Lessons from markers, dogs, and the 3-letter word

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When it comes to creating order in your workspace, sometimes it’s the smallest changes that have the greatest positive impact on your work and well-being.

I discovered an assumption recently that I consider it “free time” when I don’t have a task or appointment scheduled on my calendar. I was frittering away perfectly good work time watching Ellen videos and reading Facebook – and then wondering why I wasn’t getting anything done. Yipes!

Three weeks ago, I started a new practice that is benefiting both my productivity and spirituality.

It has so revolutionized my focus, that I thought I’d share it with you in case you want to try it.

A disclaimer

Now, before you go thinking I’m a genius, I’ll tell you that someone else thought of this before I did. In Abraham-Hicks, they call it the ‘placemat technique’. What I’m doing is a variation on that theme… without the manifest-y stuff. And also with a different outcome. But it’s similar. Aaaanyway…

Big, colorful, and grape-scented

I needed some structure with my work flow.

Since I’m a tactile learner, I love to use huge pieces of paper and sweeping movements with my whole body to think and plan. I am also a raving fan of those fruit-scented magic markers. Mmm. Strawberry… Lime… Blueberry… Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, I like to use these tools and methods because they’re so natural and fun for me. So I decided to use them with the intention of focusing better when I have unscheduled work time.

Monday morning magic markers

At the beginning of the week, I reflect on what goals I want to move forward. I check my calendar to see how much free time I actually have to work on these projects.

Then, using 2′x3′ Post-It(c) flip chart paper, I create two columns. The first column says “Jen” – and I write down the things I’d really like to do in the next 5 days. This week, for example, it looks like this:

Jen:

• Plan steps for 4HS
• Meet with Marketing Director (me)
• Prep for smARTist event
• Plan to update December expenses/income
• Update pricing on website
• Write article for newsletter

I hang this colorful, fruity paper on the wall next to my desk. When I find myself getting distracted or confused about what I want to be doing, it’s right there. When I finish something, I use another marker and cross it off.

It’s amazing how something so simple can help me be so focused and productive.

What’s in the other column?

I mentioned that there are 2 columns. The second column says “God”. This is one of the most amazing, radical things I’ve ever done in my business. I’m delegating stuff to the Divine.

Now, maybe you’re thinking I’m being blasphemous or that all the recent retreats to the Abbey have made an impact on me. Maybe both are true.

But here’s the thing. Stuff happens every day that I cannot handle. I can’t handle it because I don’t understand it, or it frightens me, or I feel huge resistance to dealing with it. This happens for everyone. Every day. Conflict happens. Surprises happen. Things fall through.

All the stuff I cannot handle

At 3:45am, guess what I do? I wake up and start to worry about all of it. It sucks. Maybe you can relate.

Lately, I’ve started to realize that not a single bit of worrying I’ve ever done has ever changed a thing.

If anything, worry has made matters worse. “What if I don’t make enough money this month?” turns into awkward conversations with loved ones. “Do I have anything to wear tomorrow?” turns into a panicky morning and an uncomfortable day. “Is she mad at me?” et cetera – you know what I mean?

Worrying, no matter how skilled I am at it, is not helping me – or my business.

Drrrrrop it…

As a kid, I remember playing with a friend’s young golden retriever. “Sensi, drop it.” She had a tennis ball, but she wouldn’t obey. I didn’t yell, I just said it calmly, persistently, over and over, “Drrrrrop it, Sensi. Drrrrrop it. Drop. Sensi, drop it. Drrrrrrrop it.”

And some days, I think that’s exactly what God must be saying to me. “Drrrrrrop it, Jen. Drop. Jen, drrrrrop it. ”

My ego really, really wants to hang on to control and try to handle everything. Yet there’s a deeper place in me that wants to hand over the scary stuff and the confusing stuff and the hard stuff. And maybe pick it up later when I feel more ready.

So I started this practice of writing a God List every week, along with my own to-dos, to practice dropping it and actively handing it over.

