S.O.S. Blog #8 - 07/19/10

Since my mom’s death last year I’ve been helping Dad send out greeting cards. The birthday/anniversary list Mom and I created for them years ago has really simplified the process. Since I have all the dates stored in a database, it’s easy to update information as names are added or deleted from the list. Also, I print return address labels - in chronological order - and apply them to Dad’s calendar. He’s been able to manage his own correspondence because the labels remind him of upcoming occasions. It’s fun to see Dad now applying systems that I’ve used for years. He chooses the cards, writes his message, and addresses the envelopes once or twice a month. Then, in the stamp corner he writes the date the card needs to be mailed. When that day arrives, he simply covers the date with a stamp and drops the card in the mailbox. He really hardly needs my help at all!

Positive Spin Tip #8: To set up your special occasion system, make a list by month of birthdays and anniversaries you want to acknowledge. Then, reserve a day during the last week of each month to write out next month’s cards. Be sure to have a specific place to store the cards until they are mailed. Of course, you can also use a virtual reminder system. I love www.Plaxo.com - a safe, online address book that sends reminders when someone on your list is having a birthday. You can even send free greeting cards for any occasion from their website. I especially appreciate the future mailing option that let’s me customize greeting cards and choose the date to have it emailed to my friend, relative, client, or coworker. If you need help getting your list organized or would like to have labels printed for your calendar, just let me know. S.O.S. offers a variety of services, including organizing your correspondence. Contact Susi@MessDistress.com

S.O.S. Blog #7 - 06/04/10

Today I had my first session at Curves. It was time (past time, really). My body fat ratio is off the charts and all the fun has gone out of shopping for clothes. When I left, the owner said, “See you next week.” Apparently, 45 minutes of exercise hadn’t done the trick. Suddenly, I realized that I would have to make a time commitment to my health - something I logically believe, but actually rarely do. So, I now have workouts on my calendar and will be devoting 30 minutes three times each week to Curves. Maybe with a lot of dedication my body will develop its own curves (in the right places for a change).....

Positive Spin Tip #6: Okay, we’ve discussed the first 5 steps in the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process: GET MOVING, IDENTIFY, GROUP, GIVE IT A PLACE, and LABEL. Now we’re ready for the last step, ESTABLISH A ROUTINE. Habits are subconscious shortcuts. First, decide on one new habit you would like to develop, such as doing stretching exercises twice a day. Then, find two ways to remind yourself of your plan (i.e., leave sticky notes on your bathroom mirror or computer, and set an alarm or timer). Commit to a specific time to begin your new routine (7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 8th), and schedule a date to check your progress (Tuesday, June 29th). Finally, tell someone about your plan. Sharing your goal can be an incentive to keep going when the novelty wears off - and it’s nice to have a cheerleader along the way. It takes about 21 days to establish a new routine, so be patient. In three weeks you’ll find yourself stretching without even thinking about it! Need help applying the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process in your home or office? Just contact Susi@MessDistress.com. It will be a slimmer, healthier me answering your email:)

S.O.S. Blog #6 - 05/21/10

For the last 20 years I have worked part time at a middle school. During the first 12 years, I supervised the Student Services area where kids who were having a bad day spent time. Some students spent a lot of hours there. Many of them were kids who just couldn’t keep quiet or sit still, whether because of ADD, ADHD or some emotional or behavioral disorder. It was easy to label certain ones as Troublesome or Underachieving.
I remember thinking then - and still believe - that the traits which caused those kids to struggle through school would one day be the qualities that could create a very successful adult life. Social communication is a skill that is highly regarded in most professions - especially fields such as sales, marketing, public relations, teaching, and consulting.
The energy that used to prevent students from sitting tranquilly at their desks is now welcomed by companies who need go-getters to produce their product or provide their services. Of course, remembering that the Wild Child can grow up to be a Successful Adult can be quite a challenge - whether you’re a teacher or a parent.
The trick is to prepare all children for adulthood and give them the tools to prosper in real life. If you have questions or concerns about helping the kids in your life develop the skills they need to succeed, you’ll definitely want to check out the Cline-Fay Love and Logic Institute materials. After facilitating Love and Logic classes for over 18 years (and using it on my 3 children, as well as at school), I’m even more convinced that it’s the best program out there. They offer many free resources on their website, in addition to a wide variety of books, CDs and DVDs. Go to www.LoveandLogic.com and let me know how it works for you. And, if you know of a group who would like to offer the program, I'd love to hear from them, too.

