1/28/2021 0 Comments Just Leave ItThis past week I had fun sharing a few organization tips with some awesome educators in my new webinar. One of the questions I asked was:
Do you want to stop making organizational mistakes? Obviously, answers were a resounding YES. Further to that, was one lovely participant's comment written in the chat box, a mistake she keeps making - and trust me, it's a common mistake. I used to make the same one over and over and still get caught in it sometimes! Now, this particular mistake doesn't seem like it would be a big deal. But it is. It can change how you feel about your work space, how you feel about going to work and leave you with a sense of dread because you don't want to face it. It's the mistake of even thinking - yeah, yeah, I'll take care of that tomorrow - and then leaving a mess for yourself to clean up the next day. You've thought, said and done this, right? Putting off cleaning your space until the next day? This is a negative habit worth fixing for a number of reasons:
Does this sound pleasant to you? I'm guessing not! That stuff is blocking your clarity and productivity. Don't let it control you. You are the adult here! (You've said that to your students or kids, haven't you?) To combat that sense of things controlling your physical (and mental) space, here are three suggestions:
Go ahead and give it a go. Keep this practice up everyday for at least three weeks. In your work space, home space, wherever you need it. Then reflect on how this has (or has not) changed your day, emotional state or productivity.
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1/19/2021 0 Comments I Love a ProcessI've never really been a goal-setter, but I love a good process cycle. - inquire, design, life, consumption - you name it, I like it.
Here's the beauty of a process - working through one can get you to your goal (the one you don't think you have). Want to build a house? There's a process for that. Want to write a book? Process for that too. Cleaning up your house? Process! So thinking of this - here's an example of why goals sometimes fail.
I've been there too. I did something about it. Will you? Here's a place to start. Sign up for this FREE webinar! 3 Solutions for Common Teacher Organization Mistakes 1/12/2021 0 Comments Why is This Here?Ok, yesterday was #ClearOffYourDesk Day - but just have a look at this small disaster zone. This is my little workspace. Ooops! Somehow I managed to collect mail, sunglasses, gum, papers, a coin container - and don't get me started on that full cup of pens! Point is - most of these things get in my way when I'm trying to work. So why I do let them stay in my workspace? There are other places to put them.
If this looks kind of like your space, how you feel when you look at the mess. Everyday we go to a work space - and we shouldn't feel stressed just thinking about it! I used get really stressed all the stuff shoved in cupboards on all the shelves in my classroom. I had to make a change. So I did. But it took time. I was tired of asking myself - why is this crap in here! Let's talk about how to make a change. Consistently. So you don't get stuck asking yourself the same question I did. I don't want to think about my workspace or see it and feel annoyed because I can't navigate it, do you? Leave me some comments. Sign up for this FREE webinar! 3 Solutions for Common Teacher Organization Mistakes Subscribe to this blog and be entered to win this month's book draw or surprise giveaway! Sign up for a FREE teacher coaching consultation call to sort out your professional needs. App endorsements are unpaid. Photos are free from Unsplash or my camera roll.
When I think of to-do lists, a lot of things come to mind.
A planning book, a calendar, post-its, colored pens, notes pages, notebooks, a random sheet of paper, an email to self, reminder pings... That's a lot of things just for a list of to-do's for a 10-12 hour period, and a lot of places the same things get written. Will we have this same fear of forgetting something if we just streamline and simplify our to-do systems? So let's think about this. What do you really need to do to get yourself sorted out when writing your to-do list and actually getting the list finished by the end of the day? My friend Erin has been contemplating this. She is in the midst of changing how she sets up and works through her to-do list. Erin works full-time, spouses, and moms her toddler so she has a lot going on. She was thinking about all the things - chores, social media posting, sleep, personal projects, work meetings - and more! Sound familiar? A good starting point Erin chose was to block the days and times she planned to work late, start late, or vice verse. That was important to her yet, when I looked at her lists of all the things, embedded in the middle of her long list was her main goal ---- to get more sleep! Awesome! Self-care! When I saw that, I reminded her that her priority/goal (sleep) needed to be scheduled in next and was her non-negotiable. Her must do. Erin knows what she needs to function at her best. She needs sleep! (Are you listening?!) A next step would be to chunk tasks, then plan everything else around her goal. If you are planning to do something like this, I share some strategies about chunking time in the Taking Control of Your To-Do List toolkit. These help me a lot! I didn't make them up, but I morphed them from masters of focus like Nir Eyal and Michael Hyatt. I've done is spent lots of time thinking about priorities and how I operate as a worker so that I can do what needs to be done on time, whether I am working on my own timeline or someone else's - and that means chunking my time.
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