• December '02
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• September '02
• August '02
• July '02
• June '02

Here's December's newsletter about getting things done and the philosophy of efficiency.

Two Travel Tips for the Holidays 1. (this is San Francisco based, but is a general rule as well): Coming and going from the Airport, take a door to door shuttle, unless public transportation is well run in your town. (Boston, Chicago, New York are the only ones that come to mind) When you put your travel information in your planner, (with full flight info and how long you'll be gone) put a reminder that 24 hrs beforehand you should call a shuttle service. In SF, I like M&M.

It's $10 plus tip to the airport, and they're reliable, on time, and easy to work with. 415-552-3200. Don't bother your friends or relatives to get you out there.. and don't spend the foolish money on a taxi... they don't go much faster.

******

How to handle projects vs. tasks:

Remember that as you use the task list more and more, you want to distinguish between "tasks" and "projects" You'll find that if you put a huge project on there as a task, you'll never start the thing. One way to deal with a project would be to create a note (memo) with the project descriptions, ideas, goals, etc. Then break that into tasks, spreading those out in a reasonable (yet conscious of time and order ) way on your task list. if you feel you need to look at the entire thing daily and don't feel you'd reference a note/memo enough. You can create a task that is the master project heading with the sub tasks in the body. for example:

task: Get Driver's License because it's not a one step process, but I feel a need to see it on my list every day, I'd put it in the task list with no date. Then in the body of the task:

- find birth certificate

- start studying road rules

- make appointment at DMV

- figure out how to get over to there

- bring something to read in line!

these wouldn't have to be in order on the master list.. but then you'd take "-start studying road rules" and make that one task, with a date, and get it done.

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Simply thinking

I was recently at a talk given by one of the leaders of the Simplicy Movement, someone who has written a book and talks on how to be less materialistic, more in tune with values, more engaged in doing what's important. She asked the question of the group: What is simplicity? I thought some of the answers were interesting to consider when examining 'the philosophy of efficiency':

- getting to the core

- intentional living

- enrolling you in your life

- enoughness

- living deliberately

- 'the opposite of materialism'

- Living with Clarity

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"Is how you live in-line with your values?"

...it's one of those questions every thinking person has heard.... but I'd like to take it to a practical level, and have you examine: Is how you do what you do hour by hour in line with your values? How did you work in the last hour? If someone was watching 'the video of you' would they be able to understand things about how you think about efficiency. organization, getting things done, materialism? Just an interesting thing to meditate on....

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- Give Love not Stuff!

One last thought as we head into the serious holidays, when schedules get even more hectic, and organization can help you have the sort of experiences you want.

My advice, this holiday season, give love, time, and cheer, not stuff. Don't spend precious time in stores searching for things to give to people who don't need them anyway.

Drop out of the materialism of the holidays, and concentrate on communicating with those around you.

Concentrate on being positive, helping out, staying connected... Tell your friends and relatives that you want to give them their time and money... tell them not to bother shopping for you. Go make a meal together instead.

Talk, laugh, make memories. They don't clutter your closets, and mean so much more.

take care, do good work, and stay connected,

Tys

Here's another email with hints and reminders about being and staying organized as you go through your full lives. Designed to be a 2 to 3 minute read, so you don't have to put it off and let it clog up your inbox. A mix of review of philosophies we may have talked about and new ideas as I come across them. Also: before you file or delete this, see below for points on ideas that never equal results.

I just attended a regional conference of other professional organizers, and this month's email focuses on some of the issues and ideas I heard there.

When starting the organizing battle, start with today's stuff, not the old.

Many people, when finally deciding to get around to it, attack a messy office or desk by going through the oldest stuff first. In the meantime, new things are coming in, and end up in a pile, waiting to be organized themselves. Instead, start where the latest stuff is, where you will be returning to work. Then work down from there.
Today's mail is tomorrow's pile.
Clutter is postponed decisions.

When you've had a chance to work with the many different kinds of people who want to become more organized and more efficient, a truism about piles becomes more apparent: piles of clutter happen when people are unwilling to make a decision about 'the thing' until later. A simple solution is to take that 5 seconds and decide what the next step for that item is. Is it reference material? Is it something you want to read, and then throw away? Can you find that information somewhere else when you need it? Can you throw it away right now? Can you act on it right now in under 2 minutes?

Make that decision, and the clutter will stop.

