Organize 365® Podcast

This week, we are back to our traditional transformational podcast. On Wednesdays, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365 community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps, and triumphs along their organizing journey. You can see and hear transformation in action. I look forward to helping YOU get Organized!

Today, I am sharing my conversation with Kerstin H. She lives in Germany with her husband and foster daughter. She started with a Sunday Basket® and has found much more peace in life and control of her time. I hope you enjoy her story and find her as inspiring as I do! I am grateful that you are reaching out to share your stories and progress with me and with the Organize 365 community.

If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

For more information about the programs and products mentioned in this podcast please check out these links:

Organize 365

The Sunday Basket®

100 Day Home Organization Program

ALL ACCESS

Workboxes

Paper Organizing Retreats

I look forward to helping YOU get Organized!

Direct download: Org365-KerstinH.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

As we continue to explore our interim normal from COVID-19, I want to share some insights on the economy and how we are changing the way we use our homes. I am not an economist or a real estate expert, but I am a questioner and I want to share my own personal thoughts about how we continue to adapt to these extraordinary (unprecedented) times we are in.

We are in the middle of a transition in technology, working from home, social media, and how we are living in our current reality. As I have shared before, my study of different generations has shown that history is cyclical and we move from one end of a particular pendulum to the other, and then we come back again. 

The Stuff We Keep

In the 1980’s we were at the height of consumerism and stuff. Near 2020, many people were very minimalist. In the next few years, I expect that people are not going to declutter as much. We have now faced supply chain issues, shortages, and have learned we cannot always go shopping for (or even order delivery) of the things we want right now. 

Our families are also changing. More people are living at home, indefinitely. While young adults used to go out and begin living independently, the health and economic issues are meaning more are living at home for longer periods. This also changes the amount and type of stuff we are keeping in our homes. 

Economic Changes

Retail stores are going bankrupt. The economy was shifting prior to the pandemic, but COVID creased a condensed timeline. While businesses usually change at a much slower pace than individuals or families, they are now being forced to adapt more quickly, and not all will be successful. 

Supply chain issues are also a real thing, and will likely continue for a while. For people who traditionally stockpiled things, you may not have access to the same quantity as before. You may not have space to store extras while you are also housing additional people in your home. Your ability to afford to shop and plan ahead may also be altered. 

Living at Home

If you decluttered something and are regretting letting it go, because your “just in case” actually came true, give yourself grace. There is no benefit to blame or anger at this unpredictable global health crisis. If you have not used something in the last 6 months, I want you to really consider letting it go and allowing it to bless someone else.

As we head into our first Fall and Winter seasons in this pandemic, I want you to think about what you will need to get through this season. What items do you want to be sure you have for this season? What do you need to change or adapt in how your physical home is functioning? What do you want to have at home? What can you afford? What do you have space to store? How will you adapt your holiday plans for social distancing and public health? How will you make your home feel like home for all who are living there?

IDS

At Organize 365, we use the Traction model for our business operating system. One component is that we IDS problems and issues. We identify, discuss, and solve challenges as a team. I share some fun examples in the podcast - so be sure to listen in for an insider peek at some recent decisions we made.

Direct download: Org365-354.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

The COVID-19 Pandemic has taken away our ability to go with the flow. We are living in a snow globe where our city, job, government, and public health are continually shaken up and we are chasing around. So many people are sharing that life feels so hard right now. There is no flow. The pandemic has stopped our hustle, bustle, and flow. 

Most of us have lived through hard times like this before, and humanity has definitely survived times of uncertainty and upheaval similar to what we are facing now. In the podcast, I share about how we have survived and have the lessons from other times in history when our lives were similarly out of control. 

However, catastrophic events do not impact everyone equally. Depending on your location, family, job, and other factors, you may be experiencing a lot or a little bit of life disruption. Today, I want to talk with you about how to find your flow again - even though it will be different than it was before COVID-19.

First, if you are not a natural flow generator, find and follow good leaders.

Second, get started. Let go of perfection. Release the need to do it all. But, actually taking action and moving your body will produce much better results than thinking about what you want to do.

Third, I really want you to work on your schedules and routines. These basic steps will get you moving in the morning and can keep you moving throughout the day. When you clean up - you know the drill - pick up trash, clothes, and food in that order. Start simple, and just get started.

I also share how my morning, afternoon, and evening routines have helped me to continue to be engaged in my life and make progress during the pandemic. It is typical to be less productive than you were before the stay at home events, but using routines will help you to transition to the next part of the day and keep the momentum going. I share suggestions for setting up your routines and share my own inside the podcast. 

For links to the items Lisa is using, please go to the show notes page on the website

Direct download: Org365-353.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

This week our Wednesday podcast is my conversation with my absolute, most favorite author - Laura Vanderkam!

