Guess what?

I had three parcels waiting for me when I returned from our holiday.

1. a gift from a friend
2. some rubber stamps I’d ordered – one of them has my word of the year, create, on it
3. a book I have TWO essays in

If you buy the book, my entries are on 6 August (my birthday) and 18 October (a random second date I was allocated). Here is the link on Amazon

I also have essays in the Moms and Motherhood version released around Easter last year and the Personal Heroes version which was released on 11 Sept.

The quality of this book is beautiful.

Do you know the best thing about having two pages in this book?

I’m inspired to get my book done!

How about you?

Are you inspired by your goals?

On Monday I told you how to choose your goals.

Today let’s talk about how to go from goals to reality.

My goals audio and handbook set goes into much more detail.

I could write about goals for the whole year – there is such a lot of ground to cover but instead, I’ll share the 3 tips that I think will get you at least half way there.

1. Write them down

If you’ve never written down your goals, then they’re only in your head and they’re dreams.

When you write down your goals, you “seal” your intention by putting pen to paper, or words on the computer document.

I’ve proven this in my own life and so have many clients, current and ex, as well as workshop attendees.

I firmly believe that just writing them down gets you a good way ahead of the pack.

Are your goals written down somewhere or are they on a mental list?

2. Print them out and stick them somewhere

This goes very nicely hand-in-hand with number 1.

Once you’ve written down your goals, you can stick the paper in a drawer or file folder, never to be looked at or you can stick it up somewhere.

For the record, I still think you’re better off just having written them down but making them visible is a secret tool in your arsenal.

Last year on the blog (http://OrganisingQueen.com) I put a picture of my goals. This post still gets TONS of real-life comments from people (sadly, not on the blog!) as well as emails.

Do you know why?

Because I put my goals in a little 10 X 15 frame on my desk because I honour them.

Where are your goals?

3. Make yourself accountable to someone

Most of us would do something more if we had accountability.

E.g. There’s a weight loss programme here in South Africa that is very successful. I think only a small part of the success is the food part but a HUGE part of people’s success is the weekly accountability. You’re accountable to your group leader so you go and weigh every week.

This is the same thing that happens with coaching.

When I know I’m talking to my coach in two days time, I knuckle down and get my tasks done. It’s the accountability that motivates me to action.

How about you? Do you have someone to be accountable to?

A like-minded friend, your spouse, a coach?

If you don’t have someone, I’d love to be your cheerleader. Book your personal session now.

Start putting those 3 steps into action and I guarantee you’ll be at least halfway to your goals, if not a lot further.

Look out for the Feb goals form on Monday.

lists are boring

Do you harbour any other myths about lists?

Are you a list-maker?

Are your lists working for you?

So the other day we were chatting in the office.

I think it started because it was cool or hot and one of my colleagues was dressed either too summery or too wintery.

Whatever.

We asked her about it and she said, “this was the outfit for today”.

Of course my ears perk up and I started interrogating gently questioning her.

She chooses full outfits for Monday to Thursday (we have casual day on Fridays) complete with handbags and jewellery on a Sunday, for the week ahead.

And then arranges them in a specific place within her wardrobe. She took a pic to show me but hasn’t sent me the jpg.

The funny thing is I was watching the other ladies as she was talking and some of them were twitching – it was way too structured for them. LOL

I choose my clothes the evening before as part of my evening routine.

I have to know the next day’s weather before I can choose clothes, you see.

One person said she thinks about what she wants to wear while in the shower and yet another said she first showers and then goes to her wardrobe, decides what takes her fancy and then dresses.

I love all the variety in thinking and organising styles.

What does your clothes prep look like?

BTW, if you read this by email or in a reader, please click through and leave your comment.

Spring into Organising happens tonight.

There’s still a few hours to join in.

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I like doing time experiments partly because I’m passionate about time, partly because I coach on this stuff and largely because I’m a nerd.

So I tried something different last week – I decided to batch blog for the week, all on a Monday night.

I noticed something interesting.

The first hour went very well and according to my plan – 3 posts in an hour.

The next hour went a lot slower and I did 2 posts in that hour.

Clearly I hit a peak and then my productivity slowed.

I want to try it again in a week or so’s time and see if the same thing happens.

Pros of batch blogging

1. I was working to the clock so I didn’t dilly-dally and check emails in between tasks like I normally do.
2. All posts done in one shot so I didn’t have to think about blogging for the rest of the week.
3. Saved me at least 30 minutes over the week, if not longer.

