Do you occasionally or often run late? Do you rush to get out of the door, are the last person to arrive, and frequently apologize for keeping people waiting? From personal experience and observation of clients, family, and friends, I’ve noticed one common factor that is the top cause for the time management challenge, punctuality. If you’re looking to shift your time dynamic, reduce your daily stress, and feel more in control of your day, keep reading. I have one idea for you that might be the ah-ha you need to make a change.

Have you heard of or experienced OMT, which stands for one more thing?  Very simply, this is the desire and implementation to do just one more thing beyond what should be your stopping point. By doing this extra thing, it puts you behind schedule and often results in being late to your meeting, date, or appointment. This can take many forms. Have you had one of these experiences or know someone that has? It could look like this:

Before I leave, I’m just going to  . . .

• eat a small snack

• read one more email

• return a quick phone call

• respond to one short email

• listen to voice messages

• change my clothes

• use the bathroom

• send out a message on social media

• load the dishwasher

• make a doctor’s appointment

• comment on a blog post

• research “x” on the Internet

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing any of these activities. As a matter of fact, these are routine activities that we do on most days. However, doing them beyond our stopping point, as in during the time we need to prepare to leave, is not the best moment to engage.

Ideally, you want to build a time cushion around your scheduled meetings and appointments. Consider your travel time, contingency time for the unexpected, and prep time so that you will know when you have to stop what you’re doing to get ready for next.

Setting a timer usually helps me. On occasion, when I ignore the insistent buzzing and continue doing my OMT, it makes me late. However, more often, the ding reminds me to stop what I’m doing, begin the transition activities like teeth brushing or cleaning up the breakfast dishes, and head out of the door.

The desire to do OMT can be intense. Has this happened to you? Does it influence the way you manage your time? What have you noticed? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!

The latest installment (v12) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature has my newest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring possibility-thinking-related finds reflecting this month’s blog theme.

You’re a wonderfully engaged group. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced for you. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Productivity Possibilities

How does productivity work? Why are some people and companies more productive than others? Why do some imagine and actualize possibilities while others struggle? Charles Duhigg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, explores these questions in his latest book, Smarter Faster Better – The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business.

The book is “about how to recognize the choices that fuel true productivity” and “…how to succeed with less effort.” He explores eight concepts, including motivation, goal setting, and decision making, that emerged from studying experiences of highly productive people and the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics.

Dughigg says, “…productivity is about making certain choices in certain ways. The way we choose to see ourselves and frame daily decisions; the stories we tell ourselves, and the easy goals we ignore; the sense of community we build among teammates; the creative cultures we establish as leaders: These are the things that separate the merely busy from the genuinely productive.”

2. Interesting Perspective - Organized Possibilities

While many believe there is a “right” way or just “one” way to be organized, let’s dispel that myth. It’s just not true. We are different.  We have diverse needs and preferences.

For organizing strategies to be effective and useful, they have to reflect our uniqueness. So, while I might prefer to have my clothes hanging in my closet, facing the same direction on matching hangers, by clothing type and in color order, you might prefer piling your clothes on the big, comfy chair in the corner of your bedroom. And you know what? If “chairdrobe” works for you, go for it! Being organized looks and feels different to each of us. What possibilities can you imagine when you take ‘should’ out of the organizing equation?

3. Interesting Research - Feel Good Possibilities

Have you noticed that in the digital age, we tend to use our fingers or voices to type, text, and communicate? We write by hand, much less. While there’s speed and efficiency when using our digital devices, we might miss out on a few things.

Research suggests that writing by hand helps the brain remember more and can make you feel good, too. Neuroscientist and author Kelly Lambert, Ph.D., says, “The brain’s reward center is connected to one of the movement centers…so one way to activate pleasure is through physical effort.” Next time you need a boost, pick up a pen and activate the possibilities.

4. Interesting Product – Time Possibilities

A favorite product I’ve featured many times is the Time Timer®, a simple time management tool designed to display time elapsing with the movement of a red disk on the timer’s face.

The company just developed a new accessory, a dry-erase board that integrates beautifully with the timer to highlight time-sensitive messages and appointments. This wonderful combo enhances the possibilities for managing our time more effectively.

5. Interesting Thought - Unleashing Possibilities

Are you having challenges moving forward, pursuing a new idea, or accomplishing a goal? Have you considered the power of your thoughts? What messages are you telling yourself? Are your thoughts enhancing or hindering your possibilities?

As the graphic here asks, “What’s stopping you?” Focus on positive thoughts and unleash amazing possibilities.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your interesting finds? Which possibilities resonate with you?  You matter. I invite you to join the conversation!

