Organize 365® Podcast

Do you ever feel like you’ve got too much on your plate?

Sometimes, we can be so focused on making things more organized, efficient, and productive that we forget to pull the brakes.

Do we really need to do all the jobs we’re doing?

If you’ve been listening to the last few episodes of the podcast, you’ll notice that I’ve talked about shifting mindsets and changing habits a lot lately.

We revealed how you can eliminate your to-do list, and what an organized life feels like. We also uncovered the Sunday Basket 3.0, which isn’t a new product, but a new way of tackling your Sunday Basket when you’re a seasoned pro.

Now we’ve reached the fourth episode of this mini four-part series, where I talk about decluttering jobs and obligations. You know, the things that have loomed over our heads for weeks and we really don’t want to do.

You might feel like you don’t have a good enough reason to get rid of them, which is why they’ve stuck around for so long.

But, I’m here to help you kick the guilt monster out and shut the door on some of those jobs that you just don’t care about anymore. So, if you want to finally declutter those jobs and obligations that have gathered dust at the back of your mind, tune into this episode and find out how to:

Take a step back and evaluate your current obligations

Identify your unique vs. competent abilities

Eliminate tasks from your calendar

And the controversial one... How to break away from a direct sales company.

I received a question about how to quit direct sales. It was a loaded question, but I could really relate to it because as many of you know, I used to work in direct sales. I loved it at the time. But I reached a point in my life and business where I knew I had to break away from direct sales.

Even though you work for a direct sales company, it doesn’t mean you’re obligated to stay until you’re old and gray. You’re a unique person with a unique gift and ability. Don’t sell your soul to any company. You don’t know what’s going on behind closed doors.

A company, no matter what size it is, will always put their best interests first. So, you should do the same and put yourself first, too.

I talk about all this in more detail in the podcast, but what I will say is that if you think now is the time to leave your direct sales gig, or any job for that matter, you’re probably right.

Ask yourself if you were asked to re-join the same company all over again, would you say yes?

If not, it’s time to pack your bags and move on.

It’s Okay To Say No

It’s time to eliminate jobs and obligations from your calendar that you just don’t want to do anymore. Remember – it’s okay to say NO. No can be a complete sentence if you want and need it to be.

If you decide to eliminate things from your calendar using any of my suggestions, I’d love to know how it went for you and how many things you managed to eliminate?

 

Follow me on Instagram to follow our adventures at the Cincinnati Homeschool Convention this weekend!

Registration for the next round of the 100 Day Home Organization Program is OPEN!! And.. we now have PAYMENT PLANS! I'd love for you to join us!

View the full post here: https://organize365.com/decluttering-jobs-obligations/

Direct download: Org365-277.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

A few weeks ago in my regular Facebook LIVE on Tuesday mornings for the women in the 100 Day Home Organization Program, I started to expound on and articulate how I have moved into a new level of using my Sunday Basket.

The first thing you need to know about Sunday Basket 3.0 is that it is not a physical product.

Lisa, what do you mean it’s not an actual product? You got me pumped up for nothing!

Hold on! I say it’s not a physical product because it’s an evolution of the original Sunday Basket System you already have.

If you’re not familiar with the Sunday Basket Club or the Sunday Basket System, let me explain real quick…

A Mini Lesson On Sunday Baskets

The Sunday Basket is a system for processing ongoing household projects and developing a weekly routine of collecting, processing, and maintaining it all in one place.

You start with a basket. Well, it’s more of a box but kind of looks and operates like a basket, hence the name. You can buy the Complete Sunday Basket System for $97.00 and receive all the necessary workshop materials you need.

This includes two sets of slash pockets called the 1.0 and 2.0 slash pockets.

With the 1.0 slash pockets, you get red, orange, yellow, green, and blue slash pockets. Everything you put into these slash pockets are things that need to get done this week. So, any errands, events or bills, etc. that need to be completed this week will go inside the 1.0 slash pockets.

The 2.0 slash pockets are monochromatic and include five pink, five blue, five green, and five purple slash pockets.

With the 2.0 slash pockets, each color represents a category. So, purple is for anything household related, blue is for family members, green is for financial, and pink is for your own hopes, dreams, projects, and goals.

When Sunday rolls around, you take everything out of the basket and sort through what you’ll do this Sunday and what can wait until next Sunday.