Positive Spin Tip #5: It may not be a good idea to label people, but it is a great idea to label almost everything else in your home or office. In fact, LABEL is the next step in the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process. After you GET MOVING, IDENTIFY, and GROUP you need to LABEL. When preparing to sort through a drawer, cupboard, shelf, or closet, gather empty containers and markers or sticky notes to label them. Then, as you IDENTIFY each item, you can GROUP like objects or documents together in a labeled box, basket, file, or other container. The LABEL step is the one that helps make your hard work last! Watch future blogs for more details on sorting through clutter (paper, computer, stuff). If you need help getting your G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process to work, a phone or on site consultation may be the answer. Just let me know - Susi@MessDistress.com

S.O.S. Blog #5 - 05/07/10

Are you a procrastinator? Maybe you just need to create a specific time in your schedule to get things done. Benjamin Franklin said, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Believe it or not, that’s all you really need to know about organizing: You make a place for things and then put them away!
When you consider your To Do list, you may ask yourself, “When am I going to do this?” or “How am I going to get all of this done?” Since the answer is probably, “I don’t know,” it’s easy to put things off until Later. Ben’s advice pertains to time, as well as stuff. “Make a place” in your life to focus on certain activities. Enter blocks of time - even 10 minutes (be realistic) - into your planner or calendar to really address those things you want to accomplish. Then, stick to your plan to “put them away.”
The same is true for the stuff we accumulate. Unfortunately, we want things put away but forget to first make places for them. Clutter and procrastination are signs that we don’t have enough designated places.
When we look at a document or other item and ask ourselves, “Where does this go?” the answer is often (usually!), “I don’t know.” So, we put it on a pile of other undecided paper or stuff it into a drawer or closet until we decide what to do with it. Clutter is really just a symptom of indecision. “I’m not sure, so I’ll put it here until I figure it out.” Again, it’s a matter of making enough places, which brings us to.....

Positive Spin Tip #5: The next step in the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process is to GIVE IT A PLACE. You’ve already done the GET MOVING, IDENTIFY, and GROUP steps, so now it’s time to make places for those items you’ve identified and grouped together. Gathering like items into one place makes it easier to see what size or type of container you need for them. Measure the cupboard, closet, or drawer where items will be placed before purchasing boxes or other storage containers. Having a dedicated container (file folder, basket, box, etc.) helps to both give you boundaries or limits to what you save and makes it simpler to find things later on.
Wish you had someone to guide you through the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process? I’d love to help you - in person or over the phone. It’s amazing how much we can accomplish during one phone session! Just send your request (or desperate plea) to Susi@MessDistress.com - we can G.I.G.G.L.E.™ together:)

S.O.S. Blog #4 - 04/15/10

Tax Day! Time to get serious if you didn’t file an extension. Taxes are such a headache, aren’t they? What do we get for all our hard-earned money? Schools, roads, fire and police protection, snow plows, street sweepers, parks, highway landscaping, bridges, prisons, and much more. Some would say we get corrupt elected officials and waste. Which is true, but that would probably happen even without taxes. Personally, I love to pay taxes. Really! I’ve lived through years when I didn’t make enough money to pay much in taxes and years when I paid what seemed like a bundle. Believe me, the bundle years were better. I’ve lived places that didn’t have many state taxes and in MN where we pay quite a lot. Believe me, Minnesota is better. I like having schools, roads, fire and police protection, snow plows, street sweepers, parks, highway landscaping, bridges, prisons, and all the other services I get for my tax dollars. Of course, it’s also up to me to pay attention to how those dollars are spent and vote for the politicians I feel can be trusted to support my best interests. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. But, for the most part I’m happy with the quality of life taxes offer. And - like any responsibility - when I don’t pay attention, it costs me time, money, trust. If I don’t want the job, then I shouldn’t complain too loudly about the ones doing it. As long as they do their honest best.

