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Articles from Sue Becker | Selfgrowth.com
- Organize Your Keepsakes: How I Turned My Muddled Mess into Meaningful Memories - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Sue BeckerI knew the time had come to pare down my burgeoning collection of mementos when I tried to stuff just one more greeting card into one of my four keepsake boxes and a cascade of papers came tumbling down - with no lid to hold back the avalanche, I received a very tangible wake-up call that I ...
Views: 4231(5 votes) - Organizing Lessons from Toy Story 3 - by Submitted on Aug 06, 2010 from Sue BeckerAs I did around this time last year, I just saw a Disney-Pixar film that offers some great organizing lessons. This year it was Toy Story 3 that lured me from the comfort of my couch. The premise of the story is that Andy, who we met as a young boy in the first movie of the series, is getting ...
Views: 2901 - An Organized Vacation is a Relaxing Vacation - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2010 from Sue BeckerSummer is here - the most popular time of year to go on vacation. While you may be looking forward to your vacation destination, you may be dreading the last-minute scrambling that typically accompanies your pursuit of relaxation. These tips will help make sure your trip is actually as relaxing ...
Views: 2690(4 votes) - Organize Your Bedroom for a Good Night's Sleep - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2010 from Sue BeckerIs your bedroom calm and serene, a place where you can relax and get a restful night's sleep? Or is it a chaotic place filled with clutter, clothes, papers and the like? If your bedroom is anything but restful, consider spending some time de-cluttering and organizing it so it becomes a sanctuary ...
Views: 2409(1 vote) - What Can You Do With 15 Minutes? - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2010 from Sue BeckerThe one challenge I hear most from my clients is that they don’t have enough time in their day. However, they typically take an “all or nothing” approach to getting things done. This is unrealistic, because most of us don’t have large chunks of time available to knock out big projects in one ...
Views: 1966 - Take a Break and Get More Done - by Submitted on Jul 21, 2010 from Sue BeckerWhen life gets busy (and when doesn’t it?) we often feel that we have to put our head down and plow full steam ahead to get as much done as possible. While it may seem counterintuitive, taking a break can actually help you accomplish more, and make life more enjoyable at the same time. Giving ...
Views: 1946(1 vote) - The Surprising Costs of Disorganization: 3 Steps to Take Action and Get in Control - by Submitted on Apr 05, 2009 from Sue BeckerOne day, as I helped a client organize his home office, we came across an envelope with $3500 in cash! He had completely forgotten about this money, which could have been thrown away and lost forever. You may not have envelopes bulging with cash lying around, but being disorganized does have ...
Views: 1941 - Get Organized, Small Steps Can Lead to Big Results - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2010 from Sue BeckerDoes the thought of getting organized leave you overwhelmed and uncertain how to get started? The concept of kaizen can take you from that feeling of overwhelm to one of being in control and on the path towards accomplishment. Kaizen is a term that was coined in Japan as it began to rebuild ...
Views: 1939 - 7 Simple Steps to Tame the Job Hunting Jungle - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2010 from Sue BeckerDuring these times of economic volatility, it's a good idea to be prepared in case your employment situation changes. Whether you're currently employed and looking for a new opportunity or unemployed and searching for work, you'll want to get the most out of your job-hunting time and effort. To ...
Views: 1867(1 vote) - Organize Your Computer - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2010 from Sue BeckerAre your computer files as jumbled and disorganized as your paper files? Are there files on your computer that you don't even recognize? Do you rely on the search function to allow you to find your electronic documents? Are there days that you love your computer and some that you want to send it ...
Views: 1840 - 7 Tips to Control Your Time - Buying You More Time for Fun! - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2010 from Sue BeckerSome people cringe at the thought of "time management," thinking it limits their creativity. In reality, it's the opposite! Whether you're a stay-at-home parent or work in an office, when you add structure to your day and control your time, you'll get the important things done on time. The ...
Views: 1615 - Pare Down That Reading Pile - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2010 from Sue BeckerFrom health updates to decorating ideas to news items, magazines and newspapers can contain a wealth of information. However, that information is meaningless if you don't take the time to read it. I have a hard time making time for reading because I always feel there's something "more important" ...
