It’s a cruel title, I know. I’m sorry.

Tax day is a mere month away.

If you’re the kind of person who puts off onerous tasks, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed right now. Okay, maybe a lot. I know I have.

This is an encouraging space. You can speak your truth.

So, how’s it going?

I’m curious. With a month remaining…

1. What’s going well? What do you already have figured out and feel confident on?

2. What’s in the way? Maybe it’s just getting the time, or something more insidious like overwhelm or beliefs about your abilities.

3. What’s next? I don’t mean “just finish my taxes”. I mean, what are 2 or 3 incremental baby steps you plan to take next to get your taxes closer to completion?

Feel like checking in?

I’d love to hear from you and how it’s going!

Warmly,
Jen

Care to comment?

Leah Piken Kolidas

Website: www.bluetreeartgallery.com
Blog: www.creativeeveryday.com

What she does: Leah is an artist who sells her originals and prints, and teaches others how to use their creativity.

What she loves best about her office: The light, the views of trees

How her office helps her: It’s still new to her, but in her new space she notices that she sees lots more possibility in her business.

Leah’s everyday genius idea: She creates a visual to-do list in her sketch book, drawing images that go along with the items on her to-do list.

Listen to the recording (13 minutes)

Genius quote:

“Doodling helps people people absorb information and think.”
- Leah Piken Kolidas

Care to comment?

The “What do YOU do?” series gives you a glimpse into my life as a messy, creative person and invites you to share your organizing insights and ideas.

Perspective.

If you peek into a day in the life of the average entrepreneur you’ll see email, social networking, appointments, bills, writing, more email, returning messages, home-life interruptions, and more.

Ever-present is the feeling that there’s not enough time to do it all – and the urge to get some space to sort it all out. Is any of this busy work helping?

Here’s what I do to get perspective

• Quarterly 4-day retreats – Back in September, I acknowledged that if I didn’t change how I ran myself in my biz, my head would likely blow up. Making a commitment to quarterly retreats seemed huge and scary. Now that I’ve already been on 2 of them, I’m finding that I feel emotionally and spiritually replenished AND I have more clarity about where I’m going and what I’m doing in my work. Now I’m unapologetic about taking that much time “off”.

• Monthly weekend retreats - This year I’m experimenting with a monthly overnight retreat in addition to the quarterly ones. My first one is at the end of January. Expect a good report.

• Weekly check-ins – As I type this, I’m thinking that this “quarterly/monthly/weekly” thing might sound too structured to you. It’s arbitrary, but helps me bring a rhythm to the ritual of stepping out of the “daily” and looking at the big picture.

Anyway, I meet weekly by phone with one of the coolest bizbuds ever. Marissa and I check in on last week’s progress and then work for a few hours together on our separate projects. At the end of our call, we state aloud our goals for the coming week.

Having someone who really sees what’s happening in my biz, helps me set realistic goals, and who looks forward to my progress updates (and I hers) motivates me like nothing else.

• The 2 column list – Also a weekly thing on Mondays, I stand up to write this list of “steps I will do this week or delegate to the divine” which gives me physical perspective (instead of sitting hunched at my desk) and a feeling of authority. It’s easy to read from my desk, so I can decide what to work on next that gets me closer to my goals.

Here’s what’s in the works

• Long term destination – Inspired by a recent talk by Robert Fritz, I realized that I want a clearer definition of where I and my biz are headed in the next 5 years. Something visible and, better yet, tangible. I don’t know how or what it is yet (and that’s just fine), realizing and naming that I want it will help me create it.

What do you do that gives you perspective?

Your turn! If you’d like, please share what you’re doing that helps you get perspective in your business and/or life – and also something that you’re working on/experimenting with.

Your comments on your own process are welcome. Just remember to give advice to me or others only when it’s specifically requested. This makes exploring safe and learning possible for every reader.

2 comments

The “What do YOU do?” series gives you a glimpse into my life as a messy, creative person and invites you to share your organizing insights and ideas.

Names.

I dread those grocery-store moments. We’ve already locked eyes. A greeting is imminent. And my heart starts to thud because I have no idea what the person’s name is.

Having lived in Salem for 12 years and having held numerous jobs in which I met hundreds of new people every year, forgetting names and personal details is bound to happen. I feel added pressure, however, because some of those people are past clients who’ve hired me at Inspired Home Office.

At an inauguration party last year, I ran into a wonderful woman I recognized (and good thing – as I had worked with her in her home for several months), I just couldn’t remember her name. In fact, twice that night, I introduced her to others by the wrong name – and didn’t realize it until I’d gotten home later. Oh, the embarassment.

You can see why I go to such lengths to avoid the pain of making such a personal mistake. Most of us do!

