Talane’s Coaching Tip for the Week, October 5, 2009
Morning Pages: A Quick Tip from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
Whether you are an artist, a writer, or a business person who would like to come up with some creative solutions at work, this tip will work for you. It will work for anyone who wants to tap into their creativity. Every day write three pages. You can do this in a journal or blank book or even on the computer. The point is to do it every day. You don't have to write anything grand. I usually describe my day or what is going on in my life at the time. It can be really boring stuff like I had scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast. In fact, if you can't think of anything at all to write, you can simply fill the pages with “I can't think of anything to write.” The key is to fill those three pages. This was the exercise that led to the writing of my first book, Coach Yourself to Success. Once in the habit of putting pen to paper, it was an easy step to write an entire book. A simple, highly effective technique for tapping into your own creative side! Try it for at least thirty days before you make any decisions about its effectiveness.
Enjoy!
Talane
P.S. If you are interested in this book, check it out. Here is the link: The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition] by Julia Cameron
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved.
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Talane's Coaching Tip for the Week.
ook Review:
The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less
by Jeff Yeager
This summer I read the both hilarious and very sensible book by Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less (Broadway Books, 2008).
Yeager prides himself on being a cheapskate and has been known to not only take his own leftovers home from a dinner out, but also the leftovers of his dining companions! While I'm not prepared to go that far, especially since I don't have a dog as an excuse, he does have some excellent points and the book is a funny and inspiring read with quotes like these sprinkled throughout the book:
“I always stay at the cheapest hotel, so I was surprised to find a mint on my pillow in the evening. Turns out it fell out of the mouth of the guy who slept there the night before.”
“If I hear one more financial pundit tell me I can put my financial house in order simply by giving up a four-dollar cup of Starbucks coffee every day, I'm going to force him to listen to his own audiotapes while I show him photographs of Suze Orman's face photo-shopped onto Halle Berry's body....These types of painless savings schemes appeal to the same people who want to believe that they can get abs of steel by wearing magnetic belts.”
The chances that you will actually take that four dollars you saved from that cup of coffee and invest it at 8% are pretty slim. Yeager points out that if you get the big financial equations right in the first place, you can have as many designer cups of coffee as you want (not that he would ever bring himself to pay that much for a cup of coffee in the first place)! As Yeager says, “In real life it's too easy for the four dollars you saved by not buying your latte this morning to morph into an extra pizza topping this evening.” So true!
He has six golden “nuggets” on getting the big equations handled, for example: One of Yeager's rules is to live within your means at thirty and stay there. How do you do this? First, buy a “starter” home you can live in for the long haul and stay there. So many people have gotten into financial ruin by always buying a bigger house with bigger payments whenever their income increases. They never get ahead as they keep increasing their spending to match their increase in income. In contrast, Yeager bought a “starter” house in a lovely area and has done his own home improvements and extensions over time. (I'm not one bit handy so I hire people to do that sort of thing!) As a result, he has stayed in the same home in a good neighborhood and it has increased in value over time while he has pocketed any increase in income right into savings. And, he also bought a house that he could pay for on his income alone and saved his wife's income. When she wanted to quit her job, he said, no problem because they had been living on one income all along and saving hers. My husband and I do the same. We live on his income and save my income for holidays and retirement savings. Clients of mine figured out that they could be financially independent in ten years if they could live on one income and save the other. A goal well worth going for! The key is to find a lifestyle you are comfortable with and then stay there. Don't keep raising your expenses as your income increases. One of my favorite quotes from Quentin Crisp sums this up:
“Never try to keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper.”
Another Yeager nugget is to never underestimate the power of not spending. Yeager says, “Spending less is rarely, if ever, a bad thing to do.” He recommends going on a spending fast which I heartily agree with because it is the same advice I've given in my book Coach Yourself to Success—going on a money diet. For thirty days don't buy anything other than groceries and basic essentials like toilet paper and even then you should stock in advance so that you can live without spending for 30 days. Anything that you feel compelled to buy goes on a thirty day list. After thirty days you can review your list and see if you still want those items. I find that either the urge to have it passes in that time or that I never really wanted the thing in the first place or I attract it for free (someone gives it to me). Just this weekend I cleared out all my daughter's old clothes and the drawers were pretty empty and I thought I might have to go out and buy them some new clothes when my friend came and dropped off a huge bag of clothes her daughter had outgrown. I don't need to buy a thing now! Not spending may in fact be a much more effective way of increasing your wealth than trying to make more money.
