Each year getting organized and being more productive top the lists of New Year’s Resolutions. It’s exciting to imagine your life without paper piles and clutter consuming your office. And it certainly would feel great to accomplish your goals each day. Time after time I hear the same complaint. You started off great then something happened and the system fell apart. Often people give up at this point calling their systems and themselves failures.

They key to getting organized is first and foremost not to give up after the first little mishap. We all get overwhelmed, have a big project, or life circumstance that causes us to get off track. Rather than give up just start again! It’s really that easy.

Sometimes the systems that we try don’t really work for us and it’s important to be able to identify what went wrong. Starting over with a system gives you the opportunity to really observe what the problem is and to make adjustments as necessary. You may find that you really don’t like the folders you used to set up your action system. Or maybe your desk isn’t set up in a functional way. Look at your system with a critical eye rather than just throwing your hands up and declaring it a disaster!

Here are some things to look for when evaluating your system:

1) Do I have all the tools I need?

2) Do I like the tools I am using?

3) Can I find the documents and files I need when I need them?

4) Are things I use often readily available and accessible?

5) Can I easily reset the system when needed?

Remember, systems only work when you use them! Very few organizing systems work without some effort on the user’s part. Set up maintenance routines to be sure that you are keeping up with filing and other similar tasks.

What challenges do you face when trying to get organized or trying to keep up with your systems? I’d love to hear from you.

Happy Organizing!

Searching your computer for a proposal you wrote three months ago? Or maybe you are looking for an email that you just know you sent to a client in June. If your email and computer files aren’t organized, you could be losing a lot of precious time searching for your electronic information.

Think of electronic files just the same as ordinary paper files in a file cabinet. A computer file system can be set up in the same way as paper files are set up. Create folders and subfolders for the files and be consistent in your naming scheme.

When saving documents be sure to click “Save As” and then navigate your way to the appropriate folder for that document. This will keep the document from going to that mysterious place that computers sometimes send our documents when we don’t specify exactly where we want them saved.

Put thought into naming your files and be descriptive. Take advantage of the 255 character limit on file names. Use descriptive words that will ensure you know what the file contains. Think about the different ways that you might think of the file the same as you would for physical files. If you are saving a budget form, when you are looking for it again, what will you look for?

Think of all of the possibilities and name your file accordingly. Taking this much time to think about it on the front end will also help to trigger your memory when looking for the file later.

If you don’t have time to create folders and move files around, your computer’s search tool can help. Search features in newer versions of Windows are much more efficient than they have been in the past. Tools like Google Desktop can also make finding documents on your computer faster and easier.

Happy Organizing!

My phone rings.  It’s a potential client who would like help being more productive in her office.  I ask what’s going on in her office, and she tells me there is paper everywhere.  She is looking at stacks of paper, binders, magazines, and other things that are visually cluttering her space.

Obviously, all this stuff is certainly a problem, but what’s really going on here?  When I probe about her work habits and daily routines, the real issues begin to arise.  She has no plan for the day.  She routinely allows phone calls and email coming in to distract her from her priorities.  The real issue here is not the stuff.  It’s her behavior.

The clutter in her office is a product of a lack of systems and routines.  Now that the clutter has taken over it certainly is a problem, but if we just clear up the paper, it’s highly likely that it will be back in short order.  The key to getting organized is changing the behavior that has gotten you into the situation in the first place.

So, how do we change behavior?  There is no easy answer to this question, but here are some ideas to help you get started:

1. Create self awareness.  While coaching my clients, I help them to begin noticing phrases they are using or things they are doing that could be contributing to the problem.  You can do this by simply noticing some of your thought patterns as you work.  Do you think things like “I’ll just put this here for now” or ???  Do you do things like answer the phone every single time it rings or check email each time a notification comes in?  Once you begin to notice some patterns that are causing the clutter and lack of productivity you can begin to develop new habits that will help you to break the cycle of your past behaviors.




