The Simplifier #50 - A Simplification Potpourri
Welcome to The Simplifier, brought to you by…
Contents:
1. A Note From Shawn
Round numbers, birthdays, and roadtrips
2. Our Featured Quote
by Lao Tzu
3. Article: A Simplification Potpourri
by PS Head Simplifier Shawn Tuttle
4. Your Simplification Tip
Get Happy
5. In the News
Years of acquiring weigh on a person; Organize to reduce stress at work; and Does E-Mail Distract? Not if You Take Charge
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
Simplifying on the Road
7. Keep Smiling
Wake up cat
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1. A Note From Shawn
Round numbers seem to call out for acknowledgement and 50 feels like a big one. Though I suppose it’s relative to what’s being counted. 50 M&Ms doesn’t seem like many to a chocolate lover, while 50 years old may feel quite significant to the one celebrating a birthday.
Speaking of birthdays, I just had one. To celebrate, contemplate, and calibrate the new year, I went on retreat near Yosemite National Park. What a wonderful way to take some downtime—surrounded by beauty.
It also provided a great opportunity to process all I heard and saw at the National Association of Professional Organizers Conference, right before my retreat. How does an organizers’ conference run? Smoothly! From tech-savvy organizing to sustainability in the profession, the presenters shared their specialties with hundreds of experienced and would-be organizers. I particularly enjoyed hearing Judith Kolberg’s down-to-earth and open-minded approach to organizing.
So without further ado…please enjoy this 50th edition of The Simplifier!
-Shawn
Shawn Tuttle
Head Simplifier, Project Simplify
Co-editor, The Simplifier
2. Our Featured Quote
“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
-Lao Tzu
3. Article: A Simplification Potpourri
By Shawn Tuttle
It’s recap time! 50 newsletters is living proof that taking big projects in small chunks works. The following articles and blog posts were begging me for another peep at the light of day through your eyes. I chose ones that contain concepts that come up the most frequently in work with clients. My recommendation to you is to let just one call to you, and enjoy that one. (i.e., Don’t O.D. on simplification concepts—be nice to yourself! I think that should be my new motto: “Be nice to you”–it certainly comes up enough.)
Workflow & Filing Tools
About 90% of the time, I’m called to an office because of paperwork gone haywire. Entering an office for the first time, wayward papers will have taken over the majority of horizontal surfaces. The culprits: lack of sufficient workflow files and unclear file organization.
WorkFlow Diagram by David Allen
http://www.davidco.com/store/catalog/WorkFlow-Diagram-p-16166.php
How to approach the seemingly endless pile of papers gathered from around the client’s office? One at a time. There is a simple step by step process you can follow in order to get through the pile methodically. The process is summarized by a chart called WorkFlow Diagram (free to download) and is described in depth in his system, Getting Things Done. It may take a little studying and practice to get the hang of—it is worth it!
Filing 101
http://projectsimplify.com/articles/filing-101/
This article addresses many of the questions that come up in filing cabinet discussions. As we (client and I) begin to process the backlog of papers, we find that many of them simply need to be filed. In order to be filed (and found again) the filing organization needs to be co-operative. Read Filing 101 for helpful hints to make filing easy.
Adjusting Your Mindset
While most people believe they will be organized if they learn the right tools or systems, truth is, mindset comes first. Being or feeling disorganized usually is successfully addressed by a combination of tools and perspective shift to slow the brain down.
Multi-tasking — The Cost
http://projectsimplify.com/articles/multi-tasking-the-cost/
Mono-tasking as a brain soother is sure to be controversial in a fast paced culture that promotes the mottoes, “Work hard, play hard” and “Rest when you’re dead”. I’m a firm supporter of the wildly-acclaimed international Mono-tasking movement. You probably haven’t read about it in Newsweek or the Wall Street Journal—a Google search for mono-tasking turns up mostly blog posts. Truly a grassroots movement!
Mindfulness: The practice of being “here”
http://www.43folders.com/2006/04/07/mindfulness?page=2
Merlin Mann of 43 Folders gets to the essence of meditation, calling it “the extreme edge of mono-tasking”. This collection of brief passages by folks such as Jon Kabat-Zinn, Alan Watts, Thich Nhat Hanh, Anne Lamott, and Henry David Thoreau provide a perfect opportunity to relax and enjoy the mindfulness of reading.