Yeager points out that the exceptions to his rule that “not spending money is a far more powerful tool for achieving financial freedom than all the books ever written on the subject of how to make more money.” He points out that most people make their money by selling their time, not by investing or leveraging their money or using it to launch a business. And therefore, for the vast majority, spending money is the fastest way to lose money. Right on!
I heartily recommend Yeager's book—full of practical advice and loaded with humor and a strong message to focus on the things that really matter in life—spending time with your friends and families and doing the things you love.
Enjoy!
Talane
P.S. Here is the link to his book if you are interested ... Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less (Broadway Books, 2008)
The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less
by Jeff Yeager
This summer I read the both hilarious and very sensible book by Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less (Broadway Books, 2008).
Yeager prides himself on being a cheapskate and has been known to not only take his own leftovers home from a dinner out, but also the leftovers of his dining companions! While I'm not prepared to go that far, especially since I don't have a dog as an excuse, he does have some excellent points and the book is a funny and inspiring read with quotes like these sprinkled throughout the book:
“I always stay at the cheapest hotel, so I was surprised to find a mint on my pillow in the evening. Turns out it fell out of the mouth of the guy who slept there the night before.”
“If I hear one more financial pundit tell me I can put my financial house in order simply by giving up a four-dollar cup of Starbucks coffee every day, I'm going to force him to listen to his own audiotapes while I show him photographs of Suze Orman's face photo-shopped onto Halle Berry's body....These types of painless savings schemes appeal to the same people who want to believe that they can get abs of steel by wearing magnetic belts.”
The chances that you will actually take that four dollars you saved from that cup of coffee and invest it at 8% are pretty slim. Yeager points out that if you get the big financial equations right in the first place, you can have as many designer cups of coffee as you want (not that he would ever bring himself to pay that much for a cup of coffee in the first place)! As Yeager says, “In real life it's too easy for the four dollars you saved by not buying your latte this morning to morph into an extra pizza topping this evening.” So true!
He has six golden “nuggets” on getting the big equations handled, for example: One of Yeager's rules is to live within your means at thirty and stay there. How do you do this? First, buy a “starter” home you can live in for the long haul and stay there. So many people have gotten into financial ruin by always buying a bigger house with bigger payments whenever their income increases. They never get ahead as they keep increasing their spending to match their increase in income. In contrast, Yeager bought a “starter” house in a lovely area and has done his own home improvements and extensions over time. (I'm not one bit handy so I hire people to do that sort of thing!) As a result, he has stayed in the same home in a good neighborhood and it has increased in value over time while he has pocketed any increase in income right into savings. And, he also bought a house that he could pay for on his income alone and saved his wife's income. When she wanted to quit her job, he said, no problem because they had been living on one income all along and saving hers. My husband and I do the same. We live on his income and save my income for holidays and retirement savings. Clients of mine figured out that they could be financially independent in ten years if they could live on one income and save the other. A goal well worth going for! The key is to find a lifestyle you are comfortable with and then stay there. Don't keep raising your expenses as your income increases. One of my favorite quotes from Quentin Crisp sums this up:
“Never try to keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper.”
Another Yeager nugget is to never underestimate the power of not spending. Yeager says, “Spending less is rarely, if ever, a bad thing to do.” He recommends going on a spending fast which I heartily agree with because it is the same advice I've given in my book Coach Yourself to Success—going on a money diet. For thirty days don't buy anything other than groceries and basic essentials like toilet paper and even then you should stock in advance so that you can live without spending for 30 days. Anything that you feel compelled to buy goes on a thirty day list. After thirty days you can review your list and see if you still want those items. I find that either the urge to have it passes in that time or that I never really wanted the thing in the first place or I attract it for free (someone gives it to me). Just this weekend I cleared out all my daughter's old clothes and the drawers were pretty empty and I thought I might have to go out and buy them some new clothes when my friend came and dropped off a huge bag of clothes her daughter had outgrown. I don't need to buy a thing now! Not spending may in fact be a much more effective way of increasing your wealth than trying to make more money.
