In working with members of our Shortcut to Serenity program this week I have come across yet another gal suffering (or should I say suffocating?) in perfectionism. Yes, seems odd that someone wanting things to be perfect will actually allow chaos instead of what I call “close enough is good enough”.

If you find yourself cemented in chaos stop and think. Is it because somewhere in time you were told you had to do it “RIGHT”? Maybe these “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right” comments have literally paralyzed your progress.

Instead let’s consider how much better, just making things somewhat improved is. Then, step by step things continue on that path of just a bit better until you ….well, you probably don’t reach perfection….but maybe “excellence” would be ok???

So today I’m encouraging you to give up on the perfection quest and just be a bit more happy that things are coming along. In time, those little improvements will reap even more significant harvests and before you know it, you will be thinking, “Wow, things are sooo much better than they used to be! I’m ok and getting better all the time!”

I have just returned from yet another trip to Tucson, AZ. I have made 4 trips so far since September working with my mentoring group. All this travel makes me really glad I am “The Shortcut Expert” and have made travel so much on auto-pilot. Simply having most of my needs pre-packed is a HUGE Shortcut! I have duplicated almost everything that I need in the way of toiletries, hair dryer, curling iron, Rx, etc. so I can leave them packed and ready.

Another great help are the Eagle Creek container bags. I pack each one with my day’s outfit from undies to jewelry. Really a time saver! This is especially nice if the airport security has to riffle through your luggage too!

Visit REI.com to see Eagle Creek Pack-It Cube (Reduced to: $8.99
Originally: $12.00). These are also available at Luggage Shops and The Container Store. I have about 5 or 6 of this size (for my outfits) and a few of the half cube size and one of the quarter cube (for my travel hair dryer).

So, whether you are a business traveler or a recreational traveler, give this a try. You’ll appreciate arriving at your destination WITH your toothbrush, your Rx and even your underwear. There’s nothing worse than forgetting to pack the undies!

This just in from a subscriber who recently purchased the Deluxe Shortcut Kit from my on line store. I thought it might encourage YOU to get up and GO (aka “Get Organized”) make some improvements in your life!

“As background, my husband and I are flying out of town this coming weekend. A week ago I put up the Planning Board for the first time. My husband had periodically been saying “I have to make the rental car reservations”, referring to our trip this weekend. So, I made a temporary card saying “Make rental car reservations”, put his name on it, and hung it on Monday evening.
I didn’t have to explain the board at all. My family immediately understood it as soon as they saw it, and my husband made the rental car reservations without my having to say anything. Success!

Regards, KE”

One great way to simplify YOUR life is to create communication systems that really work! I am so please KE has! Way to go KE!

If you have been following this blog or my ezine the last few weeks you simply couldn’t miss that I am fired up about the new Shortcut to Serenity program that started last Thursday. Some of the participants are willing to share their stories to inspire YOU to find some serenity in your life.

Today we are going to meet one “Serenity Sister”. (The names have been changed to protect the CURRENTLY disorganized, altho I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if they want full disclosure at the end of the course!)

Our first case study we’ll nickname JULIE. She’s a VERY busy mom to 3 precious girls ages 5, 2 1/2 and 1. Hubby puts in long hours commuting to work. JULIE is the president of her church women’s auxiliary which requires much time in service.

The big challenge for JULIE is that she usually feels like she is trying to catch up on things especially housework and laundry. Part of the cause of this OVERWHELM is that they are currently living in tight quarters (that’s Army talk for “SMALL HOUSE”). There is only 700 square feet which is a CONSIDERABLE downsize from their previous 2400 ft. home!

My hat is off to JULIE for taking action and deciding to get some serious help in creating CALM from CHAOS! I am so excited to watch JULIE organize her home and her life! One goal (besides finding the floors) is to have more time to work on some home business dreams she and Hubby have.

If you can relate to JULIE, stay tuned for more of her transformation in the weeks to come. Let’s all send some words of encouragement too! One thing women get little of is clapping and cheering for the service we render to our families and communities. Let’s hear it for JULIE!

Yep, I thought so! You are a busy woman keeping up with a family and probably juggling a business too so I’d be surprised to hear otherwise. That is exactly why I love to share my “SMARTcuts” with you!

I think the main cause is that the project seems extremely large. You may be feeling like you just can’t ever carve out enough time to take it on. This may be cleaning out your office files, the basement, the garage, creating scrapbooks from years of photos….you get the picture.

The only realistic way to approach these “biggies” is to subdivide them into smaller “bites”. It’s the old “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time” joke. So set yourself a series of subdivided tasks toward your final goal.

Here’s an example. Instead of thinking about doing alllllllllllll my photos from 30+ years of marriage, I started boxing them in magazine holders and photo storage boxes by places we have lived. We have moved every 2 years or so and this made it easy to quickly sort thru the photos. Right now I am only concerned with getting this first “rough sorting” done. Then I will move on to the next step of working with each section one at a time.

