A tidy workspace just feels good to some of us. It certainly projects a part of your professional image. Some of us just don’t care… this post isn’t for you. That is unless you have a tangle of wires behind your A/V and home theater equipment. Then someone more than you might care.

What can you do about that abundance of cables? Hide them! I just learned that the things that hide cables are called raceways, wire looms, and wrap-around braid. A great site for this is Cable Ties & More.com. These hiders of cables are smart looking, practical and inexpensive. Fortunately most of these can be do-it-yourself so costly technical or handyman assistance can be avoided.

A really inexpensive and clever option is demonstrated by the Jerry Bruno on YouTube. I would enhance his suggestion by first looping cables, securing with hook & loop (Velcro), then hanging the bundles on the hooks.

For another option, check out this perennial favorite Productivity Cafe solutions for Cable Organization:

Cure Cable Spagetti

Have you started getting the holiday catalogs of your favorite companies? Are you also getting the holiday catalogs of all their favorite related businesses? Most of us are. And, the number of trees they represent, the hours you could spend perusing them, and the duplication is remarkable. Most people tell me they'd visit with family, get a spa treatment, go for a walk, enjoy their pet more, and languish in a good book if they just had more time. Ignoring catalogs so you can do your favorite thing with your time is an easy way to claim hours each week from now until Christmas. Ah, exercise. That's the other thing readers would like to do more especially to counter the calorie fests that we're invited to attend.

This weekend begin a collection routine for those catalogs – not so you can shop but so you can stop them during the slow and relaxing month of January. Simply put a brown paper grocery bag near the door you enter the house most of the time. Rather than bring the catalogs in, simply drop them in the bag on the way in the house. Don't forget to engage whoever retrieves the mail most days in this new routine.

If the bag is full in a couple of weeks… put it aside, thank goodness that your catalog contribution to landfills will soon diminish, and start another. Check back here in January for steps to stop catalogs… and enter your favorite way in the comment section below for those that want to get started soon!

If you have many checking accounts it's a good time for you to consider streamlining this part of your life. Elaine writes that she has 4 checkbooks and uses different accounts for different things. As a streamliner I am almost speechless as I think about how complicated that must make things. Some complexities that come to mind:

• That means Elaine has to move money from one account to another just to keep the balances high enough to use the accounts.
• Elaine gets 4 statements every month.
• Each account should be reconciled every month (I doubt she does that but I can't bring myself to ask).
• I imagine promotional pieces come from each bank stuffing her mailbox frequently.
• What if she is spending money that is supposed to come out of a checking account that she does not have the checkbook for at the moment?
• She has to keep straight which account is for what types of expenses.

That all adds up to headache to me.

To streamline I suggest an alternative. First Elaine can simply move all her funds to her favorite bank and close 3 of the accounts. That bank might have the most locations close to her, offer free money card transactions, have the easiest download center online, and possibly all these features.

If she needs to track expenses by category the manual method is to put a code in the check register as she writes check. Periodically she tallies expenses by code.

The computer method is to download transactions to money management software such as Quicken or Microsoft Money, code the transactions to relevant categories, and enjoy the simplicity of automation totaling expenses by category. The great thing about the computer method is that the computer remembers how expenses from a particular vendor are categorized and automatically enters them next time she visits the vendor.

If you have multiple checking accounts please share the reasoning behind keeping them in a comment below. If you're going to close some accounts now, let us know that too.

If you are procrastinating there are a few steps you can take to get the ball

rolling and to achieve your goals. Here are some of the steps that worked on a recent bout with procrastination of my own.

1. Recognize that you’re procrastinating.
2. Narrow the thing you’re avoiding as much as possible.
3. Prepare as if you’re not putting things off.
4. When you stall, tell someone.
5. Follow their advice.
6. Report back to your someone.

Let me tell you story of my procrastination as it followed these steps.

I recognized that I was procrastinating because my desk is super organized, follow-up to almost everything pending is complete, I keep making trips to the kitchen for a snack, and I was not picking up the phone to find out the information I need (my goal).

I narrowed all the possible things that I was avoiding to one phone call. The goal of that phone call was to uncover the next step that I have to take with Dad’s estate. I know this is the thing that I was avoiding because almost everything else I need to do is done. I was happy to chat with my sister, my business Mastermind group, and almost everyone. I tidied my storage room, my notebooks, my computer, my kitchen (the curse of working at home), and my closet. I’d put getting the answers on the back burner while a presentation deadline loomed even though I might have been able to achieve both deadlines. After the other deadline past I was free to work on the estate question. I put it off for 10 days.

Finally I prepared as if I wasn’t putting off this phone call. I reviewed a teleseminar focused on the topic of the question. I made a list of the 6 specific segments of this question that needed clarification. I was really scared by this because it seemed so obtuse and like asking these questions was going to lead to a multitude of related tasks. I was sitting here with all the documentation in front of me 100% prepared to make the call.

I picked up the phone and dialed… a business friend (notice I justified the call by calling it business). This was a major stall move! After I checked in on an issue she’s wrestled with for the last week I did it. I said, “I need you to hold me accountable to making a call about Dad’s Estate.” And then, the tide turned. By asking LM to hold me accountable I had given myself the push to take the action I’d been avoiding and to make the call. I didn’t want to have to report that I was continuing to procrastinate. I was on my way to actually making the call (though with dread).

I picked up the phone and dialed – the people with the estate answers this time. Whayland said he couldn’t help me. My mind screamed, “Oh no, I knew this was going to be painful.” Wayland transferred me to Chuck. Twenty two minutes later I hung up the phone with my answers, confidence, and elation. It turned out these guys really did have the answers and it wasn’t going to require talking to a half-dozen people. The answers they gave me are manageable. The complexity I anticipated was 50 times what it actually is. And my procrastination is no more.

