I’m a bit of a “good girl” when it comes to getting all the health checks done you’re supposed to get.

I’m not saying I like having them done; just that I do go get them done.

I had my annual gynae check-up last month as I find it easy to schedule it in the month of my birthday.

I also had a mole looked at that my massage therapist thought I should get checked out.

Have you had these health checks done this year yet?

• Dentist
• Optometrist (especially if you already wear glasses)
• Gynae
• Mammogram (if over 40)
• Pap smear
• Cholesterol
• Blood pressure

Did you know heart disease is called the silent killer in women? People think breast cancer’s the number 1 killer; it’s actually heart disease.

Now for a quick organising tip

1. buy one of those tiny month at a glance daily planners when they go on special during the first few weeks of January (I get mine at Exclusive Books or a Christian bookstore for about R20)
2. use this daily planner for the SOLE purpose of keeping track of your monthly cycles and any other health-related information
3. take this planner with you for any health checks and when the doctor asks you those questions you can never remember, all you do is haul it out and page through to get your information

(I love the look on their faces when I take my little planner out of my handbag and have all the information literally at my fingertips)

How are you doing on all your health checks?

I’m paranoid about forgetting anything. I once forgot something very dear to my heart and immediately put in a system to make sure it never happened again.

Do you want to know what happened?

I do some volunteer work at the church so I’d made an appointment to see someone on a public holiday and train another person at the same time. So I’m at home, pottering around the house and I get a phone call. “Ps Marcia, are you on your way?”

I immediately realised what happened, apologised while pulling on jacket and gloves, and raced out of the house. I might even have broken a few speed limits getting to the church.

However, I hated the embarrassment. I arrived to find the two of them having some coffee and chit-chat, and we all had a lovely time the rest of the evening.

I then vowed to never let that happen to me ever again.

So here’s what I now do and how you can also remember ALL your appointments:

1. Write everything down in your daily planner.

Everything! Even if I set up the meeting in Outlook, I still make a note of it on paper. (I’m a paper gal and make no apologies for it). You never know when you’ll have a power outage and you can’t access your electronic diary. Or when there’s a public holiday and you don’t look at your email

2. Make it a habit

If a meeting is recurring, I follow the exact same steps until it’s ingrained in me that it’s a habit. Like joining a new class at gym. Or scheduling a new coaching client. Or putting a new system into place, like a weekly back-up instead of monthly.

3. Set multiple reminders

If I need to leave at a specific time to get somewhere, I set reminders in Outlook and sync to my phone. Because sometimes you do get carried away, especially when you’re working hard and you’re “in the zone”. The phone’s my back-up if I’m not working in Outlook.

4. Work your system

A system will only work if you work the system.

That means checking your paper planner every day. Or reading and actioning your reminders on Outlook instead of just clicking “snooze” or even “dismiss” by accident.

I check my daily planner as part of my evening routine so that I can mentally prepare for the day ahead and of course, choose appropriate clothes

Your action challenge

Decide on your back-up system – whether phone, Outlook or paper – and try it out for the next week.

Marcia Francois is a time management coach and speaker who helps busy women break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and take purposeful and focussed action. Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

P.S. This article was first published in 2007

Be gentle with me.

I have another confession.

Of all the aspects of my life, after the library books (since I wrote that post, I’ve actually been very good about returning them on time. Who knew that airing my dirty laundry would fix my issues???), the next area that is most disorganised is my photos.

Strangely, they probably don’t seem disorganised to the majority of the population but to me, they’re desperately disorganised.

Also, I don’t seem to have a system for printing and displaying photos.

The only time I print some is if either I buy a beautiful photo frame or I’m given one as a gift.

The other day at work someone suggested I get a digital photo frame to display pics of my gorgeous babies (yes, I’m biased).

Immediately I jumped to conclusions and said, “oh, that’s way too expensive” until I heard what it cost – between R500 and R700.

My word, that’s almost nothing when you consider the cost of printing!

I felt like such an idiot though for simply assuming it was out of my budget.

I am now the very proud owner of a digital photo frame and I’m pleased that I (almost) never have to print photos again

How often do you print photos? What do you do with them?

It’s hard to be productive when your space is not only a mess, but also disorganised.

60% of people are visual (I am too!) so clutter and “stuff” strewn all over the place will just drive you up the wall!

Before we start, let’s get ready:

(a)       put on some upbeat music (not slow love songs – fast music!)

(b)       make sure you have a BIG wastepaper basket

(c)        get another plastic basket for items that belong in another room

So what do you need to do?

1. Back up your files

Do NOT open your email programme before you start or you’ll get sidetracked!

DO put a recurring reminder in Outlook to do this on a monthly basis, or more frequently than that.

Remember last year when I lost EVERYTHING on my flash drive? It only translated to about 2 hours’ work because I’d backed up my computer a few weeks before that.

Now, while your computer is backing up…

2. Clean off your desk

You can do this in 30 seconds (that’s why you have the upbeat music) – yes, really. Play a game with yourself and say, “by the end of this song, my desk is going to be clean”. Works for me

Put all items belonging in another room in the plastic basket. Don’t go to the actual room to put them away – you don’t want to get sidetracked!

