3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key (True) Confessions

 

On Tuesday, my paperback copies of True Confessions Wednesday arrived. In honor of what I consider to be an exciting development, I thought I'd share three of those confessions that are particularly relevant to me right now.

True Confession #2: I'm a big fan of the small steps approach. This morning, I counted the number of teaching days remaining in the semester: 11. With a stack of papers to grade that's hovering dangerously close to ten times that number (with more to follow), organizing is taking a back seat. But, every day, I generate paper clutter, not the least of which is the pile of mail that must be dealt with. I can't keep things as well in-hand as I'd like, but keeping after it a little at a time means I won't have a backlog of clutter to deal with when the semester is over.

True Confession #20: I love simple solutions. Containers without lids. Colored file folders. Sticky notes. Eye-catching, one-step, drop-and-run solutions are the foundation of my organizing system. The simpler the solution, the more likely I am to use it -- especially when I'm busy and life is hectic.

True Confession #46: I struggle with the transition from one month to the next. More than one appointment has been lost or forgotten in the Bermuda triangle that is the flip of the page from one month to the next. While I still have room for improvement, I'm getting much better, especially since I've identified this as a weak spot in my time management system.

With a little searching, you can read all of my True Confessions here on this blog, in their original home. True Confessions Wednesday, a compilation of all those Wednesday posts, is available as an e-book -- and now in paperback! -- on Amazon.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key Reasons that Clearing Clutter One Thing at a Time Works

Last weekend, I walked into my office and caught a glimpse of the counter. When did all those piles get there?

Sigh. 

The addition of some time-sensitive tasks to my already full to-do list had inadvertently invited some old habits back to roost. Apparently, my reversion to my drop and run organizational style had created more clutter than I realized. 

I wanted to spring into action but, those aforementioned time-sensitive tasks? 

Still not done. And still at the top of the list.

But I couldn't let it go, so I decided to chip away at it a little bit at a time. I decided that every time I passed the counter, I'd pick something up and put it away.

A few trips later, I was pleasantly surprised to see clear space -- one of the reasons I love this tactic. Here are three key reasons something so simple can be so satisfying.

It's approachable. Tackling the piles one item at a time fits into even the busiest of schedules.

It identifies what has a home...and what doesn't, making it easy to figure out which systems are working and which are not.

Progress is almost immediate. Picking up and putting way even just a few items shrinks the piles and, after a few repetitions, might even yield some clear space.

My counter is still not completely clear, but I've met my deadline so it won't be long until I can dig in in earnest. In the meantime, small steps yielded a payoff that kept things in a holding pattern until I could give the task the time it needed.

Lisa 1, Clutter 0.

STYLE-ing My Way to the End of a Very Different Semester

As the semester picks up speed and careens to an end, it felt like a good time to revisit a post from 2019 and do a little comparing. 

Then:
The semester is drawing to a close and the semi-annual paper blizzard has begun. Fortunately, many of these papers will be returned to my students but, in the meantime, keeping things in order is a bit of a challenge. When it feels like the stuff is overwhelming the systems, it's time to go back to STYLE.

• Start with successes. I have folders for all of my classes, so that's my starting point. When the papers begin to overrun the folders (like when 25 students turn in five page papers), I start stacking and I keep my piles together with paper clips or binder clips that match the color I've assigned to each class. That way, I can see at a glance which papers belong to which classes, even if I move my piles into open-top files.
• Take small steps. When the papers start to pile up, they end up on my dining room table, which is not where they belong. Taking even five minutes at a time to sort, clear and move the piles to a more appropriate location makes a difference not just in terms of clear space, but also in terms of peace of mind. I know. I've tried it.
• Yes, it has a home! Except when that home is too small. Time to pull out an extra file bin and press it into service.
• Let it go! This one will be easy. The majority of the papers will be returned to their rightful owners. What remains can be sorted into file bins that house materials for each of my classes.
• Easy upkeep. Luckily, I've been teaching the same classes long enough that I've developed working systems and, once the paper piles shrink to a manageable size, the upkeep is easy.

Chipping away at my piles gradually, reminding myself that this is a temporary state of affairs, and keeping what comes next in mind helps me make progress and keep my wits about me. As the piles grow smaller (and leave my house), I feel a sense of accomplishment that almost makes this temporary state of affairs less annoying.

Almost.

mmi9 via Pixabay

And now:

With our current hybrid set-up, the paper blizzard is no more and I don't miss it a bit! But every semester brings new challenges, and my current challenge is trying to write the curricular part of my online summer class while teaching three spring semester classes. With multiple irons in the fire -- especially when that's the case -- STYLE is still my friend.

