Penelope Loves Lists » Work Strategies

An Interview with Julie Morgenstern: Part 2 – How Julie Stays Organized – plus a GIVEAWAY

Meredith — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:00:23 +0000

Penelope Loves Lists: In Time Management from the Inside Out, you talk a lot about different calendaring system options. What is YOUR method? What tools do you use for calendaring yourself?

Julie Morgenstern: For my calendaring method, I use a Time Map, which is a tool that I have been teaching my clients for years. A Time Map eliminates your need to multi-task, and puts you back in control of your days. It helps you to become proactive amid the swirl of demands that come your way. Simply put, a Time Map is a budget of your day, week, or month that carves out distinct times for each of the key departments of your life. Instead of feeling that you have to act on every request the minute it crosses your path, your Time Map guides you, helping you determine whether you have time to handle an unexpected task, how much time you will devote to it and when you will do it. When you don’t have a Time Map, you have no idea what to do when. Every day is a total free-for-all. You just say yes to whatever screams loudest, with no perspective on how to prioritize incoming requests, and when you should be doing things. Of course, this is what leads to multi-tasking…just doing things as they come at you.

A Time Map provides structure to your day — carving out regular time for what is most essential to you. Rest assured that a Time Map can be adapted to your personal style, whether you thrive on routine or variety, whether you have complete or only partial control over your day. Built around your own custom set of priorities and personal style, your Time Map reflects who you are and what is important to you.

PLL: What are your “hot spots”? What are the physical places or work issues you struggle to keep organized? How do you handle them?

JM: I would say that like everyone, my systems become challenged when my company grows. With each new service offering we develop, or for each division we add, my roles and responsibilities change, the information I need to track changes, and for a period of time, while in transition, my files, desk and even my schedule can become messy. Until you know exactly what your new role is, and the information you need to manage a new aspect of your business, it’s hard to create a system. So, with growth come periods where things are less buttoned down than I prefer to be. But, those periods pass, and then a new system is born.

Julie doing some organizing

PLL: In what form (online, notebook, etc.) do you keep your daily To Do list?

JM: I view my to-do list as an extension of myself, so it is very important that I have chosen the right system. I prefer a paper planner. These work best for “visual/tactile” people (i.e. those who find physically writing things out pen to paper helps them think and remember more clearly). Entering information into a paper planner is more instant than booting up an electronic device. Portability is essential for women on the go. Sometimes our work requires us to keep our schedules on the computer. If this is the case, combine these systems by printing out a planner sized version of your calendar each day, recording changes on the printout while out of the office. Update your computer schedule first thing each morning.

Having a single, reliable to-do system puts me in command of my days by providing a complete picture of everything I need to do. Prioritization is easier when I have full context. And I am more confident staying focused on the moment, when everything is present and accounted for.

PLL: What’s your favorite organization tool?

JM: I use a tool that I designed called the “Julie Morgenstern Balanced Life Planner” to keep me on track and balance my time between writing, speaking, running a business, being a mom, spending time with friends, and still dedicating some time just for me. This system gives helps me plan my days realistically so I feel excited, rather than overwhelmed, when I wake up. With this planner, I stay on track, create days that are meaningful, and connect my daily activities to my big picture goals.

Throughout my 20 years as a time management coach, I’ve found that there are certain key skills that make the difference between a day that feels in balance vs. out of balance. And those are the skills I teach my clients in one on one sessions to create meaningful and fulfilling days. In partnership with Franklin Covey, I wanted to design a planner that brought the coaching I do with my clients directly to you. The “Julie Morgenstern Balanced Life Planner” teaches you the 5 Gateway skills to staying in balance:

Skill # 1-Time Estimating
Skill # 2- The 4 D’s to streamline your to-do list
Skill # 3-Group Similar Tasks
Skill # 4- Creating a Time Map
Skill # 5- Controlling the Nibblers

PLL: What does a typical Tuesday (or any weekday) schedule look like for you?