This week, it looks like this:

God:

• bill paying system
• my week “off”
• hard drive backup
• too much to do

If it’s on this list, it means I have NO idea what to do about it and I’m not sure what my next step is. Because it’s on God’s list, I don’t have to worry. I delegated it. It’ll get dealt with.

I’ll bet you know what’s coming next, but I’m still amazed. After 3 weeks, everything I’ve delegated to God so far has gotten resolved. Inspired Spouse’s broken laptop. Feeling overwhelmed. Snarly budget stuff. I don’t know why it has worked out this way. In fact, I don’t need to know. It just has.

All from writing God a to-do list in watermelon-scented marker.

A word on names: If you wanted to try this yourself, it doesn’t really matter what your religious views are. Instead of a God List, you could write a to-do list for the Universe. Or the Divine. Or the Earth. Or Love. There are thousands of names for the Thing That is Bigger Than Us. I just picked one that works for me.

The lesson

Practice taking conscious ownership of the things you can handle – and purposely giving away the rest to Something Bigger. Scary? You bet. But it’s worth it. It’s clutter-clearing for the spirit.

Thoughts? Yeah, buts? Me toos?

39 comments

While I want this blog to be an oasis that nourishes you, sometimes I come across remarkable stuff that has only a passing resemblance to relevant blog content. ADD is my excuse for the random fun you’ll find here. Enjoy!

Wow. All kinds of yummy autumn-themed and seasonally-related things have been falling (ha ha) into my lap lately.

I just had to share, of course.

Wheels of Time

I have completely and totally fallen in love with Partners in Place, a company that helps you create a healthy relationship with time. Unbelieveable. I’m bringing their Wheels of Time kit-that-is-a-journal-and-collage-in-one with me on retreat next week.

Gor-geous. My heart is singing.

Living in Season

Who couldn’t love a person with a name like Waverly Fitzgerald? I’m so thrilled for her, too, since she has recently launched her new online magazine. Its content is as inspiring as her newsletter, but now it’s more beautiful to look at, too.

If you want to feel nourished, body and soul, go spend a few minutes with Waverly. You’ll be sooo glad you did. Her site: www.livinginseason.com

Go outside

That’s what my mom used to tell me as a kid. Here’s a little reminder from me to go do it.

Go notice for yourself the slant of the light, breathe in the scent of the changing air, maybe pick up a leaf or two. Time doesn’t fly past as quickly when you stop to be in it. Go on, get out there… and have a wonderful weekend.

The ADDness goes on, but I’ll stop here for now. Have you any autumn-y, random suggestions to add?

Care to comment?

Do you have a beloved corner in your workspace that radiates inspiration and intention?

Although it can sometimes become dusty and neglected, many home offices have sacred corners or little altars that remind of of who we are, of our place in the world, and provide us with a glimmer of transcendence in the midst of our harried lives.

My home office altar of inspiration

What is currently working well for me:

Lovingly chosen objects displayed together. A few months ago, I re-created my sacred space and took a photo to share. There are just a few things on a bookshelf – a painting my grandmother did, a finger labyrinth I made with some cherished friends, and a sign I made that reminds me of Who’s In Charge.

I add objects periodically, significant ones that remind me of people I love and cherished moments and places.

Big, fat collages all over. I make a collage for each of the 9 areas of life – about every year – and I hang them all over my office. I love them. They’re beautiful to look at, inspirational, and they turn my whole office into sacred space.

All office, all the time. A while ago, I decided that I didn’t want my clothes to live in my office closet anymore and moved them out. Now everything in my office relates to my business. This helps me feel more focused and my office is less sloppy.

What I’m currently working on

Outdated inspiration. My collages are about 2 years old now, and starting to feel a little stale. I’m planning to remedy that over the Christmas holiday, but I notice that they don’t inspire me the way they used to. They represent who I was, not where I’m going.

Dust. It’s right up there with vacuuming.

What do YOU do to put the sacred in your space?

What works really well for you? What are you working on?

Share your insights and ideas! Your comments on your own process are welcome. I also request kindly, firmly, that you not give advice to me or others unless it’s specifically requested. This makes exploring safe and learning possible for every reader.

5 comments

Sand Sea Sky by Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes. Used with permission.