Here’s what I do remember names

• Rely on synesthetic information - I have a fun and crazy brain thing called synesthesia – in which I perceive all the letters of the alphabet to have a color. In other words, the letter “j”, to me is pink. If a person’s name starts with the letter “m”, usually the whole name is also blue. Inspired Spouse thinks this is a neato-fun party trick. Synesthesia is pretty handy for remembering names because I remember the color better than the name. Odd. But fun.
• Repetition - When I meet people, especially if it’s someone I’m likely to meet again, I ask them to repeat their name for me. I ask how they spell their name. I say it again if possible during our conversation. At gatherings, I’ll go around the room and (to myself) say each person’s name. My test is to see how many people I can say goodbye to by name.

• Writing it down - At meetings, I’ll draw a little seating chart and write the names of everyone present as they introduce themselves. Even if I already know them well – sometimes I totally blank. I ask for business cards and write details on the back to help me remember more about them. When I teach in-person classes, I use name tags or table tents so their name is visible.
• Stories - People love to talk about themselves and I’m genuinely curious. So if a person has an interesting name – and we have a little time to talk – I ask them to tell me the story of their name. Not only do I learn something often personal and tender about them, but this also gives me repetition, synesthetic info, and a story – which is a lot more to go on if I ever meet them in the grocery store.

Here’s what I’m working on

• Recovery – If I draw a total blank on a name, I will usually default to my smiling, open self, apologize, and ask for a refresher. I sometimes ask for details about how we know each other. Usually, once I have enough context, I remember lots of things about the person. I just have to be patient with myself while I’m catching up.

• Forgiveness - When I thought up this post, I thought it would be cute and fun, but I’m realizing that I have a lot of shame (and evidently high expectations of myself) that I don’t remember names easily. Being gentle with myself is probably the hardest thing of all, but I’m getting there. I’m human. We all are.

What do YOU do that helps you remember names?

Your turn! If you’d like, please share what you’re doing that helps you remember names – and also something that you’re working on/experimenting with.

Your comments on your own process are welcome. Just remember to give advice to me or others only when it’s specifically requested. This makes exploring safe and learning possible for every reader.

9 comments

We talk about debt around here. It’s safe.

When I first mentioned my credit card debt last summer, tons of people commented with relief, “So it’s not just me who’s working on this!” I still can’t believe that I shared my total number, but I’m going to do it again. And also a cool tool you might want to try.

My numbers, today:

Total: $28,621 (down $1,784 since last August!)
Card 1 9.9%: 4,712 (down $679)
Card 2a 2.9%: 1,420 (down $633)
Card 2b 34.9%: 2,522 (down $56)
Card 3 23.9%: 14,467 (down $416)
(Update: Bank of M&D Loan 0%: $5500)

The bad news:

Out of the $4,800 I’ve actually paid to these companies over the last 5 months, only a fraction of that amount went towards paying down principal.

But it wasn’t just the interest rate that got me. I take responsibility for the 2 late-fee payments because my bill-paying system isn’t working effectively enough. And the increased APR on Card 3 as a result of one of those late payments. It’s ouchie, yes. I had some big emotions about it (mad, sad, giving up, etc.). But there it is. Those slip-ups cost me cash.

The good news:

Gosh, it feels good to be in the 20′s – and out of the 30′s!

The plan: Even with the setbacks, I’m on track. My plan is working: pay a set amount every month that exceeds the minimum payment. I won’t bore you with the intricacies of that plan, but in short, I’m paying as much as possible on the highest APR accounts first. And this highest % happens to be the lowest balance, so I’ll be excited to get that one outta here!

New laws: On February 18th, the new credit card legislation goes into effect (CCARD details) and the payments I make to Card 2 (which has 2 different interest rates) will start going to the higher interest account, not the lower. Thank you muchly, Pres. Obama, Congress and Senate! That will put more of my money toward paying them off.

Cool tool: The cool tool I found is a credit card pay-off calculator. According to this tool from CNN Money, it will take me 3 years and 3 months to eliminate my debt if I keep paying the same amount ($800/month). And only about 25% of that will be interest. What, you might wonder, would it be if I only pay the minimum balance? A nice, round 30 years to pay it all off – and about 75% of that would go toward interest.

If that’s not an incentive, I don’t know what is.

Do you wonder how long it will take you? Get out your most recent statements and fill out the online debt calculator (completely anonymous).

Share if you like – what are your most recent successes toward getting out of debt?

6 comments

If you want organizing that sticks around, one of the most effective, compassionate things you can do is make small tweaks to the systems you already have. Tiny ones.

Today, I’m inviting smARTists and regular readers to share:

What’s one tweak you’d like to experiment with that would help you feel more focused or organized?

And if you’re in the smARTist program this week, you’re also welcome to share something from my presentation that you’re planning to try out.

Why are you asking this?

