Afleveringen
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I recently hosted this webinar for those of you who have been displaced by a direct sales company closing their doors or anyone else looking for a new opportunity. In my years of being a household manager, a profitable direct sales team leader, and now running Organize 365Ā®, I realized how similar running a house and running a business are when it comes to the significance of systems. I know recently some direct sales companies have closed their doors or have announced they will soon. There are three ways I shop and Iām sure you do, too ... Amazon, an ad on social media recommends something, or a friend mentions a product and you order it. After Covid, we never really went back to shopping at the in-home parties. People seem to purchase directly from the company and itās collapsing the direct sales model.
Revenue
I started in Mary Kay and then tried my hand, successfully I might add, in many other direct sales companies; twenty three to be exact! In talking to my teams, it became clear they werenāt making much money and some werenāt making any. You see, you are the direct sales company customer and your customers are your customers. They market to you the consultant with all the latest and greatest products. You stock up in hopes of sales that lots of times never happen. Then you are left with last seasonās products. I started teaching my teams how to be profitable. Profitability gets your spouseās ābuy-inā and you get to keep doing the thing. Iāve explained a lot of Lisa Math or Economics to my teams, which I did in this episode too. Too much to fit in here; definitely give this a listen. You have to be profitable to call it work or a business. Not how much have you sold or what work activities you have completed. In whatever company has recently made announcements about closing their doors, were you profitable?
This coffee chat is for the consultant that is displaced and wondering whatās next? I want to say from the bottom of my heart, you are amazing. This is happening for you not to you! Second, get all the emails you can from your current clients. Get the last orders you can and continue to grow those relationships and your unique personal brand. We buy from people we like. Yes, they like the product, but they are buying from you because they like you. After the final days, just enjoy the holidays. Enjoy your family. You are going to be ok! I wanted to get this information out to help you understand the market shifts and how to make an informed decision on your next move. Iād love for you to consider gaining certification to be an organizer through Organize 365Ā®.
What do you want?
End of the year may be the perfect time to attend a planning day and get a plan in action for 2025. If you were making money in the previous company, what were those funds going to? What are you willing to do to replace that income? Clean houses? Tutor? Think of what services you could offer for $40/hour. Once you know how much you need weekly or monthly, you can figure out how many hours or services you need to complete. And then you can start to focus on what you are uniquely created to do which may not be the products you were previously selling. You can explore all of that in Planning Day.
Community
People feel lonely and isolated. We all want community and connection. This is something Organize 365Ā® can readily provide. If you know you were uniquely created to help others get organized, please consider getting certified. This is not direct sales or multi-level marketing. Itās a license you receive with affiliate commissions. We offer community through the app, others who are certified and our retreats. I loved the retreats and the women I was doing business alongside and I want that for people in Organize 365Ā®, too.
In my opinion, hands down, community is the most difficult to grow or replace. Like minded people who resonate around one product and where you can authentically be yourself. You can grow your community in groups of people with the same interest as yourself, church, or maybe the parents of the kids on your childās sports team. I canāt wait to hear what everyone does who is facing a new opportunity!
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Organize 365Ā® Home Planning Day
The Paper SolutionĀ® Certification
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media.
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Ultra productive people think about time differently and likely have kids that are older and are not totally dependent on them. When you are aware of HOW time passes, you can be very intentional and that results in productivity on a whole other level. I wanted to share how a normal person, a productive person, and an ultra productive person sees time. 42% of our lives are lived habitually. Ultra productive people audit their habits to support their goals to accomplish them faster.
One Day
A normal person has a general idea of how their day will go and theyāll try to check everything off the to-do list that never gets done. A productive person usually has a morning and night time routine that is habitual - theyāre on autopilot. They have all of their work on their calendar, too.
However, an ultra productive person will have reviewed the plans the night before and have overarching goals for each day. I shared that mine are Monday/Thursday/Saturday; I am focused on the PhD. If a little free time comes my way on one of those days, I will do something to move my studies forward. Tuesday and Wednesday are for Organize 365Ā®. Fridays are catch all to take care of loose ends or finish a task that kept getting pushed off earlier in the week. And Sundays are for family. However, if football is on I know I am off the hook and I can do something Iād like to do, like a puzzle or whatever.
One Week
Now letās look at the differences when it comes to one week. Normal people are looking for anything out of the ordinary that may be coming up. Productive people know how to accurately anticipate how long tasks will take them and schedule the work accordingly.
But next level, ultra productive people have everything on their calendars. They have reviewed the week and are prepped and ready. They know drive time, how long breakfast takes, if they have time to start a new task, where they can squeeze in a bathroom break, when they are paying bills, and things like how much time they spend with their families. This also allows flexibility because they know how long things take and what they can squeeze into small pockets of time that become available, possibly something from next week to get further faster.
One Month
Again, a normal person is going to look for anything special, out of the ordinary that they will need to plan, like birthdays, holidays, or meetings. This person also has a monthly grocery list and to-do list and chores.
An ultra productive person is aware of the energy of that time of year. Summer may not be the best time for a remodel with the kids home. Or maybe it is because you can play outside. They think ahead of ways to reduce anxiety. Are trips scheduled too close? Do you have the right balance of activities to keep your kids happy? Before amazon, Iād buy the kids things from their wish lists to avoid the stress of trying to find it at a good price during Black Friday or, heaven forbid, telling the kids the store sold out.
Two Months/Quarterly
Some months lump together. A great example is November and December. Just look at those two months like an 8-week month. Which leads me to the planning days that we do three times a year. Thatās the cycle because thatās how the energy is broken up. Three mini years, LOL. We plan for the most productive weeks and the holidays/winter being September to December, then January to April where you may plan a spring break trip or a house project, and then May to August, when the kids are out of school and itās summer. Tag youāre it, the camp counselor; hope you planned on it! But you also consider time. Does Monday to Friday look different than Saturday or Sunday? Do you need to change chores to a different day? Will you be experiencing a Golden Window? When we understand time, we can better plan to get ultra productive. And thatās why we prep planning day and have planning day.
Food for thought until next week - I got called into jury duty. Right before we were to be seated, we were notified the parties had reached a settlement and we were done for the day and actually the next two days; so basically three days. What would you do if you got all that time back?
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
Sunday BasketĀ® Weekly Planning Sheet
Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet
Rainbow 52 Week Planner
The Productive Home SolutionĀ® Monthly Planning Sheet
2 Year Dated Planning Calendar (through 2026)
Organize 365Ā® Home Planning Day
Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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In this episode, I introduce you to Ashley M. who is married and has two little boys running around the house. Ashley, an executive director of a Montessori teacher education program, has always been a fairly organized person and interested in efficiency. But when she stumbled upon Organize 365Ā® in the fall of 2022, she was interested in productivity. Sheād been listening to the Best Laid Plans Podcast and had read The Paper Solution book, both of which mention the Sunday BasketĀ®. Ashley loves to read and one Organize 365Ā® product led to another; she enjoys the podcast, too!
