Unclutterer.com had an interesting post today about making (and more importantly keeping) your New Year’s resolutions – especially when it comes to becoming organised:

According to the National Association of Professional Organizers in theUS, the phrase “get organized” is one of the top 10 resolutions people make every year.  If you add uncluttering into the “get organized” category, it’s likely a top 5 resolution.

If you fall into the group of resolution makers who wants to be better organized in 2012, the first thing to do is specifically identify why you want to be organized. Being organized isn’t usually a goal. Being organized is merely a path to achieving another goal.

For instance, you might want to be better organized with your time after work so you finally get your business idea off the ground. You might want to be more organized with meal planning so you have less stress surrounding mealtimes with your family.

Knowing why you want to be organized will help you with the remaining steps of the resolution-making process and with ultimately achieving your goals.

After you have identified why you want to be more organized and have a rough idea of the resolutions you wish to achieve, your next step is to create a detailed plan of action.

Read the entire article here: http://unclutterer.com/2011/12/29/making-resolutions-and-creating-a-2012-resolution-action-plan/

Hooray for iron free clothing!

The professional organisers association had our montly meeting this morning and we got onto the topic of travelling and packing tips. Then lo and beyond, here in my inbox is Zen Habits once again with the very same thing: we must certainly be on the same wavelength! I am heading off to Sydney tomorrow and Thailand in a couple of weeks so this blog post certainly appeals to me.

Here are 7 top tips for packing light and travelling easily:

Essential

1. Pack little. Take a small backpack, and don’t pack it too heavy either: one pair of jeans, 2-3 T-shirts, 2-3 quick-dry underwear,  maybe a light sweater. Wash things in the shower if they get dirty and hang them to dry overnight. Minimal toiletries: deodorant, toothbrush, liquid soap, dental floss, basic makeup. There is no need to check your bag for flights and you can pack in 5 minutes.
2. Have no agenda. I often ask for recommendations from locals, and get a list of incredible things. I’ll also put everything on a Google Map, so I can see where everything is. Then I toss all that out and let the day lead me where it will. Having no set agenda means you aren’t pressured to get anything done each day, which means you can enjoy yourself fully.
3. Walk a lot. The best way to explore any place is to walk. Walk all over, with no set directions. Get lost.
4. Eat lightly. Eat anything you want, but don’t eat a lot. I like to mix fruits and veggies in with the heavier stuff, so I don’t feel so heavy.
5. Find space to relax. Most people try to do too much, and rush around all day. Stroll casually, find good coffee shops or tea shops to relax in, or a good sidewalk cafe with good wine. Find parks and enjoy them. If it rains, walk in the rain. Read a lot.
6. Be present. Don’t be on your smartphone or laptop all the time. Don’t always think about what you’ll be doing later, or work stuff. Be fully present, and you’ll have a great time.
7. Smile at people. Talk to the locals. Ask for recommendations. Find out about their lives.

Which direction will you choose?

Last weekend I went to a master class where we learnt to breakthrough our fears and leave bad or unproductive habits behind. And lo and behold, Leo from Zen Habits writes a post on the very thing – he must be reading my mind!

Here are the 5 steps that he suggests can overcome beating our bad habits:

1. Figure out what your trigger is. Every habit has a trigger — something in our routine that directly precedes the habit. For smoking, I used to have multiple triggers — drinking coffee, eating a meal, stress, drinking alcohol with friends, meetings, waking up in the morning, etc.

2. Find a replacement habit. A small, positive habit to replace the old habit. Ideally it fills at least some of the needs of the old habit. Start very, very small in the beginning or you’ll be facing an uphill battle. If you want to write morning pages, don’t try to write three long-hand pages — do just five minutes. If it’s small, you beat the obstacle of dreading to do the new habit. When you check email, for example, you don’t say, “I’m going to do an hour of email now!” You say, “I’ll just check it for a second.” It often turns into more, but the point is there is a very low entry barrier.

3. Engineer positive & negative feedback. If positive feedback has built up your old habit, and negative feedback is stopping you from quitting the old habit, you need to make these powerful forces work for you and not against you. You can’t beat them, so use them. Engineer positive feedback for your new habit: make the writing (for example) really enjoyable, with a cup of coffee and a quiet, peaceful setting, and focus on the enjoyability of it, not the hard parts. If you want to meditate, focus on how relaxed it makes you, not how difficult it is.

Do the same for negative feedback for not doing the new habit. If you don’t do the new habit, what’s the consequence? Usually, nothing. You check email, feel a little guilty, but no one knows, nothing bad happens. So engineer a different consequence: tell the world (or a small group of friends) you’re going to change — announce it through Twitter, Facebook, G+, email, blog. And report your success (or failure) every single day. When the world is watching, you want to succeed. Have accountability partners. Don’t let yourself slide secretly.