Views: 1526 - The Right Tools Make Getting Organized Easier - by Submitted on Jul 13, 2010 from Sue BeckerWhen an associate mentioned that she was feeling inspired to wash the windows of her home, I realized that the reason for her inspiration could also help people feel inspired to tackle an organizing project. She had recently purchased a squeegee and bucket and discovered that having the right ...
Views: 1518 - AD/HD and (Dis) Organization - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2010 from Sue BeckerSeptember 13-17, 2010 was AD/HD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Awareness Week. AD/HD is characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity and sometimes, hyperactivity (the official name is AD/HD regardless of whether or not someone has the hyperactivity component). Although someone may ...
Views: 1488(3 votes) - Organizing Tips for Eldercare Providers - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2010 from Sue BeckerWhile many seniors enjoy good health and are able to live on their own, some require the assistance of family members or outside caregivers, or have to move to an assisted living facility. No matter what your role is in helping a senior, even if it's to be a friend to someone caring for a ...
Views: 1469 - Organize Your Life, Up and Away! 5 Liberating Lessons for a Lighter Life - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Sue BeckerI recently saw the Disney-Pixar movie Up, and discovered it was entertaining and instructional. The movie imparted some of the same messages I teach my clients. I actually retrieved a pen and small notebook from my purse during the movie and took notes. (Yes, I am an organizer at heart!) In ...
Views: 1374(4 votes) - Eliminate Linen Closet Chaos - by Submitted on Feb 11, 2011 from Sue BeckerJumbled sheets, mountains of pillows, and towels tumbling out when you open the door - does this sound like your linen closet? Your linen closet has great potential to be a highly functional storage area. However, it's easy for things to disappear in it if you don't keep it organized. You can ...
Views: 1325 - Manage Mealtime Mayhem - by Submitted on Mar 12, 2012 from Sue BeckerSeveral years ago I saw a sign that said “I have a kitchen because it came with the house” in a client’s home. It’s a relief to know there’s at least one other person besides me who doesn’t like to cook. After all, with the huge number of cooking shows on TV, cooking magazines staring at me in ...
Views: 1305 - Organizing An Easy Checklist to Be Prepared When an Emergency Strikes - by Submitted on May 28, 2010 from Sue BeckerWhether caused by Mother Nature or a person, an emergency can throw our lives into chaos. But being prepared in case an emergency strikes can help. How prepared are you? This a great time to evaluate your emergency readiness. The following checklist will help you be prepared for any ...
Views: 1293(4 votes) - Lots of Choices Don’t Always Make Us Happier - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2011 from Sue BeckerWe’ve all heard the phrase “less is more” (in fact I’ve written about this concept previously), but how many of us actually practice that philosophy? It sure seems as though the world (or at least the United States) is going in the opposite direction – we’ve got supersized grocery stores with ...
Views: 1281 - Back to School Made Simple - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2011 from Sue BeckerAs the carefree days of summer wind down, it’s time to start thinking about sending the kids back to school (or if you’re a frazzled parent or caregiver, maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a while now!). As much as you may welcome the arrival of the school year, it can be a hectic and ...
Views: 1254 - Neatening Isn’t Organizing - by Submitted on Nov 29, 2010 from Sue BeckerI recently encountered a situation with my client, whom I’ll call “Ann”, which exemplifies how some people think neatening is the same thing as organizing, and how detrimental that can be. Ann has several chronic medical conditions that generate lots of paperwork, leaving her buried in piles ...
Views: 1244 - Making the Most of a Power Outage - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2011 from Sue BeckerA recent series of rainstorms left my home without electricity for 2 days. Being without power certainly made me realize how dependent I am on it. No lights, no landline phone, no computer, and only intermittent cell phone service left me feeling as primitive as it’s possible to feel during a ...
Views: 1227 - When Does a Gift Become a Burden? - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2010 from Sue BeckerI celebrated my birthday last week and received some wonderful gifts from my friends and family. But the best gifts I received were their time, attention and companionship. This focus on gifts got me thinking about another source of gifts in my life – hostess gifts. I’d like your help ...
Views: 1225(1 vote) - Get Ready for an Organized New Year - by Submitted on Dec 04, 2011 from Sue BeckerIt seems that everywhere you look there are signs that the holidays will soon be upon us. And while we enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of this special time, we know that seemingly all too soon, another year is coming to an end. Here are some ideas to help you end the year in an organized ...