JM: On my Time Map, a typical day of the week is divided by distinct blocks of time. These blocks represent the key departments of work and my life. My schedule will generally look like this:

8:00 am – 9:00 am: Wake up, exercise, meditate, eat breakfast, feed my cats

9:00 am – 12:00 pm: Writing and creative time

12:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Touch base with staff and do media interviews

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Client Meetings

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Wrap-up and handle day’s requests

7:00 pm – 11:00 pm: Dinners out (business and leisure)

PLL: Are you working on something new? Can you give us a hint?

JM: I am working on some great new products that will help you stay organized. Stay tuned!

While we wait for Julie’s new products, let’s spend our time reading her latest book, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck" target="_blank">SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck. I loved this book. It walks you through practical ways to break through whatever is keeping you from meeting your goals, whether it’s organization challenges or mental barriers.

I’m excited that Julie’s given me a copy of SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life to GIVEAWAY to one of you. To qualify to be the randomly selected winner, tell me in the comments what it was that you liked about or learned from meeting Julie over the past week.

Deadline to enter is Friday, 9/10/10 at 9am PST.

An Interview with Organizing Guru Julie Morgenstern: Part 1 – Up Close and Personal

Meredith — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:50 +0000

If you asked me the one person I’d most like to meet, you might expect me to say something like Oprah or President Obama. And, surely, meeting either of those people would be life-changingly awesome.

But, for my little Penelope self, my answer would be organizing guru and bestselling author Julie Morgenstern. I love her style and every one of her books. She inspires me to be my most effective both at work and at home. In fact, I’ve written about my favorite of her books here. It’s literally one of my “Books to Live By”.

So imagine my excitement when Julie said she’d be willing to answer some questions for us. She was so forthcoming that I decided to split her answers into 2 posts. We’ll be in Julie Heaven this week, Penelopes.

In today’s post, we got to know her a little more personally, which is a huge treat for a fan like me. The next post will give us some insight into how she keeps herself organized, including the tools she uses on a daily basis. Oh, and we’ll also be doing a GIVEAWAY of her new book. Look for that post next Monday.

Here’s what she shared:

Julie Morgenstern

Penelope Loves Lists: Were you neat and tidy as a kid or teenager? What did your room look like at 16?

Julie Morgenstern: I grew up as an exceedingly disorganized kid. My room was so messy, one friend recently told me she used to be afraid to visit me, because every time she did, she’d end up losing something in the chaos.

As a theater person and dancer, I collected everything, from costumes, props and vintage cooking utensils to old class notes, souvenir restaurant menus, and playbills. These were my treasures. But I could never find anything.

There wasn’t a day that you could see even a square inch of the floor. It was a nice floor, too — Congoleum, a jazzy turquoise and blue design I had begged my parents for and which they bought me in the hope that it would inspire me to keep my room neat and navigable. No such luck. Within a day of being installed, the Congoleum was covered in rubble, rarely to be seen again.

Every six months or so, my parents would “hit the roof,” and banish me to my fourth floor “jungle” for the weekend with a direct order not to come out until it was cleaned up.

Truth is, I wanted to be organized because it was almost as frustrating to me to have my room in such turmoil as it was for them to see it that way. I’d begin by dumping out all the drawers and emptying all the closets in an effort to decide what “junk” I could get rid of. In the course of sorting through this stuff, I would rediscover lost treasures I hadn’t set eyes on since the last time I’d attempted to get my room in shape. “Wow, this reminds me of that trip I took” or “Gee, I could really use this someday,” became constant refrains, slowing the clean-up process to a crawl.

The clock was ticking. Sunday night was fast approaching. Soon there would be a knock on the door. My parents ready for the grand unveiling! I would look around my room and realize that it actually looked WORSE than when I started. In a panic, I’d quickly gather stuff from every direction and shove it into drawers, closets, and under the bed with no rhyme or reason.

The knock arrived; my parents came in, saw the Congoleum, and applauded me for my efforts. The room was perfect. But I knew better. Sure enough, by the next day, the Congoleum would start to disappear again as the piles returned. I’d have spent sixteen hours of determined activity with no visible payoff for my efforts whatsoever; another marathon organizing session down the tubes! In six months I would be at it again.

