You know how it can be: You have an overwhelming to-do list as long as your arm, and it never gets any shorter. There are some things you want to accomplish, but weeks, months and even years slip by with no progress. You are tempted to laugh out loud when someone suggests adding daily exercise,…
Category Archives: Eliminating Excess
Keeping the Clutter Busters In Line
As I headed to Baltimore last week for the annual conference of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers) where I presented a workshop on writing a business plan for solo entrepreneurs and small businesses, Angela Wallace, our association president, sat down with a reporter from the New York Times to talk about the organizing industry…
Staples Offers Free Shredding Through March
If you have a bag of old checks, credit card statements, tax returns, or other private documents hanging around, good news: Staples stores are offering five pounds of free shredding. Just bring your bag or box to any Staples store to have it securely shredded. As you prepare to complete your 2011 IRS tax filing,…
Worth Repeating – February Productivity Posts
The days of talking about resolutions may be behind us for a while, but there is never a bad time to make some small changes that will yield big results. Past February posts from the New Leaf blog suggest a few changes you may want to try now, so you can do more of what…
Why GTD Isn’t Working For You
Getting Things Done (GTD), the time management system based on David Allen’s best-selling book, is loved by many. It’s also no secret that not everyone finds it smooth sailing. GTD can become a cause of pain for some people, maybe for you. I often work with people who have tried GTD and after a while…
Worth Repeating – January Productivity Posts
Happy birthday to my New Leaf organizing and productivity blog! Begun in January, 2008, it’s now four years old! I’m dipping into the archives to offer you, my readers, a few yummy posts from those past Januarys. You know, since I can’t serve you cake digitally. In case you thought that clutter and excess stuff…
Four School Lessons to Unlearn Now
We’ve all been told that studying hard and doing well in school were necessary for our future success. But there are some things you learned in order to do well in school that you really need to unlearn in order to successfully start and run your own business. Here are four school rules that flunk…
Clutter Can Be Funny? Just Ask Lois
Lois Morton is the Gilbert and Sullivan of professional organizing. Watch her music video, here: Lois Morton’s “Confessions of a Clutterholic” And she’ll make you laugh, make you wince, and give you courage. Can you ask for more?
Worth Repeating – May posts from New Leaf News
Looking ahead to summer. Remembering the past on Memorial Day. Listening as commencement speakers recall prior achievements and give advice for a lifetime. May is filled with beginnings and endings. What would you like to begin? What would you like to end? Here are a few posts from past Mays to help make today more…
Seven Ways to Make Peace With Email
Have you heard the term “email bankruptcy?” Here’s how it happens: when my email inbox reaches such a staggering load of messages that I can never hope to deal with them all and I just need a fresh start, I may choose to declare email bankruptcy. I delete everything, then send a message to my…