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Getting Stuff Done, Dreams Coming True … Just another day with EFFICIENCY

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I met a friend recently for lunch.  At the close of our meal, she reached over the table and placed her hand on top of mine – looked me square in the face and said, “I have a confession to make.”

“I have this dream.” She said.  “At first, I was really excited about my dream.  But then time passed, life went on, and I  never realized my dream.  But the weirdest thing is happening now.  It seems like it’s all I can think of, it’s constantly on my mind.  I know this sounds crazy, but I feel as if my dream has possessed me.”  She cried.  “It haunts me day and night.”

You see, my friend has always been challenged with getting things done on TIME.  It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a household task, a professional project or to arrive on time for a an appointment or business meeting.  She is unsuccessful.

Her dream has always been to ARRIVE.  Arrive on time, without being frantic, stressed or rushed.  To complete her to-do’s without worry or overwhelm.  She envisions herself breezing through her work and showing up to places with time to spare.

That’s it.  That’s her dream in a nutshell.

Dreams are funny like that – once they are lodged in our heart, they refuse to go away.  When we ignore our heart, we essentially give up on a part of ourselves.  And I never want you to give up!

Here’s what I want you to do.

I want  you to refuse to quit.  Say it over and over:  “I Refuse To Quit.”  Write it down on a Post-it Note and plant that baby everywhere.

Now write down your dream and then put a dollar sign in front of it.  (Really, do it!)  What would that dream be worth to you in real dollars – financially and emotionally – to cross the finish line?  To get things done and show up on time?

What kind of money are we talking about here?  What’s your time worth?  And think hard now – what’s your peace of mind worth?

Write that number down.  Look at it.  Say it out loud.  That’s what you’re losing out on by not fulfilling your dream.

Now imagine how you’ll feel when you become a student of EFFICIENCY — with all the tools, motivation, and support you need to reach your dream faster, easier and with more joy.

Imagine how incredible you’ll feel when that dream is really coming true!

Imagine your dream paying off – over and over again!

The thing is, the world is not going to get less distracting. YOU have to get stronger and more focused. Let me help you!


And say YES to time and peace of mind
Let’s do this!

Training starts on February 11 at  7pm Eastern U.S. time. Don’t delay, okay? → Join us!

 

Are You Clutter Blind?

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Are You Clutter Blind?

Did you know that clutter can cause you not to see? 

Let me explain.

When you live with clutter for a long period of time, you literally become so accustomed to seeing an untidy collection of objects that you no longer “see” it.

An energetic film grows over your stuff that conditions you not to see it.

Building up an immunity to clutter is not a good thing. I repeat, it is not a good thing.

So here’s what I want you to do.

I want you to view your clutter through the eyes of a visitor.

Imagine someone coming to your home for the first time.  Now imagine them walking around and looking at all your “hot spots.”

You’ll be surprised how spaces and areas of clutter come into view that you have passed many times.

Then I want you to snap some photos of your clutter.  This is a powerful way to “see” your space with fresh eyes.

Keep looking at the photos over and over.  By doing so, this will help bring the clutter into your consciousness so you can begin to “see” it again.

With this new “sight” you’ll be able to recognize that de-cluttering your environment is necessary for your well-being and take action.

If you need help, book a FREE call with me by clicking HERE!

Why I Don’t Mess Around With Clutter

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If you don’t know this yet about me, I do something very well. 

I help women de-clutter their lives.  It’s pretty much that in a nut shell.

The fact is, clutter is messy.  And when you’re all cluttered up you need help.  And not just any help.  You need an expert.

Now, you may want to know all the little juicy details about me if you’re unfamiliar, but I can assure you, if you’re feeling like your mind is about to implode and your manifesting outwardly with clutter, what you really need is someone to help you turn your life around quickly.

I have enough knowledge and experience to tell you that if you ignore your clutter there will be a pretty price to pay.  That’s why I don’t mess around when it comes to getting you clutter-free. That’s why you want me as your Clutter Coach.

I’m going to be teaching a new course.  If you have clutter, it might be a really good idea you attend.  It’s called Clutter & Beyond; how to break the cycle of clutter and recharge your life with purpose and passion.

It’s FREE.  You can grab your seat here.


The Real Reason People Crave Organization

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The Real Reason People Crave Organization

During one of my workshops, I asked the students to write down the reasons why it is so important for them to be organized. 

Most of the answers were the same…

  • I want to be able to find my things
  • I don’t want to be late for appointments
  • I would like to have guests over to entertain

Then I asked them to write down the reasons why it is so important for them to find their things, not be late for appointments and have guests over.

And then something interesting happened…

Just about every student sat there with a vacant look on their face, similar to a deer in headlights stare.

