Earlier this year, Rodger Constandse came by to share his best time management tips, and I’ve enjoyed hearing from my readers about the new strategies they have implemented. Most of us can use a refresher now and then, so today I’m turning my blog over to Janice Russell of Minding Your Matters® Organizing, who describes one habit that can help us make the best use of our time.

Do you feel like you never get to the end of your to-do list? Are there some to-do items that seem to move from list to list? Do you track things to be done on one list, multiple pieces of paper, an electronic device, or in your head? One crucial factor in getting organized is using time wisely. While there are a myriad of ways to approach the 24 hours you are allotted each day, this month we will concentrate on developing a new habit. And the new habit is to learn to differentiate between tasks and projects.

A task is something that can be accomplished in a limited amount of time. This can be 15 minutes, two hours, or a day. But anything that takes more than a day to complete is not a task. It is a project. A project involves multiple steps and takes more than a day to complete. Tasks go on to-do lists; projects don’t.

An example of a to-do list for the home is:

• Grocery shop (it is your decision whether to list the items you need to purchase on this list or on another piece of paper)
• Buy and wrap birthday gift for Sue
• Call sister to determine who will host Thanksgiving this year

If you add “organize garage”, you have listed a project. There are numerous steps required in order to get a garage organized. In no specific order, these might include:

• Determine what types of objects belong in the garage: sporting equipment, lawn care items, tools, etc.
• Decide how these items should be stored: on shelves, hanging from walls, in cardboard or plastic boxes, etc.
• Purchase pieces required to store these articles.
• Sort all items in garage and decide which to keep, donate, dispose, and house somewhere besides in the garage.
• House items in suitable containers and in locations that are accessible.

Each of these chores takes time, some require a trip to the store, and others may be divided into sub-tasks or shared between several people. Although it is possible to organize a garage in a day, it is unlikely to happen. As a matter of fact, more than likely a person will be overwhelmed at the thought of the job and not start it. Whereas if the two tasks on the weekend to-do list are to determine the categories of things that belong in the garage and to sort the objects along the back wall, it feels much more plausible.

Now that you realize the difference between a task and a project, you will need to classify each chore that you believe needs to be completed. Then you will need to record the jobs in the appropriate place and format. Finally, you need to make the time in your schedule to work on the task.

Once you develop the habit of doing this on a regular basis, you will find that you can complete more in less time and without feeling so overwhelmed.

About the Author

Janice Russell, CPO-CD, is the Overseer of Order at Minding Your Matters® Organizing Consultants.  The company consults with business and residential clients with the intention of decluttering and organizing space and time to effect changes which will lead to attainment of personal and professional goals.   Seminars on a variety of organizing topics are also available.

Janice is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization.  For additional informational or to contact, visit www.mindingyourmatters.com.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Get Organized This Year!.

On Wednesday night I had the pleasure of presenting on Organizing for Personality Types to the Southwestern Ontario Chapter of Professional Organizers in Canada. I was a member of that Chapter at one time, and it was great to see Donna Campbell of Organize, etc., Kathy MacLean of Methodical Minds, and many other members once again. I also enjoyed having an opportunity to meet Cathy Mendler of A New Leaf and Alexandra Felsky of Alex the Organizer, with whom I’ve exchanged a number of emails, as well as the many other members and guests.

Bill Brubacher of Lifestyle Transitions was the lucky winner of a copy of my e-book, Organizing Your Life, Your Way.

If you’re interested in learning about personality type and the ways it affects our relationship with time and space, you may order your own copy of Organizing Your Life, Your Way for only $24.95.

If you’re an auditory learner, you might appreciate a digital copy of a seminar I presented last year on The Power of Personality Type as part of the VA Virtuosos Seminar Series. For $19.95, you will receive:

• A 45-minute audio recording of the teleclass
• A 28-page PDF of the accompanying PowerPoint presentation
• 7 pages of bonus notes, including Organizing Profiles for the 16 personality types and a reading resource list

This is the first time this recording has been offered as a standalone product.

Save $10.00 by ordering a bundle which includes the Organizing Your Life, Your Way e-book AND The Power of Personality Type!

