I’ve written in the past about how important labels are. They help us figure out what we’re looking at and where to put things, so that we don’t have to think too much. Recently, I had an “aha” moment about another way that we use labels. We don’t just use them to identify our stuff, … Read more
A self-employed entrepreneur recently hired me for time management coaching. He juggles multiple projects and was specifically asking for help in breaking things down into smaller pieces, setting mini-deadlines, and “backwards planning” in an effort to avoid the last-minute panic. After a bit of discussion, it became evident that he actually works very productively and … Read more
“How will you reward yourself?” This is what I ask clients when we’re discussing habit change. Rewards have been very helpful to me in my own struggles to change habits, and I’ve been surprised by the rewards that are the most effective. They have nothing to do with money, travel, massages or chocolate. Instead, I … Read more
Caught an interview with vaccum innovator James Dyson on NPR’s Science Friday. I loved his discussion of failure, stating how it’s necessary for learning to occur. We often don’t make decisions because we’re afraid of making the wrong choice. We don’t try new systems because we’re not sure they’ll work. Imagine how much we could … Read more
My husband and I were discussing our favorite iPhone games. We narrowed it down to those that require hand-eye coordination vs. those that require logic . I much prefer logic games that don’t have a time limit. I get easily frustrated at games that are timed, and often give up before I get good enough … Read more
I came across this article describing the use of body doubles. No, a body double isn’t someone to stand in for you when you have your picture taken, at least not in this context. A body double is a person who stays present with you while you do tasks that you know how to do, … Read more
I understand the good intentions behind the “Only Handle It Once” (OHIO) rule. Clutter exists because someone couldn’t decide what to do with it, so the OHIO rule tells us to force a decision by vowing to only handle each item once. Unfortunately, this rule has one very big unintended consequence: paralysis! I’ve had many … Read more
Setbacks are normal and common when taking on a project such as decluttering or learning better organizational habits. They happen in all areas of life, and they don’t mean we are incapable of reaching our goals. Researchers found that helping college students to see setbacks as temporary may help them academically and in overall well-being. … Read more