Yeager points out that the exceptions to his rule that “not spending money is a far more powerful tool for achieving financial freedom than all the books ever written on the subject of how to make more money.” He points out that most people make their money by selling their time, not by investing or leveraging their money or using it to launch a business. And therefore, for the vast majority, spending money is the fastest way to lose money. Right on!
I heartily recommend Yeager's book—full of practical advice and loaded with humor and a strong message to focus on the things that really matter in life—spending time with your friends and families and doing the things you love.
Enjoy!
Talane
P.S. Here is the link to his book if you are interested ... Jeff Yeager, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches: A Practical (and Fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less (Broadway Books, 2008)
Soul Story Telling
Talane’s Coaching Tip for the Week, September 28, 2009
Soul Story Telling
Before I went away for vacation this summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to receive a soul story reading from Ronnie Slavis. I've never done this before so I didn't have a clue what to expect and was pleasantly surprised when I heard my story. Ronnie perfectly articulated my unique gift – my special talent is to awaken the excitement in others for what they truly want to do. (Not a bad thing for a life coach to have!) He also revealed in the story that I need to play more and have fun—one of my top values that hasn't been getting enough expression ever since I've had my two girls. How is it that kids love to play more than anything? In fact, they are the embodiment of the power of play and yet I'm playing less than ever – the responsibilities of parenthood no doubt. So with a strong message to play and explore and to try dancing to Gabrielle Roth's Wave dance I made sure I spent my summer playing with the girls on the beach as well as finishing up my next book. And not only did we do the Wave dance together, but we also did some belly dancing, which is rather like it! Apparently, I also have the gift of lucid dreaming, so I'm going to do a bit of research about that and see what that reveals. A fascinating experience and if you are feeling a bit lost or disconnected from your purpose in life, this may be the just the thing for you!
For more information about getting your own soul story contact Ronnie Slavis at www.soulstoryteller.com.
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved.
Soul Story Telling
Before I went away for vacation this summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to receive a soul story reading from Ronnie Slavis. I've never done this before so I didn't have a clue what to expect and was pleasantly surprised when I heard my story. Ronnie perfectly articulated my unique gift – my special talent is to awaken the excitement in others for what they truly want to do. (Not a bad thing for a life coach to have!) He also revealed in the story that I need to play more and have fun—one of my top values that hasn't been getting enough expression ever since I've had my two girls. How is it that kids love to play more than anything? In fact, they are the embodiment of the power of play and yet I'm playing less than ever – the responsibilities of parenthood no doubt. So with a strong message to play and explore and to try dancing to Gabrielle Roth's Wave dance I made sure I spent my summer playing with the girls on the beach as well as finishing up my next book. And not only did we do the Wave dance together, but we also did some belly dancing, which is rather like it! Apparently, I also have the gift of lucid dreaming, so I'm going to do a bit of research about that and see what that reveals. A fascinating experience and if you are feeling a bit lost or disconnected from your purpose in life, this may be the just the thing for you!
For more information about getting your own soul story contact Ronnie Slavis at www.soulstoryteller.com.
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved.
Thursday, 1 October 2009
More on The Power of Focus.
Talane’s Coaching Tip for the Week, September 23, 2009
More on The Power of Focus
As a quick follow-up to last week's tip on only having one big goal, a maximum of three projects (making sure that one of those projects is forwarding your big goal) and keeping a running tab or list of all the other projects in the sidelines....an old friend, Ann Wall, in Miami sent in the following: “What about using the simple method of "one in, one out" same as I try to apply to my shoe wardrobe? That way you have to decide to either give up or complete one goal/project before you start another. That would allow you to reconfirm how important your goal or project is because it "wins out" when compared to possible new projects that come up. Helps strengthen you resolve.”
A great way to handle your shoes as well as your work.
Enjoy!
Talane
P.S. I spent a few hours listing every single project that I could come up with (the entire gamut from organizing the photos into albums to the next book idea) on index cards. I ended up using an entire stack of cards. Now it is easy to shuffle through them and pull out my top three at any time. As new projects or ideas occur to me, I give each one a separate index card and put it in the stack.
