I have said it before and I will say it again….routines will enable you to get organized, decluttered and help you feel more balanced. Routines are the key …they take the guess work out of what needs to be done and they decrease decision making time.

Wouldn’t it feel wonderful to have the dishes done, meals planned and the laundry caught up? Would it be great to get standing reports done efficiently and big projects completed with minimal pain?

Routines help accomplish this by blocking time out of your busy schedule for projects and daily tasks. They help keep you on track and help eliminate (or at least reduce) the feeling of being overwhelmed.

It is said that inch by inch it’s a cinch. So try it for one week. Wouldn’t be great to feel a sense of accomplishment for a week? What do you have to loose? Just try this. Are you ready to be amazed?

The “2011 Get-It-Together Handbook” (mentioned in my previous post) in the Real Simple  magazine (January 2011) contains some great, easy to implement changes for a healthier and simpler life. I thought that several were very interesting and I wanted to share them with you:

• Get rid of five files from your filing cabinet.
• Do two yoga poses.
• Call your dad (or mom or brother or sister).
• Shred something, anything.
•  Cancel one appointment that you really don’t want to keep.

Here a few of my suggestions to add to that list of easy changes to make:

• Clear your kitchen sink and counter top.
• Read one joke or cartoon.
• Clean out your purse or just your wallet.
• Journal for 10 minutes.
• Relocate your shredder to a place near the door or area where you bring in and/or sort your mail.

The bottom line is that it is easy to get overwhelmed and say you don’t have time to get organized, clutter-free or healthier. Yet if you make small changes that are achievable (changing those daily practices) you will create balance and add to your happiness.

So pick one thing. I am going to do two yoga poses today. What did you pick?

Planning is the best tool that you can have to take the stress out of the holiday season. Check out a previous post that shares some tips for planning ahead for the holidays.

As part of my holiday planning I have used a project planning checklist for years. Having a checklist removes much of the stress because it provides a timeline for getting things done so you are not doing them at a mad rush the last two or three weeks before your celebrations.
The ideal time to start your checklist for the Christmas holiday is November 1. That gives you eight weeks to carry out all your holiday-related tasks. It always happens at the same time each year unlike Thanksgiving which is when most people start dealing with Christmas.

You can develop your own checklist or project plan or if you would like to receive an electronic copy of my holiday planning checklist, contact me.

p.s. November 1 is two days away. Go ahead begin your holiday plan November 1 this year and see what happens.

In the past I have talked about using routines to serve you…as a tool to eliminate stress and worry and help you accomplish things so you don’t feel overwhelmed. Routines remove a lot of decision making by setting standards or patterns.

So have you developed a morning routine? What are mornings like in your home? Chaotic? Overwhelming?

How you begin your day sets the stage for the rest of the day. Here are some tips for starting your day out “right”:

• Establish that morning routine if you haven’t already.
• Start your morning the night by getting a jump start on packing lunches or laying your clothes out for example.
• Eat a healthy breakfast to energize yourself and fuel your body for the day ahead.
• Give yourself some inspiration by reading a favorite poem, meditating, praying or listing three things you are grateful for.

Starting your day out in the best possible way helps position your attitude for the day. So how do you want your day to go? What one thing can you change in your morning routine that will help you start your day out right?

Many of us take the benefits of walking for granted. Each day we limit the steps we take by driving or sitting for long periods of time. But walking even a short distance each day has unlimited benefits…not only for our health, but our spirit as well.

You know there is that saying if you keep doing the same thing you will keep getting the same results. If you feel that something in your life is not working…make a mindful change.

Here is some insight from the website Daily Om. Read what they have to say on this topic by clicking the link: http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2009/18360.html

Accept the freedom to change what is not longer working in your life. It is possible.

A few more insights into why things don’t get done:
• Clouded vision.
• The task is overwhelming.
• You fear the end result.
• You lack confidence.
• You have distractions.
• Indecision.

Here are some suggestions for getting things done:
• Visualize success.
• Set realistic goals.
• Use lists.
• Maintain a system/calendar.
• Organize your work area.
• Say “no” or delegate.
• Identify time wasters and eliminate them.
• Just do it!

Do any of the reasons for not getting things done sound like you? Spend time journaling about it and then pick an action plan that will work for you. Again, small baby steps will help you be successful.

In my previous post I talked about understanding why you may have the habit of procrastination. Identifying the pay offs and reasons why you procrastinate are the first steps to changing this habit.

Here are some tactics you can use to stop procrastination in its tracks:
• Do the worst first. It may not be as hard as it appears.
• Set a deadline and work backwards to break the project into smaller parts.
• Commit to someone else and ask them to keep you accountable.
• Just do it! Pick one thing right now that you can do on the project.

Set yourself up for success and take the stress out of your life by taking small steps. You don’t need more time in your life. Instead you may need to stop wasting time by procrastinating and fretting and use the time to take action and soar.

Do you wonder why you are sometimes stuck doing the same thing or why you have settled for mediocrity? Why do those piles keep reappearing or why can’t you get some of your goals accomplished?

We all procrastinate to a point but there are those that are consistently late, miss deadlines or put things off.

Understanding why you act the way you do can help you stop procrastination in its tracks. Do you procrastinate because you: can’t face the project in front of you assuming that it will be too difficult or use procrastination to finally get motivated or do you have to do it perfectly?

You need to recognize that procrastination may be serving you at this moment. When you procrastinate you may become the center of attention when you are blustering about complaining about your workload or you may be using it as an excuse for a less than stellar work performance or you again “save the day” by finishing the project at the ninth hour.

So have you always been a procrastinator or is this something new? Is something going on at your place of employment or at home that is causing you to procrastinate? Do you take care of yourself (enough sleep, exercise) so your body can meet its daily demands? Do you enjoy the excitement or pressure of doing things at the last minute?

Questions like those above can help you understand this habit. Creating awareness is the first step toward eliminating procrastination. Journaling about this topic can further help you identify the benefits and causes of your procrastination habit. What have you discovered about the habit of procrastination?

Why filing systems don’t work:
• You are trying to adapt someone else’s system.
• You have set up a very complex system (maybe color coded and too many small categories).
• Your file cabinet is not in a convenient location.
• You are trying to keep too much to start with (records versus references).
• You have not set up time on a regular basis to manage and maintain the paper flow in your life/office/business.

Here are some tips to set up a file system that you will use:
• Begin by sorting your piles into categories. You will begin to see a pattern.
• Decide on a way to categorize and label your files. There are several great books/resources out there that have suggestions for categories. Some include: household, personal, financial, auto, legal, health/medical and business.
• Use nouns to name your files and use the ones that you first think of when you pick up the piece of paper you are going to file. Using broader categories might make it easier as well. For example: Health/Medical: Bob, Health/Medical: Sue, etc. I can tell you from experience that more of my own papers got filed when I converted to broader categories….prior to that there were just too many files to go through and I never could decide where I should put the paper I was filing.
• Use prime space to keep your current project files, frequently consulted files and tickler file such as your desk file drawer and locate other active files in close proximity to your desk. Limit these active files to two or three drawers only. Long-term storage files can be archived to an appropriate storage container in a space outside the office such as the basement.

Next you need to have a system in place to keep paper flowing in your life. You will need to schedule project and maintenance time. Project time includes setting up or updating your system and may take multiple sessions. Maintenance time includes regular (weekly filing sessions at a minimum) as well as periodic purging sessions.

And remember for your piles to become files you need a system and also the habit of avoiding the urge to keep everything.