|
|
| www.1001TopWords.com |
|
|
Get Organised and Transform Your Life
It takes effort to get results, and not just any effort, it takes smart effort. You cannot expect to achieve anything without doing something. Unfortunately in our society today, people are making an enormous effort to keep themselves busy all day, yet for many they look at what they have done and realised that much of the time had been wasted. They review their day and wonder what they had achieved. You need to plan, focus and take action on what you want to achieve to get the outcome you desire. You need to get organised! My Story Last year I was in a shop trying on a shirt and I asked a lady who was also in the changing rooms how it looked on me. (I never ask the sales assistant as they usually tell you it looks great regardless of whether it does or not). She thought it looked great and I must confess, I thought so too! Still, being a woman I like to have someone else to confirm it. Now here's what I found both flattering and interesting. The lady said "The shirt looks great, I wish I had the same body". She was referring to my body! That got me excited! That's the first time someone had said that to me. Mind you this woman was about 15 kg overweight and would probably think that about anyone who was smaller than her. I replied "Thank you! (and then blurted out in a nice way) However, you could too, just exercise regularly and eat healthily". I forgot to mention she had an open packet of potato chips in her bag. This lady probably thought I was born this way, one of the lucky ones who could eat and drink anything they wanted and walked occasionally for exercise. It takes effort What this lady didn't know was that every morning I drag myself out of bed at 5.30 a.m. to work out at the local gym. And I do that regardless of how cold or wet it is, how tired I am, whether it's summer or winter. I pay the price to get the results. I'm also particular about food, trying wherever possible to eat low fat, low sugar food and drink plenty of water. If there's an easier alternative, a magic pill which will miraculously keep the weight off, body toned and make me feel great consistently without harming my health, please let me know. Until then, I'll keep paying the price and making the effort because the results are worth it. Pay Yourself First Having read the last couple of paragraphs you might say "why doesn't she exercise later in the day?". The reason I don't is that I am a "morning" person and know that by going to bed earlier and getting up early I can get it over with first thing. Otherwise if I chose to exercise later, chances are circumstances would arise and I'd postpone it. One of my coaching clients is a runner. He originally rang me because his work and his life was out of control. He runs 20 kms a day and has done so for many years. I asked him how did he manage to religiously run every morning before work yet couldn't seem to leave the office by 5.30 p.m. each night. He answered "It's easy to jump out of bed in the morning and run, there's nothing or no-one able to stop me at that hour (5.30 a.m.). Yet when I'm at work there are too many demands on my time and they seem to always arise late in the day." Learn to pay yourself first. Just like George Classon wrote in his book "The Richest Man In Babylon", take 10% of whatever you earn and pay yourself first. Use it to invest, otherwise there will never be anything left once you pay everything else. And I'm sure many of you can relate to that. How to Pay Yourself First You need to make yourself the first priority. Ensure you allow time each and every day to action your own personal agenda. Here's a couple of ideas to get you started: Block out time each day in your diary for your exercise. Eg. Walk at 6.00 a.m. or lunchtime. Plan that first. Block out time each day to follow up on your personal issues. Eg. Book dental appointment, respond to phone calls, contact bank. Do that early in the day otherwise you'll run out of time and leave it Make sure that you stick to it. Learn to say 'no' if other people want to make other plans for you during those 'me' times. You must take care of yourself first. You have the power to say 'yes' or 'no' to other people's demands on your time. Treat yourself as your no. 1 priority. The Final Word When you decide (yes, that right), it's when you decide to make yourself the highest priority in your life, you'll find how much easier it is to live your life. When you decide you're worth it, it will be easy for you to say 'no' to other people's demands/requests. Of course, you'll need to learn how to organise yourself so that you are effective as possible. About The Author Lorraine Pirihi, principal of The Office Organiser (http://www.office-organiser.com.au) is Australia's Personal Productivity Coach Lorraine specialises in working with businesspeople showing them how to dramatically boost their productivity, reduce the stress and the mess in their lives and have more time for enjoying their life. We Offer a Broad Range of Services and Products including: Coaching for small business owners and professionals, keynote presentations, workshops, books, CD's, DVD's, and on-line learning programs. Take action today! Contact Lorraine to discuss your specific needs at lorraine@office-organiser.com.au
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Are You A Collector? Collections are the outward manifestation of a deeply-felt principle or emotion, and are quite different than ordinary garden-variety "clutter." One man has a love of photography and takes pictures of everything. Another woman buys more shoes than she could ever wear, to make up for having hand-me-downs as a child. Someone else might keep all of her mother's old clothes and papers after her death. Whether we love hats, unicorns, or butter tubs that we "might use someday," collecting makes us feel good -- it fulfills some NEED in our lives. What do you love to collect? Get Organised and Transform Your Life It takes effort to get results, and not just any effort, it takes smart effort. You cannot expect to achieve anything without doing something. Unfortunately in our society today, people are making an enormous effort to keep themselves busy all day, yet for many they look at what they have done and realised that much of the time had been wasted. They review their day and wonder what they had achieved. Just How Organized Are You? Take This Quiz For Individuals The Productive Environment Scorecard? Declutter Your Home in 11 Easy Steps Feeling overwhelmed at the thought of organizing your home? Start on a smaller scale instead and it will be a whole lot easier. Organizing Your Day One of the hardest things for most individuals working from home is to stay focused. One of the best ways to stay focused is organization. In addition, being organized will help your time management skills. The two are very much intertwined. Your Organizing DNA Do you like storing your papers on top of your desk in trays, baskets or just plain piles? Do you