You see, on the surface, people can generally express why they want to be organized, but when you ask them to get in touch with it on a deeper level, they find it rather difficult to articulate their feelings.

The truth of the matter is, people want to be more organized because they crave something much deeper.  More meaningful.

The challenge is getting them to unleash the frustration, overwhelm and stress they have suppressed from playing hide-and-seek and cringing from embarrassment because they missed a deadline, showed up late or have to tell another fib about why they can’t have company over.

I have found in my 20+ some years of being in practice, that until a person can get in touch with the root cause of their clutter the cycle will continue.  It is the reason why I created Coaching Through The Clutter; Mindful Tools for Organized Living.  It is a coaching program that helps people not just release their clutter but also become more consciously aware so they can begin to make healthier choices in their life.

If you would like to learn more about this coaching program and how it can serve you, then I would love to connect with you.  Simply click HERE to schedule a FREE call with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Need A Little Magic In Your Life?

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Are you familiar with the folk tale of Aladdin (the Disney movie from 1992) where he rubs a  magic lamp and a genie appears and grants him 3 wishes?

It’s one of my favorite stories.

I sometimes wonder if I was granted 3 wishes like Aladdin, what I would choose and how my life would change.

So I make a little game out of it.  I think really hard about the 3 wishes I would like.  Then I try to figure out if I can turn those wishes into achievable goals.

It’s pretty interesting how this little game reveals some really big stuff.

I encourage you to try it.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how I can help make some of your wishes come true and turn them into achievable goals.

With Spring right around the corner, tidying up and getting organized I’m thinking might just be one of them.

If that’s the case, head on over HERE and see how I’ve created some magic just for you!

The Unbearable Heaviness of Clutter

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The Unbearable Heaviness of Clutter

A cluttered home can be a stressful home, researchers are learning.

By Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/03/well/mind/clutter-stress-procrastination-psychology.html

 

(Getty Images)

“Do you have a clutter problem?

If you have to move things around in order to accomplish a task in your home or at your office or you feel overwhelmed by all your “things,” it’s a strong signal that clutter has prevailed. And it might be stressing you out more than you realize.

“Clutter is an overabundance of possessions that collectively create chaotic and disorderly living spaces,” said Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago who studies the causes of clutter and its impact on emotional well-being. And a cluttered home, researchers are learning, can be a stressful home.

Dr. Ferrari was part of a research team that questioned three groups of adults about clutter and life satisfaction: college students; young adults in their 20s and 30s; and older adults, most in their 50s.

The authors assessed volunteers’ tendency to procrastinate, asking them to respond to statements like “I pay bills on time” using a five-point scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Procrastination is closely tied to clutter, because sorting through and tossing items is a task that many people find unpleasant and avoid. It takes time to file away important papers or sort through a dining room table buried under books.

The researchers also measured participants’ general well-being in relation to how clutter might be affecting their lives, asking them to answer questions such as “the clutter in my home upsets me” and “I have to move things in order to accomplish tasks in my home.”

The study, published in Current Psychology, found a substantial link between procrastination and clutter problems in all the age groups. Frustration with clutter tended to increase with age. Among older adults, clutter problems were also associated with life dissatisfaction.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence that clutter can negatively impact mental well-being, particularly among women. Clutter can also induce a physiological response, including increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

A 2010 study in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked at dual-income married couples living in the Los Angeles area who had at least one school-aged child at home. The wives in the study who perceived themselves as having a cluttered home or a home that needed work tended to have increased levels of cortisol throughout the day. Those who weren’t feeling cluttered, which included most of the men in the study, had cortisol levels that tended to drop during the day.

Darby Saxbe, an assistant psychology professor at University of Southern California and the study’s lead author, said that the women in the study who described their home as being cluttered or needing work began their day stressed and remained stressed. Some of the added stress, she suspects, was tied to women’s tendency to take on housework and extra chores after the workday. In terms of cortisol levels, men who did more housework in the evening were as likely to have raised cortisol levels at the end of the day as women. It’s just that not as many men spent as much time on housework as their wives, she said.

In a follow-up study, Dr. Saxbe studied the cortisol level in the afternoon and evening, a time when stress should be dropping in “an adaptive recovery.” Not everyone in the study was bothered by shoes left on the staircase or mail piled on the coffee table. But again, women were more likely than men to complain about clutter or having too many unfinished projects, and did not show a cortisol reduction.

“Clutter is in the eye of the beholder,” Dr. Saxbe said. “The people who talked about it were the ones who had the cortisol response.”

Experts are beginning to explore why clutter can elicit such a strong emotional response.

Dr. Saxbe said there has long been a standard representation on how a middle-class home should look and function. A disorderly home fails to live up to such an expectation.

