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How to Declutter Your Mind

May 4, 2010 by Cathy Stucker

There are thousands of books, courses and consultants who promise to help you organize your stuff and be more productive. However, organizing things is not enough. You need to get rid of the clutter in your mind as well.

Here are some tips to help you clear the gunk out of your mind, be more focused and get more done.

Write it down. The more things you try to remember, the harder it becomes to remember any of them. And you may always have the nagging feeling that you are forgetting something—even if you are not. Set up a system where you write down anything that needs to be done: appointments, errands, phone calls, projects, etc. It could be a paper notebook, a file on your computer, or text messages to yourself. Use whatever works best for you, but write it all down.

Have a routine. Routines allow you to get things done without spending a lot of time thinking about what to do or in what order. If you know that every morning you get up, work out, shower, have breakfast, then check your email, you will just do it without having to agonize over it. The same thing goes for your workday. Have a routine for the things you must do every day, then follow the routine.

Set priorities. Know what is most important in your life right now, and deal with that. The rest of it can wait.

Do not attempt to multitask. You may think you can, but you can’t. Your brain can do one thing at a time, and trying to shift from one thing to another ends up taking more time than if you just did one thing at a time. Focus on what is in front of you now, do it, then move on to the next thing.

Learn to say no. You can not do everything everyone wants you to do. There are only 24 hours in the day, and you need at least a few of them for things such as eating and sleeping. This does not mean that you should never help anyone, or that you should always say no, but that you should not take on more than you can do. Too often we say yes because we do not want to be seen as selfish or uncaring. It is not selfish to say no to requests when you are already overloaded. Just say no.

Do not worry about things you can not control. Take any action you can to avoid an undesirable outcome, or to minimize the effects, then put it out of your mind. It may rain on the day of your child’s birthday party. Make a Plan B in case that happens, then forget about it. You may not get that new client. Do your best proposal, follow up appropriately, then let things take their course. Losing sleep and making yourself crazy will not make anything come out better.

Put things in logical places. Keep your briefcase, keys and other items you often carry with you in one place, together. When there is something else you need to take (e.g., a package to drop off at the post office) put it with your keys. You won’t have to hunt for what you need and you won’t forget anything.

Take time to recharge. Just like your cell phone, you lose power when you do not recharge now and then. Make time during the day to meditate, listen to music, read, have a cup of tea or whatever relaxes you. A few minutes spent recharging can make you more effective all day.

Filed Under: Getting Things Done, Making Changes Tagged With: Getting Things Done, how to declutter, Productivity

New Year’s Revolutions

December 31, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

new_years_celebrationNo, that’s not a typo–I mean REVOLUTIONS!

Although you can and should make changes and improvements at any time, the new year is always a popular time to make changes, acquire new habits and lose bad habits.

Take advantage of the spirit of the season and make the changes you need to make to be successful.

Don’t be timid—take big steps. Start by revolutionizing your thinking. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Getting Things Done, Making Changes, Motivation and Inspiration, Success Tagged With: change, Marketing strategy, New Year, resolutions

Act As If

December 9, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

confident.jpgIf you want your life to change, one simple thing you can do is to act as though the change has already occurred. If you want to achieve something, act as though you have already gotten your desired result. If you want to possess a certain quality, act as if you already do.

Want to be happy? Act as though you are happy.

Want recharge your marriage? Remember how you felt in the early days of your relationship, and act that way again.

Want to have a job you can love? Act as though you love your current job.

Want to be more confidant? Act as though you are confident.

Acting as if you already have what you want will change your attitude to a more positive one. It will also alter how you behave toward other people and how they react to you. You will create the habits necessary to get—and be—what you want.

Acting as if is not easy. It takes practice and reinforcement. You will need to change the negative thoughts and actions that have become habits over many years. Cut yourself some slack while you are establishing new patterns, but keep acting as if and your new attitude will become a habit.

Try it—and be amazed by the results!

Filed Under: Life Lessons, Making Changes, Positive Thinking

Develop the Greatness Within You

October 22, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

peak_silhouette.jpgDo you want to be better than you are today? If the self-help section of the book store is any indication, many of us want to make changes in our lives. We want to be smarter, kinder, greener, more successful, more organized, thinner, and healthier, as well as being better parents, children, spouses, lovers, friends, and all-around human beings. Whew! That’s a lot.

To be more and achieve more, you must start by believing that change is possible. It is. You are not locked in to the life you have today.

Do not become discouraged when the changes you want do not happen overnight, or you find yourself backsliding into old, bad habits. You may take two steps forward and one step back many times, but the idea is to keep up the forward progress.

Here are ten ways in which each of us can change himself for the better.