Cons of batch blogging

1. I was forced to plan everything for the week, on the weekend. I do have at least 2 – 3 posts planned (in my head) at any one time but this forced me to go the extra distance.
2. Lack of spontaneity

The pros definitely outweigh the cons. Hopefully I can sort out my productivity slump and come back stronger next time around

I happen to think that batching tasks is one of the best time management tips around. I do it regularly with cooking (on Friday night I cooked 4 meals in about an hour) and it saves me tons of time every week.

Do you batch blog? Do you do any tasks in batches?

Feature Friday is an occasional highlight of something that works in my home/ life.

I love menu planning.

It saves me such a lot of time and helps us all to eat healthier and shop better for groceries.

Here is my favourite little magnetic menu planning board (South Africans, I got it for R30 at Mega Mica about 3 years ago and it’s not actually intended for menu planning – I think it’s for kids’ homework).

I start off by cleaning the whole thing.

I then check my freezer and see if there’s anything I want to use up or if there are freezer meals that need eating.

Add those to the board.

Then I make sure we don’t eat any one carb two nights in a row (I like to switch things every night).

I only plan for Mon – Fri and on Saturdays and Sundays we fly by the seat of our pants.

Not really, I just felt like saying that.

We usually use up any leftovers or I’ll do the quickest thing which is a pasta.

Notice our meals are on top and the babies’ meals are on the bottom of the squares.

The babies eat what we had for supper the previous night since they eat at 5 pm and I’m not even home from work then. Except when we have spicy meals like curries.

And that’s it.

Easy-peasy menu planning.

I don’t consult a lot of recipe books except when I’m uninspired which is fairly rare because I do love food.

I have set myself a little goal this year though; I’m to try two new meals every month. Of course, all these new things are always cooked on the weekends which is the only time I have more than 30 minutes to spend in the kitchen.

Do you menu plan?

Do you cook the same things or do you like trying new recipes?

P.S. Are you joining me for Spring into Organising?

Apologies for those of you who saw the half-finished version of this last night.

When I clicked publish, WP decided to only publish the bit that you saw and when I found out, it was already way past my computer cut-off time

Here is the complete version, part two.

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I read TONS of blogs.

All sorts of blogs:

1. mommy
2. organising & productivity
3. business
4. leadership
5. home and decor
6. crafty
7. photography

I used to organise them by their categories.

This system worked okay, mostly, but if I ever skipped a day, immediately there’d be 120 and I’d feel overwhelmed before I even started reading.

And then, I felt like I needed to catch up so it wasn’t relaxing reading but guilt-filled reading.

Enough.

I thought about how I generally process my Google Reader and I read the blogs in this order:

1. blogs I always comment on
2. blogs I sometimes comment on
3. blogs that are pure inspiration and
4. business/ productivity/ leadership blogs

I took a deep breath and removed all the folders and tags from my subscriptions under Settings.

I then created new folders:

• always comment
• sometimes comment
• inspiration and reading
• business

I must tell you I love these changes because I’ve saved myself hours a week.

If I only have a few minutes I read the “always comment” folder or if I don’t have time to comment, I’ll choose something from inspiration and reading so I can just…read

If your subscriptions are all together in your Google Reader, and you’ve never categorised them, do try and let me know if it saves you any time.

Two questions for you:

How do you process your Google Reader?
Do your categories help you get through your reading faster, or not really?

PS Our winner for Clutter Rehab contacted me so third time’s a charm

PPS Have you signed up for 30 days of lists yet? This weekend is a good chance to get your book ready (don’t get caught up by perfectionism!)

There’s something so powerful about a central place to store all of your ideas, thoughts and to-do items.

You don’t feel distracted and scattered because everything is in one place.

Whenever I start feeling overwhelmed, I make a master to-do list of everything I need AND want to do.

My current list contains things I have to sent out in the mail, business projects I want to work on, and documents I need to update, like some e-books and coaching tools.

So why a master to-do list?

What’s wrong with the back of an envelope and millions of post-it notes?

1. Writing it all down frees up your brain for big picture thinking so you don’t have to concern yourself with remembering details.

2. It eliminates all the bits and pieces of paper, post-it notes, backs of envelopes, etc.

3. There is something about the act of actually putting pen to paper that seals things in your mind. If you’ve ever been on one of my goal-setting workshops, you know exactly what I mean.