Throw any cooldrink cans, sweet papers, etc. in the wastepaper basket. Put all the little notes inside your desk notebook (you do have ONE desk notebook, don’t you?) and set to one side.

If you don’t use the item on a DAILY basis, it shouldn’t be on your desk. By the same token, if you use something every day, make a place for it within arm’s reach.

E.g. My headset for Skype calls is on a hook on the wall above my desk – near enough that I can just reach for it, but not taking up valuable real estate on the desk.

See? 30 seconds and you’re done!

I *do* know this is the Quick & Easy way – if you want ALL the detail, check out 7 easy steps to organise your office at http://takechargesolutions.org/?page_id=17

3. Sort out the paper

Take out the desk notebook with all the little notes. I use a spiral-bound notebook with a lovely, bright yellow and lime-green cover because it makes me happy to write my notes in a beautiful notebook

Write down all those bits and pieces – your internet provider’s helpline, website addresses, people to look up on Facebook, etc.

Throw away all the junk mail and paper you don’t need (and take it to your recycling bag later).

Put all the filing in ONE pile – you can do this in front of the TV later!

Now doesn’t that feel better? A lovely, neat and organised office!

Marcia Francois is a time management and organising coach who empowers small business owners and other busy professionals who want to make the most of their time. You’ll get simple, practical organising and time management secrets to help you work less and enjoy life more! Visit http://takechargesolutions.org for your free Organising Success Pack.

I really want to connect more with you guys so I thought I’d start something new on the blog – a question of the week.

So, without further ado, here’s this week’s question:

Do you keep birthday cards?

If yes, how long?

I only keep birthday cards if the person wrote a personal message to me that was particularly meaningful.

I keep them out for about a month or until the clutter starts annoying me, whichever comes first Then into my memory box…

How about you?

I get many questions from clients and readers and one of the most common questions is this one:

How do I leave work earlier? I am working so late every evening and I don’t have a life outside of the office?

Here are my suggestions:

1. Make a list at the end of every day

This will help you to hit the ground running every day when you get to work and actually be more productive once you’re there.

2. Focus on your priorities first

Use an Eat the Frog principle and do nothing else before your main priorities (frogs) are accomplished every day.

3. Set some boundaries

If you are currently working until 6 or 7 every night (or even later), then set a small goal that says you won’t work until later than 6 every night next week (or earlier if you can). Then stick to it.

The next week set your goal a bit earlier – 5.45 and then 5.30 until you’re working until 5 normally (or whenever you’d like your work day to end). You can work late now and again (if you absolutely have to) but don’t make it a habit.

4. Set reminders in Outlook

Set a recurring appointment for the next month.

The appointment should be made for 30 minutes before you want to leave your office and should say tidy desk and write tomorrow’s to-do list.

Coaching tip – If you find it really hard to leave, make an appointment outside the office so that you absolutely have to leave at a certain time.

When I find myself slipping into the bad habit of working late, I start scheduling earlier gym classes and I hold myself accountable to a gym friend. Or I make a hair appointment to force myself to leave the office.

If you put these four tips into practice consistently, I guarantee that you will soon be leaving your office earlier to enjoy the rest of your life.

Since it’s Friday today, why not resolve to start next week off on a good note.

Make your list now and set that appointment in your Outlook calendar.

P.S. Let me know how you do

So many readers write in with this question: “how do I deal with overwhelm?”

A few weeks ago, I was dealing with my own overwhelm.

I had many meetings day after day after day (which means you get behind on the office stuff), my normal business activities plus I had to re-write a LOT of the copy for the website. All on deadline!

Add the stuff of life like cooking, cleaning and gym and you can see why I felt overwhelmed.

Doesn’t it feel good to know you’re not alone?!

We all have our own stories but the FEELINGS are exactly the same – a sense of being out of control and a to-do list a mile long!

So what did I do to cope?

1. Make a list

I printed out 10 of my master to-do lists (get yours in your Organising Success Pack) because it felt like I had hundreds of things to do.

I used one page for each project – website, clients, etc…

The amazing thing was my imagination was much worse than reality because I only needed 4 of those 10 pages Honestly, it does help to see how bad it really is, or isn’t.

2. Ask yourself a key question

When you feel overwhelmed, it’s important to realise that “this too shall pass” and to CONTINUALLY ask yourself this question:

What is the MOST important use of my time right now?

Remember, it’s not about being busy, but about being effective!

3. Cut out all non-essentials

Once you have the answer to the question in number 2, it’s easier to cut out the non-essentials.

Let go of the minor website changes and the email responses to your blog comments. Rather answer only client emails.

When the busy period is over, re-look at those non-essentials and REALLY question whether you even need to add them back into your life.

4. Focus and eat your frog

Now that you know what is MOST important, switch off cell phones, email, etc. and get it done.

If you have to do a proposal for a company, do nothing else til it’s done. That’s so that even when your day is done and the to-do list is still half a mile long, at least you have a sense of ACCOMPLISHMENT in having completed that most important task.

5. Categorise and batch

Once you’ve eaten your frog, and you still have energy, then categorise whatever’s left and tackle those items in batches.