If you’ve ever completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or a similar personality assessment, I’d love to learn about YOUR organizing style! Please take a few minutes to share some information to help others to better understand themselves and others, and to develop their own organizing and time management solutions. Simply go to http://tinyurl.com/your-org-style to answer a few questions. Be assured that no identifying information will be collected.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Developing Your Personal Organizing Style.

Many people use the start of a new year to think of ways in which they can improve their lives, such as becoming more organized. Although most people understand that being organized can help save time and money, increase productivity, enhance their quality of life, and reduce stress, sometimes it’s hard to figure out where to start. For that reason, I’ve teamed up with professionals from all over the world in the first ever Great Organizing Give Away.

When you sign up for this free online event, you can receive an amazing number of free resources to help you organize your home, your office, and your time. You don’t have to worry about these resources contributing to your existing clutter, as you can choose the ones that will help with your specific challenges, and most are in digital format, to be read, listened to, or printed out as needed.

In addition to Organized Assistant’s Personal Medical Organizer which normally sells for $14.95, here are a just a few of the free gifts you can receive:

Organize Your Office:

• How Productive Is Your Business/Non-Profit? - Self-Assessment provided by Stephanie Calahan of Calahan Solutions, Inc., who organized The Great Organizing Give Away
• Make Your Office Work Better – Report provided by Alaia Williams of One Organized Life
• 112 Tips to Organize Your Workday - Booklet provided by Sue McMillin of With Time To Spare

Organize Your Time:

• Time in Motion Action Planner – E-book provided by Allen Davis of Productivity Engineer
• 10 Easy Ways to Liberate Time Report - Report provided by Susan Lannis of ORGANIZATION Plus! Inc.
• Top 5 Organizing Mistakes – Report provided by Marcie Lovett of Organized by Marcie

Organize Your Home:

• The “Simplify Your Life” Collection - Free e-books and audio classes with ADD-Friendly Strategies that Work for EVERYONE, provided by Ariane Benefit of Lotus Bridge, LLC
• Clutter Code 6 step Organizing System Starter pack – E-book and worksheets provided by Elaine Shannon of Organizing Connection
• How to Set Up a Command Center – Guide provided by Tracy Molendi of Simply Organized & Staged

I’m going to grab a few resources myself! I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’m very excited to be a part of it.

Many professional organizers are offering free consultations, so be sure to sign up for The Great Organizing Give Away for access to the above gifts and much, much more.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on The Great Organizing Giveaway.

Since I began actively using Twitter, my network has been growing by leaps and bounds! I’ve been getting to know literally hundreds of new people over the past few months.

One of my new online friends is Professional Organizer and Image Consultant Kathi Burns, whose new book, How to Master Your Muck ~ Get Organized. Add Space To Your Life. Live Your Purpose! is scheduled to be released on September 1st.

“Muck” refers to anything that’s holding you back, such as your belief systems, bad habits, clutter, a crazy schedule, muddled thinking, or an outmoded image. In her new book, Kathi outlines steps for managing your email, schedule, paper, and other obstacles that may be blocking your prosperity and success, whether you’re a small business entrepreneur, a stay-at-home parent, or a corporate executive.

As a fan of my blog, Kathi is inviting my readers to attend her pre-launch celebration on August 30^th. If you purchase a copy of How to Master Your Muck during this VIP event, you’ll receive dozens of bonus gifts which have been specially selected to help you become more successful and more fulfilled. Here are a few of the gifts you’ll receive:

• Get More Done: How Hiring a VA can make your business more profitable – an audio interview with yours truly
• The Truth About Negotiation – an hour-long audio interview with Colette Carlson, creator of Speak Your Truth and John Assaraf, the best selling author in the movie, The Secret
• Etiquette Tips for the Networking Savvy Professional by Etiquette Guru Elaine Swann
• Attitude: The Healthy Alternative – audio class by Author and Professional Speaker Sheryl Roush
• Hacking the Overwhelm – an audio interview with Business Mastery Creator Sterling Frandson

In addition, you’ll be entered in a draw for a super grand prize, which will be take place on Monday, August 31st.

Visit www.MasterYourMuck.com to add your name to the VIP list. Just for becoming a VIP, you will immediately receive Kathi’s free eBook, 33 Tips to Transform Your Life.

I’ve just realized that this is my fourth book-related post in a row – maybe I should rename this blog From the Library of Janet Barclay!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Invitation to VIP Pre-Launch Celebration for "How to Master Your Muck".