2. Work with your natural tendencies.  As you are noticing your behavior, it’s also a good idea to pay attention to what is going on when you’re at your best.  What I mean is that all of us are different.  We all have different times of day that we are most productive.  We have different work styles and personalities.  The idea behind getting organized and being more productive is to find what works best for you and incorporate that into all you do.  For example, if you discover that the best time for writing is early morning, your new routine may be to begin hard scheduled appointments a little later in the day.  This will allow you the time in the morning to be creative and get that writing done.




3. Identify your motivation.  Why do you want to be more organized and productive?  Do you want to be able to find documents when you need them?  Do you want to grow your business?  Is someone else pressuring you to change?  Answering the question “Why do I really want to be more organized and productive” is one of the most important first steps in the organizing process.  Without that ultimate goal, or vision, you have no motivation for real change.

There are so many factors that can influence your success.  If you truly want to get organized so that you can have a better life, at home or in the office, you can do it!  Just remember that you must be willing to change both your environment and, most importantly, your habits.  Have an ultimate goal in mind and go for it!

Happy Organizing!

Ellen Martin

PS – If you are struggling with an overflowing inbox, email that just won’t stop, and unproductive days, the Conquer Chaos Strategy Session will help you get clear on why you really want to get organized and develop a plan to make it happen and stay that way.  Together we’ll determine why you really want to be organized and what’s standing in your way. During our strategy session, we’ll review your assessment, quickly break down your barriers to being organized and develop a personalized organizing plan that works for you.  To find out more visit http://anewleafpo.com/conquer-chaos-strategy-session/

“Waste Time Faster.” This is a phrase on a billboard advertising high speed internet. I laugh each time I see it, but it also makes me think about how much time we do waste on the internet. Playing around online is just one of many activities we use to avoid getting things done. Of course, the things we are avoiding are usually things that may be difficult or not so pleasant.

Avoidance behavior is a component of procrastination. Some causes of procrastination are task related anxiety, fear of failure, perfectionism, and lack of knowledge. When you think about that it’s no wonder we find such creative ways to avoid tackling those tasks. Imagine that you have agreed to take on a new project at work. You are pretty excited because you know that the success of this event will have a positive impact on your career. Once the excitement wears off a little, you realize there are some pieces of this project that you aren’t quite sure how to get complete. Each time you sit down to get started on the project, you feel overwhelmed or don’t really know where to begin. So, what do you do? Maybe you start some project related research on the internet. Then you remember that you really wanted to check out the scores from Sunday’s football games. Ladies, your example might be a little different, but I think you know where I’m going with this. As you check out the football scores, you see a link to a video of a spectacular play. You proceed to watch the video and see some other videos that look interesting. An hour later, you’ve caught up on all the football scores, watched some re-plays, and maybe a few hilarious videos of kids dancing to “booty” music. It’s time for lunch so you head out the door having accomplished nothing related to the project.

Does that sound remotely familiar to anyone? I will be the first to admit that I do this very thing when I am doing something new or something that might push me a little outside my comfort zone. But we also use these techniques to avoid everyday tasks. Here are three steps to help minimize your task avoidance time wasters.

Three steps to curbing avoidance behavior

1) Awareness is the first step in changing any behavior. If you recognized yourself in the example and you want to change this behavior, pay attention to what avoidance behaviors you are engaging. Surfing the internet is just one form of avoidance behavior. Some other examples are watching television, reading magazines, hallway conversations with colleagues, checking email. To be clear, none of things is necessarily bad, but when used to avoid other, more important tasks, they will kill your productivity. Identify your avoidance techniques.

2) Minimize distractions. Once you have identified your avoidance behaviors, it’s important that you come up with strategies to reduce the likelihood that you will engage them. My top two avoidance behaviors are checking email and internet surfing. When I need to work on important project it’s best that I am in an environment where the internet is not available. Or the connection is so slow that it’s annoying! I have also discovered that I work best away from my home office and in a place with something pleasing to look at. Those of us working from home have so many potential distractions. Laundry, dishes, kids, spouses, and pets. It’s really helpful to find a place that allows you to concentrate. So, what can you do to minimize your distractions?

3) Get things done. Finally, get it done! Sometimes tasks seem a lot more difficult that they really are. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you will get done when you minimize your distractions and truly focus on the task at hand.

