When your disorganization trumps your good intentions

Let's be honest: We all have a messy closet, a junk drawer, hidden stashes of "something" or a desk/table where you carry out most of your daily activities. I am right, aren't I? Your office appears neat and clean, but, wait! ...Don't you dare open those upper cabinets! Your bedroom is a model room...if you only looked under the bed! Uff!...OK, maybe if you truly are more organized, maybe you have just a tiny corner in your house, a small box with "items" (yet, you still labeled the box "random things"), a little shelf (a hidden shelf, of course!) that holds a few papers or "stuff". The hidden disorganization. I believe I can live with that!

The reason why I decided to write about disorganization, is because I believe chronic disorganization can ruin our goals. This is so sad. I've seen people giving up because they couldn't find their "to do list" they were working on and after starting a new one, they once again misplace it. I've seen people not going to the gym because they postponed doing their laundry, didn't check detergent was actually missing and had nothing to wear to the gym. Their enthusiasm, so great, was eaten up by disorganization. I've also seen people avoid calling important people, or getting back via e-mail because (and they told me that), they misplaced their contact info! Wow!
I've experienced being silently ignored by someone who had so much, so much in his hands, he couldn't even schedule answering me back in his amazingly busy 24h day. He told me he didn't sleep, so I figured ... "Hey, maybe I have a chance of receiving an e-mail from him, even if it's at 3 a.m. I wouldn't mind!" He couldn't really fit me into his 24h day, and while I move on, my perception of him changed quite a bit.

I wrote a previous post about the following: We live in a society. No matter who we are, who we want to be or what beliefs we have, it is how OTHERS PERCEIVE us that will, partly, influence how successful our social life, our social interactions are. If you come across as a snob, yet you feel you are not one, you are clearly doing something wrong. If you come across as rude, yet you are perplexed to hear that Mary gossiped to Lauren and John about your rude remarks and they all agreed on it, you're certainly doing something wrong! Don't kid yourself. This is serious stuff.

If I interact with you one day, and the next day I meet you say, in your office, you are inviting me in to explore more of who you are. If your office is a mess, a chaotic dump, you are telling me this about you. I might continue to consider you an extremely, friendly, outgoing, fun, capable, knowledgeable person, yet, I will also think of you as messy and disorganized. Will this have a negative impact on my future judgement of you? Maybe.

Chronic disorganization at the workplace, in your Association, in your Club, even at home, sends signals to others that something is not in sync with you. Can we really, really reach full efficiency if our surroundings are messy? Think about it. Do you picture your dream workplace as a messy place? Honestly, I don't think you would. Some would argue that most geniuses were totally disorganized. OK, but are you a genius like Einstein or Galileo? Hm.

I have a few hidden, junk drawers, junk closets and "holds whatever"- cabinets. Both at work and at home. I live peacefully with my mess. I call it organized mess, because it doesn't affect my day, it doesn't affect my goals, it doesn't bother me. Many of us realize the mess, ignore it and literally suffer from the negative effects it has on us, on our goals and possible negative perceptions others can have of us.

If you are doing business where people need to have very positive perceptions of you, re-think your office mess, your mess in your car (picking up a client for lunch?), your mess in your purse (does it take you 15 minutes to locate your business cards?). You have goals to achieve in your social and business interactions, and don't let your messy surroundings ruin them for you!

Effective Networking: It's in YOUR hands!

Effective Networking, whether for business or social purposes is not that easy a task as we might think. It requires quite a bit of work from YOUR part, and it happens in 3 stages: Before, During and After.

If you are about to attend a Networking event that will bring together, let's say, a multitude of business people who conduct business in your area, consider the following:

BEFORE

• Find out who will probably be attending the event. Ask around. Ask the place (a restaurant?) or the Event organizers.
• If someone interesting is expected to attend, and you are planning on meeting them, do your homework on them. Read about what they do, and learn about their latest ventures.
• Make sure you understand the attire suggested, and choose something comfortable, professional, neutral, clean and wrinkle-free.
• Load up on business cards and actually, grab a few from your close business partners/friends to take with you as well. You never know what you'll end up talking about, and maybe someone will ask you if you know any great Doctor, Doggie Daycare, Social Media Expert you trust..and you'll be glad to provide a reference!