What feelings and sensations come up for you when you look at this image?

8 comments

How the stuff around you is a sign of abundance

You have stuff.

Maybe you hate the way the printer works. Or the snarl of cords that lurk under your desk. Maybe it’s the massive accumulation of half-finished projects. Or papers that may have been important once, but now fill you with dread.

Sometimes it feels like your stuff has you.

Because of the negative feelings you have about some of the items in your workspace, you begin to resists the entire space. The whole enchilada. You feel cramped, uncomfortable, and it’s hard to get anything done.

Over time, you start to develop a barely-tolerable relationship with your space.

Renegotiate your relationship

If you are in a relationship with a person who nourishes you, you actively care for that relationship and give it your time and attention. You give back what he or she gives to you. You grow closer and feel loved and supported.

It’s the same way with your belongings.

If something you own feels unsupportive or draggy, it’s healthy for you to manage it so that it doesn’t affect you negatively – or you can simply let it go.

You have a right to a workspace that feels clear and inspiring.

Find gratitude for your stuff

While you may feel enslaved by stuff, in reality, you are swimming in abundance. Every object around you is like a friend, waiting to assist you, help you, or inspire you.

Even negative-feeling items around you are your devoted, if imperfect, servants.

• That printer will print out anything you ask, at any time of day, in almost unlimited amounts. Could you possibly imagine asking a flesh-and-blood human to do the same?

• That pile of books, if overwhelming, are a collection of teachers gathered together to inform and advise you.

• The desk, though it looks out of control, it’s a sacred space dedicated to your work. This space helps you create, complete important projects, and is the altar from which your greatest gifts are offered.

What overflowing abundance you have, right in your very midst!

And your stuff will nourish you in return.

What thing in your space is most distracting to you right now? Take a moment to notice it.

It is serving you? What do you feel grateful for about this item?

Where would you like this item to go – so that you feel more clear and supported while you’re working? You might want to let it go entirely. You might want to put it somewhere out of sight. It’s up to you. Whatever you feel compelled to do, take that one action.

If you do this process, one object at a time, you will feel clearer, lighter and will have practiced a profound kind of self care.

And aren’t you worth it?

5 comments

Beauty isn’t just for the rich and famous

You might have wondered what on earth art is doing in the middle of a newsletter about organizing. Technically nothing. Nothing, that is, if your goal is to have nothing more than a meticulously, painfully spotless workspace.

If you want a workspace that inspires you, though, beauty is of tremendous creative and energetic value.

A good example of functional beauty

Since several readers asked, I’m coming clean about the about the blue rose wallpaper in my office mentioned in the last newsletter.

Really (no offense intended to my landlord), the stuff is horrid. The pattern is blue-on-blue clusters of roses that stagger up the wall in diagonal lines. The paper was hung so the rose bunch patterns don’t line up at the edges. When we first looked at the house I said, “That’s got to go.”

Chances are good that you have something like this in your house. A bad view, dark paneling, odd colors. Whatever it is, after a while it becomes invisible. Sort of.

“Making do”

Let’s not get into why I tolerate the wallpaper. We all have projects that don’t get done – me included.

Here’s the secret that helps me tolerate the crazy rose wallpaper: I have a lot of beauty around me.

Outside my window is a garden view. On the walls I’ve displayed inspirational collages that mean a lot to me and evoke good feelings when I look at them. There’s lots of natural light. One day, I’m even going to buy one of these to add a feeling of serenity and calm in my office (and I’ve told her so).

The beauty I’ve created in my space balances out the wallpaper. That’s the secret.

The other secret: clutter’s not always The Problem

I’ve done many 1-on-1 sessions with people who want to deal with clutter “once and for all” in their session. Instead, they end up excited to create beauty and inspiration around them. They find that even if clutter remains, the space they work in becomes more pleasant and enjoyable to work in.

Beauty might sound superficial. I used to think so myself. But when there’s beauty in your space, it balances out chaos and clutter. Beauty feeds the spirit and creates a container that nourishes your heart.

