It just dawned on me that many think I am organized because I work from home, so I have tons of time.
Well honey, you need to know that I had more time when I worked full time in the corporate world.
At one point I was working full time for Employment and Insurance Canada, running a picture framing business from my basement, raising my two step-daughters, Oh, and while building our home in the country while we were living in it.
So if you think you don't have "time" to be organized..
..
you need to adjust your thinking.
You don't have time NOT to be organized.
Being organized is what enabled me to juggle all of our commitments, and I still fit in time to sew.
I used to TRY to sew one thing each week.
Of course that was a bit ambitious at times, but I was always working on something (because I love sewing, that is my hobby.
) A friend wanted to know how did I find time to sew? It is simple, it is the same principle I use for organizing which I teach in my book "21 Steps From Chaos To Calm.
" Because life is busy.
As a matter of fact, doesn't it seem to be getting busier? The computer was supposed to reduce paper, but it seems to have increased paper as well as eating up larger chunks of our time.
We no longer need a phone book, I just Google and get the information I need faster, but then something else pops up and grabs my interest.
The next thing you know I am reading one website after another.
I have to catch myself and get back on track.
You know what they say, "If you want something done, give it to a busy person.
" I guess that is why I used to be asked if I could do some alterations, help with some cleaning, work late, bring some home baking.
And I always fit it in.
Here are some of the things I did to get organized and keep on top of things: Get up an hour earlier Monday to Friday My husband Ken used to work for CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) hosting the morning radio show.
He was up at 4 every morning.
When he got off work he would go home and have a nap.
By the time I got off work, we made supper and then every night we were booked with meetings or aerobic classes.
Then to bed early.
I found that by getting up earlier, I used that hour as my time.
It didn't take long and getting up at 5 was no problem because I was sleeping better at night.
I loved that hour in the morning.
I did my sewing one morning, baking another, laundry another and house work.
By doing this, we had our weekends free.
This is especially helpful in the summer when you want to enjoy the outdoors more.
Try it, you will love it.
Write everything down Don't rely on your memory.
Write it down, whatever it is you need to do, and this includes things that are your HOBBY and fun things.
Unfortunately I was raised that we couldn't play until work was done.
That actually is something I have to battle with to this day, because work is NEVER done.
So I found I was NEVER playing.
To overcome my thinking on that, I schedule my hobbies and my play-time on my To Do list - things like sewing, reading a novel, knitting, quilting, or working on photo albums.
Whatever projects I want to complete, I write them into my schedule each week.
10-20-30 Minutes To Sew There is a Sewing book by that title, but I had been applying that to my life long before it had been written.
When you work full-time, it was a luxury I never had to devote a whole afternoon or day to a sewing project.
So I would work on my project even when I had just ten minutes to spare.
I would whip in to my sewing room, sew one or two seams, and back out.
That is how I made my clothes, maybe just two seams a day, a little-here-little-there.
I use the same principle to work on organizing.
Whenever I have 10, 20 or 30 minutes, I tackle just one stack of papers, or one drawer.
You would be surprised how many times in a week you have "little windows" of time.
Use them..
...
that is your ticket to getting organized and maintaining your organized space.
One word of caution though...
I do this so much, even if I have two minutes, and it means I get lots done BUT, I cut it too close.
Sometimes I am late.
I think that is a characteristic of an Organized Person.
That is my story...
and I am sticking to it! Set a timer Just like baskets and bins are key in organizing, because they SET LIMITS.
You will hear Organizers say, when that bin is full - it is time to purge.
We need limits, otherwise we get carried away.
The same is true with our time.
If you are not careful with your time, you can get carried away in how you spend it or waste it.
So, set a timer for yourself before you tackle a project or enjoy some hobby, or play on Facebook.
A kitchen timer is great.
Or, another idea is start your project fifteen minutes before your favourite TV show.
This will encourage you to work on things in small windows of time, and you will quit when your show comes on.
Learn To Say No Lightning will not strike you dead.
You are not a bad person to say no.
As a matter of fact, we are admonished to be modest.
I was known about my love of sewing and was asked to do alterations all of the time.
Here I would be fitting in repairing someone else's underwear, and my projects were getting pushed aside.
Then one day I read an article about modesty, and the definition was "An awareness of your limitations as well as chastity.
" That was a revelation to me.
As a busy person working full-time, I had to start saying no.
Unfortunately it was after suffered a burn-out, and had to take sick time.
It was a hard lesson to learn, but your health, whether physical, mental or emotional, is important.
No one needs to know the reason, you do not owe them that.
You can just politely say "it's impossible.
" Who can argue with "impossible?" Do whatever it takes to get organized because when you do, you actually Gain more TIME.
These are just a few secrets I discovered in my busy life while working full-time and running my own businesses.
So you see, I am just like you, and I am proof you can get organized while working full-time.
I am passionate about helping you succeed.