• Start with successes.  As someone with an I need to see it personal style teaching in a pandemic, I may not have hard copies of assignments, but I need hard copies of some things, so I have a system for the papers that do accumulate. When I have the time and energy to use the system, it works. One (almost) daily success is clearing off my desk at the end of each day. Seeing a clear workspace at the beginning of each day helps me to start the day more calmly.

• Take small steps. I've had a steady flow of assignments coming in from all of my classes for the past two weeks and I've come to terms (mostly) with the fact that it will take time to grade them. Each day, I set a target number of specific assignments to grade -- one that's realistic given the other responsibilities of my day, including sleep and down time. It took me a long time to get comfortable with small steps in this particular aspect of my life. Taking small steps when it comes to grading doesn't make everyone happy, but it helps me maintain some semblance of work-life balance.
• Yes, it has a home! If I can only make myself put it away instead of down. Some habits die hard.
• Let it go! Too soon for this one. At the end of the semester, I'll sort through all the folders and get rid of the hard copies that duplicate things I can archive online. For now, this I need to see it girl need her hard copy back-ups.
• Easy upkeep. I hate the situation that got us to this point, but now that I've adjusted to online tools and virtual submissions of assignments, I can't imagine ever going back to that wild blizzard of papers. 

Even if I am the poster child for I need to see it.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Not Wasting that Day Off

During this academic year, part of the plan to keep our campus community safe during COVID has been the elimination of breaks during the semester. Fall break disappeared, and students stayed on campus until Thanksgiving, after which the rest of the semester was virtual. No spring break either, but we do have tomorrow off in observance of Good Friday.

A day off, which also means a three-day weekend. It's been a long time coming, and I'm determined to use it well. Here are three guidelines I've set for myself to make that happen.

Don't overbook. The temptation to catch up on everything can be intense. Luckily, this time around, I've waited so long for a break that I'm happy to set aside the "have to" list in favor of the "want to" list, which brings me to....

Do the things you want to do. This may or may not include school work, just to lighten the load, but will definitely include sleeping in, writing and serious puttering.

Throw in a little organizing so the sense of calm continues. For me, organizing is on the "want to" list. Not only do I enjoy it, but the benefits it offers linger long after I've finished. 

Too often, in our productivity-driven society, we create a to-do list for our downtime that rivals the ones we make on a day-to-day basis, but time off is time to recharge. And, when we do it right, the effects linger beyond the day off. 

Thursday Then & Now: Location by Style

Now: It's always fun for me to go back and look at old posts to see what has changed. In most cases, my taste might have changed a bit (a favorite tool then has been replaced by something I like better, for example), but my advice has not. 

As we contemplate spring (and perhaps spring cleaning), it seems like a good time to re-visit this 2016 post about finding the right homes for our things, in accordance with our styles. Often, our styles have been organizational obstacles for so long that we forget that every style has a flip side -- our own unique way of looking at things that, when honored, leads us to systems that work because they make sense to us.

Then:

Those with an I love stuff personal style are good at putting things together, sometimes in unconventional ways. Often collectors, folks with this style already understand the importance of storing similar items together, but may also come up with creative combinations that make storage fun. 

Those with an I need to see it personal style are good at putting things where they can see them, and therefore, find them. Building systems on visual cues (like labels and color coding) can help folks with this style to make the transition from putting things down to putting them away so that they worry less about out of sight meaning out of mind.

Those with an I love to be busy personal style are good at categorizing. Keeping track of the supplies for their many activities gives them lots of practice at deciding which groups of items should go where, and often includes designating separate containers for each activity, a system that allows them to grab and go.

 

Those with a cram and jam organizational style are good at simplifying; if it's all in one spot, it's easy to find. Learning to separate their belongings into containers by category allows them to expand their storage and protect their belongings.

Those with a drop and run organizational style are good at backtracking to find things. Retracing their steps (which they do often) may lead them to determine locations that make sense, based on where they naturally drop things, allowing them to build a system based on their natural habits. 

Those with an I know I put it somewhere organizational style are good at putting things away, making them great at finding homes for things. Learning to make those homes logical, rather than haphazard, is the key to their location success.

Then AND Now: Every once in a while, we need to be reminded that even if our homes don't embody the "a place for everything, and everything in its place" philosophy, we're moving in the right direction. Finding consistent, logical homes for our things is possible when we remember to view our styles as strengths, and plan our systems accordingly.

3 Keys Thursday: 3 Keys to Not Letting the Important Stuff Fall Through the Cracks

I was in the shower yesterday morning when it occurred to me that it would have been nice to send my dad a St. Patrick’s Day card. Since I had this thought on St. Patrick’s Day, it was clearly too late to do anything about my wonderful idea. Add to this the fact that last month, I missed my sister’s birthday because I quite literally did not know what day it was, and that I very nearly missed my writers' group meeting this month, and I'm beginning to see a pattern emerge. 

