Effortless Entrepreneur is not an organizing book, but it does emphasize the importance of systems and it uses one of my favorite services as a model. It was written by Nick Friedman and Omar Soliman, the co-founders of College Hunks Hauling Junk. I had the pleasure of meeting Nick at the NAPO Conference this past May. He featured his services at the expo, then delivered the best presentation I saw all week: How To Work “On,” Not “In,” Your Business.
Each year, over a million people in America relocate from their current residents or place of birth to relocate within the same town, out of the state, or even the country. In 2013, over 35 million Americans moved around the country or out of the country, with the average American moving once every 5 years. Although there has been a slight decrease over the years in mobility, people are still moving around in the United States. Here are some of the major reasons for moving in America.
The VersaPlus Clip Dispenser is a great product for organizing a limited number of office supplies in one convenient accessory.
When you want to get organized, do you run out and buy organizing supplies? If so, odds are good, your organizing process is like an upside down funnel. The best way to get organized, is to work from general to specific, in stages, as if you were filtering all your excess stuff through an imaginary funnel. When you’ve bought your organizing supplies first, however, it’s a bit like a doctor giving you a prescription without a diagnosis. You’re going from specific to general, down an upside-down funnel.
Overwhelmed with too much stuff to do? Get rid of some stuff you own! Why? It comes down to this very simple rule: The more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to do. Here are five examples:
Are you ready for now? Usually our ideas of being ready are directed toward the future. Will I be ready to retire (in the future)? Will I be ready in an emergency (in the future)? Being organized means being ready, not just for things that will happen in the future, but for things are happening NOW. Summertime brings many sudden moments that spark stress. Here are three of them and how to get ready for now.
I have spoken before about rethinking the need for a junk drawer, but today I want to address perhaps the most important thing you can put in any drawer: open space.
A good organizing system is like a perfect piece of toast. You have to set the right compulsion level for your system, just as you have to set the right heat for your toast.
There was a TV ad that ran in 1983 for Tio Sancho Tacos, in which Tio himself boldly declares that his tacos “don’t fall apart, so they taste great.” A schlubby guy from off camera says, “I don’t see the connection.” Tio invites the schlub over to try his (inferior) brand taco on camera while Tio tries his (superior) taco. They each take a bite and the schlub’s taco explodes all over his shirt. He tastes nothing. Tio smugly asks “How is yours?” The schlub answers “I don’t know. It fell apart.” Tio gloats, “Really? Mine is delicious.” So what does this 31 year old taco commercial have to do with organizing?
In the movie, The Untouchables, there is a scene where an assassin comes to kill the Sean Connery character, who (after a derogatory remark) notes that he has brought “a knife to a gun fight.” He then shoots the assassin. I am reminded of this scene, every time a client tells me “You wouldn’t believe how much I have already thrown out.” In the war on clutter, the trash bag is not the right weapon.
PentelsI’ve been trying out these pens and pencils from Pentel for the past few weeks. I like them all, but I’ve definitely got my favorites.
What, you didn’t know you had a simplicity muscle? It’s true! Don’t ask me to locate it, but it’s probably in the noggin. It’s the muscle that allows us to break down the most complicated projects into the simplest, manageable tasks. Professional organizers and minimalists have this muscle toned like a professional athlete’s leg muscles. Athletes may be naturally athletic, but most of their results come from exercising. You may not be naturally organized, but you can certainly exercise your simplicity muscle. Here’s how.