It is so powerful to state an intention out loud and to have respectful, encouraging witnesses. By creating a place to witness your tweaky intention, you have a better chance of making it happen.

10 comments

Last week on the blog, I mentioned that I’m doing a time analysis for my work.

Before you think I’m obsessed with dry, boring organizy stuff, think about it. When you work alone, it’s easy to go unconscious about what your work flow is really like. I wanted to be at least partly aware – with a chance of productivity.

Last week, I also promised to check in today about how it went and what I discovered.

How it went

The simple act of writing down the time when I switched activities was quite illuminating! After 5 days, I’m more mindful of what I’m doing moment to moment. Sometimes writing things down even helped me stop frittering and get back on task. That wasn’t the intention, but a nice side effect.

Between doing this process and writing the God List this week, I’ve felt really productive and gotten many more things accomplished than I normally do. It’s actually been a banner week – and even my mastermind buds are impressed!

What I discovered

• The cats and turtles are ADD nightmares. They interrupt me at least 3-4x/day. In fact, I’m typing one0handed right now with a kitten in my other arm. I love them, but they’re not productivity allies.
• I go on email, facebook or twitter to get info – and get sidetracked by other grabby things. “Oh, I’ll just check to see who emailed/tweeted/messaged me.” Riiight.
• I think I might over-edit my writing. I might even be a bit perfectionistic (if you are related to me, you’re not allowed to comment on this). ; )
• There are a couple of people I check in with during my day, just to say how I’m doing and find out how they are.
• Wrapping-up after meeting with a client takes longer than I thought.
• I do personal stuff during my work day (like send messages to old friends from high school).
• In 5 days, I worked 48.75 hours.
• I sometimes spend a lot of time/energy trying to force myself to work on something that isn’t flowing, but not actually get much done. Want an example?

The following is an example of me trying to edit a webpage when I really didn’t want to:

10:50  Start working on the web page
10:56  Check calendar
10:57  Snack
11:05  Twitter, read a blog
11:12  Back to working on web page
11:30 Twitter (Argh! Don’t want to work on that page!)
11:33  Back to web page
11:39  Facebook
11:41  Back to web page
12:05 Twitter
12:06  Facebook
12:08  Back to web page

Fortunately, I did actually complete it. You can see for yourself if you like:

In addition to productivity, the analysis yielded some interesting data on my use of Twitter and Facebook.

• In 5 days, I spent 271 minutes on Facebook and Twitter (roughly 54 minutes a day).
• Some-to-most of that time was business-related or networking time.
• On average, I go on Twitter 7 times a day and Facebook 5 times.
• My time on each site is usually 1-4 minutes – with rare 20-30 minute distraction marathons.
• I don’t usually go on either site before 11am (which happens to be my most productive time of day).
• I usually check Twitter before Facebook

The moral of the story

The goal here isn’t to judge what I’ve discovered. As I mentioned in the other post, the goal is simply to be curious – and notice if there are changes I want to make.

Same for you. : ) If you’d like to discover how much time you spend of social networking or what your most productive times of the day are, give this process a whirl. Be gentle with yourself about your discoveries.

Upcoming changes

Based on what I’ve observed so far, there are 3 things I’d like to tweak and see what happens:

1. Client appointments: Schedule a half-hour after each client appointment for wrapping up notes and transitioning.
2. Work hours: Keep the work day to 9 hours, including breaks, as I get less productive as the day wears on.
3. Stuckness: If I’m feeling stuck on a project – instead of twittering – I’ll try walking away from it for a little while, jumping around, or connecting with a bizbud to talk it out.

I’ll play with these for a while and see what happens. How about you? What’s your next step?

Thoughts? Yeah, buts? Me, toos?

9 comments

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(R) 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?

47 comments

(Props to @thirdhandworks for the title !)

I’m tracking my time. Conventional wisdom says that it isn’t the big things in life that suck away our time, but the smallest, barely noticeable ones.

This week, I’m testing that theory. I tweeted about it today and enough people asked that I’m explaining it here in detail.

Warning 1: I issue a challenge at the end of this post. It might be fun.

Warning 2: If you’re hoping for sophistication, look elsewhere. Low-tech suggestions follow.

You’re self-employed. Why are you doing a time analysis?

Some days I work my tail off and have nothing to show for it. I’m 100% ON at my desk for 7-9 hours and I get -squat- completed. And I have no idea why. My business is my livelihood, though, and I have big goals for the year.

Because I’m nerdy like that, I’m doing an analysis. I have a theory about where the time is going, but I’d like to get good, raw data first before I make any adjustments.

The method:

I’m ignoring the other conventional wisdom that says to write down what you do every 15 minutes. I have ADD. I will forget what I did 15 minutes ago. I will also forget 15 minutes have passed. But my ego will want to fill in the blanks later which elicits useless, made-up information.