I hope this information helps you to get more done this week! Remember that the objective is not to cram your life with “things to do”, but to get things done in less time so that you can spend more time enjoying your life!

Happy Organizing!

While working with a client a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that she was repeatedly saying that she would never be able to do this organizing work without me. Now, I had heard this before, but this time I had some new information that made me stop to think what this really meant for her.

A couple of months ago I was introduced to a program called “The Winner’s Image” produced by Bob Proctor. In the program Bob equates our self-image to the auto pilot feature of an airplane. The auto pilot is set to a certain course and corrects should the plane veer off course. Now, think about self-image for a moment. Your behavior patterns are a direct reflection of what you believe about yourself. If you believe that you are a successful person and bring in lots of money each month, then you probably do just that. However, if you don’t truly believe that you are that successful, wealthy person, what happens when you do experience some success? You have a fabulous month bringing in more money that you ever have. Then self-doubt sets in and your self-image auto pilot begins to bring you back to your old course.

Getting and staying organized is no different from the success example. Hearing my client saying that she would never be able to do this without me and thinking back to other clients who I’d heard say the same thing, made me realize that their self-image is dictating the situation. No, they won’t be able to do this without me, if that’s what they truly believe. Their self-image is telling them that they can’t be organized or stay organized because they haven’t been able to do it before. Or because so many people have told them how messy and disorganized they are and they believe that about themselves. If you don’t truly believe that you can get and stay organized, you will not get and stay organized. If we move a little outside of our belief about ourselves, the self-image autopilot will bring us back to its original course.

So, how do we conquer this? Change your self-image. This is no easy task, but is guaranteed to get those behavior changes to stick. Create the fantasy or vision of what you want your life to be like. Are there people you can model? Write your new vision out in detail. One of the most important questions to ask in the self-image changing process is “Am I Willing.” Are you really willing to do what is necessary to make the changes you are seeking? Really think about this. If you really aren’t willing to make the changes necessary to be successful at getting and staying organized, maybe it really isn’t as important to you as you once thought it was. Once you have written out your new self-image it’s important to focus on the changes you must make and reviewing your goal regularly. As I said, this is no small or easy task, but one that is well worth the effort.

As you consider your goal to be more organized and productive, pay attention to the things you are telling yourself. Is your self-image dictating that you can’t be organized? If so, consider a self-image overhaul! It will be one of the best investments you ever make.

Happy Organizing!

When email takes over it’s sometimes a little difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  When you have hundreds or thousands of emails in your inbox, where do you begin to take control? Some issues that add to the stress are that you may not be sure if there is something important in all that old email that has been accumulating.  You may not have any system in place for filing away important information that you need to keep.  You may be reacting to email alerts every couple of minutes as they come into your inbox.

The first step is to decide what you are trying to accomplish by organizing your email and developing a new system.  For example, I try to keep my inbox as empty as possible.  At the moment I have 9 emails in my inbox, all of which require detailed thought and response.  What do you want to see when you open up your email program?

One of the best ways to cut back on the number of new emails you’re receiving is to stop them from coming in the first place.  Are you receiving notices from organizations you are no longer interested?  Are you receiving newsletters that you don’t have the time to read?  Ask to be removed from these lists.  Another area to examine is email coming from co-workers or colleagues that you may not need to receive.  If you consistently get reports that you don’t need to get, ask to be taken off the distribution list.  If you are being copied regularly on correspondence that you have no interest in or have no involvement with, again, ask to be removed from the distribution of that information.

I would like to hear from you about what challenges you are facing with email.  Send an email to me or post a comment.  

Happy Organizing!

A question was asked on a conference call with Steve Levinson, author of Following Through: A Revolutionary New Model For Finishing Whatever You Start,  whether he thought it really takes 21 days to change a habit.  He pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that it takes 21 days to change a habit.  It really depends on the complexity of the behavior and the potential consequences of not changing it. 