Ashley found peace in letting the Sunday BasketĀ® be her external brain. She noted as moms, thereās constantly a lot coming at you because you are caring for a lot of heartbeats. She also has The Paper SolutionĀ® Binders which is what Ashley valued the most because again as moms, there is a lot of paperwork. She likes that with the Sunday BasketĀ® she is only dealing with actionable paperwork. She knows all of her ideas have been captured and can be revisited later. Ashley also pointed out that the Sunday BasketĀ® helps her to execute big plans as well as daily life tasks; and the fact that it grows with your family.
In 2021, they bought a larger home and then she had her second son. With the Sunday BasketĀ®, you just add a slash pocket for a new child or sport. And in the binders, you add traditions or health progress as the children grow. I also pointed out that you can do the same if you start caring for a family member. Itās customizable for the phase of life you are in. Again, thatās why we do Home Planning Day, to adjust.
And the same thing holds true for The Productive Home SolutionĀ®. Ashley has established a lunch/treat station so she doesnāt have to think so much about it when preparing lunches. With Ashleyās husband being taller, sheās placed the items he uses in the higher cabinets. And for her one year old, his sippy cups are lower, which adds to efficiency in their kitchen. Efficiency is a muscle Ashley has been growing as she has become aware of patterns and cycles. She loves that all the products together remind her when to think about what; like reminders about dentist visit times, household chores, traditions for holidays, and even a special birthday treat that sheād probably otherwise forget about.
Ashley said that if she feels at peace, then she knows she can do something for herself with any extra time. But if sheās feeling chaos creep in, she knows she can easily get back on track with a little tidying or planning. Or she can look at her calendar and decide what she wants to āput backā and tackle another time. She has so much more calm and confidence that sheās keeping track of things. Thereās more space for dreaming now that sheās out of survival mode. Sheās thankful the system just works and thereās no need for rewriting it, no improvements needed.
Ashleyās advice is, āYou can get on the other side outside of anxiety, chaos, and overwhelm with Organize 365Ā®ā
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
The Paper SolutionĀ®
Organize 365Ā® Home Planning Day
The Productive Home SolutionĀ®
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365ĀĀ® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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Hurricanes get a lot of my attention. I think about the people affected, how I can help them, and of course praying for them. I cannot wrap my mind around rebuilding a home, a life. If Iād had the time for Helene, I would have offered child care services so parents could have a break. Instead an opportunity presented itself.
#PostANeed
Iāve been following a few people on Instagram to get first hand accounts of how the conditions are, the challenges, and how they are coping day to day. But then, in the Sunday BasketĀ® Club there was a single mom who was sharing her story. She shared how she had no cash, no stove, her SNAP card didnāt work to get food, winter is upon her and her children, no heat yet. One mom replied from one single mom to another. Everyone responded to her post asking how they could help. This is what that community is, positive, supportive, and encouraging. I mean, everyone in the Sunday BasketĀ® Club is invested in personal development and decluttering their homes. I thought, āWhat if the things we would normally donate locally, we could ship to people in need?ā
#FillANeed
She asked for a camp stove and another member replied she could get her one! She didn't have one to donate, but wanted to help, so she purchased one instead. To her surprise upon checkout, Amazon offered her $150 if she got the credit card. She did and she was able to supply three cans of gas, too! We used to call the members Sunday BasketĀ® Sisters. So weāve decided to use the #ās #postaneed #fillaneed #sundaybasketsisters #donations #hurricane
There are simple rules on how to conduct filling a wish in the Sunday BasketĀ® Club. Please note this is not just for people affected by Helene.
Please feel free to share one post to share your story about your needs, and then every single need needs to be an individual post.
In the individual post, please specify exactly what you need.
Then, if someone can fulfill that need from their storage, feel free to reply to the post and send a DM to the person who has the need.
Exchange addresses for shipping in direct messages and then go back into the post when the item is shipped to let the recipient know that you have shipped the item.
Once the item is received, please delete the post so that we only have posts of items that still need to be received.
If you find a post that already has someone fulfilling that request, you can also fill that request. Go ahead and list yourself as a secondary backup in case anything happens in the first case.
I really hope it works, but I have no idea if it will. I just know that I really want to do something meaningful, and this community of 10,000 members is so powerful.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media.
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I realized as I got older and started putting the holidays together for my family that something was off. Why didnāt I get āall the feelsā during the holiday season? I was putting up all the decorations like my mother had for years. I had all the different foods on the table for Thanksgiving. The kids had plenty of presents. In 2012, I was able to completely turn my life around until I got to November and December.
Candy! Candy! Candy!
I remember my sister and I watching the Halloween edition of Garfield and heād say āCandy! Candy! Candy!,ā then my sister and I would go around the house saying the same. I have a lot of memories of the holidays and I was doing #allthethings yet something was off.
Then it dawned on me. I was so busy trying to have everything be perfect that I didnāt realize some of the things I did, no one noticed or cared about. Not because they had hearts of stone, but it just wasnāt what made the holidays special. I finally interviewed my family to find out what made each holiday special for them which allowed me to not put some tasks on my list for that holiday. Once I did that, I found I enjoyed the holidays much more. I actually had time to enjoy them, too. And thatās what I want for you too with the Holiday Blitz.
Secret Trick
Before you have planned the Thanksgiving meal and planned out the December holiday of your choiceā¦do the blitz. Get the worksheets and watch the videos to intentionally optimize your holidays so you too can enjoy them. If they donāt see it, they donāt mention it, then you donāt have to do it!
Holiday Blitz Options
You can register now for the FREE Holiday Blitz. In the blitz, you will plan the holidays. You will interview people attending your celebrations to make sure you are spending your energy on tasks that will make them feel warm and fuzzy. You can weed out what you no longer need to do.
There are two add ons this time around. The first one is the Holiday Blitz Bundle that includes Sapphire Blue and Hunter Green Sunday BasketĀ®s and a set of 1.0 Rainbow Slash Pockets. You will use the Sapphire Sunday BasketĀ® for next year to give your regular Sunday BasketĀ® some relief. And Your Hunter Green Sunday BasketĀ® will be for all your holidays, like ideas, recipes, and receipts. The really cool thing is the slash pockets you use for the holidays will go into your Household Operations Binder until next year when you can pull it out, refresh your memory, and enjoy the holidays again.
And thereās a Mini Holiday Planning Day. I will show you how to really break it down. Youāll learn my secrets about Black Friday and how I shop it; and itās live with me! Donāt worry, there will be a replay available until January 1st! Your holidays will be so optimized and you will save money too! So tell your family and friends to join you; heck if someone with a pulse walks byā¦invite them, too! I want everyone to enjoy the holidays like our families get to.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Holiday Blitz
Holiday Blitz Bundle
Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day
Holiday Blitz Bundle + Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media.