This past weekend I had the wonderful experience of attending my high school reunion, and my head is still spinning from reconnecting with long lost friends and memories of forgotten infatuations.

Part of my getting ready for the event involved the gathering of memorabilia. I have probably kept more odds and ends than a lot of people, but because I’m so organized, it was easy to put my hands on them.

I used to keep my mementos in various small boxes, but 15 or 20 years ago I bought a fairly big Rubbermaidtote, so I could store it all in one place. I call it my “treasure box.” It also helped me keep the volume under control, as when my treasure box became full, I knew it was time to let something go. Then my mom passed away and I brought home a lot of her keepsakes (I suspect that I either inherited or learned this tendency from her). To accommodate the additional stuff, I moved all paper memorabilia to a banker’s box, keeping the Rubbermaid tote for all others.

While going through the banker’s box for music night programs and anything else that might be of interest, I realized that there was a lot of stuff in that box that I really had no attachment to, so I made a mental note to go through it some rainy day and decide how much of it is really important to me.

I had three small photo albums from that era that I wanted to take with me, but wanting to minimize the weight of my purse, I realized by picking and choosing the most interesting ones, I could narrow it down to two. During this process, I threw away several things that didn’t interest even me, including photos of babies who are now adults that I have never met in person, and a mass card given to me by a coworker when his father died, which I’m not even sure why I kept that in the first place.

On the morning of the reunion, I received an email from the only friend I have maintained consistent, although infrequent, contact with since graduation (shown with me in the above photo), mentioning that she was planning to wear her choir sweater. I thought that would be fun, and knew I’d kept mine for the longest time, but couldn’t remember seeing it lately. I didn’t think I’d have gotten rid of it, as one of my criteria for keeping something seems to be based on the length of time I’ve already had it. I looked in the Rubbermaid tote, and there it was! My husband looked at me like I had two heads when I told him I was planning to wear it, so I said, “I’ve kept it all this time; when else would I wear it, if not for this?” It was pretty dingy, even after washing, and although I brought the sweater with me, it remained in my car the whole night. It is now in my donations bag, hopefully destined to be part of someone’s costume in the future.

This experience has me questioning how many of my “treasures” have actual meaning for me. I think I’m ready to let go of a lot of them, maybe even to the point where everything fits in the Rubbermaid tote and I can use the banker’s box for something else. It may be a big job, but instead of thinking of it as a chore, I’m going to savour every minute of it!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on A Sentimental Journey.

In the early days of my business, before I even considered offering virtual assistance or web design services, my tagline was Organizing Solutions Based on Your Personality Type.

After completing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® Qualifying Program and seeing the connection between an individual’s personality type and the way he or she deals with time and space, I decided to combine my new knowledge of Personality Type with my longstanding passion for organizing. In addition to reading everything I could find on the subject, I conducted my own surveys to learn about the typical strengths and challenges faced by the 16 different personality types, as well as the most effective organizing and time management strategies for each. The results of those surveys were the foundation of my early newsletters.

I’ve enjoyed sharing this information with various groups through presentations ranging from 45 minutes to full-day workshops. It’s always a great experience for me, because I have an opportunity to learn something from nearly everyone I connect with.

Now finally, by popular request, I’ve compiled all my information in a brand new e-book, Organizing Your Life, Your Way!

Organizing Your Life, Your Way will:

• Provide insight into why you do things the way you do
• Explain why popular time management systems may not work for you
• Help you understand the people you live and work with, who may function very differently than you
• Guide you through an exploration of your relationship with space and time
• Allow you to learn from other people like you about what does and does not work for them

With this information, you’ll be all set to develop organizing and time management strategies that are just right for you!

Need more information? Additional details, including the complete Table of Contents, are available at
http://www.janetbarclay.com/products/organizing-your-life-your-way/.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Introducing Organizing Your Life, Your Way: The E-Book.

Earlier this year, I let you know about a unique new program called Getting Unstuck. A few changes have been made, so it’s now even easier for you to fit coaching into your schedule and your budget!