It’s in your budget

Most people resist creating beauty in their space because they assume it’s expensive. We assume it must look like a designer did it and is ready for the cover of House Beautiful. If you believe this, think again.

Beauty is by your definition alone. You are your own authority on what is beautiful to you. Not Martha F. Not your mother in law. Not Pottery Barn. Beauty is defined by what you love.

Love pink? Buy a gallon of paint for $18.Love flowers? Cut some from the yard.

Want inspiration? Post images you love on your walls or collect magazines and make inspiring collages. Many of the artists I feature offer prints of their work, making their beauty accessible to many.

Beauty doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive – it’s there to nourish you and make you feel loved.

And aren’t you worth it?

As I’ve said time and again, you matter. Your work matters. When you create a space that nourishes you, your creativity and productivity flow. You have more fun. You like going into your space to work.

If you’re still not convinced that beauty matters, remember that there are people in the world who are waiting for you to show up. People who need your special gift and the way that you share it.

Having a space that nourishes you (with its beauty and inspiration), gives you the energetic resources you need to reach the people (and organizations, animals, and planet) that need you most.

Beauty is fuel.

My plea/challenge

If time were no object, think for a moment about one thing you would do to bring beauty into your space.

It could be as simple as adding a cool, shimmering glass of water or as complex as ripping down all the wallpaper.

Just reflect for a moment about one thing that would nourish you.

And, in the next two weeks, commit to taking one step toward creating it. When you do, let me know. I’d love to know what happens.

Care to comment?

How to use your natural gifts to make you more organized

If you think back over your work history, you may laugh at the wide variety of jobs you’ve held. Think about it for a minute. When you’re creative, it almost can’t be helped!

Personally, I’ve been a Sears customer service rep, a camp counselor, a CPR instructor, a substitute teacher, a volunteer coordinator – and that’s just the beginning.

The essence of your work

The amazing thing is that as widely as your job descriptions have swung, there is a common thread between all of them: your work allows you to express your divine gift.

Your divine gift is not a skill or talent or technique. It’s not something you do. It’s an essence, a reflection of the Divine within you. Compassion, strength, love, grace are all examples.

The interesting thing about one’s divine gift is that it’s often hard to recognize. You’re immersed in it all the time, so it doesn’t seem exceptional to you – like the proverbial fish can’t see the water it’s in. It takes time to discover and begin to consciously own it.

What your divine gift is for

Each person has a purpose. There’s a passage I love from the Bible that says, “No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way.”

Your divine gift is like a light. Your purpose is to bring your light into the world. Not everyone chooses to do this, of course. It takes commitment. But if you’re on the entrepreneur’s path, your light is shining as you share your divine gift.

How does this relate to creating an organized, inspired home office?

Maybe you’ve hired an organizer in the past – but nothing stuck. Or you read an organizing book and got overwhelmed. This is really common if you think that the goal is to be organized.

It isn’t.

If you’re striving for an organized space and are continuously “failing” at it, it’s because you need a new perspective. In my work, the goal is never to be “organized.”

The goal is to create an environment that helps you share your divine gift with the world.

Organizing helps your divine gift flow into the world unobstructed. It’s a means to an end, not the end itself.

Forget tidiness. You don’t need cute, matchy boxes. You don’t even have to be pile-free. All you need is a workspace that allows your love, your gift to reach those who need it.

Things to try

1. Let yourself off the hook

If you’re obsessing, stressed or frustrated that your space feels terrible, let that be okay – for just a few minutes. Accept it exactly the way it is for the moment.

2. Ask

What divine gift are you bringing to the world? What essence is coming through you from all your varied jobs? Sit in silence for a little while and listen for an answer – something will come up from within you.

3. Then inquire

What do you need and what does your workspace need so that your divine gift can come through? What blocks can you clear so that you can really reach the people who need you gift?

My guess is that if you take a time with these questions and write down your responses, you’ll get ideas that will really help your business grow. You may find that you don’t need cute little boxes, but something more real, more holy, and more you.

I’d love to know how it goes.

(For a tender, fabulous book that lists Divine qualities, see The Sufi Book of Life by Neil Douglas Klotz.)