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Ultra productive people act in real life how normal people act before they go on vacation. Before you go on vacation, you think about your paid work and how to set your business up for success in your absence. I know before we go on vacation, we have checklists for packing. Itās this constant anticipation of roadblocks. I shared some examples to give real life instances when anticipating roadblocks has come into play.
Roadblocks
One roadblock I have gotten used to encountering is jury duty; I have been summoned like 8-10 times. Tip: This last time I was summoned for the dates while we were supposed to be in London, but then I saw a āpick your datesā button. Once I knew the dates, I started to delay administrative tasks in anticipation of jury duty. I am careful to still fill up my calendar during jury duty possible dates, but I have the mindset that, if they get done, itās a bonus and if not, thatās ok too. I schedule things like cleaning up my inbox and admin tasks; itās kind of fun because I donāt normally have time to do those kinds of things.
Moving Without Moving
Iāve not moved from my physical address for decades, but in that time I have moved a lot. 2024 has become the year of remodeling. When your kid calls at 6:30am and says a pipe is making a hissing sound but heās going to go back to sleep, you say no! It was simply time to replace the pipes. And while we were at it, the bathroom makeover I wanted to do one day became now. I anticipated the hardwood floors getting ruined so I threw out a crazy solution and the plumber was able to execute it. I also knew it was going to take longer than quoted because it just usually does.
Then baby Grayson grew and grew and grew and now he can no longer use a toddler bed/mattress. Heās going to keep growing so we looked at our basement and reimagined the space to include a room for Grayson. The way the floor plan worked out, it lends itself to a galley kitchen. It was kind of like that movie āThe Money Pitā where one repair led to another. Next, we upgraded our electrical panel to accommodate all the new appliances. It was originally scheduled to happen before and during our trip to London; I said no way. I anticipated that if the contractor needed me, how it could cut into our vacation. Also by delaying it, Abby would be out for summer from work and weād have better weather for Grayson to play outside while their home was torn up. Now itās beautiful and will suit Abby and Grayson for years. When you remodel, you move everything out and come back to an upgraded space. Itās like you moved, but really didnāt.
Past Informs the Present
We all remember the toilet paper āshortageā during Covid. It was really just the size of the roll. And everyone panicked with the shoremen going on strike. If you understand the supply chain, you can understand when and what to panic about. I knew after everything came to a halt with Covid, that it would be 18 months to three years before we were back to ānormalā, before the backlog would be cleared. You can be concerned for stuff from China when the western ports are experiencing delays. You can be concerned for medicine, wine, sugar, and other things from Europe when the eastern ports are experiencing delays. And those products are usually here 2-3 months before we are anticipated to purchase them. But toilet paper? Thatās made right here in the US of A, baby!! No.Need.To.Panic.
Sickness Playbook
The minute I or someone in my family gets sick, I look 7-10 days out to see what needs to get accomplished. Another type of roadblock similar to this is if my mother in law would fall or if someone goes to the ER. My laundry may get a little backed up or meetings may get canceled, but I work ahead at Organize 365Ā® in anticipation of roadblocks so the necessary work is always done. Our house is fully stocked with medicine, food, and nowadays home delivery services make it even easier to get what you need. I have these wellness pills I pop the minute I think Iām getting sick. Also, my family has bought into the fact that you can talk yourself out of sickness. Itās very inconvenient for everyone; donāt be sick! LOL
Anticipating roadblocks is only possible if you understand how time passes which weāll talk about in the next episode.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
Products For Getting Organized - Source Naturals Wellness Formula
Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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In this episode, I introduce you to Trisha D. who sometimes has a very full house of 8 and sometimes just 4 due to her step children and when they have dad time. Trisha was a follower of Cass with Clutterbug and sheād been talking about the Sunday BasketĀ®. The way Lisa teaches and Lisaās story resonated so strongly with Trisha. With 6 kids to keep track of, the Sunday BasketĀ® really made sense to Trisha and helped with the overwhelm.
Previously Trisha had been in an abusive relationship. In Organize 365Ā® and Lisa, she found grace, encouragement, to be brave, to be transparent, progress over perfection, and to put herself first to get out of codependency. Trisha pointed out that if you have never been in a healthy organized environment, then you donāt know what that looks like. She learned what it looks like and how to accomplish it for herself through the Organize 365Ā® products.
Despite the differences in functionality of households, the Sunday BasketĀ® can help anyone really, no matter what your situation. Trisha gained so much confidence from organizing and getting control of her life. In her recovery from her past relationship, she appreciates how the systems from Organize 365Ā® can aid in a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). Which brought up the question, does the change in environment change emotion or vice versa? And is it easier to change your environment or emotions? Trisha experienced that once she started organizing, it gave her more bandwidth to focus on redefining reality and healing emotionally.
Trisha was so impressed with Lisa, this woman who was once depressed and life was a āmess,ā she started a business, went back to school, and vulnerably shared it all with her listeners. Trishaās big take away from Embrace was when Lisa said, āIf you doubt that anyone believes in you, I believe in you!ā So Trisha started a Friday WorkboxĀ®. It became apparent that her employer didnāt appreciate the effectiveness of her using it. So she started her own business! Trisha believes Organize 365Ā® is changing one person at a time, empowering them to follow their dreams. Sheās been using the Friday WorkboxĀ® and it has helped her organize and prioritize the systems of a business. Listen to hear all she has accomplished in three short years.
Trisha now has more hope, faith, time, capacity, a more full life. She truly learned how to create something from nothing. She values the Organize 365Ā® products as roadmaps to life, like the Warrior MAMA Binder, the Friday WorkboxĀ®, and Sunday BasketĀ®. Trishās advice is, āGo for it, whatever way makes sense.ā
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
Embrace Self-Guided RetreatFriday WorkboxĀ®
The Paper SolutionĀ® Warrior MAMA Binder
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365ĀĀ® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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Once you are habitually scheduling tasks that lead to consistency with the ability to adapt and be flexible, you may start looking at how to optimize your systems. And once you optimize one system, it becomes a little addictive. I actually became a happier person with optimization. Itās like I was competing with myself and I kept winning! I kept asking, āCan I do it faster? Make it easier? Do it on a different day?ā This is what truly productive people do, they optimize.
Reward of Optimizing
Remember the literature I shared about the Invisible Family Load? It noted three aspects: cognitive, emotional, and managerial. The emotional aspect was negative because of the stress or worry you carry by taking care of your family, but the other two were positive. Thereās a confidence that comes from being able to depend on yourself from planning, a happiness that things are getting produced, happiness from finding āme time,ā and when you are the one managing it all effectively, that is so rewarding.