Another good prescription for procrastination problems is to get some form of accountability in place. If you are a self starter (a rare bird indeed) this may be as simple as making your list of the most important things to accomplish each day. More likely however if you are reading this blog you may need an accountability buddy who will check up on your promised progress. Having a set appointment to work with a family member, friend or a professional organizer will deliver superior results.

This is the same reason that personal trainers are more successful than the individual doing their own exercise routine. When you have an appointment with someone else it’s more difficult to reschedule than if you are going to the gym alone.

Tomorrow I will begin my new Shortcut to Serenity program to help women with the techniques and accountability to create the desired life changes for themselves personally and for their families and businesses. If you would like to have some serenity in YOUR life let your fingers RUN not walk to www.ShortcutToSerenity.com This step-by-step program includes materials and 13 teleconference coaching calls (which will be recorded!) that are absolutely guaranteed to make a positive difference in your life for years to come. So, the bottom line gals is that this is the ONE thing you SHOULD NOT procrastinate about! Don’t wait to get organized “someday”. Just realize that “Someday” is not a day of the week! Carpe Diem!

This weekend my daughter and I were talking about things that give us stress such as project deadlines and “stuff” that needs doing. We agreed that often times we procrastinate because we have imagined that the task will be worse or take longer than it really will. Kind of a “worst case scenario” belief. In actuality as we completed a few of these stress inducer tasks we discovered that we had actually worried about it longer than it took to complete! How often is that the case for you? This week,why not have a reality check and get down to doing those stressing tasks instead of putting them off. It’s just another big step to being organized by not having zillions of “things” on your “to do list”. As Nike says, “Just do it!”

Is your bookshelf loaded with stacks of Organzing "how to" books that don't work!? I have read piles of them full of theory but no "how to" make it happen! I am not just telling you to make a "to do" list or clean out your underwear drawer (which isn't a bad idea). I am passionate about telling you a hundred and one shortcuts to save your time (and thus your LIFE!) every other minute!

If you are sick to death of doing your 'home" work and DREAM of involving your family members more then the Organizing Without Agonizing Deluxe Shortcut Kit is just the thing. I have designed a system that is nearly fool proof for getting all kinds of yucky stuff over with in the least amount of time possible. This is the complete "turnkey" set of materials that I developed and USED for over 25 years to keep my family organized, fed and active. Just visit the on line store for more info.

P.S. This system is written for the home, but you may find yourself transferring the techniques to running an office as well! Anytime you have lots to get done and (hopefully) a team (aka Family or co workers) to participate this will prove useful! Hey, maybe your co-workers will do YOUR laundry too!?

Moving on with our DELEGATION theme for organizing let’s talk LAUNDRY!

Yes, you know the mountains of smelly stuff that the family piles on every single day! Why not consider sharing the fun? This is how I broke out of Laundry prison….

Since hubby and I were both busy I thought it only fair that he and I should help with laundry. When our children were small we each did our own laundry and one child’s. He was smart and took the one who was already out of (cloth) diapers! That was ok with me though because my load was still down 50%!

The year our children turned 7 I helped them learn to do their own laundry. By 8 they were on their own.

Looking for more “shortcuts” to improve your daily life? Check out my upcoming program at www.ShortcutToSerenity.com Registration deadline is THIS WEEK and I am not sure if or when this program will be repeated. I personally guarantee it will deliver more time and tranquility to your life in just 12 simple weeks!

One way to dramatically reduce your “overload” whether at home or in business is to delegate. Women often find themselves doing it all. No wonder they are overwhelmed and exhausted. There is hopeand once you get started watch out world!

First of all you will want to brainstorm a list of all the tasks that need action. Do your best to break each down into the smallest part whenever possible. Pretend you are out to win a prize for the longest “to do list” in history! You are probably doing it all, so take credit for each little bitty part.

Next put a * by all the things that YOU must personally do. These are things that no matter how competent your replacement might be, YOU are just stuck doing this thing. Keep this list as small as possible assuming that you will be able to find a reliable person to delegate the remaining tasks to.

Finally start thinking of who would be able to take over the remaining items. Some tasks will require you to give some “training classes” before someone else can assume responsibility entirely. That’s ok. Even though you will invest some up front training time, in the end you will benefit from removing many tasks from your list. It could be helpful to write out instructions. My first one was for a friend who was keeping our children during a business convention. I called it the “Owner’s Manual”! This can be a time saver down the road if and when you need to replace the help. I have written instructions on many of the mundane tasks for my home and office. With an occasional tweak they are ready to be reused time and time again.

So, go find some help and enjoy some free time to relax or be more productive in your home or business! You DO deserve a break today…and I am NOT talking about a trip to McDonalds!