One Year to an Organized Work Life, Week One: Chart the Course

I bought One Year to an Organized Work Life last year but just cracked it open today. I'm gung ho again to get my life organized, and as I have some different and new responsibilities at work, it's a good time to begin this book in conjunction with the original One Year to an Organized Life book.

In Regina Leeds' introduction to January, she gives us two habits for the month:

Work Habit of the Month: Leave Your Desk. This is an EXCELLENT place for me to start. I'm very guilty of working through my lunch, and my back often suffers as a result. I need to leave the office every day, either to go to the gym or to take a walk. Or even just to walk up and down seven flights of stairs (I work on the seventh floor). I think I will start today by walking downtown on my lunch hour.

Home Habit of the Month: Make Your Bed. Check. Already doing this every day. Yay!

In Week One, Leeds talks about how easy it is to find yourself flying on auto pilot, without charting a course for your day. Again, this is me. I'm hoping that the changes in my job responsibilities will supercharge my energy, organization, and motivation to get myself off of autopilot and be more intentional in how I work each day.

She poses some questions for us to ponder, such as the following:

Where am I now? I am extremely lucky to have the job I do. I get to use my English degree, and I get paid to write, edit, and communicate. I didn't intentionally set out this goal (to work as a writer/editor in an engineering/project delivery firm), but I'm happy to be here. I've been at my company for 20 years now and it's a great place for me. I love my coworkers, and I'm never bored.

How did I get here? I taught English in Japan for three years after graduating with a B.A. in English Lit. After I returned from Japan, I started temping while I was looking for a job in international relations. I was hired as a temporary receptionist/admin. assistant, and I then discovered that my company had an editing department. That's how I got my start. I fell into it, just as I fell into leadership and management three and six years later. Overall, I feel fulfilled and challenged in my work.

What do I love? I love what I do, most of the time. I love taking on projects and doing my best. I love finding ways to help people do their jobs better or more efficiently. I love mentoring people and helping them reach their goals. I love helping others communicate effectively.

I often tell my coworkers and direct reports that they need to examine their current work situation on a regular basis and ask whether they are happy in their job more than 50 percent of the time. Being happy in one's job 100 percent of the time is unrealistic. Most people will have days or projects that are not that exciting or fulfilling. The most important thing is to be happy as much of the time as possible. I've always told people that if that's not happening, they need to get out.

Leeds then advises us to make a list of our passions and think about how to incorporate these into our work lives.

My passions (related to work):

• Expressing my creativity
• Helping people reach their full potential
• Communicating, or helping others communicate effectively
• Streamlining processes or ways to get work done (again, helping people)
• Doing my best work

One concrete way I can think of to incorporate these into my work life is to get off of autopilot and be more intentional each day (and not get distracted too much by non-work things). Another is to review each of these at the beginning and end of each week to see if I've been successful.

Reflections on the year (from Regina Leeds)

Questions from my organizing heroine Regina Leeds' first post of the year on her One Year to an Organized Life blog:


Did you do anything different this year that yielded great results? Make a note so you remember next year!

I decluttered throughout the year. I will continue this in 2011, in an attempt to keep on top of the clutter, but I will also try to go back to the book and be more methodical about it.
In the same vein, were there things you realized after the fact could have been done with greater skill, joy and dispatch? Record those notes as well. No point making the same mistakes next year and asking yourself: "Why didn't I remember that ...?"

As mentioned above, I'd like to get back to being more disciplined and methodical in my decluttering and organizing, as I was when I started this blog.

Are you 'done' with some aspects of the holiday? For example would you like to see another family member host the big holiday meal? I'd wait a few weeks and then have a conversation with key family members about how the holiday can be different next year. Make a note on your new calendar to make those calls. Without a reminder, it will go by the wayside like most good intentions.

Nothing really comes to mind. I don't feel particularly overburdened during the holidays. We did have to holiday gatherings, but both of them were our choice and I enjoyed myself immensely, even though the preparation was a lot of work.