4. Do the new habit immediately after the trigger, consistently. If you can do it for a month, you’ll probably have a new habit. A new habit is built by doing an action immediately after a trigger, repeatedly, for a certain number of repetitions. There is no set number — it depends on how easy the habit is (which is why I suggest starting as easy as possible) and how consistent you are in repeating it. Report to your accountability group after you do the habit.

5. Beat the urge to do the old habit. The urge will come, I guarantee you. This is where you say, “But I don’t have the willpower!” Yes, you do. Everyone does, but they just don’t know the tricks. I’m going to teach you the tricks so you have no excuses:

Continue reading the full article here: http://zenhabits.net/will/#more-8349

Pretty as a picture...

My husband often sends me interesting articles he has found on the web, and one he sent through today was by an interior designer Laura di Mambro called “Create a nursery that is fun, funky and functional”. (Are you trying to tell me something dear?) I have a few girlfriends who are expecting at the moment so I thought it would be perfect to share around and inspire some creative ideas!

Layout

When picking a room to convert into a nursery, Laura suggests choosing the darkest and shadiest bedroom in the house as it will be more conducive to sleeping and far cooler in summer. In terms of layout, measure the room’s dimensions before you invest in furniture such as a cot, comfortable chair, change table and storage to ensure the basics will fit.

Colour cues

Think beyond traditional pink or blue in favour of a more modern neutral palette with subtle, colourful accents. Any and every colour is acceptable in moderation, and if painting the room, consider VOC-free paints, which do not release toxins. “As a nursery should be a peaceful and tranquil place, it is important not to introduce heavy colours, or bold feature walls, which could cause a child to be over-stimulated and impact on sleep,” Laura advises.

Lighting

It is important to create a room that is conducive to sleep, particularly for very young babies. You need to be able to modulate the amount of daylight so invest in suitable window treatments such as shutters or black-out blinds. “Make sure the blinds are fitted correctly and ensure they are dark enough to block out the light,” Laura says.

Storage

Storage is a key priority when juggling baby paraphernalia, clothes and toys. “In addition to a robe and drawers for storing clothes, try to introduce a storage unit for toys, which is accessible, to encourage the child to play in their own room,” Laura suggests.

Read more about setting up a nursery here: http://www.couriermail.com.au/questnews/sunshine-coast/create-a-nursery-that-is-fun-funky-and-functional/story-fn8zc5yo-1226084017329

Gorgeous countryside wherever you look in NZ...

Having just returned from 10 days in New Zealand, I am still on the “travel high” – the high you get when your body still hasn’t adjusted itself back to regular time, when your travel clothes still haven’t been washed and you are busily downloading photos from your camera.

Unfortunately not everyone has such a great time when they travel; there are just so many little things that can go wrong that often do – if you let them!

A recent post by Zen Habits gave me some good insights into how to “go with the flow” and bounce back from any setback that is thrown your way:

From departure lounges all over the world to nice hotels on every continent, I see the same thing no matter where I go: some people are having the time of their lives, and others, well, would rather be at home.

There are probably several reasons for this phenomenon of unhappy tourists, but one of them is that  travel can be overly stressful and unnecessarily complicated. If travel becomes too complicated, you can end up defeating yourself before any external pressures even arrive.

To counter the stress, here are 5 “big-picture” strategies and 8 specific, practical tips you can use to simplify your next big trip. Some of them will help you save time and money – both worthy goals – but all will help you cut out some of the stress.

5 Big-Picture Strategies

Create Your Own Travel Philosophy – Prioritize what’s important to you, and plan your trip according to that. A lot of people have expectations or ideas about travel that they have received from others. I think it’s better to decide for yourself what you value about travel as well as how you like to travel.

As for me, I like to do it all. I go between nice hotels like the one I’m at in Egypt and $10 hostels… or even sleeping on the floor of airports from Dallas to Singapore. Yes, I know it’s crazy, but that’s the point – I travel on my own terms. Why not discover what you enjoy and do that?

Become comfortable with some amounts of stress – I don’t think it’s possible to travel completely stress-free; I’m more interested in finding a low-stress solution. You might be able to avoid any stress at all by escaping reality on a deserted island, but that kind of trip is rarely gratifying in the end. Focus instead on reducing stress by making simple choices.

Goal-Setting and Vacations – It sounds strange to some, but I suspect manyZen Habits readers will “get it” – I recommend setting a few personal goals for every trip, even a vacation. My goals may be as simple as running a few miles every day or writing two pages in my journal every morning, or they may be more detailed like completing a writing project I’ve been working on. If you have daily habits of productivity and goal-setting, you don’t need to completely set them aside just because you’re away from home.