For example, if you pressed a button which then caused your house to explode, you would never press that button again.  This is an example of instant behavior change!  What really determines the amount of time it takes to change a habit is your focused effort on changing that behavior.  This is why it’s so important to focus on changing one habit or behavior at a time.  So, choose one thing that you would like to change and focus all of your effort on changing that one before moving on to the next.  The beginning of a new year always causes folks to think about renewal and change.  Unfortunately, within a few weeks most give up.  Just remember that behavior change is tough and it doesn’t always happen overnight or in 21 days.  Just get back on the horse and try again!

Imagine for a moment that you are sitting at your desk filled with anxiety and stress. You stare at the telephone knowing that eventually you have to pick it up and dial. You start to wonder why on Earth you agreed to take this sales position. You don’t like making these phone calls and you don’t like networking events. You are procrastinating to the point that you must make the calls now or risk losing your job.

This is the story of an introvert. Truth be told, it’s my story. Now, I don’t have a sales job, but sales are very much a part of my business. So, when it’s time to sit down to make phone calls, I go through the anxiety and stress described in the previous paragraph. I wonder if running my own business was really the right decision. I wonder if I can really be successful if I can’t bring myself to make phone calls. Pretty crazy, right!

The good news is that I don’t let this stand in my way. I am aware of the problem, but I push through anyway. It’s not easy, but my desire to be self-employed outweighs the other bad feelings.

So, what does this have to do with organization and productivity? Personality traits can affect an individual’s ability to perform certain tasks. Unfortunately, it’s not so easy to identify personality traits that may impact a person’s suitability for a job or task. Matching employees, both current and potential, with appropriate jobs is a key factor in increasing productivity at work. For entrepreneurs, understanding your personality factors can help determine tasks and projects that can be outsourced.

Introverts generally are drained by social interaction. They will procrastinate on making sales calls and may avoid networking opportunities. Introverts are perfectly happy alone most of the time. Extroverts on the other hand derive great energy from social interaction and thrive in positions requiring this. They will happy make calls, attend social functions and don’t do well in situations which require they work in solitude for long periods.

A highly structured person in an environment that requires a high degree of spontaneity will probably not be successful. In the same way a very spontaneous person will not do well in a highly structured environment.

There is no right or wrong in personality traits. The most important thing is awareness. Once you are aware that you possess certain personality traits you are more equipped to make any necessary changes to compensate for any negative effects the trait may be causing.

Great insight can be made into the affects that behavior traits have on your work and personal life. You may discover the cause of your procrastination or why you react in certain ways to certain situations. A behavior assessment tool, such as DiSC, can be very helpful in creating awareness. Not only will you identify your own style, but when completed in a team environment communication among team members will be improved.

If you would like to learn more about how personality and behavior styles affect productivity, consider signing up for my Conquer Chaos Strategy Session. You will gain insight into how your personality traits may be impacting your productivity and get recommendations for improving your ability to get and stay organized. Click here for more information.

Happy Organizing,

Perfectionism is defined by American Heritage dictionary as a propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.  Perfectionism is a self-defeating behavior that is often disguised as a virtue.  In fact, many non-perfectionists often wish they were more like those they see with “perfect” lives.  The unfortunate thing is that dysfunctional perfectionists often live a tortured life in which nothing is ever good enough.

One thing to keep in mind while reading this is that a little bit of perfectionism is a good thing at times.  The desire to produce high quality work is certainly acceptable.  The line is crossed when perfectionism is a persistent issue that negatively affects a person’s life and the lives of those around them.

Perfectionism is a self-defeating behavior that causes anxiety and procrastination.  In some cases perfectionism can be paralyzing.  Perfectionists often feel that they can’t begin a project or task unless they can do it perfectly.  Until they have the right tools and the right knowledge they can’t begin.  Often when they do begin they are unable to finish projects because they constantly refine their work to be sure that it is perfect.

In an office environment the perfectionist may have a desk covered with stacks of paper.  He can’t do anything with the stacks because he hasn’t figured out the perfect system for filing the papers away or handling the tasks associated with the paper.  So the stacks remain and day after day the perfectionist beats himself up over his imperfect office conditions.

