Palais Professional Organizer

Posts Tagged ‘commitment’

Detox cleansing with Dr. Junger

Dr. Junger, a cardiologist and Director of Integrative Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, wrote Clean after recovering his own health with detoxification. His program focuses on nutrition for the purposes of cleansing the body of all the crap we are bombarded with daily. The interesting thing to me as I did the cleanse back in May was that as I cleansed my body I started to look at how I could cleanse my space as well. It really is all connected.

Detox: your body and your space

Holding on to items in our space that remind us of bad relationships, hard times in our lives, negative images or just things we don’t like anymore or don’t serve us are all creating a toxic space.

Sometimes it is as hard to let go of these items as it is to let go of extra weight or to let go of foods that make us feel bad. We may need a little extra encouragement to do what will really make us feel better – what will cleanse us so we can remember what it feels like to feel good again. I think that is the thing – not remembering what it feels like to feel great – we get used to living heavy, encumbered.

What would it be like?

We think the toxic things we do, eat, say and engage in are par for the course. But what would it be like to let them go?

We don’t know until we are brave enough to do it.

The best part of being on this side of this particular cleanse is not being pulled by the foods that make me feel bad. (As in I don’t hear cupcakes calling my name! Yes – they knew me by name. All of them.) The lighter side pulls more. (I hear you salad!) It is not really about organization. It is about clarity and freedom. People (who me?) want to hold on to what holds them back. I get it 100%. That is fear. It is funny that we fear feeling better but we do.

Be brave!

In what area you ready to let go of the fear, move forward and cleanse?

We think we control what we do.

But the reality is that…. we just kindof end up doing what we do. A simple example is this: I go into the closet and choose what to wear today. I am not one of those people who can lay out my clothing the night before. How am I going to know what I am going to wear tomorrow until t0morrow gets here?  Sometimes I wonder why I am even wearing what I’m wearing. This happens more all the time actually and I’m grateful for it. Not for any fashion statement but for a letting go. A discovery. Oh – so this is what it is going to be today? Fine.

And before you start to argue with me about free will, think to all of those times when you said you wanted to work out and you just can’t seem to do it. Or you wanted to save that money but you bought a guitar instead. Or you were supposed to get the salad but ordered the burger. There are plenty of times when we do what we say as well. But can you really point to why? Seems almost luck if you think of it in comparison to all the times body and mind refuse to line up.

Observe yourself in your day and see how easy it is to “make” yourself do anything at all.

That is why I think with organizing, or working out, or any other change or alteration you want to make it is easier to go very  slowly with small almost imperceptible changes and implement alterations in other areas that aren’t “hot.” Telling, ordering, demanding and planning sometimes works about as well as reasoning with a 2-year old.

From Here to There (Photo by PeWu)

Sometimes it takes someone else’s eyes to get us to the other side of a transition.  We’ve been on the same path for so long there is just no way for us to see our own way out.  I think that is the beauty of what we can do for each other. Lend vision.

So when someone tells me they can’t see the floor in their office for all the clutter, I see an organized space for them until it becomes a reality.  Or someone tells a physical trainer they’ve been overweight for so long they don’t think they can lose it. The trainer holds the vision of success for them until the goal is reached.

If a trainer or coach really believes a person can reach their goal then they probably will. Yes, both have responsibilities along the way, but the teacher/trainer/coach must hold a vision.

That is why it is so important to find the right people to work with us – in all areas. Because this vision stuff works. So you want to make sure you are surrounding yourself with people who are holding a strong, complete and successful vision for you as you journey.

Urbanic in Venice Beach, CA (Photo courtesy of Urbanic)

I’ve been having a love affair with Urbanic since 2006 when owners Joshua and Audrey Woollen opened their charming boutique down the road from me in the very design conscious Abbot Kinney neighborhood; and not just because they sell cupcakes on Saturdays.

Urbanic is a paper boutique but I’ve personally never categorized the shop that way. However, it is just because I don’t think of their cards as paper – I think of them as art.

I daresay the best cards in the whole city are found there, and by best I mean the most stunning designs. Simple, clean and modern with a touch of whimsy and wisdom.  Urbanic carries other paper goodies such as ribbon in all colors and sizes, from all over the world, and wrapping paper that anyone would reuse. I feel fine pushing paper that I know will be recycled. And don’t get me started on all of the gifts.

What does this have to do with organizing?

