A SMART Start

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Goal setting is BIG this time of year. But the best goals are smart ones. Or should I say SMART ones.

SMART Goals

 

Will Your goals be SMART in 2013?

New Career Discovery Sessions

Many compassionate women who are seeking extra income are struggling with the problem of how to start their Professional Organiser business.

It’s a shame, because the solution is actually right at their fingertips, they just don’t see it.  Maybe you can relate to this too.

Which got me thinking, what could I offer that would get you started quickly, with exactly what you need to solve this problem?

Well, I came up with the perfect solution.  I’m opening up 10 spots to coach with me – at no cost – for 30 minutes!

It’s my 30-minute “New Career” Discovery Session.

The only thing is, with only 10 spots open, these are going to be snapped up fast.  And to be considered you need to act now.

In this New Career Discovery Session, I’ll walk you through:

• The hidden challenges that are unconsciously sabotaging you from starting or growing your new career as a Professional Organiser
• Creating a crystal clear vision for your ultimate business success and the wonderful lifestyle you’d like your business to provide
• How to get renewed, re-energised and inspired to turn your business into a highly profitable, revenue-generating machine
• The one simple step you can take immediately to get into action

If you’re ready to stop wondering what to do and start building your business, then I urge you to register for one of these 10 limited discovery session spots with me right now.  These sessions will be held during January and there are limited appointment times so please act soon!

HERE’S HOW TO REGISTER – DEADLINE is January 11(and how to get your gift of my “Quotes to Organise By” collection of 215 organising-related inspiring quotes)

Simply send an email to angela@creatingorder.com.au to answer these simple questions.

IMPORTANT: You must answer all the questions to be eligible for this gift discovery session.

I will then send you an email with a link for the session times available.

1. What is your name and tell me a little bit about your existing Professional Organiser business, or why you want to start one?
2. When it comes to starting or growing your business, what are you biggest challenges?
3. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest), how important is it to you to get these solved… and why?
4. What is the #1 obstacle that’s kept you from solving these challenges?
5. Where would you like your business to be in 6 months?  12 months?
6. What is your phone number and email address?

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #3

We’ve talked about how to avoid organising mistakes #1 and #2.  Next on the list of 7 Common Mistakes of DIY Organising Projects is

Have unclear goals for the space or project

What’s so wrong about having no goals?  Can’t you just launch yourself into sorting and tossing and boxing up?

Well, no.  It’s like heading off on a fabulous holiday without first checking the destination.  Would you start packing without knowing the climate there?  What if you packed all sundresses and sandals when in fact you were headed to the snow?  Would you head off in the car without checking the map first?  Without knowing the final destination, you could head off in the wrong direction and be lost for hours or even days.

When organising, it’s easy to start on the wrong foot, and end up spending hours on a task that could have been eliminated entirely.  Or you could completely miss an important step all together.

Instead of wasting time and effort “getting lost”, take a short time up front to decide on your vision for the space or project.  How will it look and feel?  What will success look like?

7 Common Mistakes of DIY Organising Projects

For many this quiet time between Christmas and New Year has been set aside for tackling an organising project.  And for many more, getting organised is a New Years resolution.  There are several things that can turn good intentions into a failed attempt.  Here are the most common mistakes people make.

1. Underestimate the time it takes to work through a project
2. Buy the storage solutions at the start of a project
3. Have unclear goals for the space or the project
4. Have unrealistic expectations from the space
5. Let the unwanted stuff hang around
6. Stop before the project is done
7. Listen to well-intentioned but ill-informed advice

Look out for future posts on how to avoid making these mistakes.

Related Posts:

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #1

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #2

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #3

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #4

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #5

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #6

How to Avoid Organising Mistake #7

What’s on your Bucket List?

Thanks to the past 3 wonderful weeks, my Bucket List is looking shorter.  What an amazing time I’ve had in Canada and Alaska, and cruising between the two.

Things that I ticked off my Bucket List include:

• lunching at Chateau Lake Louise
• seeing Banff
• going on a cruise
• watching a glacier calve right before my very eyes
• seeing the Northern Lights
• seeing Mt McKinley (well, almost all of her – she usually hides under a blanket of cloud, and we got to see all but the very tip)
• seeing bears right up close in the wild
• celebrating 30 years marriage with my wonderful husband

Off course that’s not the end of my Bucket List.  I imagine there will always be things I want to see, do and strive for.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What’s on your Bucket List?  What are you doing to reach those goals?  And how will you celebrate when you achieve them?