You Can Make New Rules
I remember when I was trying to optimize my laundry. I tried one load a day, which wasnāt right for me. I tried to get it all done over the weekend, but then I was thinking about laundry for three whole days. THEN, I tried to get all the laundry done in one day and that was it for me! I would do laundry on Saturdays while the kids were cleaning their rooms. This worked for a long time. Then when Abby and I were sharing the machines, we worked out a schedule. Now my laundry is optimized on Saturdays again for this phase of life I am in. This is the beauty of Home Planning Day. Itās the time to look at your current phase and optimize your systems and make new rules. Greg and I are traveling more frequently; that may push me to consider a different laundry day. I will re-evaluate this during the next Home Planning Day. Kids sports, holidays, work, or summer, all these seasons of life can affect the optimization of systems.
I realized as summer was approaching this year, that Abby would be home on my normal work from home days because she works for the school system and has summers off. This is not really a problem except for the PhD and recording podcasts. I like to be home alone. This forced me to look at my systems and consider what I needed to do to keep my studying and recording optimized. I decided on a few new rulesā¦Mondays and Thursdays I wear ponytails and that shaves a few minutes off of getting ready in the morning. I ended up moving all my PhD stuff to the office and I decided to study there. All of my supplies are in one space now and all work is done at the office. That way ālittle babyā Grayson canāt distract me either.
And I will batch record episodes when possible to be 2-4 weeks ahead. I found that when I try to record any further, the energy is off. If itās January and Iām trying to record episodes about March energy and tasks, my energy is off. Iām more passionate about the message when I am in the same energy, too. I played with trying to record first thing in the morning, but that didnāt work because thatās āLisa time.ā Iām not in the right energy yet. I also found by batch recording episodes, it takes less time each episode. I am more efficient when I sit down and crank them out. I can also reference āpreviousā episodes because I just recorded them!
These are just a few examples of what I have done to optimize my systems. Decide what needs to be in balance and what can be out of balance in this phase of your life to be truly productive.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Organize 365Ā® Podcast Resources
The Sunday BasketĀ®
The Paper SolutionĀ®
Organize 365Ā® Home Planning Day
Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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In this episode, I introduce you to Beatrix S. who lives alone after her husband was transferred to a nursing home where he could get care and supervision for dementia. Beatrix found Organize 365Ā® years ago when Gretchen Rubin interviewed me about the book āThe Paper Solution.ā Her first thought was, āWhat, filing cabinets to binders? Prove it!ā Beatrix had always struggled with paper. So she got the book, read it in a couple of days, and found herself joining the 100 Day Home Organization Program (which became The Productive Home SolutionĀ®) and getting a Sunday BasketĀ®. Now she says sheās hooked.
In 2003, Beatrix reflected on her study and how cluttered it had become again. Please, you need to listen to this insightful poem she shares. She was a minister and has a great way of storytelling. You can hear it in this poem. It was clear imagery of the disarray her study was in.
It took awhile for Beatrix to wrap her brain around the Sunday BasketĀ® System. Sheād not been a part of Organize 365Ā® long when she attended her first Home Planning Day. She also had a couple of unexpected life events, including her husband having a stroke and moving to a nursing home. Beatrix also thought maybe she didnāt have anything left to declutter. Itād been a couple of years since sheād followed Marie Kondoās way of decluttering her closet. I pointed out that Marie Kondo is great for decluttering and Organize 365Ā® offers great organizational systems. Beatrix had plenty to declutter and organize. Beatrix was most shocked with her bathroom and how much sheād crammed in there!
Through the years with Organize 365Ā®, Beatrix has formed a support system of friends. They meet every month and she has found them invaluable with the tough season she is in. Life is good, she acknowledged, but sheās deeply sad and fatigued with loving and caring for her husband. Her advice for others in a similar situation is to surround yourself with as many support systems as you can. Beatrix has more time now; time for friends, beautification, exercise, and planning.
She was recently diagnosed with ADHD and it explains so much. Beatrix really wishes sheād had the Friday WorkboxĀ® when she was in ministry; she always struggled to finish projects. And she wishes sheād known how to organize paper. Sheās appreciative of the replays so she can get additional takeaways and the āteacherās approachā I take with the systems Organize 365Ā® provides. We had a nice conversation about the evolution of school and how they support the ADHD brain/learning style.
Beatrixās advice is, āStart with the Sunday BasketĀ®. If that doesnāt work then just start with one drawer.ā
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
The Productive Home SolutionĀ®
Home Planning Day
The Paper SolutionĀ®
Friday WorkboxĀ®
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365ĀĀ® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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You are scheduled and consistent, but can you be flexible? I am not talking about all of the stuff others want you to squeeze into your week, but you.The things you deemed important to get done and you scheduled, do you have the ability to be flexible in how and where in your day they can get completed?
Flexibility in the Name of Productivity
Life is chaotic and throws lots of unexpected things at us, throwing a wrench in our perfect little plans. Are you able to overcome these obstacles or do they turn your day into a wasted day? A few ways I am flexible to still accomplish the goals of the day are ways I choose to be flexible. These unexpected changes keep me on my toes and force me to be disciplined to keep my eyes on my priorities.
You can be flexible in when. I wanted to record 4 episodes the other day until Abby needed me. Grayson came with me to the office where I knew I wasnāt going to record, but I could still be productive with a different goal of the day. Once Grayson was picked up, I could choose to count it as time with him and use my later in the day āGrayson timeā to record.
I also use āwasted daysā to be productive. If Iām out of the office and have a technician coming for one item, why not schedule a few more? The other day I had a technician come for the furnace, A/C, and a person to finish where we modified the wall by the fridge. I did stuff around the house while all these technicians were at my house.
Another example Iād like to share is if someone in our house gets sick. Iām the mom and itās nice to have mom when you are sick. And I want to be there for my family. So then I look at whatās coming up in the week. Itās all about the flexible thinking of pivoting. What has to get done, moved to next week, go back in the Sunday BasketĀ®, or scratched off the list forever?
Pat jokes that at Organize 365Ā®, we pivot so much itās like weāre dancing. Itās not so much when in the day or how it gets done, itās more about THAT it gets done! Productive people are about completing tasks thus being productive.
The To-Do List Will Never Be Done
Your Sunday BasketĀ® is the keeper of the master to-do list items, right? You go through your basket and determine what must get done in the upcoming week. We like to load up our to-do list but we are frustrated it never seems to get done. Could you be the problem? The trick is to see what can wait, must wait. Letās say you are left with three things that must get done, which is ok. Schedule those, be flexible to ensure they get completed and thenā¦itās up to you! Yes, you could say thereās more in the Sunday BasketĀ® and you want to do more.
But alternatively, what if you used that time for a hobby, relaxing, catching up with friends or family? And I have found the items I delay completing, end up getting done by someone else, are no longer relevant, or donāt need to be completed anymore. Also, I want you to think about the last time you completed the items on your to-do list. How did you feel? Like superwoman? Yes! Donāt you want that feeling more often? Take care of what must get done and the rest leave so you too have discretionary leisure time.