You can now sign up for a four-week session, which includes one two-hour group coaching call per week:

• 2 calls with Ariane Benefit, Organizing Coach and Expert in Chronic Disorganization, to help you make progress on your decluttering, organizing projects and other goals such as time management and overcoming procrastination
• 1 call with Prosperous Living Coach Ellen Shapiro and Ariane Benefit, which includes an Energy Repatterning session
• 1 call covering Organizing and Planning for Healthy Eating and Nutrition with Ariane Benefit and Bernadette Armiento, Certified Holistic Health Counsellor and Healthy Living Coach

You may participate in the calls either online or over the phone, whichever works better for you, and you’ll have access to recordings for all the calls, allowing you to listen to any you miss, or listen again to those you found particularly helpful.

In addition, you get unlimited access to online workshops, which include audio recordings, e-books, PowerPoint presentations, discussion forums, and more, as well as organizing ebooks, forms, quizzes and handouts worth over $50.00.

The next session begins on May 7, and registration is now open. To maximize your learning experience, each session is limited to 10 participants. For further details or to register, please visit the Getting Unstuck website. There’s even a quiz to help you figure out if this program is right for you! If you’re a creative, intelligent, sensitive woman over 35 who struggles with clutter, disorganization and overwhelm, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Get Unstuck This Spring.

Although my blog’s primary focus is on home-based business, every once in a while I touch on other subjects, since even the worst workaholics have a personal life as well. Something we all need to be concerned about is our health and our medical care, and it’s important that we keep track of the medications we take, any surgeries or other treatment we undergo, and other significant medical events. This is especially true for seniors and individuals with disabilities and chronic illnesses. It’s also important to keep track of any medical expenses we incur, as some of them may be claimed at income tax time, which just happens to be imminent!

Professional Organizer Melissa Smallwood recently did an interview on The Consumer Queen’s Blog Talk Radio Show about organizing your medical information. For me, it was a real eye-opener, because sometimes we Canadians tend to take our healthcare system for granted. Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko was a powerful reminder of how different things are in the US, but I found Melissa’s interview to be more authentic, without all the sensationalism associated with Moore’s movies.

I was really pleased that during the interview, Melissa recommended my Personal Medical Organizer as the perfect way to keep track of all that important information. She has also posted a product review (thanks Melissa!) on her Organized Life by Design blog. I am really pleased that I’ve been able to help make someone’s life a little better, and I’d love to help you too. Why not order a Personal Medical Organizer for yourself or for someone you care about?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Organizing Your Personal Medical Information.

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve probably noticed that I often mention Marcia Francois, a time management and business organizing coach in South Africa. What you may not know is that in her Organising Queen blog, Marcia holds a weekly Declutter Challenge. Since I’m pretty organized, I’ve never participated, but tomorrow’s topic is one I simply can’t ignore, based on my earlier confessions to being an infomaniac.

Marcia has challenged us to declutter blogs from our feed readers and bookmarked links that we don’t actually use. It’s so easy to ignore this type of clutter, because it doesn’t take up any space, but it does make it more time-consuming to locate the information we want and need.

There’s just no way I can say this doesn’t apply to me! I have a pretty full slate, so I can’t commit a lot of time to this, but I’m going to take at least 10-15 minutes and see how many I can eliminate.

Marcia would like us to report the number of links we declutter in her blog tomorrow. Won’t you join me?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Fight Infomania with the Organising Queen!.

The new Getting Unstuck Coaching and Support Group which I blogged about last month is in full swing! Members are receiving support in many different formats, including blogs, discussion groups, and weekly teleclasses. Upcoming calls include:

• Financial Empowerment & Organizing (3 sessions)
• Simple Solutions to Your Healthy Eating Challenges
• Cleaning your Home – Made Simple

Members now have access to recordings of all the past teleclasses as well as any relevant handouts, so it’s definitely not too late to get involved! To date they’ve covered the following topics:

• The Decision Making Process
• Organizing Paper, Setting up ADD-Friendly Routines
• Letting Go of Clutter Patterns
• Taking Charge of Your Finances
• Simplifying Your Life
• Paper and Project Organizing and Action Management

There are still a few charter memberships available at a discounted rate, which remains in effect for as long as you remain a member, and there’s really no risk involved, since Suzanne and Ariane promise to refund 100% of your fees if you aren’t happy with the group for any reason within the first 7 days.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Not too Late to Get Unstuck.