Care to comment?

It started with a little blog entry I wrote a few weeks ago. A reader asked me how to keep her organizing momentum going – and stay organized once and for all.

“Ahhh, grasshoppah,” I replied. Organizing is like the seasons – there are messy phases and neat phases. Fruitful creative times and replenishment phases. Unrelenting productivity is unrealistic.

I started realizing that it’s really hard to get excited about organizing your office if you’re dog tired, burned out, and snarky. And I took this to heart and made the following three discoveries:

Replenishment must come first.

The belief that soul-sustaining activities are optional is a blind spot for many people – and a painful one. Take a moment and ask yourself – what have I been putting off that I deeply need?

A participant in my Inspired Organizing class had a huge epiphany last week when she realized that painting isn’t optional for her. Painting is the breath of her life – and nothing is more fulfilling than creating beauty with her canvas and paints.

And yet, she put it on hold. For long stretches of time.

Does this sound familiar? You, me – we all think that we can only do the thing that deeply nourishes us once (and only after) we get our “have-tos” done.

Soul-sustaining activity gives you the courage and energy to do what you think you cannot.

If you start with an empty watering can, what do you have to offer the garden? If you wake each morning with a dreaded to-do list, how will you find the way internal resources to complete it all? And if you force your way through day after day, how do you feel?

Doing activities that nourish you – on a regular basis – isn’t self indulgent. It’s a critical component of a healthy life. And no one can grant permission for this but you.

Putting your soul first means you can to take on your latest project renewed and recharged. It means that you can conquer things that plague you with energy and courage. Your Interactions with people you care about are warmer and more real. This self-knowledge can change your life.

Listen for what you already know.

Listening to – and trusting – what your heart needs is the best way to replenish your soul on a day to day, moment to moment basis. The answers you need are already inside you, waiting.

When my buddy Linda said she could meet me for lunch, but I’d have to wait an additional hour before we could meet up, I could feel my chest tighten with stress.

But then I asked myself what the most nourishing choice would be. I listened to my heart instead of my fear… and chose to meet her for a delightful late lunch. Not surprisingly, it was exactly what I needed. I left feeling seen, loved, and replenished.

In other words…

Organizing is a process that takes time. Caring for yourself along the way means that you will be able to sustain your resolve until it’s really working for you.

Now. What have you been waiting to do that will fill you up?

Care to comment?

Two weeks ago, I spent 5 days with business consultants Mark Silver and Holly Glaser – along with 20 other business owners – at a wooded retreat center at the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. The topic? Creating momentum in your business.

It was fabulous.

I realized over the week that one of the most important sources of entrepreneurial momentum is knowing what your business stands for and why it exists.

Hitting home

If you’ve subscribed to my newsletter for a while, you know that I care deeply about my clients and the success of their business.

Yet, as I’ve encouraged people to get their offices ship-shape, something kept happening. They’d tell me about their problem areas and then we’d write an action plan. But over time, some clients would lose enthusiasm for clearing out the clutter or setting up new systems. Sometimes they saw this work as “time away” from the business and their clients. They’d lose steam.

Not surprisingly, that wasn’t my intention.

A new approach

At Mark’s retreat, I discovered the missing ingredient that helps people get motivated and stay engaged in the process of creating an effective, inspiring home office.

Are you dying to find out that secret ingredient?

It’s passion.

Beginning with the end in mind

I believe that you have a gift. When your workspace isn’t working, it blocks the flow of your gift to the world. It can actually prevent your unique offerings from getting to the people who need them most.

If you’ve been focusing on trying to “fix” your office’s problems (piles or clutter or whatever), it’s okay to stop.

(That means don’t get organized.)

You don’t have to get organized just for the sake of organizing. Don’t force yourself to live up to an unrealistic, uninspiring standard. That’s a dead end that will just deplete you and your business.

Instead…

A favorite author of mine, Robert Fritz, says that you can’t help but create the results you want if you begin with the end in mind.

By starting with a big, juicy vision of how your work can change the world, it will allow you to see with great clarity the very things your office needs to support your work.