Let's do this together.
Well honey, you need to know that I had more time when I worked full time in the corporate world.
At one point I was working full time for Employment and Insurance Canada, running a picture framing business from my basement, raising my two step-daughters, Oh, and while building our home in the country while we were living in it.
So if you think you don't have "time" to be organized..
..
you need to adjust your thinking.
You don't have time NOT to be organized.
Being organized is what enabled me to juggle all of our commitments, and I still fit in time to sew.
I used to TRY to sew one thing each week.
Of course that was a bit ambitious at times, but I was always working on something (because I love sewing, that is my hobby.
) A friend wanted to know how did I find time to sew? It is simple, it is the same principle I use for organizing which I teach in my book "21 Steps From Chaos To Calm.
" Because life is busy.
As a matter of fact, doesn't it seem to be getting busier? The computer was supposed to reduce paper, but it seems to have increased paper as well as eating up larger chunks of our time.
We no longer need a phone book, I just Google and get the information I need faster, but then something else pops up and grabs my interest.
The next thing you know I am reading one website after another.
I have to catch myself and get back on track.
You know what they say, "If you want something done, give it to a busy person.
" I guess that is why I used to be asked if I could do some alterations, help with some cleaning, work late, bring some home baking.
And I always fit it in.
Here are some of the things I did to get organized and keep on top of things: Get up an hour earlier Monday to Friday My husband Ken used to work for CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) hosting the morning radio show.
He was up at 4 every morning.
When he got off work he would go home and have a nap.
By the time I got off work, we made supper and then every night we were booked with meetings or aerobic classes.
Then to bed early.
I found that by getting up earlier, I used that hour as my time.
It didn't take long and getting up at 5 was no problem because I was sleeping better at night.
I loved that hour in the morning.
I did my sewing one morning, baking another, laundry another and house work.
By doing this, we had our weekends free.
This is especially helpful in the summer when you want to enjoy the outdoors more.
Try it, you will love it.
Write everything down Don't rely on your memory.
Write it down, whatever it is you need to do, and this includes things that are your HOBBY and fun things.
Unfortunately I was raised that we couldn't play until work was done.
That actually is something I have to battle with to this day, because work is NEVER done.
So I found I was NEVER playing.
To overcome my thinking on that, I schedule my hobbies and my play-time on my To Do list - things like sewing, reading a novel, knitting, quilting, or working on photo albums.
Whatever projects I want to complete, I write them into my schedule each week.
10-20-30 Minutes To Sew There is a Sewing book by that title, but I had been applying that to my life long before it had been written.
When you work full-time, it was a luxury I never had to devote a whole afternoon or day to a sewing project.
So I would work on my project even when I had just ten minutes to spare.
I would whip in to my sewing room, sew one or two seams, and back out.
That is how I made my clothes, maybe just two seams a day, a little-here-little-there.
I use the same principle to work on organizing.
Whenever I have 10, 20 or 30 minutes, I tackle just one stack of papers, or one drawer.
You would be surprised how many times in a week you have "little windows" of time.
Use them..
...
that is your ticket to getting organized and maintaining your organized space.
One word of caution though...
I do this so much, even if I have two minutes, and it means I get lots done BUT, I cut it too close.
Sometimes I am late.
I think that is a characteristic of an Organized Person.
That is my story...
and I am sticking to it! Set a timer Just like baskets and bins are key in organizing, because they SET LIMITS.
You will hear Organizers say, when that bin is full - it is time to purge.
We need limits, otherwise we get carried away.
The same is true with our time.
If you are not careful with your time, you can get carried away in how you spend it or waste it.
So, set a timer for yourself before you tackle a project or enjoy some hobby, or play on Facebook.
A kitchen timer is great.
Or, another idea is start your project fifteen minutes before your favourite TV show.
This will encourage you to work on things in small windows of time, and you will quit when your show comes on.
Learn To Say No Lightning will not strike you dead.
You are not a bad person to say no.
As a matter of fact, we are admonished to be modest.
I was known about my love of sewing and was asked to do alterations all of the time.
Here I would be fitting in repairing someone else's underwear, and my projects were getting pushed aside.
Then one day I read an article about modesty, and the definition was "An awareness of your limitations as well as chastity.
" That was a revelation to me.
As a busy person working full-time, I had to start saying no.
Unfortunately it was after suffered a burn-out, and had to take sick time.
It was a hard lesson to learn, but your health, whether physical, mental or emotional, is important.
No one needs to know the reason, you do not owe them that.
You can just politely say "it's impossible.
" Who can argue with "impossible?" Do whatever it takes to get organized because when you do, you actually Gain more TIME.
These are just a few secrets I discovered in my busy life while working full-time and running my own businesses.
So you see, I am just like you, and I am proof you can get organized while working full-time.
I am passionate about helping you succeed.
Let's do this together.
SHARE
