Defeating "overwhelmed"

Often times I find people are overwhelmed by the amount of items they need to go through in a space.  The room is frequently viewed as a whole entity, the individual boxes, piles and trinkets melding into one giant mountain that must to be scaled.  I began working in a room today that was almost impossible to turn around in because of the clutter in it.  My client felt a bit discouraged by the sheer volume and the time it would likely take to get the room back in order. 

I reminded her that when tackling a space like this you need to see the individual pieces, not all the clutter at once.  Instead of thinking, “I need to get this entire room sorted,” think, “I need to get that box sorted.”  Pick a single area, pile or container to start in and  focus there.  Your goal should be to accomplish that one task.  When you break down a space into little goals it will be easier to mentally conquer.  

How to effectively use your paper planner

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I prefer using an old fashioned paper planner over the new electronic panning tools any day.  The idea of Blackberries, PDAs and smart phones with calendars have never appealed to me.  Paper and pencil in my hand have always won out over the newest technology breakthrough.  My planner never crashes, never takes a few days to become accustomed to and never messes up a sync between itself and the computer. 

The paper planner system only had one flaw.  If you are like me and use a large wall calendar at home in addition to your more portable planner, you run the risk of forgetting to put appointments on the calendar that you made while being out and about.  I feel a large calendar is very important to the overall time management process.  It is essential   to see a whole month at a time to be sure you are pacing yourself properly.  However, how do you overcome the schedule disaster that can occur should you forget to transfer an event from your planner to your home calendar?

I came up with a very simple solution.  Post-it® Half Inch Flags are a great little invention.  The little dispenser can easily be adhered (glued or taped) to the inside cover of your planner.  Every time you make a new entry in your datebook, simply flag the page with the tiny Post-it®.  Now you will never forget to add the date to your wall calendar.  Even if you walk in the door with a kid in each arm and start making dinner, you can pick up your planner two hours later and remember that you have appointments to add to your home calendar.