PLL: How do your naturally organized or “Penelope” tendencies inform your role as “Mom”?

JM: Being a mom and an organizational expert, I have always known that it is important to avoid insulting and judging your child when it comes to organization. I feel great that I never told my daughter Jessi that she was disorganized…no matter how messy her room got (and it got messy!). I always focused on where she was organized. Within the piles, there were systems…her dance things, friends phone numbers and stuffed animals were always well organized. And I just told her that when the other things started to be as important to her, she would organize those as well. And she did! Starting in junior high school, she began to organize her homework and school papers, then it was her clothes, and today she has a system for just about everything.

Every teenager and child is organized someplace, somewhere, in some way. I feel that one of the most important motherly jobs is to help them change their “hopelessly disorganized” self-image. Eliminate phrases like “You’re such a slob” and “Your room is a pigsty!” Instead, concentrate on the positive — maybe your kid’s room is mess, but they always turn in their homework on time. Maybe they have papers piled everywhere, but their photo albums and scrapbooks are in enviable order. Recognize the ways in which your child is organized, and let them know you are confident in their ability to apply those skills to other areas of their life as well.

Julie working with one of her clients

PLL: What’s your best advice for maintaining work/life balance?

JM: People often make the mistake of dividing their lives into just two parts—work and home. That’s misleading—there are multiple elements to your life outside work, and it’s important to balance your time between all of them.

“Balancing your balance” is the real secret to being in control. You need to balance three categories of your personal life to give yourself true energy:

Physical Activity

Taking care of our bodies through sleep, exercise, a healthy diet, and regular medical check-ups provides the physical well of energy we draw upon to accomplish everything we need to do. Yet, this is often the first thing to go, when we are stressed.

Escapes

Hobbies and activities that instantly transport us to a place of joy provide one of the most efficient ways to recharge our batteries. Reading, dancing, gardening, golf, playing Frisbee with your dog, or sauntering through a museum can get you quickly out of your head and into another world— renewing your spirit, and giving you the opportunity to come back to work with a new perspective.

People

When overwhelmed with work and stress, it’s very easy to take our relationships for granted or get disconnected. Keeping our relationships strong feeds our spirits, grounds us, enforces our identities and brings out our best selves, which is all very important in a time of transition, in which we can feel lost. Spending time with the people who know and love you can remind you who you are, and give you renewed confidence for tackling your greatest challenges.

Together, these three categories form the acronym PEP, which is exactly what they will give you.

PLL: What’s the best book you’ve read lately? Or, your favorite book of all time?

JM: When I was trying to write my first book, I had the worst writer’s block. Here I had a book contract and a deadline, and spent three months writing and rewriting the first three chapters. At this pace I would not have finished the book in time. A dear friend recommended Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" target="_blank">Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, which is the most influential book I’ve read for my business. Her wisdom cut right through my paralysis, and unleashed my voice. I got the next 12 chapters done in the following three months, and my book went on to become a New York Times bestseller. Five books later, I still draw upon the lessons I learned in Bird by Bird.

Again, The next post will give us some insight into how Julie keeps herself organized, including the tools she uses on a daily basis. We’ll also be doing a GIVEAWAY of her new book. Click here for Part 2 of my interview with Julie Morgenstern.

How To Stick It to the Ink Cartridge Companies

Meredith — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:00:12 +0000

Did anyone see this little goodie in the August issue of O Magazine?

Turns out, simply switching your default font will save you money in printer ink.

Using Century Gothic instead of Arial, for example, will save you up to 30% in ink cartridges over time. This makes good sense if you notice the thickness of the letters in Arial vs Century Gothic.

Given that I think that printer cartridges are one of the most annoying necessities of the modern world, I love this money-saving tip.

I was further heartened by the news that my signature font, Calibri, is also a money saver. Score!

By the way, it’s normal to have a signature font, right?