PS: In case you’re wondering, a Bucket List is a list of all the things you want to see, do and achieve before you “kick the bucket”.

Ten Decluttering Rewards

Sometimes you need a little incentive to get the decluttering job done. And most certainly, once the job is done you’ll want to celebrate and you definitely need a reward for your commitment and accomplishment. So here are some suggestions, all to be enjoyed guilt-free.

1. Run a bath and relax in some bubbles
2. Pop a cork and drink some bubbles
3. Take yourself out into the sunshine with a good book
4. Curl up on the couch with a trashy magazine
5. Pour a cup of exotic tea and nibble on some macaroons
6. Call a friend for a declutter debrief
7. Sit down with your favourite hobby – you know, the one you never have time for but wish you did
8. Grab your keys and go out for dinner
9. Call your friends and invite them over for a dinner party
10. Take photos and share them on social media, and wait for the congratulations to arrive

What will you do to celebrate and reward your hard work?

Turn Organising into Fun

How do you get your kicks?  Personally, I enjoy organising: sorting, alphabetising, purging and boxing up.  That probably explains why I’m a Professional Organiser.  But what about the rest of you, who would prefer a coffee with friends over filing bills, or would rather go for a run than sort through old knick knacks?  How can you make these “boring” jobs fun?  Let’s start by thinking about what activities you find fun and why it is you enjoy them so much.

A runner doesn’t see the daily jog as a necessary evil to keep fit – it’s an opportunity to release endorphins, get the blood pumping, clear the mind and push further each time.  It’s a physical and mental challenge with definitive goals of time and distance.  So how can a runner enjoy the repetitive task of pick up object, put in box, repeat?  Strangely enough, the tasks aren’t that dissimilar.  Running has repetition (left foot, right foot, repeat) but this is only the means to an end, in the same way as sorting objects into keep, donate, throw out is the means to culling a pile of dust collectors.  The key for a runner is to bring in more of the enjoyable elements of running into organising, like quantifiable goals on which to compare progress.  Indeed, any goal-oriented person would benefit from creating a target to organise to.  They don’t need to be big deadlines like “the whole house will be organised by Christmas”, but small, immediately achievable tasks like “today, I’ll clear out the top desk drawer” or “15 minutes sorting out the kids’ toy box”.  In this way, you can feel the adrenaline rush of achievement, as well as knowing that tomorrow, you can push yourself that little bit harder and beat your personal best.

But what if the thought of push-push-pushing yourself every day doesn’t sit well with you, or you’re more of a coffee-with-friends type?  In your case, a spoonful of sugar really does help the medicine, and the soy latte, go down.  For the simpler, less mentally taxing tasks, why not pair them with the more enjoyable, casual aspects of life.  Of course, you can’t take your filing cabinet to the local café, but why not have a cuppa and call a friend while filing your bills.  While you watch a favourite TV show you could go through all your old magazines and rip out the article or recipe you were interested in or, better yet, see if it’s available online.  And when it comes to the jobs which require a bit more concentration, try rocking out to a favourite CD, or rewarding yourself every half hour with a nibble of chocolate or 5 minute Facebook session.

Organising may be my favourite pastime, but I can see how others may not find it so appealing.  If you don’t get a thrill from packing away, why not incorporate some favourite activities or enjoyable elements into the chore of sorting.  You may not love it, but at least the to-do list can become a bit more fun.

The Organised Alphabet 22

V is for Vision

What’s your Vision for your home?  Family?  Work?  Day?  Week?  Year?  Life?

The Organised Alphabet 8

Happy Happy day. We’re Having a Hoot of a time with the Organised Alphabet.

H is for Harmony

Are you living in Harmony with your goals?

You’d be surprised to see how many other H-words are related to Organising.  Check out the discussion on our Facebook page.

The Organised Alphabet 7

There’s no doubt about it

G is for Goals

Goal-setting (or “goal-getting” as one friend calls it) is integral to getting organised.

What other G-words come to mind on the subject of Organising?

You’ll find some on our Facebook page.