I spent the afternoon with a client this afternoon engaged in Quickbooks training. A useful program, and fairly easy to use if you have some bookkeeping experience.

One of the functions that I use extensively is the Class designation. By signifying a Class to an income or expense transaction, I can track several different “Projects” in the same file. I put Projects in parenthesis because some designations aren’t actually “Projects,” but they do want to be tracked separately. For example, Classes may include:

– Consulting (Business #1)
– Writing (Business #2)
– Personal
– Household (joint with partner)

Why wouldn’t I just assign different expense/income categories to the transactions in each of the above categories? Say you have a printing expense. Rather than creating 2 expense items:
Printing-Consulting
Printing-Writing

I just have one expense, “Printing” and then I assign the expense to the appropriate Class (Consulting or Writing) It is then grouped with all other expenses and income of that Class.

At the end of the month, I print out a Profit & Loss report with a different Class in each column! It’s like several P/L reports all printing on the same page.

There’s been quite a bit of talk lately about del.icio.us. It enables you to collect and manage your bookmarks online which means you can access them from any computer and you can share your page of links with anyone you’d like. Business 2.0 published an article, written by John Heilemann, about the founder, Joshua Schachter, in the current issue (Jan/Feb 2006 Volume 7, Number 1). Joshua came up with the idea in trying to better manage his 20,000 (!?!?!?) bookmarks.

He recently sold the business to Yahoo, who he felt was more open to his ideas for further development of the program than either Google or Microsoft.

In any case, it’s a free service and very easy to use!

I’ve been asked about the flowers and nature photos on the website, my business card, the Project Simplify notecards, etc. “What do they have to do with organization and simplification?” they ask. How sweet to turn our attention to these images of life and rich color!

Nature knows what’s up. Her systems are efficient, exquisitely beautiful, intentional. What better inspiration and model for organization and simplification?

The International Institute for Ecological Agriculture is founded on Permaculture principles. Taken directly from their About Permaculture page:

Permaculture is the art and science of designing human beings’ place in the environment.

Permaculture design teaches you to understand and mirror the patterns found in healthy natural environments. You can then build profitable, productive, sustainable, cultivated ecosystems, which include people, and have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.

The easiest model by which to understand the principles of this philosophy is the homestead. That said, I completed a Permaculture Design Course in January 2002 and found the most valuable aspect to be the way of thinking that was encouraged–nay, required. Seeking the solution that is inherently embedded within any given “problem,” taking ample time to observe the natural flow of a situation rather than jumping in and blindly trying to fix whatever I can get my hands on, practicing 80% planning and 20% doing… This is just the tip of the iceberg.

When it gets right down to it, Permaculture is simply common sense. But common sense to a depth that we have, for the most part, become blind to in our abundant 1st world wealth.

I look forward to further exploring and further sharing Permaculture principles as they apply to this Project dedicated to organization and simplification. For now, I’ll suffice to conclude with my inspiration from nature as a sweet junction of beauty and efficiency.

Out here in the Sierra Nevada Foothills, it can be easy to feel like I’m in the boondocks. Our local newspaper, The Union, doesn’t print on Sundays, the police blotter is a well read soap opera comedy, and the Business section prints on Tuesdays (yes, once a week). Today’s Business section, however, showed that there actually is quite a bit going on in Nevada County (besides what you read in the police blotter.)

The lead story, Telestream rides digital media wave, by Brittany Retherford tells of a local company, Telestream, helping bridge the great divide between giants Microsoft’s and Apple’s technology. They have just begun major distribution of Flip4Mac, a video player which allows Mac users to view Windows Media files in their QuickTime application.

I seem to recall someone telling me a few months ago that Macs viewing a .wmv (Windows Media File) file was a possibility but I didn’t figure that one out. I’ll be trying this one out right away!

This morning I was Toastmaster at my weekly Toastmasters meeting. This means I introduced the people who had roles in today’s agenda, like the Speakers and General Evaluator. I was looking forward to the experience, trusting it would be better than the last time I was Toastmaster (which was my first time.) Not the case. El problemo? In my attempts to improve the introductions (which I wasn’t too happy about last time) I feel that my attention was too focused. The issue: I didn’t feel like I connected with the audience.

The beautiful thing about Toastmasters is that my experience today was simply practice. It is one of the most supportive learning environments I’ve ever experienced. I am my own harshest critic–I don’t need someone else dragging me through the mud and pummeling me when I’m down. I do, however, appreciate suggestions for what I can improve upon. This method encourages me to walk tall and keep trying. So even though I don’t feel today went as well as I would have liked, I’m already looking forward to the next time when I can try again.

The mission of Toastmasters is expansive (no, not just about making “toasts” or about prepaing “toast.”)

Through its member Clubs, Toastmasters International helps men and women learn the arts of speaking, listening and thinking – vital skills that promote self-actualization, enhance leadership, foster human understanding, and contribute to the betterment of mankind.

Tom Kane provides a succinct summary of 10 speaking tips (scroll down to bottom of post) from Toastmasters materials.

Michael Warshaw wrote a couple of articles, with interviews, back in 1998 for magazine Fast Company about Elaine St. James, a fellow spokesperson for simplifying life.

I think her article entitled Keep It Simple [From: Issue 15 | June 1998 | Page 154] shows a great understanding (based on her own journey of simplification) of one of the Big Road Blocks making people feel like their lives are uncontrollably complicated. Basically, if you keep following the same patterns, you will get the same results. She observes that many people have the tendency to be so busy, that they don’t have the time to figure out what could be done differently, and even more importantly, to evaluate whether they Really want to be on the path they are on. Big Questions whose answers have the power to make radical changes in ones life.

She has several excellent pro-active tips for reducing responsibilities: getting rid of clutter, saying “No” to obligations that aren’t in line with your priorities, setting aside an hour a day to ask yourself Big Questions about what is making your life complicated.

What I’d like to add to her suggestions is the energy of Letting Go. One of the culturally engrained challenges we are faced with (another huge contributor to our feeling chaotic) is trying too hard. Making-creating-doing now! now! now! “there’s not enough time” “my to do list is too long” “just one more call”… When I let go of these frantic driving forces, I find my Priorities have the space to quietly shine and guide my step. This is a tool I can use at any point in the day, in any situation.

Here’s a quick way to find a zip code if you already have the address, city, and state: Zip Code Finder on the US Postal Service website. You can also search by city, by company, or find out what cities are covered by a particular zip code.