Eliminating Things From Your Sunday Basket

When your home is organized, you’ll generally have a lot less to do in terms of organizing. Another gift that leading a more organized life will give you is TIME.

Time to do a puzzle in the evening, give the dog a second walk around the block, and time for yourself.

But, when you have all this free time, many of you talk about feeling guilty. It’s like if you’re not doing something "proactive" and productive, you’re lazy or even selfish (which is crazy!).

One rule of the Sunday Basket System is if it can wait until next Sunday, it must wait until next Sunday. But, what if something in the basket can always wait until next Sunday? Do you keep it moving onto the following week for months or even years?

Well… you can if you want to. But if you want to get it out of the way, I suggest picking a time during the day or week to work on it and do it then. The more you live an organized life, the fewer things you’ll have in your Sunday Basket.

If you become a seasoned pro like me, you might not even need all the slash pockets in the Sunday Basket anymore. But getting to that stage of eliminating things from your basket will take time. And, as each task is completed and each week you’re organizing more and more, you’ll receive an extra gift of time each week.

So, what does all of this have to do with the Sunday Basket 3.0?

The Sunday Basket 3.0 is about eliminating things out of your Sunday Basket that are no longer serving you or that you just don’t want to do anymore (or ever).

Deciding What To Do With Your Free Time

When you are in the process of eliminating your to-do list and moving to the Sunday Basket, you develop the habit of writing down every idea that you have in your head onto index cards.

You’re also continuing to defer those things until the following Sunday when you can. This process helps you to make the decision if you're going to do it at all, and if so, when. For the most part though, you can knock out a lot of your index cards on Sunday. You may have to set time aside to do some of the things during the week and then anything that can be put off until later goes into your 2.0 slash pockets, which are for projects.

If you’re in a stage similar to me where your kids are grown up and everything’s pretty much taken care of, you’ll have all this time you don’t know what to do with.

Can you relate?

If so, here’s a little challenge for you…

Think back to when you were a teenager. What did you like doing? How did you spend your free time?

I hope you can come up with something because let me tell you, I can’t. I always wanted to be a mom. I got a teaching degree because I knew it would help me when I did have kids. But, after I got married, we realized we couldn’t have kids. So, we adopted.

My entire life has been about wanting kids and being a mom. And, I did it all. But now the kids are grown up and my "mommying" is kind of over.

So, now what should I do with my free time?

I have no idea.

Well, that’s not totally true. I like doing puzzles. Yes, I’m like a retired old lady, but you know what? Those guys in the retirement homes are up to their eyeballs in puzzles. They have a library, and they get their dinner made for them each day. Plus, they’re surrounded by their friends, and they don’t even have to go outside if they don’t want to.

To me (a.k.a someone that doesn’t like nature all that much), that sounds like a dream. So, yeah… I guess when “I grow up,” I want to be retired and doing all the puzzles in the world.

The Sunday Basket 3.0

So, when you reach the stage where your house is organized, and you’ve entered the Sunday Basket 3.0 era, it’s okay to have projects in there that you have no intention of doing. Just get rid of them.

You don’t have to stick to the same projects you wanted to do before you got organized. Heck, you don’t have to pick up the same projects you wanted to do yesterday! It’s OKAY.

Just because you had a passion for something before, it doesn’t mean it has to be your passion for the rest of your life. Passions aren’t always forever. Sometimes, a passion hangs around for a season and then it transitions into something new. And, that’s okay!

So, the next time you go through your Sunday Basket, and you sort through your 2.0 slash pockets, ask yourself if you still have the passion and desire to do that thing at all.

If not, it’s time to say goodbye and move on! No guilt necessary!

Are you in the Sunday Basket 3.0 stage yet? Let me know over on Instagram or Facebook and tell me, what are some of the things you like to do just for the fun of it?

Any puzzle fans out there?

View the full post here: https://organize365.com/sunday-basket-3-0/

Direct download: Org365-276.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

I talk about organizing a lot on the podcast (it’s called Organize 365 after all!). I’ve covered everything from discovering your why to the Psychology of the Sunday Basket and how to know Which Workbox is Right for You?

But surprisingly, I’ve never addressed what living an organized life actually feels like... until now!

In this episode, I reveal what an organized life really looks like. No unrealistic expectations. No idealistic dreams. None of that. Just an honest look behind the curtain of an everyday, organized life.

