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Win 2 Coaching Sessions with Laura on Your Journey to Get Organized and Be More Productive this Year
Win 2 Coaching Sessions with Laura on Your Journey to Get Organized and Be More Productive this Year
Wednesday, 6 March 2024
Your Journey to an Organized 2023
I shared with you last month that January was "Get Organized and Be More Productive Month."
How did you do?
Just because January has come and gone, doesn't mean you can't still achieve your goals - and get organized this year.
There is no time like the present - and you can think of this as a "present" to yourself and your family that everyone can enjoy and benefit from.
I mentioned last month that I would share a game - or strategy - you can use to get you started on your journey to get organized in 2023.
Ready? Let's GO (Get Organized).
Let go of the amount of things in your life that match the day of the month.
For example, since today is February 3rd, – what are 3 things you can let go of today – to have less clutter in your life?
Each day of the month, you increase the amount of items you let go of – by ONE.
That means by the time you get to Februrary 28th, you will let go of 28 items in a day.
Sound like a challenge?
It is not that challenging, difficult or even time consuming.
Let’s break this down by the rooms in your home and see how quickly you can do this challenge each day.
Here are some ideas for you to consider:
Kitchen
mismatched or chipped dishes
containers that have no matching lids
food storage containers that don’t nest well
gadgets you “had to have” but never used
Pantry
expired food
bags of chips or boxes of crackers with the last few crumbs in the bottom
food you are NEVER going to eat – who are you kidding?
Living Room/Great Room/Family Room
newspapers
magazines
toys
your Christmas tree if it’s still up (I can see the tree still up in our neighbors home)
stuff that maybe didn’t belong in these areas in the first place
Bathroom(s)
product and makeup you are never going to use/wear
samples you thought were a good idea at the time
old towels you would never want your guests to use
Kid’s Rooms
Enlist your children to make decisions here – and as hard as it may be; try to agree with their decisions. I know that many of the parents we work with want to hold on to things from their children’s childhood – for their child.
In reality, it’s the parents that are having a hard time letting go.
Refer to the definition of “Emotional” in my January newsletter.
I know too many families right now that are “holding on to stuff” for their kids because they are certain their kids will want it “someday.”
“Someday” will likely never come – so your home will become their “storage unit.”
Maybe you can charge rent?
The month after I graduated college, I was told it was time to get “my stuff” out of the attic at my parent’s house if I wanted it. I went and got it; most of it was trashed.
Garage
Save this area for the end of the month.
You should be able to hit the jackpot here as the garage is typically the “dumping ground” in any home.
Start with boxes – empty boxes – trust me; there will be more. How many times a day does Amazon show up at your home? I bet you could find 28 things to let go of in the area in under 10 minutes – set a timer – see if you can beat it.
Office or Office Area
Where to start?
The office – or office area is ripe with visible AND invisible clutter. (Refer to my January newsletter for these definitions.)
How many apps are on your phone – that sounded good at the time – but you NEVER use? Delete them.
Photos: there have to be at least 27 or 28 photos on your phone you don’t need - or 270!
E-mail: don't even get me started here! I see so many over flowing inboxes in my consulting and coaching work with clients - e-mail that will never be needed again - delete it; or if you must keep it - file it away. Would you keep things you were never going to look at again in a paper inbox? No? That's what I thought.
Digital files: I’m sure there must be some you will never use again. I can tell you that last week, I must have deleted HUNDREDS if not Thousands of photos from both my personal phone and our server of past client projects we no longer needed – it was simple and fast.
I also deleted hundreds of files on my computer and our server of personal things and work I will never refer to again; it was quick and easy.
Don’t be afraid to use your “delete” key.
And it you want to focus on the “visible” forms of clutter in your office area, maybe let go of some utility statements you held on to because you were going to compare “yearly usage.”
That never happened, right? Time to say good bye.
What about old bank, credit card and investment statements? Maybe it’s time to go digital and download them instead if you want to keep them – you know, to refer to "someday." Be sure you check with each of your financial institutions to see how long they save your statements online.
