I consider it a wake-up call. The sudden decline and death of my sweet little dog in a 24-hour period underscored for me that any one of us can be gone before we know what hit us. Once again, the organizer in me kicked in. My husband and I actually began discussing our final wishes 2 1/2 years ago, when we found ourselves unexpectedly responsible for the end-of-life decisions for a friend. (This led to a frank conversation with my parents, which…
Read more →Long-time readers of my organizing tips may recall an earlier rant of mine on the tyranny of coupons (Coupons: To Clip or Not To Clip?) Coupons induce us to behave in irrational ways that waste our time and create clutter. Similarly, sales are likely to have the same effect. When we are shopping for something specific, it’s quite delightful to find that the item we planned to buy is on sale and we can purchase it for less than expected. However,…
Read more →Overcoming procrastination is one of my most popular topics when teaching clients about time management. It appears to be something that everyone struggles with — including me. When faced with a task we’d rather avoid, we can be very creative in coming up with other things to keep us occupied. I’ve written previously about my struggle to overcome the lure of on-line Sudoku (see In Praise of Deadlines). Your particular stalling tactic might be watching TV, surfing Facebook, or obsessively…
Read more →Doesn’t it make you crazy when you send an e-mail to someone and never get a response? I’ve discovered that there are a number of reasons why this happens. It has very little to do with you, and all to do with them. Most people are just not very efficient e-mail managers. When I give talks on e-mail management, I ask, “How many of you have over 1,000 unread e-mails in your inbox?” Usually most of the attendees raise their hands!
Read more →When I was a child, I learned a rhyme that went like this: “Good, better, best. Never let it rest Until your good is better And your better best.” I always liked that sentiment, because I am a bit of a perfectionist. My feeling is that if you are going to do something, you might as well do the best job possible. Needless to say, that attitude has sometimes resulted in me spending too much time getting something from “really…
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