Two tips for stopping those “doh!” email moments

Meredith — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:05:32 +0000

I hate doing simple things wrong. Even occasionally. And, given that 90% of my work life is spent in my email application, that’s a place where I really despise making dumb mistakes. Here’s how I minimize two of the most common (and embarrassing) errors I make in email.

“Doh!” Moment Tip #1: Stop forgetting to attach your attachments:

When I’m writing the body of the email, as soon as I type the word “attach” or mention the document at all, I stop typing and attach it right then. Mid-sentence.

Then, after attaching the document, I go back and finish writing the email. This has cut down my attachment forgetfulness by more than 50%. It’s simple yet effective.

“Doh!” Moment Tip #2: Stop hitting the dreaded “reply all” button:

I moved my “reply all” button to an inconvenient place on my toolbar by customizing my menu in my email application. I’ve kept the “reply” button easily accessible on the left side, but I place my “reply all” all the way to the right. Over in No Man’s Land. I really have to want to “reply all” now.

Not only does this keep me from looking like an idiot, it also keeps me from littering the inboxes of people who don’t really need to read my reply.

Here’s how to do this:

In Apple’s Mail application: click on the gray toolbar on the top of your screen and then right-click. Pull down to “Customize toolbar”. You’ll then get a screen showing lots of buttons you can add to your toolbar, but, you can also, in this mode just grab and move the items in your existing toolbar.

In Outlook: go to View-> Toolbars-> Customize…

Fox Splitter: a useful Firefox browsing tool

Meredith — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 16:00:06 +0000

Recently, I installed the suggested upgrade for my Firefox internet browser and, in doing that, stumbled upon this very cool “add on”, called Fox Splitter.

Fox Splitter allows you to tile your tabs in one window. Very useful for working in two websites at one time.

For example, I like to have my live blog and my WordPress Dashboard open simultaneously as I write new posts or futz with sidebar content. The image below demonstrates one way you can do use this tool, but you have lots of options.

I’ve been using this add-on for a few weeks now and love it. It saves me time switching between tabs and having to reorient myself each time.

Tell me. Do you have any tools or add-ons that you use that make your browsing time more fun or efficient? If so, let us know!

By the way, please, please, please…if you still use Internet Explorer, switch to Firefox. I beg you. Read here why your web designer will love you forever for making the switch. But, even more, you’ll be amazed at how many fewer problems you’ll have as you travel the internet. Promise.

How to Clean Your White Mac Keyboard- because you know it’s driving you nuts

Meredith — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:00:25 +0000

I love all things Mac. We’ve established this several times so far in this blog.

What I do not love about Macs is the way the white keyboards they send with our computers are so gorgeous when you first receive them and get so…gunky…after a while. You know what I mean: those unsightly discolorations that appear even when the user is a compulsive handwasher.

This is one of those low -grade annoyances that I’m always telling people they should take five minutes to tackle and they’ll feel so much better.

I’d tried wiping down my keyboard with a wet cloth and a wet paper towel, both to no avail. The dirt stains remained.

I finally decided enough was enough. I went hunting around online and found two pieces of prevailing wisdom. One failed miserably, one succeeded brilliantly.

What did NOT work:

Several helpful bloggers said that you could get rid of the stains by using a pencil eraser. Uh uh. Tried it. Just made a bigger mess with all the eraser crap. Stains remained.

What DID work:

The second tip I found in several places (the best post was here) was to use Glass Plus Wipes. I didn’t have any on hand, so tried a paper towel moistened with glass cleaner. Worked like a freaking charm! In no time, my keys were sparkling white again.

I then got all Penelope and ran to grab a Q-tip, sprayed some glass cleaner on that and went in between the keys.

Perfection! I hummed for the rest of my work day, grinning madly at my gorgeous new keyboard. Doesn’t take much to make me happy, does it?

Penelope Tip: One reason I hadn’t done more experimenting with ways to accomplish this tiny task was because I kept thinking I needed to do it before I turned my computer on in the morning, or after I turned it off at night. Never happened.