Let yourself have more fun working!
http://projectsimplify.com/articles/let-yourself-have-more-fun-working/
Think “work is hard” and hard it shall be. The challenge here is slowing down enough to rein in the wild horses dragging you on a bummer head trip. This article should help. And here are two tips that support it nicely:
At the end of an appointment my goal is for my client to feel good about the progress of their office organization and to feel more in charge of their situation. Ultimately, I want them to feel better about themselves and their life, even if I don’t say so in as many words. =) This is why I focus on your experience in addition to the tools and systems. You are a whole person—any approach you take toward simplifying your work should honor this!
—
Shawn Tuttle is founder of Project Simplify.
4. Your Simplification Tip
Get Happy
What’s your happiness got to do with your success in life? Everything!
Robert Smith, teacher of a class called “Zen and the Art of Comedy Improv”, has a mission. He wants people to have fun and be happy all the time. Frivolous? Nope. In chapter six of his forthcoming book, he explains how being happy and present in the moment is the healthy choice for your well-being, makes space for healing from negative loops from the past, and allows you to spread more goodness in the world.
He was talking about happiness in the form of natural joy and peace that result from being present and accepting of what is. Now, this doesn’t mean that you won’t work for change when something is unjust. It does mean that “you are not divided” as you take action.
I’m currently taking Robert’s class. When class began last night at 7pm, I was slumped in my chair, feeling tired after a long day that began with 6:30am Toastmasters meeting. My mind rebelled against the thought of getting happy! But the same voice from deep within that got me to class after dinner in the first place slowly became louder than my grumpy mind. The question that finally won out in my mind was: If I were happy right now, if I were humming in a Happy resonance, what would it feel like?
A-ha. I felt myself straighten up a bit, my chest raise, my heart open, and my face, neck and shoulders soften. It was a gentle, peaceful happy feeling and I had a good time at class.
My tip for you is the question: If I were happy right now, what would it feel like?
When you notice yourself feeling down, grumpy, or irritated, pose the question to yourself and then give yourself several moments to let your body answer the question.
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5. In the News
Compiled by The Simplifier co-editor Lance Brown.
Years of acquiring weigh on a person in many ways (East Valley Tribune - Phoenix, AZ)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2ochmc
You may not be ready to become a Freegan, but it is important to recognize that acquisition and consumption do carry a cost–and not just a financial one.
Organize to reduce stress at work (The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Rochester, NY)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/2o4asl
Unless you work for yourself (and even then, really), you only have so much control over how things operate in the workspace at your job. But you do have some control–and you can use it to your benefit. This article has a rundown of many ways to do so.
Does E-Mail Distract? Not if You Take Charge (The New York Times)
URL: http://tinyurl.com/3d8mvc
This column features several Qs and As relating to taming that mad beast, e-mail. Apparently the mad beastliness is not inherent in the medium.
If you know of something in the news that should be featured here, let us know!
6. Featured at ProjectSimplify.com
By The Simplifier co-editor Lance Brown.
Simplifying on the Road
As Shawn mentioned in the note above, she’s been on the road lately…and she’s been kind enough to blog about her experiences, making my “Featured at…” job easy this time around. Check out Shawn’s dispatches from afar:
Report from the National Association of Professional Organizers conference
Organizers-R-Us
Yosemite retreat photojournal
Yosemite and the Bug
7. Keep Smiling
Wake up cat
This short cartoon should have appeal for everyone, but especially so for cat owners.
Every cat has his or her own method, but I think every cat is an expert “wake up cat”.
Click the above graphic to view the cartoon,
or use this URL: http://tinyurl.com/2uyghn
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Thanks for reading!
Publication Information
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The Simplifier is published by:
Project Simplify
P.O. Box 597
Nevada City, CA 95959
phone: 530.205.5775
web: www.projectsimplify.com
e-mail: (newsletter@projectsimplify.com) newsletter (at) projectsimplify (dot) com
