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 →I took a week’s vacation last week. I didn’t go anywhere. But I was directing an off-off-Broadway musical, and it was Tech Week (known more affectionately in the biz as Hell Week). After two months of a more leisurely rehearsal schedule, we had rehearsals every night until 11 pm. The show opened on Friday night, and we needed to get everything just right — not just the performances but the costumes, sets, props, lighting, et al. — before meeting our first paying…
Read more →I’ve been home recovering from a cold for the last three days, so I’ve had an opportunity to step back and observe myself when I am on an unstructured schedule. Specifically, I’ve been able to see how I use my time when I have “all the time in the world”. This has been a particularly busy time for me. In addition to a full client load, I am directing an off-off-Broadway musical which opens in two weeks, which means that free time…
Read more →I have been cleaning out my refrigerator. It has taken several weeks, and I’m still not done. Why so slow? Because I have been doing it one shelf at a time. It started back in August when I noticed that my crisper drawer was completely empty. This is an unusual occurrence for us since we like to keep fruits and vegetables on hand. I decided to take advantage of its emptiness and give it a good scrubbing. It looked so good…
Read more →We took our 18-year old daughter to college a few days ago. It was a huge undertaking – physically, emotionally, and of course, organizationally. As I’ve mentioned before, I deal with emotional upheaval by getting organized. (See Love, Loss, and Organizing). Getting my daughter and all her stuff to school was a logistical puzzle that kept me focused and helped keep the emotions at bay. Before I go on vacation, admiring friends often say to me one or two weeks before, “I bet…
Read more →
