We have an exciting new program for you! Over the last few months I have been working closely with Grand & Toy and OfficeMax to put together a specialized pricing program that is exclusive to Simply Productive Members. This program entitles all Members to extended discounts on products from Grand & Toy and OfficeMax that fit your organizational needs.
Dear Simply Productive Community,
Welcome to all the new Members this week! Great to have you as part of our Simply Productive community.
Happy Father’s Day to all you amazing Dad’s out there who work so hard to provide for your family and then juggling work and family priorties. Take the day off and enjoy! You deserve it. I remember when I was a kid, my Dad would work longer hours so we could take these amazing vacations as I was growing up. Family vacations are some of my most cherished memories as a kid. Thank you Dad for being such an outstanding role model and for believing in me and my dreams!
The official first day of summer is June 21. Are you ready for a summer break? I’m sure you are. Take some time this summer to enjoy the outdoors and recharge yourself. It’s also the perfect time to get your home organizing projects crossed off your list. I want to help make it easy for you to get those home projects out of the way. All details are here for the new Home Organizing Bootcamp.
In Vancouver, we love the outdoors and when the sun shines, and we hope it will, we get out and enjoy it! Growing up, I lived in Penticton, which has two beautiful lakes on either end of town. It’s a summer destinatation hot spot with beautiful sandy beaches and hot summer days. I really miss the dry hot summer nights and the trips to the beach. So when the sun shines in Vancouver, I’ll be out enjoying it!
This week’s article, Part 1, is a case study on a busy family with too much to do and barely enough time to take a family vacation. Learn how this one simple tip transformed a family!
Enjoy the organizing journey,
Sherry Borsheim – President / Organizational Consultant
Simply Productive
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This “intro” was taken from our latest newsletter. Not getting our newsletter? Sign up by clicking on “Send My Kit” at the TOP of this page and you’ll also receive our FREE 7 Ways to Organize Your Workspace kit!
Not getting our newsletter? Sign up by clicking here clicking here and you’ll receive our FREE 7 Ways to Organize Your Workspace kit!
It’s the time of year again when we begin moving outdoors, taking in the crisp fresh air, and feeling a real sense of renewal!
And having your home and workspace organized helps immensely to welcome that wonderful freshness back into your life.
Now is also the perfect time to assess where you’re standing with the commitments and goals you made to yourself in January.
Did you set out to be more active this year?
Be on time for meetings and stay ahead of deadlines?
Or maybe you set out to be better organized by finding great desk organization solutions?
Your answers to these key questions will give you the clues for where you should start with these desk organization tips for your spring cleaning.
Welcome in the fresh air and get a head start this year
with our free Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist!
With these tips below, I recommend tackling one or two per day as to not overwhelm yourself right off the bat. It may start to feel really easy and freeing but remember to ration your energy so you can keep motivated and get your organizing done all week!
Most people only use 20 percent of what they have, 80 percent of the time. So with that in mind, let’s get moving and clear up your workspace!
Period.
We can’t get to what we can’t even reach yet!
With our goal being to make a dramatic, visible result, we need to start with the visible things first.
The goal here is to clear Command Central and create dramatic, visible results immediately. Starting with the top of your desk first.
What most desk organization tips won’t say is that people usually start with hidden piles in boxes or drawers, then after 2 hours they find themselves having not accomplished anything.
So to avoid this, grab 2 boxes and put every single piece of paper on your desk into box #1. Use box #2 for other desk things like pens, office supplies, books, and whatever else you have on your desk.
Now pick up the top piece of paper from box #1 and use the F.A.S.T. Principle™ – File it, Act on it, Schedule it, Toss it.
Handle each piece of paper in less than 60 seconds. Get rid of any decor items that you no longer love or that clutter up your desk.
Try to imagine when you walk into your office the next day. How will it feel to have a clear desk?
Likely like you’ve lifted 100 pounds off your shoulders!
Now let’s continue this desk organization process by tackling the piles on the floor using the F.A.S.T. Principle™.
Remember our time constraint for pieces of paper. There’s no time for lengthy evaluating here. The object of the game is to get this done as fast as possible.
Getting organized is a clarifying, cleansing way of connecting to what’s really important to you. You should enjoy the process and reward yourself along the way for all of your hard work!
Think of your work area as having different activity zones. Consider how you move things across your desk, what items you use most frequently, and what relationships certain materials have with different desk activities.
Mismanaged incoming emails can become a significant drain on productivity. The more emails pile up, the less useful it is to the user and company.
On the other hand, an empty Inbox is a delight to look at!
It reminds us we are fully caught up.
Did you know that the real purpose of an Inbox is to serve as a temporary resting location for information and requested actions BEFORE they are read by you?
Our Inboxes are not a catch-all for everything we’ve ever received, and they’re also certainly not a replacement for our information filing systems.
Apply the F.A.S.T. Principle™ here with each email.
Congratulate yourself for taking action on these desk organization tips this week and for clearing off your desk!
You’ve made some serious changes and that is definitely something to be celebrated.
Do keep in mind though, that organizing is a continual process of re-evaluating. You still need to evaluate what your goals are, what activities you currently enjoy, and what you don’t enjoy anymore, then edit accordingly.