P.P.S And, an old coaching rule of thumb; if you have had any goal for over a year and haven't taken any real action to achieve it or move it forward, toss out that goal (it's dead!) and pick one that actually excites or interests you instead! You'll feel better immediately.
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved.
More on The Power of Focus
As a quick follow-up to last week's tip on only having one big goal, a maximum of three projects (making sure that one of those projects is forwarding your big goal) and keeping a running tab or list of all the other projects in the sidelines....an old friend, Ann Wall, in Miami sent in the following: “What about using the simple method of "one in, one out" same as I try to apply to my shoe wardrobe? That way you have to decide to either give up or complete one goal/project before you start another. That would allow you to reconfirm how important your goal or project is because it "wins out" when compared to possible new projects that come up. Helps strengthen you resolve.”
A great way to handle your shoes as well as your work.
Enjoy!
Talane
P.S. I spent a few hours listing every single project that I could come up with (the entire gamut from organizing the photos into albums to the next book idea) on index cards. I ended up using an entire stack of cards. Now it is easy to shuffle through them and pull out my top three at any time. As new projects or ideas occur to me, I give each one a separate index card and put it in the stack.
P.P.S And, an old coaching rule of thumb; if you have had any goal for over a year and haven't taken any real action to achieve it or move it forward, toss out that goal (it's dead!) and pick one that actually excites or interests you instead! You'll feel better immediately.
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved.
Thursday, 24 September 2009
Talane's Coaching Tip for the Week.
Talane’s Coaching Tip for the Week, September 14, 2009
The Power of Less
Hello all! I have just returned to the UK after two glorious months in Manitowoc, Wisconsin where my mom lives—we had fun playing on the beach of Lake Michigan—beautiful weather all summer and, oddly enough, no mosquitoes this summer. We were glad to have missed yet another dismal English summer—rainy and cold. My eldest daughter has started “big” school and has a uniform (all the schools in the UK have uniforms) and looks so official now. And I've just finished writing my third book, Coach Yourself to a New Career that will be coming out this spring! A fun and busy summer to say the least!
Upon my return to England, I found my husband had ordered a book called Power of Less, The: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life by Leo Babauta and ironically, he ordered two copies by mistake. So I read it and thought it just the medicine required. I'm a packrat by nature and my natural inclination is for more, not less. (My husband is the minimalist.) Babauta recommends getting rid of the clutter, but doesn't tell you how (you'll have to read my book for that—Coach Yourself to Success!), and he recommends focusing on one thing at a time, and thankfully, he gives specific instruction on how to do that. His main point is to never have more han one big goal going on at a time and that goal should be achievable in a 6-12 month time frame). In my case, that would be writing a book. If your goal takes longer than a year to complete, then you need to break into smaller segments. In addition, you can have a maximum of three projects going on with the caveat that one of the three projects must be supporting and related to your big goal. [A project is defined as something that would take at least a day to complete or more but isn't as big as the big goal.] In my case a project might be to interview clients for the book or read a book for research, or draft a chapter.
My problem is that I'm always tempted to put more than one goal and more than three projects on at a time. Babuata says this dilutes the power of your focus—a very good point! So until you finish all three projects, you can't add in any new ones. I like the rigor of his approach and will try it out in real life to see if it is actually practical. I suspect, depending on your job and the nature of your work, you may need to adapt this to your own situation. Ideally, if you can get away with only doing one thing at a time, he recommends it as the best way to get things finished. I have to agree. Two weeks before I left England I got it into my head that I should try to get the first draft of my book done. (My original plan was to write it in Wisconsin). By giving myself permission to really focus on this one project intensely and write as much as I could every day, I did get the entire rough draft done! Of course, it needed more work over the summer, but I started the summer with a really solid draft to work on and refine—and boy was I glad because once I arrived in Wisconsin I really felt like sitting on the beach drinking margaritas. I slipped into holiday mode instantly.