4. Once you see it in black and white, you can deal with reality so much better rather than imagining how bad it all is.

5. You can choose the exact number of tasks you want to tackle every day (I don’t recommend more than 6) without feeling overwhelmed. Move these 6 tasks to your daily to-do list.

My challenge to you

* Download my paper-based master to-do list from my website or use Outlook if you like the electronic version. The method doesn’t matter much; what does matter is that you have a central place to collect your tasks.

* First brain dump everything – go wild, you can sort it out later.

* Now, make categories and then start attacking that list.

Happy organising!

Over to you – do you use master to-do lists?

Marcia Francois is a time management coach and speaker who inspires busy women to break out of overwhelm, make the most of their time and take purposeful and focussed action so they have the time and freedom to live life to the full.

Visit  http://purposefultimemanagement.com  for your free Time Management Purpose Pack.

There’s still time to enter the giveaway for the Clutter Rehab book.

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I personally can’t think of many things that stress people out so much as the feeling of being overwhelmed.

Overwhelm can happen both in work, business or in your personal life.

The absolute best tip ever to start feeling less overwhelmed is to stop and grab a master to-do list or a piece of blank or lined paper.

I included a master to-do list in my Time Management Purpose Pack which you can get for free on my website.

Take 10 minutes and empty your mind my writing down each and every thing on the list.

Just try it – I promise you you’ll not only feel better when you’re done BUT you’ll also then have a realistic picture of what you need to do.

Hint – it’s often a lot less than you think.

If you think in categories as I do, then print one list for each segment of your life – I usually do one for personal, one for work and one for business so that you don’t have to rewrite the items at a later point when you want to work on one area.

This is just a small sample of the steps I take you through in my Break out of Overwhelm audio teleseminar.

It’s my favourite product of all time (yes, really) because I personally use it a couple of times a year when my life gets too hectic and I start feeling overwhelmed.

Here’s what one person had to say… 

The Break Out of Overwhelm seminar was terrific and really hit home with me!  I got sooo much out of it.

I learned a few very important things.  First of all, I hate to eat my frogs and yet they are so very important. Secondly, I have to say no and third,  I realized just how overwhelmed I really am. My health is at stake and sometimes I feel like I am in a total shutdown.

The analogy  you used to illustrate the overwhelm in our lives was great.  I now know how to apply “emergency first aid”!!!!  I also love knowing how to use my Organizing Personality to reduce my overwhelm.

The important thing here I believe, is that  I recognize the problem, I am facing the problem,  I just have to sort the alternatives I have.

So, as a result of the teleseminar, I have recognized my overwhelm,  set my goals, and already, after one day, I ate my frog.  I really got a lot out of this!!  You did a great job!

Mary Perlongo

New York

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One more thing before I go…

If you haven’t booked your place for the Inspired workshop yet, do so now. Bookings close in 8 days.

On a scale of 1 – 10, I was feeling like a 10 about 10 days ago. Once I made my lists (I think I had a combined total of about 65 items), I felt TONS better.

Today I’m a 2 because I’ve had a really good couple of productive days.

Where are you on the overwhelmed scale?

Do you live in Gauteng?

Do you need some time out?

Bookings are now open for the live workshop I’ll be holding on Saturday morning, 13 August.

Click here to find out the full scoop and see how you can join me.

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I had so very many questions in the recent survey from readers wanting to know how I manage to do it all.

I’m not sure if I should be flattered that you think I do it all because I really don’t.

Yes, I probably do a lot because I’ve always had quite a bit of energy but there’s much more I don’t do.

Let me explain:

1. I’m very clear on my life purpose

I have a life mission typed out (not pretty or cute, just typed out) and I know my definition of success in life.

I also know my values. A quick secret – one of those values is not to have the laundry perfectly done (far from it), but it is to take consistent action.

Are you clear on your life purpose?

2. I’m best friends with “good enough”

For me, it’s better to have something done than have it perfect.

If you’re cringing at that sentence, let me tell you that I used to be you. Until I got coached on the fact that trying to get the last 20% of any project perfect usually takes more time than it took to do the previous 80%.

E.g. if I think of something that’s completely out of my comfort zone, making a picture collage in Picasa, it literally takes a few minutes to select some pics and group them in a collage. The playing with it to get the best configuration with the best background and font, etc, etc takes about 3 – 5 times longer than just the collage.