The other thing I'd like to do in 2011 is make more of my own gifts. This doesn't work very well for small children, who often want the latest and greatest toys, but it's a wonderful option for adults. I made a few gifts this year, but I'm always wanting to do more because I really enjoy making gifts...and so many people appreciate them.

Finally, was there something in your home that wasn't organized and caused you problems? Were the holiday boxes falling apart? Or were they stored in such a way that you had difficulty reaching them? it's the little, petty annoyances that can rob you of the potential joy in any experience. Tend to those details now. Do it as a present to yourself. Next year you will be so grateful!

My organization annoyances are not really concentrated on one room or in one area. I will feel more rested and satisfied when more of my house is organized in general. Another factor is finding a better way to get my 4-year-old to pick up his toys after he plays with them. We are not very disciplined about that...and it seems that whenever we clean up the living room, it soon becomes cluttered again!

Making and breaking resolutions

Day 2 of 2011, and I thought I'd already broken one of my resolutions, but upon further reflection, I guess I didn't. I've found a way to help meet another resolution, and I've added one more!

How I nearly broke one: my visiting mother-in-law offered to take us all out to dinner to our favorite Chinese restaurant, Shanghai Noble House. We've been going there since Chris was a baby, and it's truly like "Cheers," where everybody knows our name. We hadn't been there for a long time (because we are trying to eat healthier), but it was like old home week. They brought us extra crab meat rangoons, free soup, and free almond cookies. Talk about a warm welcome. The food is not the healthiest...as is the case with the yummiest Chinese food. I can't resist the General Tso's Chicken or the Honey Prawns, although we also ordered some seafood and vegetable dishes and Moo Shoo Chicken, which comes with lettuce wraps (a bit healthier!). I was feeling guilty about eating Chinese food on Day 2 of trying to eat healthier, when I realized that my resolution was not to eat healthier, but to write down what I ate. As a result, I did not order beer with my meal...and I was more careful about portions. It still wasn't a particularly healthy meal, but I'll get back on track tomorrow. (And I'm NOT going to taste the almond cookies!)

How I found a way to help with one: I registered on the online financial site, Mint.com, which synchronizes with your credit cards, investments, and checking account. I also have an iPhone app for it. So once I get the hang of the site, it will help me TREMENDOUSLY in tracking our spending...since we use credit cards or checks for most of what we spend. We also need to be more religious in giving the kids their allowance in cash rather than IOUs...hear that, honey?

How I decided to add a new one: I did not have my best parenting moment today. I lost my cool at the mall, when I should have counted to 10 (or 100) and considered how I would react to a parenting challenge. In the heat of the moment, I sometimes forget the impact my words or tone have on my kids. Chris made a mistake today, but so did I. I apologized and told him that I would try really hard not to overreact in the future. So one more resolution. I think I'd better post these in a few prominent places to remind myself! This one is probably even more important than painting the bathroom. :)

New year, new goals

My husband noted yesterday that his blog roll on his blog changes order, depending on which blog has been updated most frequently. My other blogs, Every Day Is a Miracle and Marie's Book Garden, are often at the top of the list, but One Year to an Organized Life is always at the bottom. Touche. It seems I haven't been very organized lately.

In fact, we madly cleaned the house for my mother-in-law's extended visit over the holidays, and we've cleaned it again a couple of times for some holiday gatherings. (Even though cleaning can be a pain in the neck, entertaining is one fine incentive to get your house cleaned!) The study is in passable shape, but it still hasn't been completely marked "organized" so I haven't posted photos yet.

Here are my plans for 2011--I know I made some similar goals at the beginning of 2010, but you can't fault me for trying!

1. Finish renovating our bathroom. It still looks like we're in the middle of painting--because we hired painters and they did a shoddy job, so we have begun prep work to do it over but haven't finished--for 4 years. Yes, isn't that scandalous? I'm airing all my dirty laundry now. The tiles have never been properly sealed, we need a new bathroom vanity, and the trim hasn't been painted (even for the first time). This is the top priority for my life in 2011.