DURING

• Don't be shy. If you're too shy to talk to anybody new, don't even go. So, with this said, work on your shyness, and be professionally spontaneous. If you don't know what to say, ask questions! People love talking about what they do, what they like, what they want!
• DON'T eat or drink too much. You're not there for the food and drinks.
• If you do drink, don't hold it in your right hand. Who wants to shake a cold, wet hand anyway?
• Same thing with food: Don't pick your finger food, then quickly eat it, wipe your hand off on your suit jacket and extend your hand for a handshake trying to let out a "Nice to meet you!" while still chewing...Uff!
• Collect business cards and make a mental picture of ALL of them connected to each person. You will need them later!
• Hand out business cards as well, and while doing so, add information about your business, location, new product/service...something that will create a mental connection of you, your business and the business card to the person you're giving the card to.
• Don't stay in one spot. Work the room. Walk around, and look for people who are doing the same thing. Don't jump into a rather closed circle of people already in the middle of a conversation. Create your own circle and bring in people whom you've just met! Introduce them, properly, which will also help you retain their name and business info!

AFTER

• Less than 48h after the event, send out any information you had promised people you would provide them with (an article on wardrobe faux-pas? A great appetizer recipe? Your event list for the Fall?)
• In the same time frame, contact, via e-mail or blog postings (if applicable) how much you enjoyed meeting them and chatting about "abc" with them. Offer your services, your help and hope for future contact. Keep it simple and professional.
• Don't be alarmed if the person NEVER answers back. I know, that's just not only rude, but a pitty. It shows how THEY don't take their networking seriously. Don't cry over it. Move on to those who care.
• Look for additional networking events organized by the same group and different one, and mark them down in your calendar, making plans to attend. Don't attend an event if it conflicts with your own work/presentation/travel plans. Remember, you still have to work, or maybe even, your own business to run.
• Keep a networking event BOOK or LOG! Yes! Write down the date, event name, time, people you've met, follow-ups, relationships built. Keep growing it!

Good luck!
I look forward to reading about your Networking Tips!

Manage your Magazines!

I love magazines. I truly believe magazine subscriptions are great, because, knowing I will buy them anyway, I actually save money when subscribing! This thought pattern has led me to create a magazine "library" at home, where you can find some great publications, such as Fortune, Conde Nast Portfolio, Business Week, Working Mother, InStyle, Money, Parenting, Golf, American Baby, Tea Time, Southern Lady, Health, BEe and my beloved Pink.

You are probably wondering how in the world I would have time to read all of these magazines. I understand what you mean, as I often wonder about the same thing.

I decided to create a "scan and file" process, where I tear out my favorite articles and file them in a folder. The folder has different tabs and organizes my articles into different categories.
I use the articles in the folders as references, as a past-time, I give it to friends and family, sharing as much as I can.

Now, I have 4 heavy piles of magazines already scanned and filed, waiting to be placed into the recylcing box. I would probably need 4 boxes, at least.

I enjoy reading quality magazines so much because of different reasons:

• They relax me (easy reading)
• I can carry them around with me
• Many times, they add value to my life
• Many times, they inspire my work
• I truly enjoy reading about successful people and companies

...and accompanied by a cup of coffee, even better! Talking about coffee, have you read the post below on Dunkin' & Starbucks?

Setting goals - Part II

Hello!

I hope you are very enthusiastic about your weekly and daily goal setting. Moreover, I hope you realize what an achievement it is, to have a successful day (and week!) where all your goals have been accomplished.

REWARD YOURSELF!

I am not in favor of depriving ourselves from what we want, especially if it makes us happy. Nevertheless, as a motivation, maybe you might want to shift the day you'll buy yourself that new scarf or the new laptop sleeve...Set it for the end of the week, after you've had a successful completion of your goals.
Let me know later how this made you feel!