Then, you can take it down to the practical level of removing clutter or setting up filing… but the difference is that you’re making changes that align with your vision.

That’s a whole different ball game from just “getting organized”, don’t you think?

Why it matters

It all comes down to this: the world needs your gifts. It needs them more than you can know.

In order to bring your gifts to those who need them, your business needs support – and your office is a fabulous place to start.

Things to try

1. Notice if you guilt/beat yourself up about your clutter/piles/office

If you do, try stopping. Really. I’m extending to you gentle permission to accept your workspace exactly as it is. Take a deep breath. It’s okay. It’s perfect.

See your space for what it is: precious, holy ground that can deeply nurture your business.

2. Connect with your passion

Do you remember the day you got the idea to start your business? Reflect for a moment on what kind of impact you want your business to have in the world?

3. Make tracks

As you keep this global impact in your heart, ask yourself if there’s something you can do in your workspace that would help spread your message to the world more effectively. Is it more regular connections with your contacts? A clearer billing system? An easier way to find the information you need?

What does your business vision need to provide it with complete support? There are no “right” answers, just trust whatever comes up – and then make a note of it.

Connecting your vision with this practical step will make it easier to complete and more fulfilling when it’s done.

Care to comment?

The difference between functional and perfect.

A few years after Martha Stewart became a star (before the prison gig), she could be seen on television in her immaculate maison, wrapping perfect presents with satin ribbon and decorating sugar cookies with all the flair of Degas.

I don’t know how the family joke got started, but my mom took to referring to the Connecticut queen as “Martha F. Stewart.” Not to offend, but you can probably guess what the middle initial stood for.

Credit is due to Ms. Stewart for helping America reconnect with its neglected homes and discover that we could feather our nests and curl up into them. However, her inimitable style upped the ante for America’s working moms, in particular, and brought on a good case of resentment and guilt.

I think that was what my mom was getting at.

Is Martha in your office?

I was talking with a client the other day who’s been battling habitual clutter and winning. But when she mentioned that a small pile had developed on her desk, I could hear her voice get smaller and her energy shrank.

When I probed, she realized that her expectation of a clutter-free, functioning office was that it had to have nothing, nothing in it. Gleaming, ready for the photo shoot. Martha F. Stewart.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The fact is, your office has to work for you, not the other way around. Your office is the place where you work – and work, by nature, is messy.

If you are in the middle of a project, it’s only natural that you have on hand the supplies you need to complete it. It might look like a mess, but that’s okay.

Something more like reality

I like Erma Bombeck. If you haven’t read any of her books, I highly recommend that you pick one up. Any of them. She used her wicked sense of humor to make poignant observations about motherhood, marriage, lost socks, and life in general.

Her philosophy, or so it seems to me, is that life is full and messy and you’d better find the funny in it so you can make it through. She made a point not to sweat the small stuff.

She’s more my kinda gal because her attitude parallels my own approach to office organization and design. If your space is functioning for you and your business, great. You can always tweak what isn’t working, but don’t chase after perfection. It will just make you tired.

Instead, find the love in your work, the fun in it, and make sure your space is functional enough to do it well. There’s time enough for Martha F later.

Things to try

1. Inspiration

You probably surround yourself with talismans and images without stopping to notice them very often. Look around your office and locate things that are beautiful and inspiring to you.

Take a moment to really soak in the energy and inspiration that they bring you.

2. Significance

Find something in your space that anyone else might think ugly or messy, but is significant to you.

Maybe you have a project going that is your Next Big Thing. Congratulate yourself on having the vision to bring it to fruition (even if you haven’t touched it in a while).

Or, if you have some object or collection that reminds you of a special person or event in your life, pause to reconnect with that meaningful memory. These are the deep roots that give us courage to fly.

3. Gratitude

Your workspace is a sacred container for your business. Take a deep, cleansing breath – and thank your office for supporting you.

Soak in the significance of having the space and tools together so that your business may thrive and help others.

By noticing the beauty and purpose of your office and its contents, you are nourishing and giving yourself the strength to carry on. What beautiful gifts you, in turn, can to give the world.

Care to comment?