Being flexible in the name of productivity is a skill of truly productive people. Truly productive people are also always optimizing. Join me next week as I explain how you too can always be optimizing to be truly productive.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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In this episode, I introduce you to Summer K who lives with her son, husband, and dog. Summer originally found Organize 365Ā® in the summer of 2020 through an ad on Instagram. She made the āmistakeā of clicking on it and then it āfollowedā her. Eventually she visited the website and put a Sunday BasketĀ® in the cart for her momā¦annnnd one for herself! She knows the systems now and doesnāt fret if a system ābreaksā because she can easily get it back up and running.
Summer now lives in Minnesota, but there were a few moves before now and when she found Organize 365Ā®. Instead of decluttering and organizing along the way, she chose to put items in storage units. With the Sunday BasketĀ®, Summer had moved away from filing cabinets. The transformation in her thinking, through implementing the Organize 365Ā® systems, also helped her trim down to one storage unit that she left behind when she moved to Minnesota. After about a year, her brother loaded it up and delivered it to her. Summer had the whole basement set up ready to process that unit in hopes of getting rid of 50% of itā¦and she did! The systems help you to keep the stuff you want and use versus a filing cabinet or storage unit that allows you to store it and forget it long after it is still relevant.
Summer is a self proclaimed binder snot. She appreciates a durable functioning binder as much as me! We laughed about how the manufacturers canāt figure out how to use quality products and allow all the products inside to function simultaneously. These are the school supplies we need for our lifeās work. She pointed out that they are a fraction of the price of a filing cabinet and do not allow you to keep outdated papers. And as I shared, I even created a binder for Grayson because while he doesnāt have an IEP, he does have OT and other paperwork that is no longer relevant in Abbyās binder or the household binder. So where do you put it? You make that person their own binder. We also discussed different binders for different properties. The binders are there, make them work for you so you donāt have to think of all the filters you need to go through to get to important paperwork you need. Reduce your cognitive load.
The Productive Home SolutionĀ® (then the 100 Day Home Organization Program) was so helpful for Summer because in the midst of her busy life, when she knew sheād have a 15 minute chunk of time, sheād just look at what she needed to complete next. Sheād do it and go back to her busy life. The Productive Home SolutionĀ® has evolved over the years to be universal so any person gets the benefits of functional organization. One of the many improvements we have made is a 120 day checklist so you can check off tasks in any order for the amount of time you have. Summer loves this aspect as well as videos that show real life applications. How are real people actually completing the checklists?
Summer finds so much value in the Sunday BasketĀ® that she gets her assistantās a Sunday BasketĀ® and even has them complete a Friday WorkboxĀ® Planning Day. It is important to her that they are talking the same language. In planning, she wants them to know sheās talking pink or connections have been made and itās now turning into purple work. Summer also realized she used to keep a very long to-do list until she started putting ideas only on one side and project tasks on the other side. Then she learned sheād separated her pink and purple work. Summer has been in the business of pink work so it was an āahaā moment when she learned about the color coding of the slash pockets. She shared at first she kept thinking her cobbled systems were better. Then she tried the suggested way and liked it better! She has found all of the systems to be very effective in work and home.
Summerās advice is, āDo 6 weeks in a row to build the muscle to see the real value.ā
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
The Productive Home SolutionĀ®
The Paper SolutionĀ®
Friday Workbox Planning Day
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365ĀĀ® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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Building block #2 is consistency. I liken consistent people to dependable people. They keep a schedule and plug in things that theyāve said yes to into their current scaffolding which is their calendar, their current plan for the week, month, or year. They say yes, they do what they commit to, and you can count on them. Building block #1 gave you that solid plan, your schedule. Now how do you stay consistent when the unexpected requests come up?
Consistent People Can Adapt
There was a time when I traded services with a friend. I did her laundry, she made my family meals. I love laundry and by trading for this āservice,ā I got to drop the cognitive load of prepping and cooking meals. However, I had to adjust my personal laundry schedule to accommodate what I agreed to do for her.
Another example I shared was when the kids were at preschool I did errands. I would do my Sunday BasketĀ® on Sunday. I would pay the bills, plan out meals, and āgrantā the familyās wishes. Tuesdays, I would drop the kids off and that was my time to zip around town and get all my errands done. My family knew this was the cadence and to get all requests in by Monday at the very latest. Knowing Tuesday was errand day gave me the option to say yes to anyone that needed an errand that I was willing to do for them as well as my own. I knew how much time I had and if I could say yes to additional requests.
Consistent People Can Say No
When you know where your time is going, you know when you can say yes or no. You know if you will have the capacity. Joey came to me this summer and requested my services (LOL). I looked and knew between trips that were scheduled, PhD assignments, work responsibilities, and managing the remodel of Abbyās āapartment,ā I could not say yes for 6 weeks. I had to tell my own child no. I didnāt like doing that and it was a heads up to me to adjust the allocation of my time.
On the other hand, because I know where my time goes and that I am very intentional to spend time with my family, I can say yes guilt free to something I want to do for myself. It is better for my family for me to be consistent rather than make a commitment every other week. I have a commitment that keeps me late one night every other week. But in the name of consistency for my family, the off weeks I stay at work and take a call with my colleagues. It fills my cup and keeps me consistent with my family.
Stay Consistent Even When Your Energy is Low
Consistent people stay consistent even when their energy is low because they realize that their future time is as limited as their current time. One glance at your schedule and you can see that project you want to push off to next week, but then oops, you donāt have time to complete it next week. This mindset is that of maturity and self discipline. When I had low energy about recording some videos, I knew Iād feel better once I had them completed. And as I have said many times, I am where work comes from. My team could not start working on them until I had recorded them. I didnāt not want to put my team behind. And when I looked ahead there was no other time I could record them. You will feel so much better the next day knowing you did what you planned to do and knowing there really wasnāt any other time you could have ācaught upā later. Just like at the house, Iāll see a few quick things I could do quickly. Your future self will thank you when you run that thing upstairs or put something away.