Perfectionism is debilitating for the business owner.  Imagine the opportunities squandered as the business owner struggles with simple decisions involving very basic business functions.  Fussing over the perfect wording for each letter or email sent, constantly refining business materials, and never happy with anything.  This is the life of the perfectionist.

Perfectionists often don’t reserve their high standards only for themselves.  They expect above average results from everyone they come in contact with.  When they don’t receive those results they can be abusive and abrupt.  Working with a perfectionist can be a tough job.

For those of you who identify with some of what you’ve read here, there is hope!  If you know someone struggling with this issue, pass this along.

1. Self-talk is your worst enemy. Listen to what your inner critic is saying about you.  Counter those statements with statements of your own.  For example, if your inner critic says that you can’t do anything right, challenge that statement by thinking of things that you have done right.  What evidence does your inner critic have to support the statements that it makes about you?  Most often the statements are wrong and completely false.
2. Recognize that your value as a person does not come from your performance in the various roles you play in daily life.  Consider that when something is wrong in your life or you make a mistake that it doesn’t mean that you are an idiot or can’t do anything right (or whatever your inner critic says to you).  It may mean that you need some training or improvement in that area of your life.  If feedback is coming from external sources, the problem may not be yours at all. Perhaps the person giving the feedback is having a bad day.
3. Realize that perfection is an unattainable goal. Realign your goal to pursuit of excellence or mastery.  You will find much more satisfaction.
4. Make mistakes intentionally. Since mistakes are extremely dangerous for perfectionists, this is an experiment that may cause a lot of stress initially.  Try “forgetting” to sign in at a meeting or class.  Most likely, the person in charge will simply remind you to sign in.  Let yourself experience the feeling.  You won’t die and no one will think you are an idiot. Mistakes are actually great opportunities for learning.  If you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t growing.

So, what about you?  Is perfectionism sabotaging your success?

We were in a leadership development workshop, discussing the integral role that trust plays within an organization, particularly between a manager and his or her team members. Louis serves as a Lead Operator on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. His rationale behind this statement isn’t hard to understand. In his role, he puts life and limb on the line every day, and if he can’t be absolutely sure that his co-workers are being safe and not cutting corners, he doesn’t want to work with them.

You may not be in a life and death situation in your workplace, but I can assure you, trust is just as important. Trust is an integral part of being a leader, whether you’re a leader by title or by influence. Frankly, it is an important part of any relationship.

Stephen Covey, author of “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” compares trust in a relationship to an emotional bank account. We can make deposits or withdrawals to the account. When we follow through and do what we say we’re going to do, we’re making deposits. If we make enough deposits, trust is earned and our account earns interest and grows. When we let someone down or fail to honor a commitment, we make a withdrawal. If we make too many withdrawals, our “account” will be “overdrawn” and trust is shaken.

Trust can’t be compartmentalized. Cheryl Biehl says, “One of the realities of life is that if you can’t trust a person at all points, you can’t truly trust him at any point”. To earn trust, our actions must be consistent. If I’m only trustworthy in some things but not all, it’s like cooking a huge pot of gumbo, then adding strychnine to the pot and saying that only part of the gumbo is poisoned. Now, give me a shot or two of Tabasco in my gumbo, but I’ll pass on the poison! Consistency is the key.

Are you earning your team members’ trust by acting consistently?

It goes both ways, too. “He who trusts in others will be trusted in return.” One thing that is apparently tough for many leaders to do is to place their trust in others. When I was just starting out in my career, I worked with a manager who assigned me an important project and let me run with it. Nothing could have been more motivating or inspiring than having her place her confidence in me. I truly wanted to do a great job so that I could show her she had made the right judgment call.

When you let a team member know that you believe in them, they will want to produce positive results – they’ll run through a brick wall for you – anything not to let you down.

Think about someone who made a significant difference in your life. Maybe it was a boss, coach, teacher, or even a parent or grandparent. Think about how it felt when they expressed their confidence in your abilities.

Are you showing your team members that you believe in them?

What’s trust got to do with it? In leadership and in relationships, it’s got everything to do with it.