Views: 1219 - How to Hold an Ineffective Meeting - by Submitted on Apr 07, 2011 from Sue BeckerWhether you work for pay, do volunteer work, or manage a household, meetings are a fact of life; unfortunately, they’re often an extremely ineffective fact of life. There are meetings for the business, social and volunteer organizations to which you belong; meetings at work; meetings with ...
Views: 1199 - Top 10 Time Taming Tips - by Submitted on Nov 02, 2011 from Sue BeckerNovember is definitely a month in which we pay attention to time: we enjoy less sunshine each day, and the end of Daylight Saving Time makes the diminished sunshine even more obvious. As we do our best to cope with seemingly shorter days, it’s a good time to work on making the most of our time. ...
Views: 1194 - Finish What You Start - by Submitted on Jan 03, 2012 from Sue BeckerWhat do piles of opened mail, bags of stuff in the trunk of your car waiting to be returned to the store, and opened but unprocessed e-mails in your inbox all have in common? They are all things that have been started but not completed. Uncompleted tasks can weigh us down – rather than being ...
Views: 1193 - Turn Those Laundry Piles Into Smiles - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2011 from Sue BeckerDoes your summer fun in the sun turn to loathing in the laundry room when you look at the mountains of dirty clothes? Does your dog think those piles are his personal bed? Warm weather typically brings on sand, sweat, and stains that may make you feel like you can never get out from under the ...
Views: 1181 - How Would You “Live Like You Were Dying”? - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2010 from Sue BeckerI recently heard the song Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw on the radio, and it got me wondering what I’d do differently if I took his advice. I don’t want to sound macabre, but I found this exercise to be refreshing and eye-opening. Here are the options I pondered: •Go on a wild ...
Views: 1180 - Digging Out from an Avalanche of Mail - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2010 from Sue BeckerAlthough not as intimidating as the ten days’ worth of email l valiantly plowed through, the size of the pile of ten days’ worth of snail mail I recently faced upon return from a trip was rather impressive. Even though I’ve done my best to get off mailing lists (I’ve subscribed to ...
Views: 1178 - Five Simple Steps for Getting Organized - by Submitted on Jan 03, 2012 from Sue BeckerI don’t know how it always seems to happen so quickly, but here we are welcoming in yet another new year. I often ponder how life must really zip by quickly for people who are disorganized, since they are often running late, in a frenzy looking for misplaced things, or in a panic because they ...
Views: 1176 - Keep Your Paperwork Under Control - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2011 from Sue BeckerHow did your tax season go this year? Was preparing your taxes a breeze because you'd carefully organized everything throughout the year to avoid the frantic searches you'd experienced in past years? Or did you file an extension because you're hopeful that by October you'll be able to find all ...
Views: 1164(1 vote) - Now is a Great Time to Organize Your Paperwork - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2012 from Sue BeckerReady or not, here it comes – tax season will be upon us sooner than we may like. Do you remember how things went last year as you gathered your financial paperwork? Will this year be more organized? Did you have to forego some deductions you deserved last year because you couldn’t find the ...
Views: 1148 - Turn Waiting Time into Productive Time - by Submitted on Jan 28, 2011 from Sue BeckerI recently was on my way to a client when she called to say she had a last-minute emergency and needed to push our start time back an hour. Since it wasn’t feasible for me to go back home, I parked near her house and spent the next hour making phone calls, writing a few thank you notes, and ...
Views: 1135 - Organize Your Digital Photos - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2012 from Sue BeckerAre you drowning under piles of photographs and wondering how to dig yourself out? My January 2011 newsletter described how to organize photos – the physical prints that may occupy any number of bags and boxes in your home. But maybe it’s your computer rather than you that’s drowning – you may ...
Views: 1134 - When Just a To-Do List Isn’t Enough - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2011 from Sue BeckerI’ve written previously about the benefits of keeping a to-do list. The process of writing down everything you have to do (either on paper or electronically), prioritizing the list, and scheduling when to do each task can be an efficient and powerful way to get things done. That is, of course, ...