have a preference for Post-it notes and maybe some colorful file folders? Or are clearly labeled files and file cabinets more your style? Do you 'file' or 'pile'? I make it a practice of testing my workshop participants for this very thing because of its importance in creating and supporting an effective, organized workspace. Lightening The Load When I tell people what a FREEING experience moving is, they usually look at me like I'm crazy. "What do you mean freeing? It's the most stressful thing I've ever been through!" While there are stresses associated with relocating, each move offers you the opportunity to lighten the load. When I was in college, I moved at least once a year, and sometimes once a semester. You had better believe that I only took the bare essentials with me - because I didn't want to spend all of my time packing boxes and hauling a lot of junk with me from residence to residence. If I didn't use it regularly, it was either sold in a garage sale, given to charity, or tossed in the trash. Finish in Style - Organizing Works! One of my mother-in-law's many oft-quoted and wise declarations was "Finish in style." It has been on my mind lately, as I contemplate the end of another year, and the end of the first fifty years of my life. Based on my heritage, I fully expect to live another fifty years, so it seems appropriate to consider what I need to do now, so that I can finish the next fifty in style! Common Clutter Culprits- How to Bust Through Clutter Paper Organized Living in a Disorganized World We are bombarded with so many factors that perpetuate disorganization. Computers, fax machines, cellular phones, and on-line services enable us to do more - and require us to do more. The speed of the microchip doubles every 18 months, with no end in sight. There is also a greater sense of urgency due to rising expectations. If I can e-mail you a question in 20 seconds, why can't you return my e-mail just as quickly? Ten Signs That Your Life Is Cluttered How do you know if you need to clean out? Here's a sure-fire ten-step way to spot (and deal with!) clutter in your life. Balance- What Does It Really Mean? Balance- what a popular topic these days! Finding a work-life balance, being balanced in body, mind and soul, eating a balanced meal, balancing work, play and learning. But what does it really mean? When I ask my clients what balance means to them, most have no idea initially, and find it a good exercise to reflect on. For some it means spending more time with family and/or fun and less time on work, for others it means starting a physical activity. For some it means doing some emotional healing, for others starting a spiritual path. The truth is, we are all individuals, and we each have our unique definition of what balance is. If we take the time to ask ourselves what a balanced life looks like, we'll find the answer. Or we'll at least be shown what is not in balance so we can start there! Oh No, Not Another Interuption, How To Deal With Everyday Distractions Every day I find junk mail waiting for me, whether it issnail mail or email. Unless I deal with it immediately, Iwill be faced with piles of unwanted paper, or a full inbox,which just distracts me. It can be very frustrating tryingto find something which is buried in a drawer or hiddenunder a pile of papers. Not only is this distracting but italso takes time and can lead to added stress. Every time youlook at a pile of untidy papers you may just notice yourselfsighing and notice, too, how your energy is diverted intofeeling guilty about one more task not yet done. Organized Living-Secrets About Your Lifes Hidden Power Revealed An organized living lifestyle can cause you to weed out those prolonged situations of failure...poor health...frustration...hopelessness...and cure undesirables like anger, loneliness, depression and fear, which are blocking the effective communication between you and your hidden power within. Thinking Outside the Box Much of my time as a Professional Organizer is spent helping people to put things into containers and boxes. But, success in this business requires as much thinking "outside the box" as it does about putting things into containers. I was reminded of this recently, while consulting with clients who own a large, well-appointed suburban home. Two of the issues that the clients presented were the lack of closet space on the main floor, and the constant clutter on a small, built-in desk. Limited closet space resulted in coats' being deposited in the front entry. Shoes were removed inside the garage and dropped on the floor, by the other door into the house. The homeowners were tired of tripping on shoes. And the last thing they wanted (guests) to see was a wall of coats hanging in the foyer. So, the challenge was clear: This active family needed more closet space. Does Your Storage Make Sense? What do your storage spaces look like? Do you know exactly where to go when you are looking for something? Is your system logical? Designing a meaningful storage space requires a lot more than just putting stuff in a closet, drawer, or cabinet. You need STRUCTURE -- some proven guidelines to follow while setting up your storage spaces. Let's begin with these basic organizing principles: Organizing Lessons from a Bookstore The store reminded me of a well-worn slipper ? tattered and dusty, but obviously used and loved. I toured the aisles and backrooms with storeowner and publisher Britton Trice. Celebrity book signings and individualized customer service are obviously major factors in the success of the store. File after file with details of book parties past. They mail out about 200 autographed Anne Rice books everyday! Piles of papers, some of them back to 1984, and announcements of summer reading programs and travel opportunities for the summer past told the tale that getting rid of things was obviously not his forte! The front counter and the shelves beneath were covered with bits of paper, containers of various sizes containing a variety of items ? most of them identifiable. 9 Simple Strategies for Home Organization Home organization means being able to find your stuff when you need it, not after an hour or more of searching. But home organization doesn't necessarily mean you're neat or clean. It doesn't even mean you're not a pack rat. Home organization just means everything has a place and you know where that place is in your home. Managing Mealtime Madness It is 5:00 pm and Cindy has no idea what to make for dinner. In the process of searching through the freezer, she causes an avalanche of frozen foods to fall to the floor. Meanwhile, her hungry baby is crying and the phone is ringing. Clutter Clearing Tips that Work Coping with clutter is rarely easy. There's more involved than just catching up on overdue housework, and staying focused and motivated over the weeks or months it may take to get the job done can be one of the biggest challenges. Here are some tips to help you stick with it until it's done:
|
| © Athifea Distribution LLC - 2013 |
