I’ve been an organizing and time management consultant for nearly 20 years, helping individuals and companies to improve their spaces, systems, schedules, working relationships and lives so that they can achieve their goals.

No matter where I go in the world, or who I’m working with, everyone feels overwhelmed:  we live in a too much to do, not enough time, blackberry saddled, can’t turn off, can’t quite squeeze it all in world.  That applies equally to the philanthropist in New York trying to change the world, to the Midwest professor balancing work and kids, to the author (Fannie Flagg) preparing for a move, to the entrepreneur in Stockholm trying to take control over her business.

One of the problems I run into all the time is that while people have a deep desire to make their lives better – they just don’t always know exactly what they need. When you feel overwhelmed, you want quick relief, and reach out for solutions-- but it\'s often the WRONG thing....

            Breaking the habitual dependence on mindless escapes such as incessant TV watching, video games, email checking, internet surfing, shopping, etc., takes a huge amount of will, tolerance, and commitment. These mindless escaped are so insidious, and you may be surprised how much they wiggle their way into your day. That’s why breaking your addiction can be a bit unnerving. When taking on a mindless escape, you’ve got to be brave, and the best approach is cold turkey.

 

Here are some mindless escape habit breakers:

 

Engage more deeply. If you are feeling bored or anxious, challenge yourself to stay put by engaging more deeply in your current activity. Boredom kicks in when we go on “automatic pilot.” Listen more closely to the conversation at hand, pay extra attention to the visual clues in your surroundings, notice....

         We are living in such an interesting time, where everyone is in the midst of some form of reinvention, in a world in which it seems all of the rules have changed.  In pursuit of new ways of making a living, managing our finances, running our businesses and operating in a more socially responsible way, it is easy to feel defeated. It can seem that each time you come up with a solution, there’s a new obstacle in your way. Like a fighter in the ring, how many times can a person get knocked down?  Yet, we know we have to have to get back up, so let’s take this opportunity to reflect on how to fortify our powers of determination.

 

            From a distance, you recognize determined people by their achievements. But if you are lucky enough to be close to a determined person, you know that each achievement is made up of a million different tiny steps. Determined people....

            As with all other attachments, the key to uncovering the original value of your habit is to begin by tracing it back to its roots and discovering when and why you first acquired it. Take a few moments to ponder the point of time when your habit developed..

            Use the following questions to get at the root of your bad habit: How long have I had this habit? What were the circumstances in my life when I started this habit? Why did I acquire it? Why did it make sense then? Are those circumstances the same in my life right now? Who else in my life shares this habit?

While it is helpful to pinpoint when you started the habit as you think about the past, don’t worry if that particular point in time seems a little vague. Sometimes habits start when we are so young, we aren’t really....

Mother’s Day is this weekend, and I thought it might be good to do a little shoutout to the hardworking, time starved Mom’s out there.  Of course, as a time management expert, I feel strongly that Mother’s Day should not be the only guilt-free day of the year where you take time for yourself.  Busy Moms need time for themselves daily and weekly, so that they have the energy to keep on giving to others.

 

This Mother’s Day, here are three techniques that will help you find, and enjoy, YOU time on a regular basis.

 

Strategy 1-SHED YOUR BACKLOG, so you can relax GUILT-FREE!

 

Many people feel that it’s hard to relax when there’s always a 4 page to-do list of unfinished projects and good intentions waiting....

Spring is here! Time to SHED those winter blahs and lighten up! Are you getting ready for some spring cleaning? If so, I want to challenge you this year to think beyond the physical stuff that you might deep clean, dump or donate.

 

There are actually three categories in your life where you can look for clutter to SHED this spring: physical clutter, time clutter and habit clutter...

I was recently given a "Woman to Watch" award by Jewish Women International.  The event was quite wonderful--especially to be in the company of the eight other dynamic honorees--including Ruth Marcus of the Washington Post, JJ Ramberg of MSNBC's Your Business, and the founder of Spanx!  Yes, we were a varied group.

The turnout of supporters for the organization was so huge, and energizing--and I was soon to learn why:  The work of JWI is quite amazing--helping women and girls live in safe homes.  Check them out www.jwi.org

Before accepting our award, we were each asked to share a "Pearl of Wisdom"--mine was about the benefit of always including something in your schedule that is outside your comfort zone, to help give you the courage and self-confidence to tackle all sorts of challenges in your life.....

50 years ago, spring cleaning may have meant beating the rugs, throwing open the windows, and getting rid of the dust bunnies under the bed.  But today--with our complex and challenging lives, it’s time to take Spring Cleaning to a whole new level. It's time to clear the obsolete from our lives to generate the space and energy to move forward with vigor!

But.... where do you begin?  Getting started is the hardest part for most people....so I've created a 2 part Spring Fling Challenge to jump-start your efforts....