I have had such a full calendar for a while now. I always think, āWhat will I do if I or an employee gets sick?ā I know my priorities and I know what I will delete or delay in the event it cannot be done. Consistency doesnāt mean you are consistent in every area, totally regimented. It means you are consistent in the areas of priority. Up next? How to be flexible within your schedule.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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In this episode, I introduce you to Michelle P. (the voice of the mailbags that you hear every Wednesday), one of our most veteran employees. Michelle was recently sharing how planning has changed her life. You see, Michelle works at Boston University by day and at Organize 365Ā® at night and on the weekends. On her commute to work, she was listening to the episode about your trains and she had an āahaā moment thinking, āThatās me, both my trains are running at maximum productivity.ā
Even in academia, they support the idea that physical organization of your spaces superchargers your planning. This is where Michelle found herself when listening to that episode. Recently, Michelle has even planned to be debt free in 2025! But she had time to plan that because sheās freed up so much cognitive load and established routines. When she gets ready in the morning, she can think about whatever she wants because sheās laid out her clothes for the week. There are no decisions to be made, sheās on autopilot. After covid, she knew she was headed back to the commute and back to the office. She uses the Sunday BasketĀ® Weekly Planning Sheets to make sure sheās covered all the bases for her BU and Organize 365Ā® responsibilities. Sheās planned the days she needs to wash her hair, if she needs to accomplish anything during her lunches, and of course, whatās for dinner. Michelle has her organization in order, allowing room for her to plan. We do not apply the same planning importance or practices in the home that we do at work. And that is what I am working on, shining a light on the lack of planning at home and offering a system for it.
When you plan, we know it gives you time. As women, once we have fulfilled our responsibilities, we should absolutely do something enjoyable with the extra time. You can set the example now for your children so they donāt grow up thinking you can never stop and just enjoy. Once you get organized, you can look at your time. Once you get your time planned, you can give attention to your health. Mental health like doing something you enjoy, and physical health like planning a walk, and your grocery list to make more healthy meals according to your familyās phase of life. And I encourage you to be an observer of yourself. If you want to make a change, plan for it. Michelle knew she wanted to go back to the office for the early shift, so she planned accordingly and now sheās a morning person. And she likes it!
I know in my planning, I am generous with the time I allow for tasks because inevitably something will pop up. I like to look at my time like lego blocks that I can move around. I can go with the energy. Michelle admitted she had a lazy Saturday, but she wasnāt stressed because she knew some things could get bumped to Sunday. She was able to allow for a lazy day because she planned. Because everything is planned, I too know that everything will get taken care of, it just may need to be rearranged, tweaked, or sandwiched somewhere else.
Just when we thought we were done talking, we got on the subject of the holidays coming up. She is so excited this year. Michelle really benefited from the Mini Planning Day and the Holiday Blitz. She gathered information from her family to help her do less and yet meet everyone's expectations and honor traditions that were important. I cannot stress enough how little time there is between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Planning will be crucial to a smooth holiday/winter season. Wait until you hear when Michelle puts her tree up and why this year may be a challenge. Do you have a plan in place?
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
Sunday BasketĀ® Weekly Planning Sheet
Organize 365Ā® Home Planning Day
Holiday Blitz - Registration Coming Soon!
Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day
Holiday Blitz Bundle + Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365ĀĀ® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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You love Organize 365Ā® so much and you want to share it with everyone you know. Thereās just one little problem. What is the best way for them to try it before they buy it? I got to thinking if I could offer just one thing, what would it be? I narrowed it down to a 21 day bootcamp for you, the household manager.
Things Have Been Updated?
I started Organize 365Ā® 13 years ago and I have certainly changed as well as the programs have been revamped and improved. We changed where you access all of our offerings and in reviewing them during their migration, I decided some materials needed to be updated. If you have the Sunday BasketĀ® access, I encourage you to go check out all the new material. What used to be offered for training is now all of just step 3!!! And there are 6 steps now and new checklists. The workbook is new and improved too. These types of improvements apply to the other systems too. I just felt like I hadnāt shared enough of my invisible knowledge for you to thoroughly understand how to best run the systems for you.
One Thing Leads to Another
We offer the Holiday Blitz, Back to School Blitz, and other free events for you to see what it feels like to declutter, get organized and increase productivity. But we didnāt have anything for someone who wanted to get started that wasnāt prompted by a holiday or time of year? This summer, as we were revamping the location of the systems, got me thinking about a signal offer for anytime of year, for anyone to ātry it before they buy it.ā Our overall goal is to help you to professionalize the family load that we do at home as a household manager by being a leader in your family, running your household as a small business for productivity and profitability, and considering your role as a CEO and CFO. The bootcamp is designed to do that. So go ahead and share away with friends and family to help them discover functional organization.
Simple Organizational Systems
Organize 365Ā® makes visible the invisible tasks that are weighing you down. In the bootcamp youāll experience 3 whole weeks of decluttering, organizing, and optimizing your systems at home to increase productivity. Included is a bootcamp workbook that contains 1 sheet from The Productive Home SolutionĀ® Monthly Planning Sheet tear pad to look at your month in a 5-week snapshot. I walk you through the process through videos, webinars, and podcast episodes. You will do a little each day and at your pace. You will analyze how you use your spaces and where your time goes. Youāll look at your time in respect to working outside the home, being an entrepreneur, or a stay at home parent. You will then design routines like we do in Home and Workbox Planning Day to optimize time completing your responsibilities while also maintaining self care. You will see how the cycle of organization applies to the phase of life you are currently in. Itās free. Itās available now. Itās about the order that determines your success. Go check it out!
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Household Manager 21 Day Bootcamp
The Productive Home Solution Monthly Planning Sheet
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media.
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The first building block to becoming a truly productive person is scheduling. Gretchen Rubinās personality test shows me as a questioner leaning towards a rebel. I love reinventing the wheel. As you know, I have been doing this through my PhD. And I recently came across a study that I have now read many times called āWhoās Remembering to Buy The Eggs?ā by Julie Holliday Wayne et al. It uses the term Invisible Family Load.
Invisible Family Load
I just loved the intentionality and thoroughness of the words she selected to sum up the invisible work of household managers. She started with invisible instead of mental which would imply mental only, but what about scheduling? Planning or worrying? Invisible is inclusive and encompassing. And then she used the word family to include people outside the structure of the home that a household manager would be caring for, like a college student or elderly family member. And lastly, she selected load instead of labor. Labor you get paid to do. Load was explained as being put on, burdensome, or weighing down a mind, thus requiring cognitive load and not getting paid for it. Do you know the top two tasks people marked the most as invisible in a study? Planning (#1) and Scheduling (#2); I think Iām onto something!!
Schedules Sunday BasketĀ®
I explained a few times that I created different types of schedules I have had in this episode. When I was still in-home organizing, I developed two types of schedules. I had one for working outside my home and one for working from home. I found that when a client canceled at the last minute, I would get frustrated and I was stumped on how to move forward with my day. Once I developed schedules, or scaffolding, for outside or inside work, I would just move to my working from home schedule when clients canceled. For my family, we had a weekend schedule and weekday schedule. Schedules simply keep you on task and eliminate decision making. Every Sunday, I go through my Sunday BasketĀ®. Depending on things that need to get done that week, I can fill in my schedule, keeping in mind the routines I have established. Itās a general guide or, as I mentioned, scaffolding.