This strategy requires saying “no” to lots of things so that you can focus on your one big goal and the three projects (remember that one of those three projects is for your big goal). He gives some good tips on how to tell your boss three projects is enough for any one human being. And he gives some good tips on managing your email–like only checking it twice a day and never ever check email before you've done some work on your big goal. Overall, the book is a quick read, concisely written and a great reminder to focus on one thing at a time and get rid of all other distractions. By the way, Babauta has six kids so such a strategy is essential or I could imagine he wouldn't get anything accomplished!
Enjoy!
Talane
P.S. I just wanted to share that even if you only have half an hour a day for your big goal, you'll get there in the end. I know an author who wrote her book every night for half an hour while her son was little—it was all the time she could spare and had the energy for. She finished the book in one year! So think about it—in one year from a day you could have a book or some other big goal accomplished! But just pick one big goal!
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved.
The Power of Less
Hello all! I have just returned to the UK after two glorious months in Manitowoc, Wisconsin where my mom lives—we had fun playing on the beach of Lake Michigan—beautiful weather all summer and, oddly enough, no mosquitoes this summer. We were glad to have missed yet another dismal English summer—rainy and cold. My eldest daughter has started “big” school and has a uniform (all the schools in the UK have uniforms) and looks so official now. And I've just finished writing my third book, Coach Yourself to a New Career that will be coming out this spring! A fun and busy summer to say the least!
Upon my return to England, I found my husband had ordered a book called Power of Less, The: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential...in Business and in Life by Leo Babauta and ironically, he ordered two copies by mistake. So I read it and thought it just the medicine required. I'm a packrat by nature and my natural inclination is for more, not less. (My husband is the minimalist.) Babauta recommends getting rid of the clutter, but doesn't tell you how (you'll have to read my book for that—Coach Yourself to Success!), and he recommends focusing on one thing at a time, and thankfully, he gives specific instruction on how to do that. His main point is to never have more han one big goal going on at a time and that goal should be achievable in a 6-12 month time frame). In my case, that would be writing a book. If your goal takes longer than a year to complete, then you need to break into smaller segments. In addition, you can have a maximum of three projects going on with the caveat that one of the three projects must be supporting and related to your big goal. [A project is defined as something that would take at least a day to complete or more but isn't as big as the big goal.] In my case a project might be to interview clients for the book or read a book for research, or draft a chapter.
My problem is that I'm always tempted to put more than one goal and more than three projects on at a time. Babuata says this dilutes the power of your focus—a very good point! So until you finish all three projects, you can't add in any new ones. I like the rigor of his approach and will try it out in real life to see if it is actually practical. I suspect, depending on your job and the nature of your work, you may need to adapt this to your own situation. Ideally, if you can get away with only doing one thing at a time, he recommends it as the best way to get things finished. I have to agree. Two weeks before I left England I got it into my head that I should try to get the first draft of my book done. (My original plan was to write it in Wisconsin). By giving myself permission to really focus on this one project intensely and write as much as I could every day, I did get the entire rough draft done! Of course, it needed more work over the summer, but I started the summer with a really solid draft to work on and refine—and boy was I glad because once I arrived in Wisconsin I really felt like sitting on the beach drinking margaritas. I slipped into holiday mode instantly.
This strategy requires saying “no” to lots of things so that you can focus on your one big goal and the three projects (remember that one of those three projects is for your big goal). He gives some good tips on how to tell your boss three projects is enough for any one human being. And he gives some good tips on managing your email–like only checking it twice a day and never ever check email before you've done some work on your big goal. Overall, the book is a quick read, concisely written and a great reminder to focus on one thing at a time and get rid of all other distractions. By the way, Babauta has six kids so such a strategy is essential or I could imagine he wouldn't get anything accomplished!
Enjoy!
Talane
P.S. I just wanted to share that even if you only have half an hour a day for your big goal, you'll get there in the end. I know an author who wrote her book every night for half an hour while her son was little—it was all the time she could spare and had the energy for. She finished the book in one year! So think about it—in one year from a day you could have a book or some other big goal accomplished! But just pick one big goal!
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved.
