk where we pay our bills. When our statement comes each month, the receipts are all there and can be checked against the statement.
• Keys: When coming into the house, I always drop my keys, cell phone and handbag in large rectangular basket that I have sitting on the floor near the entry. That way I'm not searching for them when I'm heading out.
• Filing: Because of running a business and doing a ton of research for my work projects, I have lots of printed materials that I need to work with. Several years ago I created a color-coded filing system that has worked very well. I use different colors for the different categories of paperwork. For example, I use purple for product development, green for web site projects, teal for marketing and burgundy for business operations. That way, when I work with stacks of file folders, I can easily spot the ones I'm looking for.

Do you see how simple these "systems" can be? But don't underestimate how much of a difference they can make in saving you time, effort and frustration. So do yourself a favor and start looking for ways that you can apply systems thinking in your own life. You'll be glad you did.

Holiday Survival Tips

With the holiday season in full swing, there is even on more our to-do lists than usual. It doesn't help that a lot of us tend to have very high expectations for the holidays and put undo stress on ourselves as a result.

The funny thing is, the special feeling that so many of us seek during the holidays can often be enhanced by doing less, not more. Why not make "less fuss, more fun" your mantra for this holiday season. The Center for a New American Dream (www.newdream.org) offers a free booklet with lots of terrific holiday season survival tips. Here's where you can download a copy: http://www.newdream.org/holiday/index.php

Zip It Up!

An important facet of creating a life you love is being able to manage your daily activities efficiently and effectively. Life management tools and techniques can go a long way to keeping you on top of your game. The smoother you run your daily life, the less time, energy and attention is wasted on things that aren't important to you.

Having just returned from a trip to NY, I had an experience that reminded me of the truth behind the old adage, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." First I learned an important lesson: When traveling by plane, it's a good idea to check the flight status right before leaving for the airport. We didn't do that this time and ended up getting to the airport only to find out our flight had been canceled.

Although the airline had booked us on another flight, it wasn't leaving until the following evening. That meant we'd have to stay in NY one more night. I had just packed our luggage to head to the airport, now I had to pull some stuff out for our stay only to have to repack the the luggage again the following day. I don't know about you but I hate packing. However, I hate untidy packing even more.

Fortunately, on past trips I had come up with a better way of packing and it saved me a lot of frustration this time. It's simple, easy and effective, and makes life a lot easier when living out of a suitcase. My solution? I pack all our clothing and toiletries in zip-closure plastic bags. So no matter how many times I need to pack and unpack, everything remains neatly folded and easily accessible. It works beautifully!

I keep a supply of medium, large and jumbo zip-closure plastic bags on hand and store them with my luggage. (They last a long time because they can be used over and over.) I fold the clothing items and sort them into stacks, putting similar items together into one bag. For example, socks go into one bag, folded T-shirts into another, folded slacks in another, and so on. The same goes for toiletry items. As I put the items in each bag, I then squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible before closing the zipper on the bag. A simple way to do this is to close the bag's zipper about 90% of the way, then roll the bag up from the bottom (like rolling a towel) towards the zipper end. The air will be forced out and then you can close the zipper the rest of the way before releasing the roll. The bag and it's contents will look like they've been "vacuum sealed" and will take up less space.

I love zip-closure plastic bags and use them to help keep me organized in every corner of my home, from the office (keeping office supplies corraled) to the garage (organizing nuts and bolts, and small hardware.) For example, in my office I use small size bags to organize AC cords and accessories for all my digital devices. Each device (cell phones, digital camera, PDA, MP3 player, etc.) get it's own bag, which can be labeled and filled with the corresponding cords and accessories. This keeps the cords from getting tangled and the little accessories and attachments from getting lost or misplaced. Instead of jumbled mass of wires, you'll have tidy little bundles that can be stored side by side in a drawer or cabinet for quick and easy access.

Zip closure bags may not be very glamorous but they are gems in my book. They can be found in any grocery store, are inexpensive, versatile and re-usable. But best of all, they do the job with flying colors. With life being as hectic as it is these days, anything that can help us stay organized and assist us with our life management tasks is definately worth doing. So next time you need to pack or get your storage areas organized, try zipping it up!