Instead, I’m writing the time when I switch from one activity to the next. It looks like this:

You probably can’t read it, so here’s a sample:

• 7:56   Prep mailing
• 8:07   Bead making frustration
• 8:13   Clean up cat stuff
• 8:15   Facebook – re: cats
• 8:16   Back to mailing
• 8:22  Out to mailbox

You get the picture. I did it yesterday and have two whole pages of information. Nerdy bliss!

The key:

Curiosity is the key. If I tried doing this with an attitude of judgment and self-hatred, it would only hurt me and I’d quit. Instead, I’m practicing being genuinely curious about how I work, what I do, where my attention goes and how often.

Already I’ve noticed that I switch tasks every 10 minutes or less. I almost wrote “I switch tasks frequently”, but even “frequently” is a judgment. Sticking to facts makes me more curious. I start wondering, “How many minutes, exactly?” Which elicits information I can use.

A challenge (if you’re up for it)

I’m going to post in a week to share what I discovered from this process and what tweaks I might make to my work flow.

If you’re willing to play along, do a time analysis one day next week – any kind you like. Then reply to my post on Friday to share what you learned.

Would you like to play?

10 comments

Hi there. It’s been a few weeks since I posted last and I wanted to assure you that I’m back. I hope you had a terrific break that involved considerable relaxation, connection and quiet.

My break was great. It wasn’t perfect, occasionally disappointing and even annoying at times. But over all, it was 17 whole days to focus on the big picture, on my heart, and on my loved ones. It couldn’t help but be full and good. You were definitely in my thoughts.

Although I’m not a fan of resolutions, several useful intentions came out of my time away. It might very well be a “big” year for Inspired Home Office if some of these intentions become reality. If you’re still thinking about what 2010 might hold for you, I offer these areas of focus for your consideration.

5 areas of focus for 2010

1. Hand over more stuff to the Divine. (Worry less.)

Maybe you can relate: if something isn’t quite right, I tend to worry it to a fuzzled nub. Obsessively. Day and night. This habit frays my nerves and splashes icko-energy on anyone within a 15-foot radius.

When you’re running a small business, delegation is an effective strategy at making the best use of your skills. So I’m delegating my worry to someone/thing that has more skill at dealing with problems than I: the Divine.

I’m beginning what may become a daily practice of writing a to-do list for God. I don’t really know if the things I write will get done, but I’ve got 36 years of worry that has proven completely ineffective. So, it’s a new experiment for me: delegating worry. I’m handing it off to the most skilled.

2. Take more time off.

My two recent retreat experiences have been so positive that, this year, I’m planning to go on a 4-day retreat every quarter as well as overnight once each month – retreats away from home for rest and contemplation. So much is gained from putting life on “pause” and coming back to it renewed.

I’m also planning to spend one week each month focused on the growth and operations of my business. Instead of focusing outward, I’ll focus on the creative projects I’ve put off because “there’s no time.” I’m setting it aside. I’ll be talking about this more in a future post. It feels pretty radical.

3. Do things slowly.

Recently, some researchers found that when participants chewed an almond 40 times before swallowing, they reported feeling fuller and more satisfied with fewer almonds. That’s like, 20 seconds of chewing. Per almond. I could down a bowl of mac ‘n’ cheeze that fast.

The part of the research that really intrigued me was the second part. With all my heart and soul, I want to report feeling fuller and more satisfied from consuming less. I don’t mean just food, either. I mean everything.

I’ve thought a lot about slow. It doesn’t mean pokey. It means present. I’m giving slow a whirl this year because going fast and speeding through everything with half a brain cell just isn’t feeding me or my spirit.

4. Say yes less.

And on that topic, I can only slow down if I am doing less. If I am less committed. If I am juggling 3 balls instead of 2 dozen.

My intention is to be conscious of all the things I’ve already said yes to wholeheartedly. It’s to honor that saying “no” to one thing means a big “yes” to something more important. It’s also to release the “why nots” and the “I guess sos”. Half-hearted acquiescence doesn’t make a life.

In the midst of saying yes less, it will be important to remember that it’s a practice, not a destination. Like many, I’ve over-committed all my life. There has been a pay-off, a reward for doing life this way. So it’s my intention to say less less, be willing to do it imperfectly, and learn from what the practice teaches me.

5. Bring more spirit into Inspired Home Office

In the coming year, you will continue to find comfort and insights on my blog, in my newsletter, in the social networking I do, and from the products and classes my business offers. The topic will continue to be about running your small business with creative order and sanity.

This year, look for an infusion of spirit and heart, a deepening of the reasons for creating order  that will help sustain you after initial enthusiasm wanes. It is my hope that this year’s offers from my business help your business grow and your life become simpler and more fulfilling.

Thoughts? Yeah, buts? Me, toos?

9 comments