Positive Spin Tip #4: We’ve reached the next step of the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process. Once you GET MOVING you’ll want to IDENTIFY: What is it? What is its purpose? Into what category does it belong? Does it fit and function well where it is now? (Maybe our elected officials should G.I.G.G.L.E.™ more often!) This step is crucial to moving on to the next “G.” Before you can GROUP like items together, you need to IDENTIFY them. When preparing to organize a drawer, cupboard, shelf, or closet, gather empty containers and markers or sticky notes to label them. Then, as you IDENTIFY each item, you can GROUP like objects or documents together in a labeled box, basket, file, or other container. Watch future blogs for more details on sorting through clutter (paper, computer, stuff). If you need help getting your G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process to work, a phone or on site consultation may be the answer. Just let me know - Susi@MessDistress.com

Learning Something New Every Day

Remember when you were young and knew just about everything? How age changes things! It seems that the more I've learned, the more I don't know. This is especially true of politics and computers. As soon as I feel comfortable with a new program on my computer, an updated/alternate/better choice comes along. Social networking is one of those new choices - only it doesn't really feel like a choice. To successfully grow many (most) businesses today, an entrepreneur needs to reach out beyond the physical connections and enter the virtual world.
I'm reminded of the fact that years ago I resented having to get and use email. You know, when a phone call or snail mail did the job just fine, thank you. Funny thing...now I'm helping people organize their email messages and computer desktops! In fact, now it's rather annoying when someone doesn't have email and I'm forced to contact them the "old" way.
One of the best ways to clean up your computer desktop is to create folders for different categories of information, such as Business and Personal. Then, add folders within those categories for specific types of documents. For instance, Business may include folders for Equipment, Marketing, Presentations, and Products, while Personal could include Entertainment, Family, Finances, and Household. Use these folders to store documents and email messages that are being saved for reference purposes.
If you'd like some great tips on managing email, check out our Dare to Be Dynamic! seminar event on Friday, March 19, 2010 in North Oaks, MN. Lisa Burnside, one of the 4 Dynamic Women, will be presenting "Get Control on Email." Of course, you'll also hear Vitalia share ideas on "Tapping into the Power of Your Mind" and Lori will guide you on how to "Maximize Your Potential." I'll be there, too, with the why's and ways to "Eat the Biggest Frog First!" Check out our website at www.4DynamicWomen.com for details and registration information.

S.O.S. Blog #3 - 01/30/10

Can January already be almost over? Time goes by so quickly. Sometimes I feel like I’m finally ready for the holiday before last, but certainly not the current one. Stores have had Valentine’s Day displays out for a month and -I hate to admit this - I still have Christmas decorations waiting to be packed up. Before I put them away, they need to be sorted into “Keep for Next Year” and “Good-bye” boxes.
In my defense, I went to Arizona for a week to visit my dad and watch daughter Jami, her boyfriend Dave, and niece Renee run in the Phoenix half-marathon. So, what was the positive side of walking a quarter-marathon from and to the parking lot (okay, slight exaggeration) and standing around in the sun for hours waiting for everyone to get to the gathering spot? First of all, it was exciting to watch Jami run by - for the split second I could see her anyway. Plus, they ran their best times yet and were deservedly proud of that achievement. Most importantly, it was an opportunity to share a new experience with my family. What a great day to be a mom!
Now it’s time to buckle down and focus on clearing off the Christmas collection table. My goal is to get everything stored before February 14th. Time to G.I.G.G.L.E.!

Positive Spin Tip #3: As you heard in PS Tip #2, the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process helps you to organize just about anything. The first step (G.) is to Get Moving, so I will start by checking my calendar and scheduling a time to start. It’s important to make a commitment by putting a task on your calendar or planner (a To Do list is really just a Wish List). Using a timer can also give you a boost when trying to get started. Set the timer for 10-20 minutes - or the time you feel you can dedicate to the task. Then, stick to the job until the timer goes off. You can always reset the timer if you’re motivated to keep going, but allow yourself a reward for sticking to your plan: Take a walk, have a snack, read one article in a magazine, or call a friend (set the timer again). Christmas decorations, here I come!
Next: Blog #4 will introduce the “I.” step of the G.I.G.G.L.E.™ process.
Enjoy Today!
:)Susi