Views: 1133 - Be Prepared When Emergency Strikes - by Submitted on Apr 19, 2011 from Sue BeckerThe recent series of disasters in Japan, as well as unrest in many parts of the world, should have us all thinking a little bit more about whether or not we’re prepared for an unexpected disaster. Whether caused by Mother Nature or a human being, an emergency can throw our lives into chaos – ...
Views: 1126(1 vote) - Making the Most of a Busy Schedule - by Submitted on Aug 22, 2011 from Sue BeckerI recently finished working on a month-long project that had me leaving home at 7:00 a.m. and not returning until 9:30 p.m. every night. Although it would be easy to complain about working such long hours, there were plenty of positive outcomes from my experience: •I got to work on an ...
Views: 1121 - How to Jump Start Your Own Organizing Makeover - by Submitted on Dec 06, 2010 from Sue BeckerI’ve had the opportunity to be part of several organizing makeover shows (as the organizer, not the client, mind you) and really enjoy seeing the client’s excitement as they view their transformed space for the first time. While you may be hoping there’s a television crew about to knock on your ...
Views: 1105 - How Much Time Does Email Steal from Your Day? - by Submitted on Mar 12, 2011 from Sue BeckerDid you ever pay attention to how much time you spend processing email each day? I couldn’t find a decisive analysis of the subject, but various studies conclude that Americans spend anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours on average. That’s a significant amount of time, especially considering ...
Views: 1100 - From Disastrous to Delightful in 15 Minutes - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2010 from Sue BeckerI was recently doing a marathon baking session at my house when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a huge mess in my kitchen. There were pots and pans and all kinds of things all over the place. Some of you may be wondering what all the fuss is about, but that’s not the normal look ...
Views: 1094 - Get Organized for the Right Reasons - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2012 from Sue Becker“To be able to open a cabinet, drawer or closet and find what I’m looking for;” “To start my family’s day on time and on a positive note;” “To experience the joy of leisure time.” These are all reasons clients have told me they want to get organized. Although each reason supports a different ...
Views: 1090 - Allow Time to Be on Time - by Submitted on Oct 16, 2011 from Sue BeckerDo you find yourself arriving late for appointments, meetings and social events more often than you’re on time? Do your friends and family members tell you an event is going to start a half hour earlier than it actually starts just so you have a chance of being “on time”? Here are some possible ...
Views: 1087 - Reduce Your Stress During the Holidays - by Submitted on Dec 23, 2010 from Sue BeckerShopping, baking, more shopping, wrapping gifts, hosting guests - this busy time of year is often more stressful than joyful. Expectations are high, crowds are plentiful, time is limited, and funds may be as well. As you may have promised yourself so many times, how about actually making this ...
Views: 1083 - Planning for the Inevitable - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2011 from Sue BeckerIt's not a pleasant subject, which partly explains why so many people put off creating an estate plan. On top of that, estate planning requires the skill of advanced planning, something many of my clients aren't particularly good at (at least not until after they work with me!). If you don't ...
Views: 1082 - Find More Free Time - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2012 from Sue BeckerA survey by Real Simple Magazine and the Families and Work Institute revealed that almost half of American women say they don't have enough free time. The survey defined "free time" as "time that you spend on yourself, where you can choose to do things that you enjoy." I was surprised that the ...
Views: 1081 - Slow Down and Enjoy Life - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2011 from Sue BeckerA recent article in Real Simple Magazine about the toll that impatience can take on our enjoyment of life got me thinking about my own hurriedness. It’s a rare day that I’m not bouncing from one thing to another without taking a break. Most of my time (probably 90% of my waking hours) is spent ...
Views: 1077 - Manage Your Notes - by Submitted on Jun 18, 2011 from Sue BeckerWhether you take notes on scraps of paper, in your planner, or in a notebook, they can pile up quickly. Notes may result from attending a meeting, taking a class, having a phone conversation or engaging in a face-to-face conversation. No matter what the source of the notes, it’s important to ...
Views: 1071 - Focus on Organizing Your Photos - by Submitted on Jan 28, 2011 from Sue BeckerHappy New Year! I hope the coming year is your best yet. If you’ve been enjoying the past month of holiday celebrations as much as I have, you probably have lots of photographs capturing the good times. The question now is what to do with all those photos. If your pictures are in digital format, ...
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