The best part for me, and perhaps for you, is that they have all manner of extraterrestrial office accessories and organizational products that I’ve yet to find anywhere else. Audrey explained to me that a good part of Urbanic’s customer base is made up of design-minded individuals in creative fields so she makes sure to keep up with them. It seems I am not alone. Venice loves creative, stylish organization. Just a small example, I recently had to purchase the star shaped paper clips though I have barely any paper to clip together!

They carry the goods but do they have the goods?

I asked Audrey some questions about her organizational instincts, foibles and desires and here’s the bottom line. She is one very together woman. Are we surprised? Urbanic carries amazing products, more all the time, but they also create customized invitations for weddings or parties of any kind. To deal with all of the incoming and outgoing inventory and client information they have to have solid systems.

Audrey uses color-coding and labeling in her email program to manage her inbox. She labels and tabs emails as they come in and this helps with prioritizing. For paper files she created a uniform cover page and packet for each client so they’ll always know if something is missing. As a professional organizer I love this kind of automation.

In the shop, some of her favorite tools are, hinged lid boxes to contain and make daily tools easily accessible, bins, labels to give all things a home, cute file folders because they make filing fun, and last but not least Google online calendar for custom appointments so they can set alarms and store client information in one central place.

Like most organized people Audrey is a list-maker. She says, “It is the #1 priority in my productiveness every single day….When things start to get chaotic I have to manage my time and build into my schedule doing things like re-organzing the priorities that pile up on my desk and around the store.”

Audrey Woollen at Urbanic (Photo courtesy of Urbanic)

The idea that you need to schedule time in to organize is a very key point. Things are bound to get chaotic and if you have padding in your schedule to rework your priorities you can save yourself a lot of time and energy.

For store hours and more information about Urbanic visit them online at www.urbanicdesigns.com or in Venice at 1644 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291. You can also follow Urbanic on Twitter.

This article also published on examiner.com.

Audrey Woollen at Urbanic (Photo courtesy of Urbanic)

Organizing the brain (Photo by Derrick T)

I am going to add a page to my site with all of the basic professional organizing techniques for closets, kitchens, bathrooms, offices, basements, attics, kid’s rooms, shelves, medicine cabinets, garages, rumpus rooms, sun rooms, saunas, sewing rooms, Arizona rooms, cars, trunks and broom closets.

I know these step by step, what to do, what not to do lists are important so I am going to do it. I had lunch with a friend yesterday who admonished me for the lack of organizing 101 information on my site so I will make it happen. I’ve been thinking about it, however, and I know why I didn’t immediately post these 10 ways to x,y, z list.

It is because after 10 years as a professional organizer what I’ve learned is that while these “how” steps are important – what is essential to lasting organizational success are the “why” steps. That brings me to today’s list.

This list is about what to think about before you start organizing if you want lasting success. I would say it is a bit about organizing your mind. So here it is…

The top 10, most important steps for organizational success are the 10 before step 101.

100. Decide to make lasting change. If you don’t really want to then don’t bother. It isn’t that important. See Seth Godin’s book The Dip.

99.  Ask for help from experts. Do you try to fix the plumbing if it fails or do you call the plumber?

98. Be willing to do things in a different way. Maybe a few times to find what works. Experiment.

97. Be willing to invest time and effort in new way of doing things.

96. Be willing to make small changes over time – go easy.

95. Be willing to let go of what is not working, literally and figuratively.

94. Be open to a new way of scheduling time as well as structuring space.

93. Keep it simple with whatever new systems you look to implement. (i.e. Color coding is usually a bad sign)

92. Realize this is not a brand new plan to get organized for now, but rather a habit you are developing that you will be working on and revising and improving on and changing for the rest of your life.

91. Have fun. (Really.  Find a way.  Play music, listen to a podcast, splatter paint, burn the piles of paper in a bonfire, sing, dance around the desk, jump on the bed…find your way -  but do it.)

Grease is the word

826 LA needs tutors for the summer! There are great projects coming up…like this one I posted about recently….

Tonight someone told me Grease was filmed at John Marshall HS.  This is so funny to me – not only because Grease was my favorite movie of all time for the first 12 years of my life but also because I just finished a project volunteering there with the 11th and 12th graders through the organization 826LA.  There was no singing and dancing (thank goodness) but there were words. Lots of them. Enough for 826LA to publish a  book in fact.