Forgive yourself for mistakes – I’ve been to 94 countries so far in my quest tovisit every country in the world, and I’ve probably made every mistake you can think of. A couple of months ago in between visits to Iraq and Eastern Europe, I even double-booked myself on two completely non-refundable flights home to Seattle. Yes, I assure you – if a travel mistake is possible, I have most likely made it. Along the way, I’ve learned that whenever I do something stupid, I have to let it go at some point.

Travel Zen – Even if you didn’t make the mistake, lots of disruptions and challenges can easily set you back while you’re in a distant land. Here’s where I invoke the Travel Zen mantra: “Life is an adventure.” If I wanted routine, I could have stayed home.

To read more go here: http://zenhabits.net/13-ways-to-simplify-international-travel/

And no waiting for luggage at the carousel!

I am heading to New Zealand next week, firstly for a conference and then I am taking some days to explore the South Island, particularly Milford Sound.

I am so looking forward to it, but now the challenge begins – how can I take two weeks worth of clothes into a cabin bag? (I am flying Jetstar Light and I know they are Nazis when it comes to weight restrictions!)

So I thought I would share with you my tips for packing light:

1. Coordinate your clothes around one or two basic colors (preferably black and white). This cuts down on the number of shoes and accessories you have to bring.

2. Take as few clothes as possible. Plan on laundering.

3. Wear and carry washable silk clothing whenever possible. It is as warm as and as cool as cotton. It dries overnight.

4. A lightweight rain coat can double as a windbreaker or a coat to keep the chill off in fine weather.

5. Take older clothes that can be discarded along the way.  Think how much shopping can fit in the space.

6. Jeans – never take them as they take so long to dry, take lighter weight pants.

7. Two pairs of shoes – walking and a bit dressier. That is it!

Oh I do love to be beside the sea-side

It is the middle of summer here in Australia; hard to believe when you see New York City under 12 inches of snow.

But with the heat and humidity of summer comes the lethargic feelings and thoughts of lazing on the beach or out enjoying an el fresco lunch with friends – rather than putting in a productive day at work.

So…what to do?

To survive these beautiful days cooped up inside, try to do the following things every day:

• As the shine comes up earlier, get to your desk earlier.  Try to get as much work done as possible before other people start working.  Most people have more energy earlier in the day than later, so while the phone isn’t ringing and no one is sending you emails you can get more done. And it will keep you from feeling guilty when you zone out around 3:00 in the afternoon.
• Do a lot of positive self-talking. Get your stuff done so you can go out and do something outside. The longer you procrastinate about your work the less time you’ll have for whatever else it is you want to do.
• Have a plan for what needs to be done that day and schedule hard to do, thought-intensive items for early in the day and more mindless stuff for the afternoon.
• Avoid heavy lunches; if the meal is hard to digest, it can put you to sleep in the afternoon but lighter lunches don’t seem to have such a drastic effect (apart from the 2pm energy lull!)

For more on the topic, go to: http://unclutterer.com/2010/07/15/fighting-the-summer-productivity-blahs/

Waving opportunity my way on The Today Show

The Queensland floods have been a devastating event, yet as with any major setback or roadblock, there is always opportunity. Getting the state back on its feet takes the expertise of many and sharing this expertise via the media is a big help to many who don’t know what to do.

And this is how my opportunity came from left field – appearing on the Today Show showing flood affected people how to salvage their damaged furniture. I didn’t see it coming, but I jumped straight up and grabbed hold – I didn’t want to let this fantastic PR opportunity pass me by.

In my email in box this morning was another excerpt from a book called Money, Meaning & Beyond by Andrea J. Lee talking on this very thing so I wanted to share it with you all:

In any given business, the growth of the business will rise or fall to the level of the business owner’s personal development.

I see it frequently.

When people grow, their business grows. When people don’t, their businesses don’t.  and sometimes, when businesses get inherited or acquired, the business will show a spurt or dive, based on the ethos of the new owner.

When opportunity knocks, are you ready?

If you knew you could have everything you wanted right now, would you know what to say?

Are you – your character, your development, your greater Self – ready?

Here are some things to really embrace as you go about life in the next thirty days:

• Saying NO to bland. Stand for something.
  
• Cultivating a vision. Get clear about what you believe and mean it.  Lead.
  
• Conditioning yourself emotionally. You and your business will weather many ups and downs.
• Nurture your strength of spirit just like you work out your body for the great race.
• Articulate what you want and why. Don’t worry about how just yet.
• Being prepared to say a resounding ‘yes’ to help that wants to find you, and that many times, is sitting right on your doorstep.

Be diligent and unflinching about yourself and your growth.  Start now in whatever shape or form that looks like to you.

Your success (financial and other) as a business owner is DIRECTLY linked to your ability to evolve yourself.

To find out more go here: http://www.andreajlee.com/blog/archives/2011/01/19/feature-article-the-paul-principle-for-better-or-worse-it%E2%80%99s-all-about-you-excerpted-from-the-money-meaning-and-beyond-book-chapter-26/