One session I participated in while at the conference was about building the "brand" in the business world, even in the personal world... One fundamental element is that everything you do communicates your brand... and they listed out 'the 4 fundamentals of interaction' to building a positive brand. In any situation:

• show up on time
• do what you say
• follow up
• say please and thank you

A Charge for living fully, with awareness, and positively:

1. out of clutter, find simplicity
2. out of discord, find harmony
3. out of difficulty, find opportunity

Because we don't integrate these ideas into our planning process right when we learn them. We take ideas and file them away, out of sight... we delete emails, figuring we've learned the message and will never forget it... we take a calendar, an invitation, a reminder, and we put it on the front of the refrigerator.. and then we forget it. Why? Because the refrigerator is the heaviest planner on the planet. Implement those ideas, get them into your planner, your PDA. Put an alarm on them, have them come up randomly to remind you, to rethink things.

Here's one goofy example of one of my random reminders: Listen to others more. Eat more Olive Oil, Breath deeply, Concentrate on creativity.

What should you be reminded of? Get it in your planner.

work well, be happy, keep in touch,

Tys

Here's another installment of the Philosophy of Organizing, with ideas and thoughts, and fun, all about getting organized, making life more simple, and better.

Junk Mail and Telemarketers

I believe that shopping should be done when you need it, and researched by looking at the competition. Thus, junk mail and telemarketers are automatically not a good way to go.. besides being annoying and filling your time and space. Get off those lists by going to this site: http://www.dmaconsumers.org/dmasponsorship.html

You can print out a form and send it in, or you can do it online and pay $5. It takes your name off junk mailing lists, and telemarketing calls.

Quick philosophy notes:

From obligation to possibility
The real goal when getting organized is to move away from Obligation and towards Possibility. When we scramble around putting out the fires of obligation, we don't have time to think about the possibilities... or the time to take true advantage of these tasks we're doing. Don't look at your day as filled with so many things to dread... look at it as possibilities. The best way to do this is make a list, do everything that would take less than two minutes right now, and plan when you'll do the rest... then follow through.

Digital allows for "Collection without Commitment"
When I used my Franklin planner, I loved to add special thoughts and ideas to my pages... but I had to be careful about what I put in... I had limited space, and didn't want to 'cloud up' my planner with a lot of junk. Well, in one sense, I'm free of that now.... With my Palm Pilot being digital, I can throw tons of stuff on there, never worrying about increasing the weight of the thing, never worrying about losing data in the pile of other stuff... The digital nature of my Palm allows me to collect ideas, facts, junk... without censorship.. without 'commitment'. It's sort of the 'pack rat' mentality, only without the waste of space... you never know when you might need it..

A simple way to remember Organizing principles: LIES

• Limit the amount of storage -- you don't need more room, you need less stuff!
• Isolate in storage -- put things away where they belong
• Eliminate unnecessary things -- if you haven't used it in a year, get rid of it!
• Separate incompatible material -- put like items with like items.

A lighthearted look at getting things done:
Someone sent me an article that said the way to achieve inner peace is to finish things you've started. It is definitely working for me. I am now making a point of always finishing what I start, and I think I am well on my way toward finding inner peace. Because I care for you, I am passing this wisdom on to you. Here are the things that I have finished today: two bags of potato chips, a strawberry cheesecake, a package of Oreo's, a bottle of wine, and a small box of chocolates. I think this really works because I feel better already!!! Pass this along to everyone you know who may need Inner Peace.

And finally, as always, if you know anyone who would benefit from these ideas, pass on the email. If you know of anyone who might need a Professional Organizer, pass their email on to me... and I'll follow up, since if they're not organized, they might loose mine if you give it to them!

Take care, work well, KISS (keep it simple, sweetheart)

Tys

September 2002

Greetings friends,

Here's the next installment of the philosophy of efficiency newsletter, as always, designed to be read in under 2 minutes so you can get on with your day.

Simple as ABC

We are often slowed down by interactions with others. On one hand, this is what life in the human race is all about.. interacting with those around us to learn, to get things done, to express feelings. On the other hand, these things slow down our plans and schedules.

To be more efficient, remember the old salesman's battle cry (highlighted so well in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross A. B. C. "Always Be Closing".. I don't mean you have to take on a cutthroat attitude about interactions, just start to adopt the language and habits of 'moving the deal forward'... Another way to look at it is 'getting all the balls out of your court'. There are too many different areas of life where this can apply to list out here, but for example:

leave good voicemail. When you get a machine, speak clearly, quickly, and to the point. State what you wanted from the call, and what next step they can take. Then say your number s-l-o-w-l-y, so people don't have to rewind to hear it.

write well thought out email. Use email to express a longer opinion, to dissect facts, and to give information.

use 'closing language' in your interactions, like:

the alternatives "would you like to get together Tuesday at 2 or Wednesday at 3?"