So, I tried this clever little app that allows you to go into “cleaning mode” while your computer is still on, making it safe to clean your keyboard without sending your machine into fits of strange typing. Genius!

Color this Penelope happy.

Learning to Be More Present in Each Moment: How I’m Saving My Sanity One Minute at a Time

Meredith — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 16:00:44 +0000

I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions, but this year, my stress levels demanded that I make some changes. As you well know, I’m the kind of person who does 10 things at once, has way more to do than I can ever possibly get done and balances being 10 different things to 100s of people. Wife, mom, boss, friend, sister – you know the drill. I’ll wager you’re doing it, too.

I decided that things had to change. My resolution? Simple. To spend one year being more “present” in my life. I hate that “woo woo” sort of phrasing, but it’s true, I needed to focus on being focused. I needed to stop worrying about the next five minutes, five hours or five years and instead be in this minute. Right now. This is not easy for me.

Here are a few things I’ve been working on to be more present:

1) Stop multi-tasking

One of the worst things we women do is fool ourselves into thinking that doing several things at once makes us effective. It doesn’t.

In fact, multi-tasking doesn’t make you smart, it makes you stupid. Worse, it makes you inattentive and unfocused. I’ve been concentrating on doing one thing at a time and I’ve found that my work is better, my writing clearer, my relationships stronger as I truly listen to people when they talk to me.

2) Stop worrying constantly and, instead, put those thoughts into a drawer – literally

There’s no question that my single biggest weakness is how much I worry. I make myself physically ill with worry and I’ve done this since I was a little girl. It’s the way I’m wired. I’ve tried many, many strategies to deal with the constant barrage of spinning thoughts and the most effective one involves a jar and a drawer.

I bought a pretty blue Mason Jar from a seller on Etsy and keep a tiny note pad and pen next to it in a drawer. Every time some train of worrying thoughts threatens to distract and derail me, I first make sure I’ve taken any action I can take toward ridding myself of the worry.

Once that’s done, I write down what I’m worrying about and put that slip of paper in the jar. The act of closing the lid on it and putting the jar in the drawer and closing the drawer helps me get distance from those thoughts.

3) Stop thinking that my level of “busy” equals my level of value

I’ve noticed that, the busier I am, the more confident I feel about my value. Now, THIS is a slippery slope. If I have to be super busy to feel like I’m valuable, how can I grow as a person? I’ll spin myself into a lather and then won’t be useful to anyone.

Instead, I’m trying to focus on the three roles that mean the very most to me in my life (for me, that’s wife, mom, boss) and for each, have come up with three specific actions I can take daily to bring value to those roles. That way, I can truly be valuable, rather than filling my plate to the point of overflow and not really getting anything accomplished.

By keeping myself from multi-tasking, worrying needlessly and being busy for busy’s sake, I keep myself more present in each moment. Since beginning this concentration, I’ve felt I’m participating more in my life, rather than just having it pass by in a blur.

I was thrilled to share this article with the readers of Overcoming Busy, one of my favorite websites.

Challenge: do one thing you don’t feel like doing

Meredith — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:00:54 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/slipstreamjc/ / CC BY-NC 2.0">Today, a not-so-easy challenge, but a short one:

Look at your overall To Do List and scan down to the bottom. I’ll just bet that those items are the ones you really don’t want to do. Could be for a good reason, could be you’re blocked for some small, stupid reason.

But those items are the ones that niggle at your sub-conscience. They’re the ones that weigh you down and wake you up in the middle of the night feeling vaguely uneasy.

Today, choose one and either do it completely OR take one single step toward getting it done. If you take that single step, put on your calendar that one week from today you’ll take another single step.

When you’re done, you’re gonna feel loads better. Promise.

Here’s mine: I have to rent a small, ancillary space for my day job. This is annoying and, more importantly, feels like something that’s taking time from things that are more important. Nevertheless, it must be done for a couple different reasons that aren’t going away. It’s been bugging me for days. Today, I called the rental agent and set up a meeting. It’s on my calendar and I feel better.