Of course, there is a time and place for prettying something up – maybe for your children’s birthday party *ahem* but for general sending out of occasional pics to family, it’s not necessary to be perfect. Good enough is more than fine.

Do you know when 80% is enough, or are you still stuck on perfect?

3. I have a To Not Do list

We all know there are 24 hours in a day and there is not enough time to do everything.

So it is key to know which things to leave on the To Not Do list.

In my business, I do only things that need my “essence” (for lack of a better word) and delegate the rest.

My virtual assistant, Patricia, uploads my articles to the directories and does everything on my to Not do list.

In my personal life, it’s important for me to cook from scratch (I like knowing what the “babies” eat) but I don’t peel and chop the veggies myself, the nanny and Pick & Pay help with that.

Can you see the difference?

4. I decide where I want to use my time and I don’t feel guilty about the other areas

Be intentional about your time usage. I watch (it’s on in the background) about 20 minutes of TV Mon – Fri as I change from work clothes, pack gym clothes and work bag, etc.

That’s it.

If you spend more time watching TV because it’s your relaxation, have at it. Don’t feel guilty.

I’ve chosen to do otherwise. Neither is right or wrong.

I do spend about 3 – 3.5 hours on the computer in the evenings, working on the business and connecting with friends through email/ Facebook.

I don’t feel guilty about that time because I know why I’m doing it.

Of course I procrastinate sometimes by surfing blogs too much but since I generally get things done, occasionally if I slip up, I don’t beat myself up about it.

How about you?

Where do you want to be spending your time and why? Are you intentional about it?

5. I take consistent action

Unfortunately getting things done is not going to just happen so you’ve got to take action all the time.

Whether it’s doing just one big forward leap or lots of little leaps, I try to take some action every day.

I’m fairly good at constantly reviewing where I am in relation to my goals – I don’t know if it’s because that’s just who I am or because I coach.

Confession – when I feel like I’m getting stuck (which happens about two – three times a year), I get specific coaching to help get me unstuck. There is nothing worse for me than that feeling of not moving forward.

I’ve been working with a new coach and one of my key goals for the next 3 months is to start and finish my book. So far so good.

Do you take enough regular action? Do you have a plan when you get stuck?

To end off, let me leave you with one of my favourite quotes:

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials.

-Lin Yutang

A few weeks ago I found myself going to bed at 12 – 12:30 every night. Or morning, as the case may be.

I couldn’t understand why, as life was quite normal, or so I thought.

Usually when I feel like things are getting away from me time-wise, I stop and take stock.

I have a couple of tricks – the same tricks I use with my clients – and this time I outlined a typical day in my life. In Excel

Do you know what I found?

Some days originally ended up having total of 24 hours (I think 2 of them) and the other days had 25, 26 and 2 days had 28 hour days.

I was trying to do way too much in a day.

It started because when I first went back to work after my maternityh leave, I was working a slightly shorter day.

As the children grew, my work day lengthened and I’ve been working a standard 8-hour day for nearly a year now but still trying to cram everything in. An extra 2 hours of everything.

Well, I worked that Excel spreadsheet and beat it into shape til all the days balanced nicely on 24.

I made sure I kept all my sleep time, all my reading time (these are the small and oh-so-necessary pleasures in my life) and I got even smarter with my business time.

For instance, I’ve always coached on Tuesdays and Thursdays (and Saturday mornings, if I’m working with Australians or New Zealanders).

Monday is my writing day – blogs, newsletter, etc.

Wednesday is project day, whatever the current project happens to be in my business.

Seeing the evidence that I’m trying to do too much was a bit of a wake-up call for me and I’ve had to force myself to slow down a bit and lower my expectations of myself.

I’m not Superwoman and I can’t work a full day, come home and play with the babies, put them to bed, cook a meal from scratch, eat with Dion, do my business, blog, go to gym, etc, etc. every single day.

Some days I can go to gym but those are not the days I can cook from scratch.

It’s been freeing seeing the situation in black and white.

How about you though?

Are you also trying to be Superwoman?

Have you written down everything you try to do in a day and see how much time it all takes?

Let me know in the comments.

P.S. Thanks for all your great suggestions for the 40th gift. I think we’re going to go with an experience type of gift. I’ll have to do final investigation but I feel we’re on the right track. Now if it were me, I’d like a zipline experience in the Magaliesberg…