And shortly after that, paint the remaining pink walls in this house. I despise pastel pink, and these walls are not even pastel any more. They are more of a dirty pink because of the kids. Our house would look so much nicer if we were to paint a number of the rooms, including the ones we've already painted but years ago. In order: bathroom, downstairs hallway, upstairs hallway, upstairs bathroom. Then tackle the kitchen. I'll be lucky if I get half of those accomplished, at the speed I go!

2. Write down everything I eat and spend. I've finished January 1 by tracking my food on "Lose It" (an iPhone app) but am off to a bad start at the spending. I ran to Fred Meyer to buy some fish and other groceries before dinner, and after going through the self-serve checkout, I neglected to grab my receipt. I will have to pull it off our credit card bill and backtrack. The ultimate goal, of course, is to be more deliberate about how we are spending our money and save more. And of course, eat less and more healthily.

3. Write more personal notes and birthday cards. As a child, I collected stationery and wrote a lot of letters. In the days of e-mail, people rarely send snail mail any more, but I know how much it is appreciated. So this is one of my goals, although not as high of a priority as #2 and #3.

How will I do? Wait and see. And maybe, while I'm at it, I'll actually start One Year to An Organized Life all over again! At least, three years in, it won't be as bad as the first time around. Haha!

Don’t let the holidays waste the planet

Did you know?

• Americans throw away 25% more trash between Thanksgiving and New Years Day? That adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week going to the landfills.
• December 24 and 25 generate 3 billion extra tons of garbage each year. Gift wrap and shopping bags generate 4 million tons of trash annually, and most are not recyclable. 
• Half of the paper consumed in the U.S. is for wrapping and decorating consumer products.
• The 2.65 million holiday cards sold each year in the U.S. could fill a football field 10 stories high.
• At least 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year (over 100 pounds per person).
• About 40% of all batteries are sold during the holidays.

What can I do to reduce my holiday waste?

 

Send holiday cards by e-mail or use electronic greetings. If everyone sent one less card, we’d save 50,000 cubic yards of paper. Reuse holiday cards by creating gift tags.

 

Use newspaper, children’s artwork, or fabric bags for gift wrap. If every American family wrapped three presents in reused materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields.

 

Forgo the ribbon, or reuse it. If every family reused 2 feet of holiday ribbon, the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet?

 

Shop wisely. Take reusable shopping bags when you go shopping. Purchase gifts with minimal packaging or ones that don’t use batteries.

 

Use less energy. Drive less and combine trips: if each family used 1 less gallon of gas during the holidays, we'd reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1 million tons. Encourage carpooling to holiday events. Use LED lights to reduce 90% of energy consumption.

 

Cut back on gift giving (read my other blog post on simplifying the holidays). Ask your friends and family to participate in “the Hundred Dollar Holiday,” started by environmentalist Bill McKibben and friends (participants limit holiday spending to $100). A national survey found that 70% of Americans would welcome less emphasis on gift giving and spending.

 
Produce less waste while entertaining. Send leftover food home with guests or donate to a shelter. Set up recycling stations at holiday events. Use cloth napkins and durable goods instead of paper and plastic. Offer water in pitchers rather than bottled water. Serve locally grown, sustainable foods.

 

Do you have any suggestions to share on how to green the holidays? If so, please leave a comment.

10 ways to simplify the holidays

Did you know that the average American household spends $1,700 on holiday gifts and accessories each year and carries credit card debt of $15,788? Furthermore, the holidays can be a particularly stressful time of year, especially for women and people with lower incomes. Here is some good news, though: people can feel more love and happiness during the holiday season because they connect or reconnect with loved ones.

One secret to creating more happy moments and minimizing your holiday stress is to simplify your holiday traditions. You can start planning stress-free holidays now by making lists and organizing your family’s gift giving and traditions. Here are 10 ideas to consider:

Gift giving

1. Draw names for gifts or plan a yankee swap. We have a large extended family, and my cousins and I used to buy gifts for all of our children. Now we have the kids draw names, while the adults do a yankee swap.