John Marshall HS book cover

Tonight some of  kids read their stories from the book at a reception at Skylight Bookstore in Los Filez. I can’t tell you how inspiring it was to hear those kids bravely telling their stories. So proud to see their words in print. Their hard work paying off. The staff at 826LA is extraordinary – working around the clock to make literary projects like this happen. Word.

Can you tell I got my haircut?

I got my hair cut today. Not such a blogworthy story. What is blogworthy about this particular hair cut is that my amazing stylist, artist, beautifier extraordinaire came to my home. After moving to a Beverly Hills salon she has made herself available to me in Venice, at my home, so it is more convenient and cost-effective for me – repaying me in spades for my continued loyalty. (Ok -  I strayed once. But never again!)  She has set herself apart from the rest in myriad ways.  This was the icing on the cake.

It got me to thinking…as I’m always thinking… about what sets me apart from other organizers. For another example, my hair stylist only cuts hair. She doesn’t color. Even though she could make more money these days if she did color. But in the long run it would not pay off to diversify this way. She is an artist and she is creating a niche. I think this long-term thinking is so smart even though it is hard to stick to at times.

What has always set me apart is that long term thinking. I am not looking for a quick fix for you. I want to inspire change that sticks. Change that works into your overall lifestyle in a way that is sustainable (for you and the environment). Long term. Therefore, my methods are not for everyone. Many call wanting an overnight solution – like the shows on TV where in 24 hours Tinkerbell (and her team of giants) has sprinkled her magic organizing dust on the cluttered home and POOF! Order is restored. I know that is satisfying to watch in some ways. But it is also demeaning in another way because no one learns anything … not the people who live there or the people watching. Come back to that home in a week.

Some people want a quick fix. They want the “problem” to go away. But that “problem” is called your life and it doesn’t go away. It is begging to be dealt with. I want to help people who are committed to doing things a little differently over time. Those little changes add up big time. I’ve seen it. You can’t trust something that happens overnight. That guy/gal you just met that is completely in love with you. The make it rich quick scheme. The drink this shake for a week and lose 20 pounds diet. All sounds great. Try it one and all and come back and let me know how it goes. If you think about your actual experience – successful, lasting change happens when you put in the effort, slowly over time. Might not be too sexy but the results are real.

Experiment with fire (Photo by Everyone's Idle)

Sometimes I’m working with a client and I’ll propose a new way of doing something that just doesn’t sound great to them. Like, throwing papers in the recycling bin instead of stacking them up for months.  I’ll say, “Well…maybe you can try it as an experiment, since what you’ve been doing so far hasn’t been working.” Sometimes this tack works and sometimes not.

But I like the idea of an experiment. I use it on myself all the time…I don’t have to do “x” this way forever. I just have to try it and see if it works. Getting up at 6:30am to exercise. Cutting eggs out of my diet. Cutting sugar out of my diet. Opening the mail as soon as it arrives. Being nicer to so and so. Ha!

Becoming a little scientist in your own life allows for a little distance, a little breathing room. You can go from, “I’ll never, ever do that” to “Ok…maybe I’ll try it.”

Who knows…maybe you’ll discover the cure for cancer. Or at least the cure to your clutter.

Riots in Downtown LA after Lakers win 6/17/10 (Photo from LA Times)

The riot in Downtown LA was organized quickly. So quickly my friend and I were innocently driving right through it on our way home from an event tonight. It felt to me like those involved were organized, unified around being after or against something or someone – what and/or who? I couldn’t tell where I stood in it and just wanted out. Out was not that easy but eventually happened. Lots of police, more than I’ve ever seen, lots of noise, and I don’t know the purpose.

When organizing a riot of that scale, I think it is best to have a purpose, make a point. What’s your riot?

I think the issue of disorganization can make a 2 year-old of the most reasonable of adults. I’ve seen it many a time. We get what I call the “I don’t wanna”s. I don’t wanna go through my thousands of email. I don’t wanna go through my mail, my inbox, my voice mail etc. You know the song and you probably know the dance.

I may not have a full-proof solution, magic bullet to this problem. I do have a suggestion though. It’s called, “being reasonable.” Every now and then we just have to be a bit more reasonable about the situation we are facing. Yes, there are some productivity tools out there that can help. Some fancy, some old-school techniques too. What beats them all out every time is being reasonable. Moving an inch or two in the direction of what you know will work.

Because you do know. You may not wanna. But you know.