  1. Accept yourself. In a study made of a group of college students, it was found that those who were healthiest mentally nearly always accepted  themselves,  with  all  their faults and virtues, just as naturally as they accepted other phenomena of nature: the brooks, the valleys, the mountains, the trees. Don’t continually tear yourself apart because you don’t think you’re worthy of being loved and accepted by others.
  2. Believe in yourself. Everyone has some special talent, or mark of individuality. If you don’t know what yours is, that doesn’t mean you don’t possess one. Keep seeking till you find out what your best talents are.
  3. Think of how to make others happy. If you spend too much time wondering whether or not you’re happy, you won’t be.
  4. Keep your hands and your mind occupied most of the time. As the old saying goes, “Idle hands are the devil’s playground.”
  5. Be good to yourself. Be sure to allow for some recreational activities in your life. Always have an activity that will be fun for you planned for the near future. Always have something you are looking forward to.
  6. Try to make others feel comfortable and at ease. When you meet someone for the first time, concentrate on trying to make him feel comfortable. That will keep you from feeling self-conscious. It is almost impossible for two thoughts to occupy the mind at the same time. If you concentrate on thinking about the other person, you will be too busy to worry about yourself, and you won’t give those around you the impression that you’re self-centered.
  7. Decide which of your worries can be cured. Then do something about them. If you have some worries you can’t do anything about, learn to accept the situation involved without bitterness.
  8. Love yourself, and then learn to love as many persons as you can besides yourself. If there are some you can’t help disliking, try to be fair to them. Look for their good traits. Everyone has them you know.
  9. Believe in some Power higher and greater than yourself. If you don’t want to call that power God, then call it by whatever name you choose. Believe, also, in a universe that is working toward some final good purpose. You won’t always know what the final pattern will be, but try to make the stitches you yourself sew as fine and beautiful as possible, so you can be proud and happy about them. We all contribute to the fabric of life.
  10. Forget the past. Yesterday was a dream; tomorrow may never come. Today is all we have, so use this fragment of time in the best way you can.

Filed Under: Making Changes, Motivation and Inspiration, Positive Thinking Tagged With: Self-improvement

Are You a Victim?

January 22, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

I was listening to one of those radio advice shows (Yeah, I know. That was my first mistake.) and this caller was whining and crying about how bad her life is. Of course, nothing was her fault. Everything in her life just happened to her and none of it was because of choices she made. And of course there was no way to make any of it better.

This is why I would not make a good radio advice show host: My advice would have been, “You don’t like your life? Get off your ass and do something about it! And stop sniffling. Dear God, it is no wonder you do not have any friends. Would you want to be around someone like you?”

Gee, does that seem harsh? I tend not to be very understanding of people who whine and complain but never to do anything to change their situation. Want to know why?

I have been there. We all have. We all have crap happen to us. We have to deal with illness, economic hardship, heartbreak, disappointment, fear, failure, loss, emotional distress and all the bad stuff that is sometimes a part of life. Sometimes these things happen because of choices we make and other times they just happen.

Having a bad thing happen can feel like getting punched in the gut. It can take the wind right out of you. I think that it is natural after a setback to lick your wounds for a while. In my experience, the difference between someone who moves on and makes things better and someone who stays mired in despair is having a belief that they control their own destiny. What is more important than what happens to you is how you react to it.

This is important, so pay close attention: What is more important than what happens to you is how you react to it.

If you believe that you are a victim and you do not control your destiny, you are not going to make good choices. You will stay mired in a bad situation instead of moving to a better one. You may believe that it does not matter what you choose, because you can not affect the outcome. Baloney.

On the other hand, if you believe that you have the power to make things better (or at least make them different) you will take action.

Many years ago, a friend was complaining to me about how everything in her life was bad, and it was all out of her control. The first thing she mentioned was her job. Huh? If your job makes you miserable, find another job. Of course, when I suggested getting a new job she had a hundred reasons why she couldn’t do that. A few months later, though, her boss made her mad enough that she quit and began a new career. It was the best thing that she could have done. Not long after starting the new job she was happier and more successful than she had been in years. She was willing to tolerate some misery, but left when it became too much. How much misery are you willing to tolerate before you act?

Do not wait for things to become unbearable before you take action.

Disappointed in the people you are dating? Don’t have enough friends? Be the person you would like to have as a friend, lover or spouse. You will be more likely to attract a quality partner if you are a person of quality.

Buried in bills? Make a plan and dig yourself out.

None of these things will miraculously transform your life overnight. They take time. Bad stuff will still happen to you. But if instead of feeling sorry for yourself and wallowing in your misery, you ask, “What can I do to make this better?” your life will get better.

And taking charge of your life has other benefits. When you know that you are in control, you will be more confident, more positive and happier. Do not wait for someone or something else to transform your life. Do it yourself, and do it now.

Filed Under: Making Changes

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