Scaffolding Planning Days
Schedules give you structure but keep in mind, they can be reevaluated. Planning Days give you an opportunity to tweak your schedules. The Sunday BasketĀ® is weekly and Planning Days offer the scaffolding, zooming out a little. Maybe you notice you want to change activities on different days due to a sports schedule change or getting your PhD. In Home Planning Day, we develop routines for morning, afternoon, and evening. In Workbox Planning Day, we develop routines for starting your work day, mid day, and ending your work day. Those six routines reduce your cognitive load. You made a plan proactively, now all you have to do is run it, go on autopilot.
Level Up Scheduling
Wanna take scheduling to the Nth degree? Schedule the people coming to your home. I mean, book them out far enough that you can get a complete list of all tasks before they come for the appointment. Once you know they are coming, you may find more tasks for them to complete. And schedule meetings with people. I used to want to connect with people but felt rude telling them it would have to wait two weeks, so I just wouldnāt reach out or reply. I found over time that people donāt mind at all. Book the meeting and connect. It may seem weird to book out two months, but the day will be there before you know it and youāll be connecting like you desired.
Truly productive people are always looking at their schedules and realize they support them through scaffolding. Schedules do not limit them. Up next? Consistency!
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Organize 365Ā® Podcast Resources
The Sunday BasketĀ®
Organize 365Ā® Home Planning Day
Friday WorkboxĀ® Planning Day
Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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In this episode, I introduce you to Lori R. who loves having her two adult children live with her. Lori learned her peers were really into podcasts. Lori was trying to keep a lot of balls in the air due to work, her children, and her husband was sick. She searched podcasts for productivity and found the Organize 365Ā® Podcast. She listened repeatedly to the Sunday BasketĀ® episodes and made a makeshift one of her own. Her biggest lesson? Think differently which goes against her engineering brain.
Lori has learned a lot like DIY, hire it out, or delegate tasks. Like how she hired cleaners for her son far away at college. And you can just stop. This is the permission Lori needed to just stop projects or roles she no longer wanted to be doing. Loriās daughter was in competitive cheer, on two teams. That meant a lot of time at the gym. To be more productive, she loaded up her paper and a camp chair and went through papers while her daughter practiced. When you are scheduling everything, be mindful of drive time and the best time to use the bathroom. And you donāt need to watch every practice. Letās normalize getting ahead on house chores while kids are participating in afterschool activities.
The podcast challenged her to think of other things she could accomplish during her daughterās hours at the gym, like the laundry that was bugging her and bringing a cooler to get groceries. As Lori told story after story of practical application of what she has learned, I realized sheās been creating operational systems to help her home be functional. She finally invested in an official Sunday BasketĀ® in 2021. Even her daughter learned if she needed an important paper, it was in her slash pocket.
Lori initially invested in a Medical Binder for her husband. She was happily surprised to have her documentation pay off during covid. He had to go by ambulance a couple of times. She was unable to be with him. She had the peace of mind to take out his list of medications, photocopy it, and send it with the paramedics. Her husband passed away in December of 2022. Lori leaned on the Sunday BasketĀ® to collect all the mail of her deceased husband for later processing. Unfortunately she lost her mother 10 months later. Her mom now has a slash pocket to aid Lori in settling her estate. And that made her a caregiver to her dad. He got his own Sunday BasketĀ® to help Lori in the functionality of his life, too. The statistics say you could outlive your husband. And most women as the household managers end up settling their spouses affairs as well as parents or other loved ones. The Sunday BasketĀ® and Financial Binder are gifts to yourself in these times. After talking to Lori, we identified that her daughter is fairly organized. Thinking differently, I proposed that her daughter help with her fatherās house and care.
Loriās advice is, Just get started. Just do a little bit at a time. It adds up. And to get a Medical Binder. Sometimes the apps donāt work at the medical facilities and itās great to have it on paper.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
The Paper SolutionĀ®
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365ĀĀ® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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In the mindset trilogy of this series, āpreparedā is the last part of mindset. We discussed going pro, being balanced, and now truly productive people are prepared, over prepared really. This level of being prepared can be weird to people or distance you from others, but you wonāt be the one scrambling when an unexpected life event rears its head. Iām going to give you some examples.
Go Bag
A friend of mine is in the caregiver role and I said what she needed is a go bag; think diaper bag for you as an adult. When my dad was sick and I needed to leave when I got the call, I had a go bag. And in fact, Iām going to put one together now and just hang it in the hall. What will I put in it? Iām glad you asked. Iāll make sure thereās my protein and fig bars so I can have healthy food if I am in a hospital or something. I like to have water bottles in there so I donāt have to leave the person I am caring for, as well as a brush, hair clip, socks, sweatshirt or blanket (Iām always cold), battery to charge my phone and watch, and probably a notebook. You know, the things I like to have to keep me comfortable. Itās a form of self care as you are pouring yourself into someone else.
Being Overprepared
Truly productive people like to have a month or better lead time in their supply chain. Greg and I recently got sick for 7-10 days. But our house was fine because it is always stocked for about a month. I replace the last one before it becomes the last one. At this point weād be ok for about 2 weeks before we ran out of necessities.Thereās plenty of crackers, ice pops, and other foods in the event we are sick or canāt get to the store; the staples. Snow storms or ice on the roads here in Cincinnati? No problem because we are stocked. Thereās no need for my family or I to panic. When snow days or storms hit, truly productive people are prepared. They have anticipated unexpected life events and prepared as best as one can. The more prepared you are, the higher level of problems you can handle. Because you are prepared, you can handle a level 5 issue. But be unprepared and most problems can feel pretty chaotic. And truly productive people know their obligations, have them on their calendar, and can manipulate time and obligations to fulfill new responsibilities due to an unexpected event. If you arenāt running at this level, I suggest you participate in the 21 Day Household Manager Bootcamp next month.
The Power of Paper
I cannot share enough times when paper has come in to save the day. You cannot use your recollection as proof of what you are saying. Doctors, professors, and the general population want physical paper/literature to back up what you are saying. Itās tricky because you know if you are out of milk or bread. But no one knows if your paper is not organized and prepared. You want to be at a point when important papers are required, you can grab them quickly. Recently, I needed OLD paperwork for one of the kids. The doctor was saying he didnāt have documentation that far back. I was able to locate it and provide it. I thought for sure that such a big medical group would have had it, but no. Guess who did? Lisa. Me. I did. Thatās the power of paper.
Truly productive people feel that whatever they are working on right now, their business, home, homeschool role, parenting, or their marriage, they decide to commit to it 100% for a productive outcome. Where is your focus? What is your mindset in these areas? Next? Weāre digging into a 4-part series on the building blocks of organization.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday BasketĀ®
The Paper SolutionĀ®
The Productive Home Solution
Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway
Sign Up for the Organize 365Ā® Newsletter
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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There are times when getting organized is going to be easier. I call these Golden Windows.
Some Golden Windows are given to all of us - like January (new year), spring, and fall. The new year is all about starting the year off with a fresh start and achieving new goals. Spring and fall are both times of the year when there are big season shifts and you get a burst of energy. The spring energy lends itself well to planning and the fall energy lends itself well to productivity.