Setting goals for the New Year!

E is for EFFICIENCY! By setting and achieving goals, we live a more efficient life!

Why is it important to set goals?

1. By setting goals, we are making a compromise. We are emphasizing the desire we have to achieve something, and by simply setting goals that are believable and achievable, we may act and live our lives towards achieving these goals;
2. Goals frame what we want to do. If one of my goals is to read 2 books about Personal Communication per month, it probably means I am interested in learning more about Communication. It could also mean that I want to increase my vocabulary and dynamic reading skills;
3. When we set goals, we have more structure in our lives. We look for ways to achieve our goals, and organize them so that we can accomplish important steps each day or each week. This structure enables us to make efficient use of time, and finally,
4. Once we achieve our goals, we feel proud, accomplished, motivated and happy!

How can I set goals for myself?

(1) Start out with daily goals that you write down the night before you go to sleep.
Make a list of the things you want to accomplish today. The list can be written on paper or can be inut into your smart phone or PDA. Make a list of the things you need to buy, people you need to contact (call or meet), places you need to go and things you need to do at home. Do these in order you will be carrying them out. Example:

Tuesday, December 30:
9:15a.m., CALL: Mary (about dinner next weekend), ABC Store (about an order I placed), Mom (about beans recipe)
1p.m., GO TO: Post Office to mail package to cousins, Target to buy New Year's decor
BUY (see above): New Year's decor
4p.m., AT HOME: vacuum all couches, take stain off white shirt, marinate chicken for tomorrow, water all plants

• Carry your list everywhere you go! Make it easily accessible to you at all times.
• By dividing things into categories, you save time!
• Use colors to enhance your list and visually catch your attention.
• To save even more time, don't forget to write them down in the order you will be doing each task.
• Cross out each item once it is completed!
• Avoid adding any new item unless it is of utmost importance and cannot wait until the next day.

(2) Once you've mastered setting and accomplishing daily goals, move on to weekly goals:
You may use a dry-erase board, an agenda, or a custom self-designed table on Excel or on paper.
Write down the days of the week as collumns, one next to another.
Devide each collumn into A.M. (morning), P.M. (afternoon) and NIGHT (you will set the time for what night means to you. For me, it would be after 8 p.m.)
On the top of each collumn you will write the "Goal of the day", which is the most important thing you want to get done.
In your A.M. section, you will write the most important goal for the morning and you will do the same for the P.M. and the NIGHT collumn.
You will increment your daily collumns with daily goals, so that your weekly goals list will guide you to create your daily goals list! An example:

MONDAY, December 29:
Buy a bigger car seat!

AM: Meet with the new pool cleaning company
PM: Go to the mall to buy a bigger car seat
Exchange Bday gift to a smaller size
Gym class
Walk neighbor's dogs

NIGHT: Premiere of the XYZ Show

You will write a brief weekly goals list for each day of the week, and from there you will develop your daily list. Your weekly goals list should be written on the same day/night each week, so that you can create some consistency.

The daily goals list for this (above listed) Monday, would be as follows:

9a.m., CALL: Guard gate to let the pool cleaning company in
9:30a.m., MEET,: John, from pool company
12p.m. to 3p.m., GO TO: Fashion Mall, to buy larger car seat / exchange my gift/ look around/ have a coffee
5p.m., GO TO: Gym, step class
6:15p.m.: WALK Susan's dogs and turn on her porch lights, get her mail/ get my mail/ sort mail out
7:15p.m.: Shower, dinner (eat Sub from last night!)
8:30, WATCH: Premiere of XYZ Show!!
9:30, MAKE LIST for tomorrow!

On a next Post, I will talk about monthly goals and yearly goals. This is very exciting, as I hope that by the next time, you will be mastering the weekly and daily goal setting, by enjoying and learning from it.

Let's all live a more efficient life! I am curious to read your comments and smile at your achievements!

May the New Year start off very well for you! I wish you all the very best!
Happy New Year!