If you’re up to sharing in the Comments, I’d love to hear what that one thing was and how you kicked it’s ass.

My To Do List Hates Me or, why your daily task list is defeating you

Meredith — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 16:15:10 +0000

We all make the Daily To Do List. Problem is, most of the time, we do it wrong. There, I said it.

This list, which should be our problem solver, becomes the problem itself. Like some huge, looming, cartoonish thing from our nightmares, the incomplete items from each day’s lists grow until we feel defeated under their collective weight.

Instead, you should have two To Do Lists, one called the “Daily To Do List”, one we’ll call the “Overall To Do List”. You can think of your own pithy names when you adopt this system.

The first step is to know, each day, what your most important tasks are. If you don’t know what your true priorities are, either at work or at home, your list will be a meaningless schedule of tasks. If you’re unsure as to how to prioritize, read this book. If you know what you truly need to do each day, you can then set about step two.

Each evening before finishing work, make tomorrow’s Daily To Do List. This should take less than 5 minutes to do.

This list should have 3-4 of your highest priority items on it, each one with SPECIFIC goals, like this:

Check in with pending clients - 10 clients
Get product shipment ready for Monday
1pm Meeting with Jennifer

…If I get that done, I’ll move to:

Work through sales leads – 12 calls
Emails – spend 1 hour getting email inbox cleaned out.

See how specific each item is?

Also, notice that, by separating it into items 1-3, and then 4 and 5, you give yourself room for the day to actually happen. Things take longer than we expect. Emergency items come up. You set yourself up for success by ensuring your top 3 items get done. Then, if you are able to move to items 4 and 5 (which are also very specific and serve to “chunk out” larger projects) you can feel you got ahead by the end of the day, rather than always feeling overwhelmed and behind.

While I use my favorite Bob’s Your Uncle grid paper notebook to keep my daily to do list in line, I’ve also had great success with the online tool Teux Deux. I like that it doesn’t try to be all things to all people. It’s super simple graphic interface just enables you to quickly and easily do what you’re there for: keep and update your daily task list.

Whether you use paper and pen to create your list, or an online tool, if you know what your priorities are and are specific with the items you put on your list, you’ll end each day with a feeling of effectiveness. And, maybe, you’ll have just enough extra energy to go get a margarita. Wouldn’t that be refreshing?

What strategies do you use when creating your Daily To Do List? What’s working for you and what isn’t?

I was really excited to get to share this advice on Hatch’s Organization Blog Fest this year.

Assignment: organize the bookmarks in your browser

Meredith — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 19:15:38 +0000

We’re all online all the time and we find so many yummy things that we don’t want to forget about. If you’re like me, those bookmarks pile up and you start to forget why you tagged them at all. All that clutter isn’t helpful. The good stuff can be lost that way.

Assignment #1: Take 10 minutes (just 10!) to organize the bookmarks in your browser.

Decide on 5-7 main categories and start putting links into those. You can sub-categorize later if necessary. And don’t be afraid to use your delete button. Maybe that recipe you loved a few months ago doesn’t match your eating goals now. Zap it!

Assignment #2: if 10 minutes didn’t get all your bookmarks organized, set a reminder on your calendar to do this once a week for the next month.

Ten bucks says, after that, your bookmarks will no longer be such a tangled mess.

Penelope Tip: After I started this website, I naturally wanted to start keeping up with more and more blogs. Given that they all offered different ways of keeping informed about their latest posts, pretty soon, my blog follow system was inefficient and frustrating.

Finally (I know, I’m so late to this party!) I discovered that iGoogle makes it really easy. You just create your own iGoogle page and then you can enter any URL and it will update you on the posts for that site. I’ve now switched completely away from MyYahoo for my daily news/celebrity gossip fix and am using iGoogle exclusively. I have a page for “News” a page for “Entertainment News”, a page for “Business” and a page devoted to my favorite blogs. I love having a one-stop shop for all of these important links.