Common Golden Windows include:
Expecting a child
Moving or selling your home
When your youngest child starts school
When your youngest child starts middle school
When your youngest child starts driving
Milestone birthdays
If you want to hear a more in-depth definition of Golden Windows, listen to this podcast.
Todayās episode is going to focus on a question I get a lot - how long do Golden Windows last?
This depends on the type of Golden Window youāre experiencing. There are long and short Golden Windows. A long Golden Window is something you can anticipate. A short Golden Window is one where you donāt realize youāre in a Golden Window until youāre already in it. In a short Golden Window, you donāt get to plan so the energy fizzles out fast.
An example of a long Golden Window could be pregnancy. You know you are going to have a baby so you have months and months to plan, re-organize, nest, and prepare.
An example of a short Golden Window could be adoption. When we adopted Joey, we got a call at 5 pm, and by 7 pm we had a baby!
Each Golden Window, no matter whether it is short or long, is an opportunity not to be overlooked! And while the length of time that Golden Window will be open for you depends on a lot of factors (outside of your control) there are certain things you can do to get the most out of it.
Here are my three recommendations for making the most of a Golden Window:
Anticipate
Optimize
Extend
Understanding your Golden Windows allows you to get so much more out of these amazing bursts of energy. Listen in to find out how to anticipate, optimize and extend your Golden Windows for maximum impact.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
Golden Windows Podcast
The Sunday BasketĀ®
The Productive Home SolutionĀ®
Organize 365Ā® Home Planning Day
The Paper SolutionĀ®
Complete Home Organization Bundle
Embrace - Self-Guide Retreat - now available on-demand
Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and tag Organize 365Ā® when you share on social media!
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Truly productive people are always producing due to systems and routines they have established; I call these trains. They have their trains humming along which allows work-life balance. And balance means motion. If you are riding your bike, you are in motion while balancing. But when you slow down, you may lean to one side taking you out of balance. The same is true in life. But truly productive people can spot that imbalance and pivot and iterate to get back to balanced.
Itās a lot harder to start a stopped trainā¦
Itās a lot easier on your balance if you iterate, opposed to stopping and then trying to get the trains up and running again. Let me refresh your memory of March 2020 when all of our trains stopped. It took almost three years to get all the trains running again. Do you remember how much energy it took? Some trains slowed down too much and had to permanently pull into the station, going out of business.
And recently with CrowdStrike going down for the airlines. Itās just not easy to get the planes back up in the air. There is a trickle down stacking effect. The earlier flights didnāt go out so they needed to get those people on their way before they could accommodate current time flights. It took a lot of manpower to get those planes back in the air and caught up on their scheduled flight times.
And the next likely time we can anticipate our trains stopping is the electionā¦EEK! You can choose to get tunnel vision and focus solely on the election and possible outcomes. And then get emotional for the few days that follow. You know what productive people will be doing? They will produce until election day, go vote, and go back to producing. Truly productive people recognize what is worth the investment of their time and money. They want to effectively and productively use their time.
What took me out of balance
There I was chugging along with my trains. I survived Gregās surgery in December, the quest to solve Graysonās eczema for a while now, and other family needs for my time. I prepared the trains for the time Iād be gone in England. We had a fabulous trip and I jumped right into work when I got back. But something funny happened. You know I have told you your house will feel off and that is when itās time to iterate or reset, because organization and balance is a feeling? Well, I didnāt do my normal summer reset. By the end of August, I had to take time off just to get the house back to normal. Why had my systems failed me?
They did not fail me but I wasnāt accounting for how much my family had needed me, not to mention all the time I gave to the remodels of Joeyās condo and Abbyās downstairs apartment. I realized I was completely over committed. Productive people can look at their systems and routines and pivot due to recognizing something like being over committed. I started to lean towards home and needed to get back in balance. I made three big decisions to put me back in balance. I have altered some plans at work to allow more home time. I have decided to take one less class to again free up more time to give to my family who have been in a season of needing more of me. This will lighten my load and allow me to stay in balance. You have to know when to take some cars off the train and send them to the yard until you can maintain them again.
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Golden Windows are periods of opportunity that are compounded with energy and free time that, if seized, can propel you into organization and productivity. Theyāre as divine as they sound! If youāre looking for them, or know when they are coming, you can empower yourself with the resources and community you need (like in The Productive Home SolutionĀ®!) and capitalize on the opportunity to organize your home and make it a true haven for your family and your lifeās unique purpose.
I will say, however, there are times in life when this is nearly impossible. New babies. Depression or other illness. Temporary crises. Short-term monopolies of one role or the other. During these times, you need to snap into survival mode, control disorganization, and just do what you can to ensure everyone is fed and treading water until the chaos clears a bit and you can come up for air.
There are also times when organization (and the energy to do it) just comes naturally. It becomes easy, almost effortless, and you seem to make progress quickly. I call these times Golden Windows. There are three types of Golden Windows: Chronological, Situational, and Seasonal.
Chronological
These Golden Windows are based on your chronological age. When we are younger itās on the 5ās and 10ās birthdays and, as we get older, it seems to be the beginning of the new decades. The most prominent and productive one happens around the age of 40. Iām not sure why, but turning 40 brings with it a sense of peace and confidence in womenās sense of self and place in the world. Around 40, women stop worrying so much about what everyone else wants them to be and start thinking about what they want to do.
How do I want to spend my time? What am I really meant for? How do I want to spend the second half (or more) of my life? Itās a general trend, of course, but Iāve seen it happen with women who are married, single women, women with kids, and women without kids
Situational
These will naturally vary based on your life and your different roles, but many women see at least a few of these Golden Windows in their lifetime. Some are full of joy and satisfaction, others are heartbreaking and burdensome. A few examples that I detail in this episode are: moving, new babies, children going to school, children moving out, graduations, weddings, divorce, and remarriage.
Oftentimes, when the youngest child goes to all-day school, a woman who has previously been a stay-at-home mom decides to rejoin the workforce. I say, if you can, wait! This Golden Window is prime time for home organization, re-prioritization, and productivity. Itās a huge family transition and a great time to capitalize on the little extra freedom. Getting your home organized during this time will set you up for this new phase of life.
Seasonal
Every one of us gets three Golden Windows a year. Each season of the year brings with it a new energy that we can funnel into organizing our homes if we choose. Now is the time, from August to September, that we get the most intense organizational energy. For the next 10 weeks in America, we have that back to school, huge transition, productivity energy. End of December into the new year and as school gets ready to let out for summer break, youāll experience 2 more approximately 6-week chunks of a Golden Window.
Understanding your Golden Windows allows you to get so much more out of these amazing bursts of energy. I hope you seize your next Golden Window and take small steps to true organization and productivity!
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