“If you think of the 1950s ideals of the single family home,” Dr. Saxbe said. “The man comes home, kicks up his feet and has a cocktail. The home is a place to come home and unwind. But not if the home is filled with a to-do list and never-ending drudgery.”

Gaining control over the drudgery of decluttering is a task that many inhabitants of cluttered residences struggle to master.

Dr. Ferrari noted that clutter is also often the result of an “over-attachment” to our personal items, which makes it difficult to part with them. For overwhelmed individuals who want to declutter, he recommends a hands-off approach.

“If you’re going to declutter, don’t touch the item. Don’t pick it up,” he said. “Have somebody else hold the pair of black pants and say, ‘Do you need this?’ Once you touch the item, you are less likely to get rid of it.”

Another option is to make a conscious effort to acquire less. Dr. Ferrari argued that most of what we accumulate we do not need. “We have taken our wants and been told they are needs,” he said.

Dr. Saxbe agreed that a good way to declutter is to keep items out of the house in the first place. She urged shoppers to consider whether they truly need an item or if it will add to their home’s sense of dysfunction. “Once it’s in the house, it’s really hard to deal with. You get attached to the things you own,” she said.”

5 Small Ways to Get Organized When Your Depression Has Other Ideas

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5 Small Ways to Get Organized When Your Depression Has Other Ideas

Clear the clutter and your mind, even when motivation is scarce.

https://www.healthline.com/health/organized-even-on-toughest-mental-health-days#1

By:  Shelby Deering
An Interview with Patricia Diesel

Health and wellness touch each of us differently. This is one person’s story.

From early fall through the coldest months of the year, I’ve learned to expect (and manage) my seasonal affective disorder (SAD). As someone who also lives with an anxiety disorder and identifies as a highly sensitive person (HSP), I tend to look for the things I can control in my world.

Every August, without fail, I sit down to write my “winter prep list,” in which I check off areas of my home that need organizing and decluttering. Usually by November, my old coats have been donated, the floors have been scrubbed, and everything feels as if it’s in its proper place.

One of my first lines of defense in the battle against mental health challenges has always been to get organized. I’m preparing for those tough days when I won’t be able to lift a mop, let alone put a plate in the dishwasher.

It turns out my thinking is rooted in scientific studies that show organization is an effective tool to achieve a healthier life, both mentally and physically.

One study found that the physical act of tidying up one’s house can make a person more active and healthier overall.

Many professional organizers sing the praises of improving one’s mental health through organizing, including Patricia Diesel, an organizing expert, clutter coach, and the creator of a program called Mindful Tools for Organized Living.

As a certified chronic disorganization specialist and a hoarding specialist, Diesel has witnessed the power of organization in people’s lives.

“Addressing the emotional and mental components of clutter is critical to the underlying cause. I believe that clutter is an outward manifestation that mirrors the body and mind on overwhelm,” she explains.

5 small ways to organize for your mental health

If you’re in the throes of depression or healing from a panic attack, the thought of cleaning can certainly be overwhelming. But I also know clutter tends to make me descend even further into a negative mood. So, I’ve discovered my own ways to tackle organization without letting it tackle me.

Here are five ways to muddle through the clutter, even on your most challenging mental health days.

1. Throw perfection out the window

Even when I’ve been at my lowest, I’d often put pressure on myself to make things look “perfect.”

I’ve since learned perfection and mental health conditions tend to be in direct opposition of one another. The healthier route is to accept that my house may not look flawless during the winter months. If things are generally organized, I can accept the wayward dust bunny that may cross my path.

Diesel agrees with this approach as well.

“Organizing is not about perfection,” she says. “It’s about a quality of life standard. Everyone’s standards are different. As long as the organized environment is in alignment with those standards and it is not infringing upon a quality of life that is obstructing or detrimental to that person’s life, then usually a person will find acceptance and peace from that.”

Let go of your idea of “perfect,” and instead aim for a level of organization that doesn’t hurt your quality of life.

2. Break everything down into bite-sized pieces

Since overwhelm is a big deal to those who wrestle with mental health disorders, like anxiety, Diesel recommends breaking up an organization project into palatable pieces.

“I help people look at the overall project that needs to get done… then we break it down into different categories. Then we rate the priority of each category, and begin with the level that reduces the anxiety the most,” she explains.

“The goal is to have the person see the entire project, and then help them see how to accomplish it in a manageable way.”

Diesel recommends devoting 15 to 20 minutes per day to doing things that need to get done, like doing a load of laundry or sorting the mail.

Often, a little effort can reinvigorate the mind and build momentum toward increasing a feeling of motivation. But that’s not always the case if you’re living with a mental health issue. Be kind to yourself if you miss a day or are only able to commit to 10 minutes.