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Talane’s Coaching Classic Tip for the Week, September 8, 2009
Talane’s Coaching Classic Tip for the Week, September 8, 2009
Listen Profoundly
Most people like to think that they are good listeners. Very few people actually are. Think about the people you know. Of all your friends and family, how many really listen to you? Listening is an art and, like any life skill, takes practice. No one ever taught us how to listen; we were taught to speak. Stop worrying so much about what you are going to say. What really attracts people is not what you say, but how well you listen. Listening and keeping your stories to yourself will lead to an unexpected result. The person who does the most talking ends up feeling he knows and trusts the listener. It seems like it should be in reverse, that the person listening should feel he knows the talker, but this isn’t the case. A well-known reporter confirmed this. He said that the way to build trust is to listen and keep on listening and then keep on listening some more. As a rule of thumb, talk 20 percent of the time and listen 80 percent. Try this today and see what happens. You might be amazed at the things people will tell you when you really listen. People will love you for listening. Listening profoundly is not easy; it takes practice. Experiment. Try listening for three minutes before you say your piece. The more profoundly you listen, the more people will enjoy being around you and the more opportunities you will attract.
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved
Listen Profoundly
Most people like to think that they are good listeners. Very few people actually are. Think about the people you know. Of all your friends and family, how many really listen to you? Listening is an art and, like any life skill, takes practice. No one ever taught us how to listen; we were taught to speak. Stop worrying so much about what you are going to say. What really attracts people is not what you say, but how well you listen. Listening and keeping your stories to yourself will lead to an unexpected result. The person who does the most talking ends up feeling he knows and trusts the listener. It seems like it should be in reverse, that the person listening should feel he knows the talker, but this isn’t the case. A well-known reporter confirmed this. He said that the way to build trust is to listen and keep on listening and then keep on listening some more. As a rule of thumb, talk 20 percent of the time and listen 80 percent. Try this today and see what happens. You might be amazed at the things people will tell you when you really listen. People will love you for listening. Listening profoundly is not easy; it takes practice. Experiment. Try listening for three minutes before you say your piece. The more profoundly you listen, the more people will enjoy being around you and the more opportunities you will attract.
Copyright © 2009 by Talane LLC. All rights reserved
Monday, 17 August 2009
The Power of a Clean Desk
The Power of a Clean Desk
The other day I was feeling a bit stuck and overwhelmed. I took a look at my desk, heaped with papers and all sorts and decided to spend an entire day taking care of everything on my desk and inbox. Down to zero was the objective!
The trick to doing this is to pick up the first piece of paper and handle it completely. I have to resist my natural tendency to sift through the pile and pick out the ones that look like fun, are interesting, or easy to do and be rigorous about it. Otherwise I just end up shuffling paper from one place to another.
This is not the time to pick up a big project and work on it. Those go into a project file or folder. This is the time to clear up all those sticky notes and bits of paper and get everything organized and filed. Pay the bills, send out that thank you note. Handle any loose ends.
At the end of the day, I felt amazingly liberated. I no longer felt a sense of dread just looking at my desk, in fact, my head felt clear and I felt inspired to write. I actually was eager to start working on the next book. Wow! The power of a clean desk. Well worth the investment of time.
If you are feeling bogged down or stuck, look at your diary, find a clear day and reserve it for a clean up day. You’ll be amazed at the newfound energy!
All the best,
Talane
The other day I was feeling a bit stuck and overwhelmed. I took a look at my desk, heaped with papers and all sorts and decided to spend an entire day taking care of everything on my desk and inbox. Down to zero was the objective!
The trick to doing this is to pick up the first piece of paper and handle it completely. I have to resist my natural tendency to sift through the pile and pick out the ones that look like fun, are interesting, or easy to do and be rigorous about it. Otherwise I just end up shuffling paper from one place to another.
This is not the time to pick up a big project and work on it. Those go into a project file or folder. This is the time to clear up all those sticky notes and bits of paper and get everything organized and filed. Pay the bills, send out that thank you note. Handle any loose ends.
At the end of the day, I felt amazingly liberated. I no longer felt a sense of dread just looking at my desk, in fact, my head felt clear and I felt inspired to write. I actually was eager to start working on the next book. Wow! The power of a clean desk. Well worth the investment of time.
If you are feeling bogged down or stuck, look at your diary, find a clear day and reserve it for a clean up day. You’ll be amazed at the newfound energy!
All the best,
Talane
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