Your Head
This is where the “mental” clutter comes in – you are storing too much in your head!
You will forget something at some point – I guarantee it.
You feel better now with it out of your head, right?
Maybe I’ll write more in a future newsletter how to track all of your to-do’s – there is no right or wrong way – just get it out of your head and onto paper or a digital system so it’s not creating mental clutter so you don’t feel so overwhelmed.
I guarantee you – you will feel so much more “in control” when you Write.It.Down.
This challenge is easier than you thought – RIGHT? Right!
This is a great way to kick-start your new year.
BONUS POINTS: you get bonus points if you start from the beginning of the year and do your downsizing each day.
Missed a day? No worries. Just do that amount of downsizing of that day on another day in addition to the amount you need to downsize that day.
I want to hear about your successes with the 2023 Challenge.
Drop me a line and tell me about your success – and you could be eligible for 2 FREE coaching sessions with me to kick-start your year.
This is a $450 value!
Details below in the next section.
Why did I focus on “letting go” in this newsletter? Because it is all part of my 10-Step Process that I know WORKS.
If you'd like a copy of my 10-Step Process that I know WORKS; you can download it HERE from our website.
(Be sure to scroll down to the "Our Process" section to grab it.)
If you’d like to read more; you can always purchase a copy of my book Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home & Life. (Amazon).
If you’d like an autographed copy mailed to you – email me; and I’ll have Jennifer call you for billing information and I will sign it and ship it to you.
I hope you found this article to be just the bit of inspiration and encouragement you needed to work towards your organization goals for 2023.
And if you’re wondering why I focused on “letting go” first – it’s because it’s part of my process – you can’t truly “organize” until you have let go of what is no longer serving a purpose in your life.
What steps are you willing to take to get organized and be more productive this year?
Wishing you sustainable organization and purposeful productivity.
Coaching with Laura
Peace is possible when productivity is designed with your life in mind.
As a life-long learner, I wanted to provide coaching to my clients; but knew it was drastically difference from consulting - so I spent over two years in coaching school to learn how I can guide the process to help you develop you work like you desire to achieve.
Many of our clients think of my work as a productivity and organizing consultant already and call me their "coach" but there is a big difference in coaching vs. consulting.
Here's the difference:
As your coach,I guide the process - and I listen to you. I will ask what issues need to be solved to reach your goals.
As a consultant, I offer solutionsthat I share with you. I provide expert advice to solve issues that you want to change.
See the difference?
Coaching is done via the phone and sessions last under an hour. You make a commitment of 3 to 6 months of coaching at a time and we meet 2 to 3 times per month.
This process is powerful and you achieve sustainable results.
2023 Challenge - Win 2 Coaching Sessions with Laura
How would you like to win two FREE coaching sessions with me by completing the challenge above.
Yes? Great. Here are the details.
Make a list of what you let go of each day of the challenge - and email that to me at the end of February or the first week of March. You should be able to tell me each day what you let go of - you can group similar items together in the email; for example:
10 digital pictures, 5 chipped coffee mugs, 2 articles of clothing, etc.
Got it?
Entries are DUE by March 3rd and I will pick a winner the week of March 6th.
Then we will find a time for your two sessions that will last about 30-40 minutes each. There will be some prep work I will email you in advance to complete - nothing difficult, it just makes our use of time together - more efficient.
Before our first call, you will select a big goal you want to achieve this year to be more productive or organized. We will use the two sessions where you will bring a topic each time to discuss - and we will partner together for you to begin to realize your goal.
These phone calls will also be recorded and sent to you so you can listen to them again.
This is a $450 value for the pre-work and coaching calls; but you must email me your list and you will get bonus points if you include a few pictures of what you worked on and let go.
Whether you desire to live more organized at home, need to be more productive at work, or are planning an upcoming local or cross-country move; our team of Organizing Specialists will listen compassionately and deliver systems, professional advice and customized organization and productivity solutions that really work. Best of all, you will be able to easily and seamlessly maintain them. You can breathe a sigh of relief as you put into practice systems created just for you that deliver practical, priceless and life changing benefits.