3. Let go of items that don’t serve you

Physical clutter often creates clutter in the mind, especially if that clutter has taken over your life and space. Diesel helps those with hoarding disorders, sharing tips that can benefit non-hoarders as well.

“It’s not so much about getting organized as it is about how to release and part with their things without shame or guilt. Once this is accomplished, the organizing is usually not an issue,” she says.

Diesel emphasizes the importance of considering what makes an item truly “valuable” as opposed to something you think might be valuable based on fear or other emotions.

4. Remove distractions

Being highly sensitive means I have a sensory disorder that can become overloaded very quickly. Loud noises, an abundance of clutter, and a to-do list in plain sight can instantly break my focus and pull me away from whatever project I’m working on.

When I’m getting organized, I make my surroundings as soothing as possible through peace and quiet. I set aside a block of time when I know I won’t be pulled away.

5. Visualize the end result

Out of all my mental health challenges, seasonal depression is the one that wrings me dry of any motivation to clean or get organized. Diesel says that’s because depression can create a mindset that feels defeated. In this case, it’s key to emphasize the final goal.

“I help people see the vision of the end result, and we use additional tools to help that vision come alive, whether it’s with a vision board or through journaling. The overall goal is to help them feel empowered,” she says.

And if all else fails, remember that you can always ask for help if you need it.

“People who suffer with disorganization is the body and mind on overwhelm, so having a support system and mindfulness tools to go to is extremely important for stability. Support is paramount,” Diesel says.

Shelby Deering is a lifestyle writer based in Madison, Wisconsin, with a master’s degree in journalism. She specializes in writing about wellness and for the past 13 years has contributed to national outlets including Prevention, Runner’s World, Well+Good, and more. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her meditating, searching for new organic beauty products, or exploring local trails with her husband and corgi, Ginger.

Do You Need Decluttering Tips?

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“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” Benjamin Franklin said that I believe it’s true.

Sometimes it may feel as if we are always trying to catch up and spending too much time on making lists and putting this and that away. But can you imagine what it would feel like if you didn’t dedicate any time to getting yourself organized?

From experience, (after working in this field for over 20 years) I can tell you that it would cost you a heck of a lot more than just time. Pure overwhelm and exhaustion usually sets in when you can’t locate your “things” or you “forget” an important meeting.  Not to mention the worry of excess physical and emotional clutter.
In my new book, Organically Yours, I dedicate an entire chapter called “Smart Living.”  I share with you a story about Cynthia and explain where clutter comes from. I also discuss the benefits of decluttering along with powerful tips.
So if you haven’t registered yet for my upcoming book party, register now so you can get some really great information on smart living and your free coaching session along with special bonus items.  You don’t want to miss out on this!

REGISTER HERE

 

How Cluttered Is Your Brain?

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A cluttered brain can be filled with many things, ranging from all the things that are on your ‘to do’ list to worrying about how you will be able to complete everything successfully. One area that can predominately clutter up our brain is the constant banter we have with ourselves – our internal dialogue. This private conversation can influence our brains to have negative attitudes and thus, negative outcomes if we feed it negative thoughts.

Take Tammy for instance. She couldn’t understand why her sister’s life was filled with happy, positive things while her life was always a struggle. Her thoughts were, “Nothing good ever happens to me. Why do good things happen to my sis, while I always get the short end of the stick? It just isn’t fair!”

It wasn’t until Tammy started to realize that her sister always has a positive attitude.  It doesn’t seem to matter what happens, her sister handles most everything with ease and looks for the good in all situations.

Maybe it’s time Tammy finds out more about healthy thinking. It certainly couldn’t hurt…

Can you identify with Tammy? Or do you fall more into the category of her sister’s mindset? There were certain things that led up to Tammy’s aha moment that helped her transform her thinking. Would you like to learn how she did it? Then, you should grab a copy of my new book, Organically Yours; Open Yourself to a Healthy Vibrant Life Through Clean Living. If you pre-order now, you can receive your copy for only $1.00 plus S&H.

 

GRAB YOUR COPY NOW

3 SECRETS TO CURING CLUTTER – BACK BY POPULAR REQUEST

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Do you wish you had a Secret Elixir for curing your clutter – so you can live a better life?

I got ya covered!  I cracked the clutter code!

I’m about to share with you 3 Secret Elements that will radically change your clutter situation.

If you want to dig yourself out of your clutter rut, implement a tried and true organizing system, and improve the quality of your life immediately … then you’re in for a big treat!

Tuesday, March 7th @ 7:00 PM (ET) I am hosting an on-line event – free of charge – to let you in on the 3 Secrets to Curing Clutter.

All you have to do is register below and the details will follow.
Plus I will be sharing with you The Single Tip that will bring you immediate relief from the chaos of clutter.

See ya soon!