Take your to-do list and use letters in the margin, like P for phone, E for email, etc. Then pick up the phone and make all your phone calls in one go. You save energy because you prepare once instead of 5 different times in the day.

And THAT is how I dealt with my overwhelm.

Next time you feel overwhelmed, try these 5 steps and get rid of that overwhelm at once.

Marcia Francois is a time management and business organising coach who helps small business owners make the most of their time. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com for your free 7-part audio series, 7 tips for time-strapped business owners.

We eat quite a bit of rice at home – in stir-fries, with curries, with chicken a la King, etc.

And lately I haven’t been enjoying the rice one bit.

Not because it’s rice but because somehow (can I blame this one on the twin pregnancy??) I’d forgotten how to cook rice properly.

And now I have to confess…

Hi, I’m Marcia and I can’t follow a recipe.

I promise I set out with really good intentions but before I’m three steps in, I somehow think I can do it better and before you know it, I’ve done a “version” of whatever the recipe is.

I will say that when I bake, I do follow the recipe exactly as I once heard Nigella say, “baking is like chemistry and you have to do things exactly so”. Or words to that effect

Anyway, back to the rice.

So last week, I literally had to steel myself to follow the directions on the pack to cook the rice I’d bought.

Do you know what happened?

The rice turned out PERFECTLY!

And I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken curry.

As I was cooking I thought about how this is so much like life.

We think we know everything and yet our lives run so much more smoothly when we get back to basics. Even though it’s a bit boring.

• making a menu plan
• planning our weeks and days
• making to-do lists
• going to gym (!)
• taking vitamins and eating healthy
• setting out our clothes the night before
• etc, etc.

How good are you at getting back to basics? Or at following a recipe?

What if you took just ONE tiny step closer to your goals every single day?

Just one.

It sounds harder than it is.

Honestly.

Let’s say your goal is to write a book.

Many people have this on their “things to do before I die” lists so I know this resonates with a lot of you.

It’s on my list too

What is the absolute first step?

Decide what to write about. This step looks simple but you need to see if people would read it, if publishing houses would buy it, if there’s a market so it will actually sell.

So maybe the first two weeks is spent checking all that out.

The rest of the month might be outlining the whole book – what do you need to cover, how many chapters? Etc, etc.

And then comes the writing. If I were coaching you, I’d make you write at least 5 minutes a day because writers WRITE.

To some, that seems like nothing much but 5 mins a day is 35 mins a week which is over 2 hours a month, at the very least.

And of course, some days just getting those 5 minutes done will be a miracle but other days, you’d spend 30 minutes or more easily writing.

That’s exactly what I mean when I say you can make big leaps with just a step a day.

People ask me how I get so many things done and it’s because I do exactly this.

Now I will confess I don’t always feel like writing or recording audio or _______ (fill in whatever you don’t like doing) but I do know that it will move me towards my goals.

So I have a rule.

EVERY WEEK, come hell or high water, I need to do AT LEAST one thing to move me towards my goals.

This helps me focus on outcomes even when I’m really busy. Busy with “stuff” means goals not achieved.

Think about one of your goals. Let’s say you want to go on a holiday to Ireland

Let’s break it down.

1. Decide exactly where in Ireland you want to visit.
2. Investigate prices of airfare, hotels, B&B’s, tourism, food, etc.
3. Check your savings account to see what you have available.
4. Based on the shortfall, decide on the amount of money you need to save every month.
5. Decide length of holiday and itinerary while there.
6. Book flights and check if you need a visa.
7. Book accommodation.
8. Book car rental/ decide on method of transport.
9. Pack your bags
10. Go!

Grab a piece of paper and write your own steps for your goal.

Your challenge this week is to take at least ONE step towards your goal this week.

Marcia Francois is a time management and business organising coach who helps small business owners break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and get important projects done. Visit http://organiseyourbusiness.com/ for your free 7-part audio series, 7 tips for time-strapped business owners.

Today’s my birthday!

I’ve been working on a list called 36 things to do once I turn 36 (as I’m 36 today) and thought I’d share some of them with you.

I firmly believe that when we “write down the vision and make it plain” it focuses us and helps us go for those goals.

That and the fact that maybe some people will help you realise some of your goals

Without further ado, here is a portion of my list:

1. Go on a beach holiday with the babies.
2. Travel internationally with Dion.
3. Once they can both walk, book a photo shoot (I want cute pics of them walking!)
4. Do random acts of kindness
5. Meet up with 3 blog/ online friends
6. Get involved in some form of ministry again, maybe talks at church?
7. Complete my vision book (it’s now too big for a board so I’m doing a double spread per area of my life, like family, travel, work, business, etc.)
8. Learn to make a halfway decent blog header with photos in less than 30 minutes
9. Learn to let go
10. Get better with my skincare routine
11. Give an unexpected gift to someone every week
12. Lower my expectations of myself and of others
13. Have lunch with a friend once a month
14. Get my website redesigned

If you feel so inclined, I’d love you to leave me a comment and tell me one thing on your life list, or if you don’t have a life list, your to-do list will do