Today marks an important milestone for me. It is exactly one year that I have kept off the 40 pounds that I lost over a six-month period in 2014. I’ve lost weight before on various programs, but I have never been successful in keeping all of it off for one year. What made the difference this time? I have concluded that a successful weight loss program is like an organizing project. These are the key aspects. Having a goal. I had a clear…
Read more →When my daughter was a toddler, she used to crack us up by saying, “I do it myself,” immediately followed by “Help!” Her desire for independence was strong, but not strong enough to overcome her youthful lack of competence. As grownups, it can be hard to admit when we need help. I’ve written before about the ways in which I have sought professional assistance to accomplish important personal goals (see my prior tip, “Getting Help When You Need It“). A…
Read more →Don’t you love it when you have the opportunity to disprove an assumption that you have made about yourself? I sure do. As you may know already, the only reason I do vigorous exercise twice a week is because I’ve hired a personal trainer to come to my home. Without someone showing up at my door and staring at me until I start moving, it’s just not going to happen. (If you need similar motivation and live in NYC, I cannot…
Read more →I recently returned from the annual conference of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) in Scottsdale, Arizona. I spent several days with my colleagues from all over the world, hearing new ideas for serving our clients and running our businesses. The NAPO conference is always fun, energizing, and inspiring. In coming weeks, I’ll be reporting on new products, and other lessons I took away from the conference. I flew back on the red-eye from Phoenix to JFK Airport. I…
Read more →It always surprises me when someone asks me for my address even though this person has been to my house before. Everyone has a way of capturing contact information, don’t they? It may be in electronic form, or it may be in a physical address book. So why would someone have to ask me for my address again? I think it’s because it is just not a habit for most people to retain contact information beyond its initial usefulness. But it’s…
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