We discuss many things she writes about in her new book, The New Corner Office. We talk about all things working from home - how to manage time, organize your workday, still be productive, and get energized to get things done.

Laura is also analytical so we talk about different ways to apply routines, rituals, transition time, separation, and habits so we can find success in this interim normal as many continue to stay safe at home.

Direct download: Org365-WLauraV.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

Listen here: organize365.com/podcast/interim-normal
 
We are living in the middle of a global health pandemic during COVID-19. The middle of any kind of change or transition is messy!!! As we go through the middle, we can end up feel trapped - we cannot go back, but we are not yet to the place we want to be. 
 
I want to help you make sense of this pandemic and disruption we are all facing. I want to share my analysis of what is going on in society, our homes, and our responses to this uncertainty we have all been living with since at least March of 2020. I am hearing from many of you that you are facing anxiety, depression, and feelings of loss. Every single person on Earth has had plans derailed this year.
 
So - what do we do about the messy middle? We are certainly not yet to the "new normal" that will come someday, but we do have to begin to function more effectively and make some progress in life. We are all struggling to make sense of our current reality and to figure out how to function in a new world. We cannot live our pajama day, Netflix, and quarantine cocktail life while we wait for the end. We must work our way through this messy middle.
 
I want to walk with you, provide inspiration, and help you to survive (and maybe thrive) in this unexpected life event. I cannot fix everything going on, but I can help you to find your bearings so you can get some traction while we all stumble through this middle place together. 
 
Listen in as I talk to you about how to analyze and adapt for:
 
School (in person or from home)
Vacations & Fun
Work
Adult Children
Thinking Time
Schedules & Routines
Cash Flow & Money
 
Just as getting organized begins with your mindset, so does getting yourself and your loved ones through this time. I am here as your teacher, your coach, and your friend. You are not alone in this journey, and I will walk along side you and continue to share and inspire.
 
Furthermore, if you are struggling with mental health during this time, that is a true, real, and vital medical need. Please seek medical attention for your medical needs. Please reach out to your health care team and ask for help. If you want to hear more about the time I struggled with depression, you can listen to that podcast here. However, I am not a medical professional, and I cannot provide medical assistance. 
Direct download: Org365-352.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

 
I am so excited to share with you a short excerpt from The Paper Solution audiobook! My publisher has allowed me to share this reading from the book with you all. I hope that you are making progress on your home papers and getting them organized, but if you find this helpful, be sure to pick up your own copy of The Paper Solution.
 
Direct download: Org365-WThePaperSolutionExcerpt.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

The Paper Solution - Kid's School Memory Binder

In The Paper Solution, I teach you how to ditch your file cabinet and replace it with portable, functional binders for reference papers. The Paper Solution will tell you how to set up your binders, gives you access to sample printables, and gives you a list of what to include in each of the binders I recommend you create. 

The Kid's School Memory Binder

Binders have so many benefits - they are easy to update, they help limit how much we save, and they are far more portable than a file cabinet. This is one place to keep art work, stories, awards, certificates, and those adorable school photos. 

I have even made these binders for Greg and myself. We had some great times reading each other's school papers, sharing stories, and just being surprised by each other. One binder for each person in the house is really fun and a great way to keep a reasonable amount of school memories in an organized way.

The Kid's School Memory Binder helps to keep your child's school papers, memories, and certificates in easy to enjoy (and space limiting) binders. When you use page protectors, it is easy to add and remove papers over time. I am always astounded by how much kids enjoy looking back at their own work and sharing the stories. For details on what to include in your binder, listen to the podcast and then check out Chapter 14 of The Paper Solution

In the podcast, I also share about the Warrior Mama IEP Binder - a way to help you get and keep your paperwork organized if you are dealing with special needs or individualized education plans.

Direct download: Org365-351.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

Welcome to the newest Wednesday Podcast! On Wednesdays, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365 community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps, and triumphs along their organizing journey. You can see and hear transformation in action.

I look forward to helping YOU get Organized!

Today’s Transformational Podcast features my conversation with Melissa S. Missy lives with her husband and 3 girls. This is the second part of our conversation. Today we talk about work, motherhood, and other organizational parts of life. Missy works in a family business with 180 employees that focuses on media and trade publications. She and Lisa share about how Missy uses a Workbox and Binders to keep all of her papers organized so she can be an organized business owner. They also share how the Workbox and Sunday Basket® help Missy plan her week and stay proactive rather than reactive!

I hope you enjoy her story and find her as inspiring as I do! I am grateful that you are reaching out to share your stories and progress with me and with the Organize 365 community. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday

 

For more information about the programs and products mentioned in this podcast please check out these links:

Organize 365

The Sunday Basket®

100 Day Home Organization Program

ALL ACCESS

Workboxes

Paper Organizing Retreats

I look forward to helping YOU get Organized!

Direct download: Org365-MelissaS-2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

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