Change One Thing at a Time

By on January 7, 2011 in Mind Matters

Are you taking on too much, getting caught in the resolution frenzy?

Are your resolutions really more like wish lists?

This year why not try making one profound change. Make it important enough that you will reap rewards, see results or gain satisfaction as you progress and work towards this “goal.”  Change is a process that usually takes time, so don’t beat yourself up.

Do you want to start a business, get fit, stop smoking, write a book, start a blog, get out of a dead-end relationship or job, pay off your debt? Whatever it is . . . make this your top priority and put your focus on it until it’s done! You may need to let something else go or at least put it on the back burner to free up time and energy. But what’s the alternative? You will be back in the same place this time next year and nothing will have changed……

I am still making up my mind…write a book, build my business, get fit (exercise every morning, run long road race, build more muscle,) increase financial savings, meditate daily, have more fun……starting to sound like a wish list to me. We are in this together…….

Keep me posted on your progress and we can journey through 2011 together!

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Housekeeping Routines: How to Improve Your Routine

By on January 6, 2011 in Uncategorized

This is a guest post from James, a full time writer for Spares Next Day who specialize in hoover bags for vacuum cleaners.

Housekeeping Routines: How to Improve Your Routine

Keeping your home clean, tidy and organized is a task that most people put off for another day, which is only serves to make cleaning up even more time-consuming when you finally do bite the bullet. It doesn’t need to be that way. With an optimized routine when you know exactly what to do, where to do it and when, you can turn an unwieldy and stressful chore into a lightweight point cheerfully ticked off your to do list.

  1. Tackle one room or area at a time. If your schedule is already hectic, the idea of cleaning the whole house from top to bottom is likely to send you into a panic. However, you do not have to feel this way as long as you break it down into digestible parts. For instance, one day of the week you could handle the kitchen, then the next day scrub down at least one bathroom, and so on. In this way it is easier to get things done, and you will not need to rush just to finish and move on.
  2. Keep the house free of clutter – Do not let a pile of magazines overcome your coffee table, and avoid letting the children leave their toys all over the yard. When the time comes to clean you are only adding extra work; after all, you cannot wipe the coffee table if it is covered in personal possessions. Put things away when you are not using them. If something is old and you do not even look at or wear it anymore, toss it or give it away. Should the item prove to be worth something, there is nothing wrong with selling it to bring in a little extra money. This not only helps speed up the cleaning process, but you will feel more at ease with less mess to deal with.
  3. Get the whole family involved in the house cleaning process – Assign the children to vacuuming and emptying the dishwasher on certain days of the week. Have the spouse wash the windows and take out the trash when needed. The more people that are involved with the routine, the easier it will be to get it all done.
  4. Keep a calendar of chores that need to be completed – Choose a place in the home where it will be displayed; a wall in the kitchen, your room, or next to the front door is all good locations. It does not really matter what you go with, as long as it is in plain sight and hard to overlook. By keeping track of what needs to get done, you are less likely to forget something, leading to a lot more cleaning than you anticipated or wanted.
  5. Do certain chores at certain times of the year – In the winter season, known for its chilly weather and onslaught of snow, it would be unreasonable to leave rugs outside to dry. Removing leaves and debris from the pool is not critical. Nobody would expect you to clean out the garage during such weather, either. These housekeeping routines are not absolutely necessary, and can wait for warmer weather. By taking these chores off the list, you will be able to tackle what matters the most, rather than focusing on things outside of the months where they are appropriate. Keep in mind that some things can and should be done all year.
  6. Do not ignore the hidden issues – In other words, though you may have wiped away the food stains in the kitchen, you may not have completely removed the germs from the area. Be sure to add disinfectant wipes and other cleaning solutions to your shopping list; when you make sure that your home is clean when it comes to both visible and invisible issues, it will become a safer place. For a house with children, this is something that will be especially prevalent. It does not take too long to do, however, and can make all the difference in the world.
  7. Clean for only a few minutes a day – On top of taking care of one room at a time, another way to help prevent the feeling of panic is by spending only a few to fifteen minutes on each project. Should you attempt to clean for longer, you may become tired, and thus not want to do it anymore. Then the next day you are liable to be lazy about it, believing that it is not worth the work involved. Unless it is an emergency, such as an unexpected guest coming for a visit, excess cleaning should be avoided. Take it slow, and do not act is if you are being graded on the results. As long as you do your best, that is all that matters.
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Looking Back to Look Forward

By on January 3, 2011 in Mind Matters
This is where I've been
Image by nige_mar via Flickr

Looking Back

It’s helpful to periodically take a look back at where you’ve been; assimilate the lessons you’ve learned, get your bearings and figure out where you want to go in the future. In doing my annual look back at where I’ve been and what I learned over the last year I found some surprising, but choice wisdom.