2. Shop local. I like shopping in nearby Multnomah Village so I can get my gifts wrapped for free.

3. Make your own gifts. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to give wonderful, personal gifts. My friend Shelia makes unique, wonderful family gifts with her kids, such as a cookbook with their family’s recipes or a painted mirror with her kids' photos on it. Other ideas are tree ornaments or photo calendars. I've been known to paint glassware, do calligraphy calendars, or make candles or jewelry. Search the library or the internet for easy handmade gifts you can make. Making gifts can save you a lot of money, and the gifts are much more personal.

4. Give experiences instead of physical gifts. Last year we gave Chris and Kieran tickets to see “Rain” (the Beatles tribute band). Other ideas are theater tickets, restaurant gift certificates, sports events, trips to the beach or mountains, or movie tickets. When I was a kid, we would often get one "big" gift for Christmas--like a bike or a stereo. These gifts were nearly always secondhand, of course, but we loved them.

5. Give a donation instead of a gift. You could consider donating to a charity in lieu of gifts. Last year Mike and made a joint donation to Interplast instead of buying gifts for each other. Other worthy organizations are Mercy Corps, Oregon Food Bank, Medical Teams International, Water For People, and Pennies for Peace. A few years ago my sister and her family signed up to sponsor three children (matching their children’s ages) in developing countries through World Vision.

Holiday traditions

6. Give back to your community. Local organizations look for people to sponsor needy families. Try the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, or Lutheran Community Services NW. Or surf Hands On Portland’s comprehensive Web site to find a volunteer idea that fits your family. The Children’s Book Bank is a great local charity that is always seeking volunteers and donations.

7. Plan low-stress holiday events. Can you say “potluck”? It’s the most beautiful word in the holiday dictionary. If you host gatherings, ask guests to bring a food or beverage to reduce your time and cash outlay. Or plan a cookie exchange with friends.

8. Look for opportunities to spend quality family time. We always go to the Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown (and it’s especially fun now that our Robert Gray Middle School student marches in it!). It’s a great way to start the holidays. We also like to go out into the sticks to choose a tree and stop by a McMenamin’s afterward.

9. If you live near Portland, take in some of the city's great entertainment. Check out Northwest Children’s Theater Company’s production of “Annie,” Portland Center Stage’s “A Christmas Story” and “The Santaland Diaries,” or the Northwest Dance Company’s Nutcracker Tea (a family-friendly, less-expensive, and condensed “Nutcracker”). Have you experienced traditional British pantomime? You don’t have to leave Portland to partake in this hilarious tradition. “Holly Jolly Hullabaloo” is great fun. And it’s FREE, FREE, FREE! (Can you tell how much our family likes the theater?). Pioneer Courthouse Square hosts a holiday ale fest, holiday artisan market, the “Tuba Christmas,” and a Christmas Carol singalong, in addition to tree and menorah lighting.

10. Spread out the fun. Who says that the holidays have to end on Dec. 9 (Chanukkah) or 25 (Christmas)? Our family has celebrated Boxing Day (the day after Christmas) with a tea party. We leave our tree up until Epiphany and continue my husband’s family tradition of leaving our shoes under the tree so the “three kings” can put a small gift in them. Some companies plan holiday parties in January when it’s less chaotic. Think about ways you could spread out your celebrations.

Here are some more resources:

http://www.newdream.org/holiday/
http://fun.familyeducation.com/holidays-and-seasonal-events/stress/35214.html
http://christmas.organizedhome.com/simplify-your-holidays
http://www.squidoo.com/green-your-holidays

What are your ideas for simplifying the holidays? Please leave a comment and share your ideas!

Nine steps to identify clutter

This great list of "nine quick tips to identify clutter" by Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) is not only applicable to clutter in our own homes, but it is also a good list to apply to potential purchases.

Our vacation habits in 2010 have set us back financially, in addition to preschool fees and costs for children's activities...and we are trying to be even more austere in how we spend our money.

I am going to print out this list and laminate it so I can carry it around with me!