the assumption "we'll do this on the 21st"

urgency "if you let me know now, I can lock it in my calendar"

flexible "if that works for you, we can go with it"

no news is good news "call me if that doesn't work, otherwise, see you there"

The bottom line here is to get rid of the things that people are waiting on you for... clear your decks so that you can work on projects and tasks at your convenience, and other people's deadlines won't be an issue for you. By always 'hitting back what people serve at you' you'll always be ready to play the next game.

password thoughts

As a client of mine, you know I favor digital solutions whenever possible. The expansion capabilities, the ease of integration, the lack of muss and fuss all make working online, in a PDA, or via email a great way to go. Many of those things come with passwords and login names that can start to be confusing and difficult to remember. One password across the board has been my advice in the past... but things are getting a little more dicey in the world of digital security, and so there's a new way to look at this. I still use one and only one login name when asked. Many online systems are getting smart and asking for your email as your login name, which is fine (just remember I also advise only having one email address for all things).

Then, you want 2 passwords. One for the frivolous, 'don't worry about security' stuff --travel sites, magazine sites, forum discussions, etc... and one for important stuff --financial, health, etc. Make them similar, but distinctive. Be able to remember both, and distinguish between them easily. Also make the secure one quite complicated.. you don't want just a couple numbers that some random program could guess at.

Feel free to pass this on to others, and let me know if you run into anyone who might need a philosopher of efficiency in their lives. take care and work well,

Tys

August 2002 This is to keep you in the mind of efficiency, and let you in on some tricks and tactics of productivity. PLEASE email this to others and let them know I'm out here. You can CC me on the email, and that way I can follow up. (being the productive guy I am and all).

This is designed to be a quick 2 minute read, so you can learn things, then file it, and not have to have it sit in your inbox waiting for the right time.

Categories of Paperwork.

Really, when you get right down to what sort of paper you have in your home or office, there's really only 2 kinds : what you need to get at and work with regularly (whether that be monthly or daily) and what you need to store away somewhere... and there's only 2 types of storage: stuff in a 'at hand' filing system from the last year that you might need to access, or add to .. and.. stuff that you are only holding onto for the record keeping, like tax receipts. (See earlier newsletters or ask for a reference sheet as to how long to hold onto what sort of records). The monthly/daily paperwork should be simple to understand, maybe 20 folders at the most... including a bill folder. With the bill folder method, you either put when the different bills are due on your calendar and go into the folder for the specific bill to pay, or simply plan one day a month to pay them all off.

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A couple quick reminds on ways to lose your clutter:

Be 'anti-materialistic':

- think about what you have before you buy anything new. Don't stock up on stuff, don't just buy it because it's on sale, make sure you really are out of something before you buy another one.

- Don't keep things just because 'they might be of use someday'... and justifying holding onto something for 20 years because you finally found a use for it doesn't work!

- Be low impact, like when camping... "leave only footprints, take only photographs"..wasn't that a kodak ad?

- If you think you need a bigger place or better storage units.. think again, and get rid of things

- If it seems you could never part with something, put it in a box with the other 'valuables', and date the box..a year later, if you haven't gone to the box for that thing, throw out the box.

- Don't pick stuff up (brochures, magazines, samples, articles) that you might use someday... Don't be the library, every City already has those! and the internet comes right to your house without the need for recycling!

- Immediately toss junk mail into the recycling the first time you touch it. If you really want to look through a catalog, treat it like a magazine, and put it in the "to read" place... maybe the bathroom?... but once it's read, toss it!

- reduce junk mail permanently by writing (or going through their online service for $5) the Direct Marketing Association http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html#mail (also great for telemarketers)

- Do Not keep a pile of the same magazines around that you intend to 'catch up on someday'... let them go, feel the freedom, and enjoy this month's issue.

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A thought on goals:

Better to have MANY realistic milestones that you set and meet on a regular basis, than to have big, audacious goals that put off your sense of accomplishment far out in the future. Have a goal for every month, every week, every day. Don't be stingy about patting yourself on the back OFTEN -- and share your accomplishments so others can give you appreciation.

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Do you have specific challenges that I could address in the next issue (that we don't already go over in person, of course)?

Keep on clearing the decks for more productivity.

Tys

July 2002

Greetings friends and philosophers,

Here's July's installment of the 'Philosopher of Efficiency' newsletter. I realize it's half way through the month, but in staying with my pledge to keep this simple and relevant, I didn't want to write until I had a good batch of hints and thoughts. The idea is that you can read this in 2 to 3 minutes, then forward it to friends, and file it for your own reference... or delete it when you have absorbed the ideas.