And it isn't pretty.

I could blame these things on the pandemic but, the truth is that slowly, over time, some of the things I used to be really good at I’ve become not-so-good at. I was dismissing these things as anomalies but my sister‘s birthday was my wake-up call. I’ve written before about losing things in the flip of the calendar page, but the terrible feeling that accompanied being a day late for an important occasion triggered me to start thinking about making a change.

When it comes to organization, stuff management is only part of the battle. Managing our time so that we make room in our lives for all the important things also matters. Here are three steps I'm planning to take to make sure I've got a better handle on key dates.

Do the prep work. I used to sit down every year and dutifully write all the birthdays into my calendar but, somewhere along the way (probably once Facebook started reminding me of people's birthdays), I stopped doing that. Initially, it wasn't a problem because my youthful brain (and the occasional nudge from my mother) meant that I didn't miss any important occasions. In the absence of both of these, however, I need to go back to the habit that worked so well.

Stay true to style. For some, it's a birthday book that lists all the important dates; for others, a big, family calendar in the kitchen that lists everything. For me, the best place for reminders is my personal planner, which I check on a weekly basis in order to create a weekly cheat sheet. If it's in the planner, it makes the cheat sheet. If it's not, it's a crap shoot.

Build in a reminder. I've decided I also need to scan each month for "cardworthy occasions" and make a note of them. That way, I'm prepared for not only the day-of e-mail, phone call and/or Facebook post, but I also have a card in hand and in the mail on time. Right now, in light of my recent brain blips, that seems like a tall order, but taking a moment to make that list and check it each week will, I hope, send me in the right direction.

I can’t salvage this year, no matter how much I want to, but I can salvage next year and maybe even next week, especially if I build the steps I need to take into my existing systems. So today, I'll put my calendar in a place where I can see it so I can make time tonight to put some important names into their respective calendar squares. 

It's a process, and there's still plenty of time for me to finish the year more thoughtfully than I started it.

Finding Balance

Myriams-Fotos via Pixabay

Everywhere we turn, someone is there to remind us of some one year anniversary of the pandemic. Each of us has our own personal date -- that day when everything changed (mine is March 13). But, having lived it myself (along with all of you, albeit from a respectable social distance), I'm tired of hearing about it, so that's not what I want to focus on. Instead, I want to ask you this, as spring 2021 approaches:

Have you found your footing yet?

I ask this in light of the pandemic because, for me, the steady downhill slide that began the stutter-step stumble into (finally) some semblance of balance was kicked off by suddenly taking my face-to-face classes online. I was luckier than many because I had just completed a mini-course in online teaching in January 2020. This meant that I had some guidelines, but I was in no way prepared to offer a fully formed online educational experience. The line between work and home blurred the minute both were happening in the same place, faded with merciless speed, and was swiftly erased by an almost 24-7 dedication to teaching, grading, planning and supporting my emotionally whiplashed students.

I'm not a hero, and that's not what this post is about. This is what everyone did. We had no choice.

And I'm luckier than most. Thanks to an already blurry work-home line, sheer adrenaline, and a pseudo-break between May and August, the crushing lack of balance in my life didn't hit me until about a month ago.

At first, I was concerned about my mental health. So many people have struggled with depression and anxiety -- more than ever in the last year. Was I joining their ranks?

Luckily, my emotions weren't anything that couldn't be managed by a long-overdue rebalance. It was time to draw some boundaries. Past time, actually. Here are three things I found helpful.

Marshall your resources. I always like to start with successes. Making a list of what I wanted to spend more time doing (creative pursuits, reading, sleeping) and what I needed to spend less time doing (working nights and weekends, pushing past good enough to perfection more often than necessary) made it clear just how far over the line I'd gone and what needed to go on the road map back to my semi-happy place.

Ride the adrenaline wave, but don't forget to get off the ride. It's been a long year, and many of us have continued to try to create our own adrenaline in order to keep the pace. (Just me?) I really had begun to lose the ability to just be. When I sat still, my mind was still moving and I always felt as though I should be doing something. I needed to remind myself that down time is essential to recovery, not a sign of laziness.

Understand that life changes bring organizational changes. College kids move home. The dining room table becomes the classroom. Everyone is together all the time. All of this makes time management, not to mention stuff management so much more challenging. There are silver linings in all of these clouds, but reduced clutter is rarely one of them. Having faith that it will all come together again is a necessary mindset, and the foundation to making it so.

Life knocks us off our feet in both good ways and bad and learning how to stand our ground and weather the storm is key. This includes seeking help if we need more than a rebalance. Often, smaller life changes are nested within the large ones, and it's sometimes those little ones that erode our boundaries, one small sacrifice at a time. 

It's true for life, and it's true for organization.