I really want to report on last night’s Biz Chicks gathering, and am finding I keep procrastinating to do task-y kinds of things. Says to me that I’m tired. No wonder. I presented a speech in Toastmasters this morning called, “Monkey Chatter” and got up at 5am to prepare and transport myself to the meeting.

My current state of mind is ironic really, considering the subject of the speech. I talked about “Dolphin” days vs. “Ant” days. Dolphin days referring to those in which you feel like you are gliding through your day, taking care of business with light heart and in a spirit of fun. And Ant days, of course, being those in which you run around taking care of this, that and the other, nose to the ground, not stopping for a break, wearing yourself out. Another symptom, for me, of an Ant day is focusing on task after task even though I have bigger projects on my plate that I “should” be doing.

The solution presented in the speech was to establish a morning and nighttime writing routine. Basically, keep a notebook by the bed with a favorite pen and download all the piddly thoughts (called Monkey Chatter), i.e. “remember this,” “don’t forget that,” “should’ve done this,” hovering on the mental back burner. (I wrote about clearing this mental clutter in more depth for the Wild Mountain Yoga Center newsletter.)

By clearing out all this clutter, you put yourself in a pro-active position. Instead of your ToDo list driving you, you are driving your ToDo list (and your day).

The speech went well…except for drawing a blank in the conclusion. (Yikes!!!–thought going through my head, “how long can I get away with looking pensive? answer: not very long. ha ha.)

Time for quick system reset through power nap technology (sic, not really a “technology”).

I like a clear desk. The things on it are intentional and fall into the ‘commonly used’ designation. [ok, sometimes I get a backup of stuff to clear off...what can I say?]

One of the info management tools I keep handy is the Tech Issue log. Mine is a small, spiral bound notebook that is reserved for logging computing issues, the dates they happened, & notes about installations or other processes that may have an effect on the computer. [what?? problems with a Mac?? There actually is very little in the book re: Mac stuff—There are a few program specific errors, esp. for Quickbooks.]

This log is especially useful when something is amiss that doesn’t quite warrant a call to tech support. When I finally do run into something justifying the time spent to call tech support, I ask them about any other issues logged.

I also record the results of each tech call. I make sure to include notes about any process done to diagnose or fix the problem. This is for future reference so that I can refer to these notes in the future, should a similar problem arise without having to call in again.

Project Simplify® was born out of a desire for relief from chaos.
We provide simplification and organization assistance to small businesses and independent professionals.

A great alternative to the push-pin technology of days gone by. This board from Umbra can handle a bunch of magnetic accessories like hooks and supply containers, thereby freeing up the prime real estate on your desk. This board in particular also lets you use push-pins.

Size = 15″ x 21″
Click on image for additional details and purchase info on Amazon.

This card holder from Umbra keeps your cards looking fresh, and makes you look super sleek. Available in several accent colors.
Click on image for additional details and purchase info on Amazon.

One way to make working in the office a little more enjoyable is to be surrounded by fun and stylie things. Yes, you can get the standard, old-school black stapler…but why? [Actually, have you looked at the Vintage Stapler section on Ebay lately?!?! ("Are you kidding??" you demand. You're right, of course not.) There are some cool looking old styles.]

While it is your job to do what you do best, there are some people out there who LOVE developing stylie designs and making them available to the you’s and me’s of the world. Umbra is one of those companies. They make everyday products that add to the ambiance rather than simply take up space.

Their Office items are primarily in the “post things” department, such as bulletin/magnet boards & magnets. [I'm loving the magnetic board concept right now. There are also magnetic office supply holders--great for freeing up prime desk real estate!] They do have a super cool business card holder (I use this one), and a surprisingly wide variety of clocks to fit just about any fashion whim.

While their contemporary design might not be for everyone, I still maintain that it is very important to love the things around you. If something is offending your aesthetic sensibility, it is taking from you, rather than supporting you. Give yourself a gift of great design!

[Quick recap--I recently wrote about Flip4Mac which was recently released by Telestream. It enables Mac users to view windows .wmv (stands for Windows Media File) files in their QuickTime player.]

After installing the download, then RE-installing the download, and wondering why I kept on getting an error message, I finally tried viewing a different .wmv file (could I have a bad video file?!?). Uuuuhh, wooops. Sure enough, worked like a charm. Sweet!

Here’s the video file that worked. It’s a beautiful cloud sequence done by John Munro.