Where I’ve Been

I was all over the map last year; I started two new websites and migrated two old ones, restructured and realigned my business, wrote a book on deployment from a spouse perspective, started 2 new books, sent my second child off to college, moved my widowed mother into a new home and helped her get the old one ready for sale, learned more about home repair than I ever wanted to and survived 6 months without my husband, who is still in Afghanistan.

What I’ve Learned

  • You can do so much more than you thought possible – This year I have had many firsts and am ever amazed at the expanding limits of my capacity. I started two new websites and migrated two old ones, restructured and realigned my business, wrote a book on deployment from a spouse perspective, started 2 new books, sent my second child off to college, moved my widowed mother into a new home and helped her get the old one ready for sale and survived 6 months without my husband, who is still in Afghanistan. Without my husband to lean on, I have learned my way around a caulk gun, helped to close the pool and successfully opened the fireplace while managing not to blow up our house.  Who knew?
  • Enough is perfectly acceptable – Who decides what enough is? The committee of “They?” Society? The business world? Our family? Friends? No. We do. I decide when something is good enough. How much time is enough? How much sleep is enough? When work is enough? What results are enough? What amount of money is enough? Maybe even how much happiness or joy is enough? What about love, how much of that is enough to give or receive? I don’t know the answers to all of those yet, but I’m working on it.
  • You cannot do as much as you think you can – In a seemingly direct contradiction of my first lesson comes the second one. Projects will take longer than expected, obstacles will arise and demands on your time and attention will test your limits when you can least afford it. You can’t do and be everything for everyone without losing yourself in the shuffle. I have found that when juggling competing needs, my time, my health and my care are the first to be overlooked. That can only lead to burnout.
  • Ask for help – Be open to support from wherever and whomever it comes and know who to ask for what – identify (at least in your mind) who will give you emotional support, who is your shoulder to cry on, you ear to vent in, who will offer sound advice, who will offer practical wisdom and think about the details, who can give recommendations and who can do repairs.
  • Keep your sense of humor – Life is so much easier when you laugh (even at yourself.) Don’t take life so seriously. Stuff happens, plans get derailed, things break, dogs throw up, your pool turns green, you get stuck in the ditch the first night of your vacation or maybe those things just happen to me…but at least I can still laugh at them.

I am my own worst enemy…no big surprise there. Aren’t we all? At this time of year when we are collectively making resolutions and setting goals for the New Year, these are the things I am thinking about. No resolutions or lofty goals this year, just an intention; an intention to push my boundaries, but to respect my limits, to try new things, but embrace tradition, to help others, but honor and care for myself and most importantly to embrace and acknowledge what is enough for me both personally and professionally.

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Welcome to Productive Life Concepts!

By on December 30, 2010 in Uncategorized

I have undertaken a huge endeavor over the last month designing this new and improved website, migrating my existing blogs and posts and changing website hosts. At the same time I have restructured my business, refined my methods and focus and redefined my life’s purpose. In short I have decided that it’s time to take my own advice and coaching pearls of wisdom and incorporate them as best I can into my work and life. My intention is to offer information, help, tools and services in a more meaningful and useful manner that encompasses all the aspects of living a truly productive life. I give a more in depth overview in the About section, but to summarize my vision:

Productive Life Concepts is really about helping people achieve life synergy and work satisfaction.  It’s about combining maximum productivity and organization at work and at home with clarity, creativity, contribution and focus to achieve a more productive and purposeful life. It’s also about helping businesses understand that a productive, satisfied “team” will produce far greater results.

My motto – “True fulfillment is about living a productive and purposeful life and having the good sense to enjoy it while it’s happening.”

To that end, you will now find all of the “spokes” in the wheel of life under one umbrella. I hope this makes more sense and saves you time and effort in your journey towards Productivity, Progress & Purpose.