The latest installment (v11) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature is here with my newest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I’ve included unique and inspiring enlisting help-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You’re a fantastically engaged group. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced for you. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Decision-Making Help

Living requires us to make millions of decisions. Are you overwhelmed by choice? If so, you’re not alone. Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice – Why More is Less, sheds light on how the abundance in our culture has made us become less satisfied and more stressed about our daily decisions. He says that while choice improves the quality of our lives, helps us control our future, and is essential to autonomy, the overload of choice comes at a price. Schwartz explains why this has happened and suggests ways to overcome it. He concludes with, “Choice within constraints, freedom within limits, is what enables [us] to imagine a host of marvelous possibilities.”

2. Interesting Study – Productivity Help

While traveling on one of my favorite airlines, Southwest, I read about an interesting piece in their onboard magazine. The University of British Columbia did a study where the results determined that desk clutter lowered your attention span. Interpreted another way, an organized desk increased your attention span by 167%. A different experiment concluded that study participants in a cluttered workspace took 10 percent longer to complete a quiz than the participants situated in a neat workspace.

3. Interesting Conference – Disorganization Help

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization (ICD) will have its’ annual conference in Portland, Oregon, September 22-24, 2016. Organizers and related professionals will convene from all over the globe to learn about aging, ADHD, productivity, mental illness, hoarding, time management, and the latest research on chronic disorganization. I’m looking forward to attending and learning from the experts so that I can better help my clients. Are you going? I’d love to see you there!

4. Interesting Product – Paper Organizing Help

Have you noticed the adult coloring book craze? They are in bookstores, conferences, airports, hospitals and everywhere. They’re even on file folders. One of Smead’s clever new products is the coloring file folder, great for organizing your papers.  Available at myOrganized.life, you no longer need an excuse to doodle on your files. Get out your colored pencils and have fun while you’re organizing your paper piles.

5. Interesting Resource – Repair Help

I’m all for letting go of things that no longer serve a purpose, are beyond repair, or have overstayed their welcome. However, what about those finer shoes or handbags that could be repaired, but they sit around waiting for a way to get that done. Cobblerconcierge.com is a convenient service that meshes the skill and traditions of expert cobblers with the ease of using the Internet. The process is easy. Fill out an online form, receive a shipping box, and your shoes or handbags will be quickly refurbished and returned right back to your home.

6. Interesting Thought – Exclamatory Help

We all do it, don't we? Swearing that is. Especially when we need help, those expletives can arrive fast and furiously. However, they only go so far for handling a moment of frustration. If you’re struggling with overwhelm, with a challenge that seems unsolvable, or with figuring out how you’re going to move forward, it’s probably time to reach out for help. Be brave enough to ask.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your interesting finds? Do any of these resonate with you?  Come join the conversation!

Sometimes, we discover new things on our own. Other times, we learn through conversing, listening, or reading. In my case, what seemed like an innocent conversation with a friend has become a new way of being. As a result of that conversation and my willingness to try something new, I have gained time management, relationship, confidence, and health benefits. Are you curious? Continue reading, and I’ll share my discoveries with you.

Have you heard of subscription food or meal kit services like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh? These companies deliver fresh food, all the ingredients needed, and detailed, easy-to-cook recipes directly to your home. Several months ago, my husband and I signed up for Blue Apron.

11 benefits we’ve noticed so far:

• Save time by not having to shop for food.

• Save time and stress by knowing what to cook for dinner.

• Learn new cooking tips and techniques.

• Enjoy more time together by tag teaming it in the kitchen.

• Eat at a more leisurely pace.

• I am more confident in our cooking skills.

• I appreciate how well-organized the packaging and recipes are.

• I am more experimental and more willing to try new foods.

• We have reprioritized cooking together and sharing meals.

• We are eating more healthfully.

• We’re having even more fun with lots of high-fiving each time we make a new recipe.

“Save time and stress by knowing what to cook for dinner.”

— Linda Samuels, CPO-CD®, CVOP™

I love the communal use of time, doing a fun activity that yields a delicious result. Plus, I get to hang out and cook with my husband. This is simple, basic stuff that I had been missing.

If you want to try Blue Apron, I’m happy to offer you a “free” one-week trial. I'll send an invite to the first three people who email me at linda@ohsoorganized.com. I don’t get anything by sharing the offer, only the satisfaction of knowing that you might enjoy the benefits I’ve been enjoying, too.

Have you tried a meal kit service? If so, what has your experience been? Is it a time-saver? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Join the conversation!