Setting Realistic Expectations

I’ll be honest with you. There was a rather delusional time in my life when I pictured a perfectly organized life to mirror Martha Stewart’s.

You know, with everything neatly packed into pretty containers, angelic children floating around the house, and waking up to an adorable puppy licking my nose as he waits for his morning walk. Like I said, delusional.

Once I started to declutter and really focus on living a more organized life, my previous expectations were, for lack of a better phrase, shot to hell.

I realized that you’re never going to have everything you want just perfect. You can drive yourself crazy trying, but it’s like trying to reach the end of the rainbow. It’s never going to happen.

The sooner you get rid of unrealistic expectations and focus on the achievable, the sooner you can start living not only a more organized life, but a happier one, too.

In the podcast I explore...

  • How an Organized Life Looks Different in Each Stage of Life
  • How an Organized Life is Being "Company Ready"
  • How Living an Organized Life is Having More TIME

So, what does an organized life feel like?

An organized life feels like all your basic needs are met and all of the things in your house are done.

And then the real work of stepping up to who you were uniquely created to be takes center stage.

THAT is what I want to see. WHO were YOU uniquely created to be and give to this world?

It sounds so Oprah like, but it is for YOU, too.

It is my greatest fulfillment in life to have found the time to create a curated program for you to get your home organized to free up your time so I can see what your unique gift is to the world.

Thanks for letting me be a part of your journey!

PS - If you are stuck in your organizing and are not sure why, I'd love for you to join me in my masterclass this month: 3 Reasons You Can't Get Organized And What To Do About It.

View the full post here: https://organize365.com/what-living-an-organized-life-feels-like/

Direct download: Org365-275.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

Last week, we talked about why it’s impossible to be behind when you’re organizing. We covered how organizing will always pay you in time and finished with a discussion about why you should aim for progress, not perfection.

Shifting your mindset to focus on progress rather than perfection takes practice. We become so obsessed with ticking off every task on our to-do lists that we lose sight of the progress we’ve made.

A few of you recently messaged me and asked me to talk about how you can change the way you structure and plan your time. It’s easy to let your to-do list control your time and how you spend it, which is only part of the reason why I think it is time to eliminate your to-do list.

Yes, you read that right.

Eliminate your to-do list.

Don’t re-prioritize it. Don’t take tasks off and move them onto next week’s to-do list. I want you to take your to-do list, hold it up and set a flame to it (you know, hypothetically).

You might not know this about me, but it’s been 18 months since I wrote out and completed my last to-do list. I just don’t need it anymore.

If you want to join me over here in the (almost) stress-free zone with more free time than you know what to do with and no to-do lists to worry about, this is the podcast episode you’ve been waiting for!

How I Got Rid of My To-Do List

There was a time in my life when I lived for my to-do list. Or rather, I lived through my to-do list. I would list everything I needed to get done that day and, like most of you, ticked them off one by one as I completed each task.

When a task was left unfinished, I carried it onto my to-do list for the next day. It helped me to get things done, most of the time. But I found myself constantly referring to my list throughout the day, so much so that it honestly felt like I couldn’t live without it.

To go from that level of dedication to a to-do list to not having one at all is quite the turnaround, don’t you think?

The funny thing is, I didn’t even realize I didn’t have a to-do list anymore until people started asking me for advice on what to do with theirs. As someone who had an answer for every question about organizing, I was stumped.

Then, of course, I had the "a-ha!" moment when I suddenly realized I was living my life without a to-do list. And, you know what? The world didn’t stop spinning. I didn’t lose focus, and my productivity levels were better than ever.

At some point over the last seven years, I went from being depressed, overweight and in debt to feeling much happier, thinner and debt-free. But it didn’t happen overnight. It took a lot of small steps, and one of those steps was ditching the to-do lists.

I can't wait for you to email me and let me know that you too have ditched your to-do list!

PS - Do you feel stuck in your organizing? Sign up for the April FREE Masterclass, 3 Reasons You Can't Get Organized & What to do about it Masterclass here.

PPS - We just made our BIGGEST announcement of 2019... You can now buy the 100 Day Home Organization Program and ALL ACCESS with PAYMENT PLANS!

View the full post here: https://organize365.com/stop-to-do-list/

Direct download: Org365-274.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00am EDT

1