Thought #1:

In many parts of our lives, we can spend a typical amount of energy dealing with something, and that 'task', whether it is a job, an education, a project, a relationship.. will spread out over the time you allow it to take. OR, we can make a big push to accomplish something, which takes us to another level. It's a simple idea, of course. The world of organizing gives us the best example: you can stumble around a messy basement, just taking a extra few minutes to find things or work around things... or you could spend a day, really clean up the basement, have that feeling of freedom, and never spend that annoying time again. My thought today is to apply this to the many other aspects of life: in a job, you can just show up, and end up at that same position years later, or you can put a lot of effort in, and move up to better things. the same goes for any project, work out, learning experience... maybe even a relationship? See where you can apply this simple idea from organizing to the rest of your life.

A New Perspective:

Reading through some Professional Organizer material the other day, I came across this thought, that might lend itself to a new way of looking at things.

Clutter can be defined in 4 categories:

things you do not use or love
things that are untidy or disorganized
too many things in too small a space
anything unfinished

The first three aren't ground breaking, but important to hear, and isn't 'anything unfinished' an interesting way to look at clutter. Just because it's put away or not taking up too much space, it still occupies your mind, and your energy. While the talent of multi-tasking is a great thing to be born with, realizing the importance of finishing one thing before moving on to another can give you energy, and clear your clutter.

A Digital Horror Story you Don't want to Repeat Yourself

So I thought I had everything figured out with Outlook, and that my auto-archive feature was taking care of saving all the emails I'd sent and received over the years I'd had my old laptop... well, it was, but it was doing it in one gigantic file! Now, even though I've tried to compress it, compress fractions of it, and even fractions of those, I can't get a small enough file to put onto a floppy disk--the only way to transfer data from my old laptop. If I want to save these documents (and I do, they are my correspondence with the world for the past 4 years) I'm going to have to go back and very meticulously cut out every folder and shrink it down....a project that will take many hours. Don't let this happen to you, even if you have more memory, and CD burning capabilities. Manually archive your separate folders every month. Don't try to edit your saved folders besides the editing you should be doing 'on the fly'... don't save an email if you know it's deletable.

Parting tip:

Keep fresh water by your computer.. every time you have to wait for it to do something, take a drink. You'll be happy you hydrated, and the wait doesn't seem so long.

keep in touch, work well,

Tys

June 2002 Greetings, philosophers of Efficiency,

This is the next email installment of the efficiency newsletter to clients and friends who are working on moving through things that are slowing them down. As always, I'll try and remind you of some of the basics of organizing, and bring some new ideas, all while keeping this under a 3 minute read... so you can file it (Forward it if you want, please!) and move on in your busy day.

Tired of junk mail?

Do you know about the rules wizard within MS Outlook? This great little feature filters your email as it comes in using keywords you can enter yourself. In outlook, go to tools, under that, go to rules wizard, and walk through the steps... you can even set up a folder to allow the junk to pile up, and you can look at it...if you want! Let me know if you'd like me to send you the list of keywords I use for you to drop in.

More speedy things....

Make your own shortcut keys, so you don't have to click on things. Right click on an icon you want to set up a shortcut to, (Outlook, Internet Explorer) choose 'create shortcut'... then go to the 'shortcut key' and simply push the one you want to use. I'd suggest F12, F11, etc. You'll feel the difference right away.

the opposite of shortcuts:

"Perfect your beingness by going slowly through the routine of your life until you have it mastered. Do the ordinary things that make up your life. Learn to do those things to the point of mastery. You'll find great satisfaction in them. Conduct your life from a place of quiet, calm loving.

Get it perfected so that the routine of your life does not distract you or disturb you and so you can maintain a state of loving in everything you do.

Then you can expand the scope of your activity, moving your loving heart out to others in a natural, ordinary way. Then you are just present with people, loving them. Living your life in an ordinary way can be the most tremendous service to your fellow man."

John-Roger

Here's a standard checklist for a closet. You don't need to follow every one to the letter, but this is something to shoot for:

-one color, thick plastic hangers

-remove dry cleaning bags, use a real bag if they need to be covered

-face all clothes in one direction

-group by type (skirts, jackets, vests, pants)

-organize by color, light to dark

-get shoes off the floor

- put less used things in the farthest away spots... then, if they sit there for a year, give them away!

And finally, some life maintenance:

Make your bed every day

Never leave dirty dishes in the sink

Put clean dishes away

Don't let paper touch an area that it doesn't belong, unless you are acting on it.

Take care, move smoothly, and work well.

Tys