I have some exciting things in store for 2011!

The new forum will be up and running in January allowing more in-depth discussion and support on each topic. I will be posting on the forum to offer tips, polls, post questions, ask for input and answer questions throughout the year. You will also have an opportunity to interact with other members to get additional support.

Also in January, I will be launching ongoing programs for increasing your productivity and getting more organized. This will eventually have an app to go along with it for those iPhone users (maybe Android too.)

I will be taking more guest posts each month to give the site more depth and breadth and get different perspectives.

Coming soon – I have an E-book in the works that should be ready sometime next month.

Coming soon – Throughout the year, I will be adding downloadable worksheets to a new Tools section that is coming soon.

Coming soon – I’m mulling over an email newsletter for those who would prefer something in a digest format.

Coming soon – I will be offering coaching and consulting sessions with online booking and payment so that you can choose your day and time through a new scheduling interface.

As always I welcome suggestions and feedback. Please feel free to comment or use the contact form. Also, as you are navigating your way through the new site interface, please let me know when you find links or pictures that are incorrect or won’t display…I just could not catch them all as there were over 300 posts.

Here’s to a more productive and purposeful life in 2011!

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Journey of the Peaceful Warrior

By on December 2, 2010 in Mind Matters
calm

Peaceful Warrior

Lessons Learned: Month 5

The sanity and comfort that we seek in our tumultuous times is found in the small gestures and the simple acts that are easily within our reach.

We joke sometimes, the other military wives and I about the dichotomy of our toughness and vulnerability that uniquely make up the existence of “home-front warriors.” I ponder this odd journey I find myself on and wonder what it means. The answer has not entirely revealed itself to me yet, but this I do know; that the tangled web of moments, decisions and experiences that unfold are culminating in the transformation of the woman, the peaceful warrior that I have blossomed into.

As month 5 draws to a close it’s time to reflect on what I have lost and gained.

What have I lost?

5 pounds – This can be fortuitous or worrisome depending on your point of view.

Any sense of control – I have come to accept that the military controls my husband, for the time being at least. God, fate or the universe (substitute whatever you choose to believe) control our world, our lives and our future. No one can control the thoughts and actions of others. Even my children are mostly beyond my control. Sigh. Influence yes, control no. The only thing I truly control is my perception and reactions.

Any smugness or impression of supremacy based on talents or accomplishments – I have learned how precarious my semblance of order, organization and competence are. Knowledge and discipline can only go so far regardless of how efficient your system is. Life intervenes and even the most skilled individual can be blown off course by crisis, turbulence, utter exhaustion and sheer overwhelm.

Fear of appearing weak – The last vestiges of worrying about how I am perceived by others has dissipated. I cannot exist totally independent from others and why would I want to? I ask for help freely, I admit my fears and worries openly and I accept support gratefully.

What have I gained?

A sense of trust – I trust my husband not to put himself in unnecessary danger, to tell me if there is a need for me to be concerned and to give his family the position of top priority whenever possible. I trust my husband’s fellow soldiers to do their best to keep him safe. I also trust in my ability to handle whatever life throws my way.

Unqualified acceptance – That does not mean that I give up my prerogative to complain or try to alter the course of events, but that I accept what is reality in whatever form that takes right now. I accept my lack of control. I accept that there will be hardship and moments of devastation. I accept that it is not all about me and sometimes there is just nothing that can be done.

A core of strength and peace – I have slowly come to experience a sense of peace, a certain kind of knowing that all will be well in the end. It’s a revelation of just how far the limits of my strength and capacity can stretch and an inner calm that flows along with that knowledge.

I am not a pacifist, not in your wildest dreams, but no longer will I obsess over worry and control that elude me. I have grown to embrace the title and meaning of “peaceful warrior.” The personification of that in practical terms means that I save my worry for true and real concerns right now, instead of future possibilities. It means that I save my strength for matters over which I can have some influence and affect some change. It means that I conserve and expend my energy in synergy with the flow of life and with respect for the needs of my body and mind. It means that I am calm and focused, compassionate and forgiving and equally fierce and powerful when necessary.

It feels akin to taking the first step on a new path of unknown destination with no idea what landscape I will see along the way. What I do know is that I intend to keep my eyes, mind and heart open to everything life has yet to offer me.

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