The first issue of the Project Simplify newsletter The Weekly Simplifier is now archived on our new newsletter archives page.

Here is a brief summary of the contents:

1. A Note From Shawn
Welcome; this newsletter’s purpose; inviting suggestions
2. Quote of the Week
by Eleanor Roosevelt
3. Article: 5 Ways to Make Your Busiest Days Flow Smoothly
by Shawn Tuttle
4. This Week’s Simplification Tip
Taking on too much?…
5. In the News & On the Web
Three relevant and cool blogs
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
An overview of the site
7. Keep Your Chin Up
“Attitude is everything”

Read the full issue here.
Subscribe to The Weekly Simplifier here.

[posted by Lance]

Having difficulty backing up your computer files to CD because you have more than 700MB of data? Use a DVD!

(how often do you back up your data?)

Through his organization, Heart of Business, Mark Silver helps small business owners make a difference in the world and be profitable. I appreciate his dedication to working from the heart and maintaining 100% integrity in business.

How to serve a feast that keeps ‘em coming back.

I’m sitting here eating Medjool dates, one after the other. Yum. And, when I’m done with what I’ve got, I’m going to go get more. Why am I going to buy more, and more, and more dates?

=== These dates hold the key to building a long-term relationship with your customers, as well as making your business profitable in a way that feels really good.

The dates have solved a problem for me: I have a real sweet tooth, but eating a lot of sugar leaves me feeling yucko. By eating dates, I can enjoy my sweet tooth without the
yucko sugared-out feeling I get from candy or pastries.

It took me awhile to figure this out. After eating dates for a few weeks, I suddenly realized, ‘Hey, I don’t feel sick after eating them.’ So, I became a committed date-eater. :-)

Okay, that’s why I WANT dates. But it’s not why I’m going to buy more dates.

=== The obvious reason for buying more dates?

Because I ate the ones I (used to) have. They’re gone.

In other words, if the dates don’t get eaten, I don’t get more. They sit in the cupboard. And, if I let them sit there until they go bad, I may never buy any more.

=== Are your customers eating your dates?

By the time someone decides they need professional help (from a Professional Organizer, that is), they are usually pretty overwhelmed. A simple, rational perspective of their space has been edged out by scattered, emotional thoughts.

This is the where the value of a Professional Organizer is most evident–she brings a fresh perspective floating on a sea of experience. Sometimes she moves and arranges everything for you, sometimes she turns your mess into a simple checklist of steps for you to do.

I’m currently working with a client on a Complete Office Overhaul. By the time we are done, it will have been about a 2 month process. Why so long? We are working together to sort through his piles, boxes, and drawers and he prefers short, 2-hour chunks of time, once a week.

These small chunks of time allow us to see progress, stay clear from the dreaded territory of overwhelm, and stay in good humor. I developed a plan for our progress that has been reduced into 14 steps, sometimes we cross off more than one in a session, and sometimes it takes two sessions to complete a step. In either case, we see our progress in the office and on our list.

The TIP in brief
How do you eat a watermelon? Stuff the whole thing in your mouth? (gross!) No. You cut off a slice and enjoy it bite by bite. How do you tackle a huge organizing project? Break it up into small, easily doable steps.