I was listening recently to my local classical music station, WQXR. They are now a public radio station and they were having a pledge drive. They were offering all sorts of premiums to induce listeners to donate money. My first thought was, “Hey, I’m a monthly supporter of this station. How come I never get any free stuff?” Then I realized that I didn’t want any free stuff. I have enough tote bags and mugs, and I already own plenty…
Read more →The word “routine” is often used in a derogatory way to describe repetitive activities that do not delight or inspire. But I’m a big fan of establishing routines. They enable us to free up our brains to concentrate on other things. After I finished graduate school, I moved into my first apartment and started a full-time job. During the first few months, I sometimes stopped myself on the way to the subway and went back home to make sure I had…
Read more →A few weeks ago, I attended the monthly meeting of the New York chapter of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). Our speaker that night was Christine Li, Ph.D., who bills herself as the Procrastination Coach. Her talk was very wittily entitled, “I’ll Procrastinate Later: Getting from Self-Talk to Self-Start”. She shared information that we can use with our clients, and I enjoyed her presentation. I’m guessing that we are not her typical audience, however. She was definitely preaching to the…
Read more →As a child, I remember being very amused by a sign that said “Plan Ahead” but on which there was inadequate room for the letter “d” at the end, requiring it to sit on the next line. As a Professional Organizer, I pride myself on managing my time and my obligations, anticipating what needs to get done and by when so that I can meet my deadlines calmly and with confidence. And then there’s last Thursday. I had offered to take…
Read more →When we adopted our daughter as a 12-month old from a Chinese orphanage back in 1998, we had very little information about her background, and just a handful of photos. I decided that I would compensate for that by making her the most well-documented child in New York City history. Throughout my life, I had always made photo albums of my pictures, but I knew that I needed to take it to a higher level. Fortuitously, through a well-placed brochure…
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