My Organizing Tips... Strange coming from a musician, right?

My Organizing Tips ......

The day I sent out my organizing tips in my last newsletter I received a phone call with my husband on the other end laughing when he read my email. I asked him why he was laughing and he reminded me that a few days before I'd been so overwhelmed that I vented about all I had on my plate and the challenges I was having! I told him I was buying an organizing book and needed to make some serious changes! So, from his prespective this was pretty funny! Okay, I get it! So here's what I told him, " I just want to give some hope and encouragement to people like me who get overwhelmed and don't know where to start. Maybe we can grow and get more organized together! I will start with a confession that may make you laugh. I've hardly read that organizing book I just had to have! Anyhow, I will just tell you what is and isn't working for me and take from it what you can!

My Top Ten Organizing List

1. Write down your dreams & passions!  I wrote down mine and it helps to get them from thought to paper!
2. Break Them Down into smaller bites! I broke my big dreams and passions down into, "This Year's Goals", "This Month's", and to "Daily Goals". I decided to focus on efforts, not results because I can't control those!
3. Put Them Where You Will See Them! I put them all in one place! (in one binder) You can also hang up your goals where you can see them!
4. Celebrate Your Past Activity! I took inventory of what I had accomplished in the past year and praised myself even though I didn't do everything I'd wanted!
5. Acknowledge Your Current Activity! I decided to write down everything I did get done for the day, even if it was small like a household chore. I always do more than I think I do!
6. Get Help! If you're overwhelmed, get help! I asked for some help from my family and wonderfully organized friends. Greta Sergreant who is my assistant extrodinaire, happens to do organizing part time! She has commited to coming over once a week to help me get the administration stuff done that I hate to do! We may even eventually make it to some household stuff!
7. Start Your Day With Quiet Time! I have realized that I need to have some quiet time in the morning to collect my thoughts, read, pray, and make my list of to do's. I feel much more grounded when I do this. On the days that I don't, I tend to feel drawn in by the moment and spend my day in "reaction" mode.
8. Tell Yourself You Can Do A Little At A Time! I keep telling myself, "A little bit at a time! Just do something small" I have a tendency to want to get everything done in one day and to be very hard on myself. Maybe it's a women thing? I don't know, but it's unfair to expect that of myself, so I am trying to chill!
9. Learn From Others! I have a long way to go in this organizing journey and in many other areas but since we are each good at different things, it helps to ask other people what they are doing that's working. I try to di this in various areas to continue to learn!
10. Stay Positive! Even when things aren't going the way you want them (as they often don't), keep your chin up and tell yourself you can do it! I love the line from "Finding Nemo" when Dori the fish says, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming"! It reminds me to just keep going!

Okay that's it for now! Hope you enjoyed what's new! I can't wait for you to hear and share the new album for this especially "sweet" price on my music page for a limited time only!

Hope to see you at Chicago City Limits next week or on FB or Twitter!
www.facebook.com/VanessaEMusic
twitter.com/#!/vanessae444

All the best!

Vanessa