Of course I called LM immediately and told her the good news.

Now I have new, doable things on my ToDo list and can keep moving forward on Dad’s estate.

What have you been avoiding doing?

Why don’t you identify exactly what you’re avoiding and try telling someone about it. Be brave after you tell them about it and say, “Would you hold me accountable?” Feel free to offer a prize or penalty for yourself (whichever motivates you more). Watch and feel how your mindset changes once you’ve made your issue public. Override the procrastination and get that big thing done!

The Smead Corporation has developed a ‘must visit’ website for those who want to get more organized. Of course selling their terrific products is the impetus behind the website. And, they’ve put a lot of good information there while they’re at it. (I get nothing from them for saying these nice things.)

My favorite feature is the calculator -  because it makes the downside of disorganization vivid. That makes the upside of organization equally vivid. Try it now. 

Most companies that bring me in justify the cost with a Return on Investment that is less than one month. Often it’s a matter of a couple of weeks. That means the ROI to you learning productivity skills is also high.

You might like the personalized solution that is at My Organiomics. You’re asked a few questions then specific solutions, centered on Smead Products, are offered. Even if you aren’t attracted to some of the Smead products you might get a good idea for how to tweak your own supplies or system.

Look also at the Hot Topics offerings. The articles by Audrey Thomas of OrganizedAudrey.com are particularly well written and focused on the fundamentals. As I always say, doing the fundamentals very well over and over pays big dividends. Ask Tiger Woods or Michael Phelps – they stroke and swing to big payoffs.

In my quest to save trees and a bundle of my time by eliminating Junk Mail (an ongoing quest) I found a new tactic that might help you. Yes, this takes a few minutes. Yes, the payoff will go on for years!

After receiving a flyer for Team in Training from the Leukemia society I called them to stop all future mailing. The customer service rep is amazing – she was conversational and really understood my reasoning. The simple fact that she cared why beyond just checking a box on a screen was impressive.

After ensuring I would not receive future mailings I asked Helen where they got my name and address. She didn’t know but she IM’d her boss to see if he could cross-reference a code on the label to the source. He didn’t answer right away so she took my number and promised to call me back. And, she did! Clearly this is a post about great customer service too. After she called she followed-up with an email. Here is what she wrote:

—-start—-

Dear Susan,
Thank you for calling us today. Your address was supplied to us from a company called “PERFORMANCE BICYCLE CATALOG BUYERS”.

Have a great day,
Helen
LLS Support Services
SupportServices@lls.org

—-end—-

Of course I picked up the phone and called Performance to get my record marked as do not Share, sell, rent, etc. They were responsive so gave acceptable customer service.

Why didn’t I think to ask for the source cross-reference before…?! Better late than never. Hope this helps you too!

Yeah Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Do you get more solicitations for donations than you can stand? Are trees felled to simply support charitable organizations’ solicitation initiative which means junk mail to you? I have to say I admire how thoroughly many not-for-profits understand direct marketing – they know how many times to mail to you per month, what to say in those letters, when to include a self-addressed-stamped envelope or comment that your stamp will help support finding a cure for (fill in the blank) and a whole barrel of other things to get money into their bank account for their worthy causes. And, enough is enough.

As many of you readers know, my Dad passed away early this year. Putting a change of address at his post office has resulting in more solicitations per week than I used to get per year. I am the most persistent junk-mail reductionist you’ll ever meet. And I’ve found a new step to take.

First a reminder: Step 1 to stop junk mail is Opt-Out and the Direct Marketing association website. Here’s the first article on that here at the PCafe: Stop Junk Mail.

To stop the stuff coming to Dad I have a two action approach.

#1 – Open the solicitation. Cut out the portion of the letter that contains his (your) address. Put a bright post-it on requesting that this address be removed from the charity’s lists – all lists – and that you are Opting Out. Use the enclosed envelope (even if you have to put your own stamp on it) and send in your request.

#2 – Go to the charity’s website. Today I did the Alzheimer’s Association.
Find the ‘contact us’ button and click on it.
At the bottom of the page find the privacy policy link. Click on it.
Read until you find the section on mailing to you. At Alzheimer’s Association it said the following:

Your choice

We respect your privacy and recognize that you may wish to limit the ways in which we contact you. Simply send an e-mail to info@alz.org with the following information:

• To remove your name from mailing lists shared with other organizations, please provide your full name, mailing address and a sentence requesting removal.
  
• To remove your name from the Alzheimer’s Association postal mailing list, please provide your full name, mailing address and a sentence requesting suppression of your personal information in our files.
  

To review or correct your personal information with the Alzheimer’s Association, please provide your name and a sentence requesting a review or a correction.

Then, follow their instructions.

Be sure to put "Opt Out" in the subject line of an email.
Then, cross your fingers.

In his monthly newsletter, Balancing Act®, Alan Weiss writes succinctly about being organized and going overboard with order. Here is his article in full:

Regimen or compulsion?

My bias is that we need to organize parts of our lives that are important. This varies in its significance.

I suppose if someone knows where to find something quickly, that’s the point, no matter how bad the clutter may appear to an observer But I don’t want my surgeon asking no one in particular, "Where did I leave that clamp?"

Creating a regimen around an exercise schedule, or work responsibilities, or family obligations, or civic and social commitments, enables most people to be more efficient and, ironically enough, more flexible. (In common parlance: multi-tasking.)

But an excessive regimen can become a compulsion, which is the height of inflexibility and at the margins of a behavioral disorder. (OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder, refers to an obsession with an idea and a compulsion about behavior.)

I’ve met people who have decided to remove all fats from their foods, to the extent that they concoct strange replacements, the pursuit consumes their social lives, and, to me, they look far more unhealthy than if they allowed a moderate amount of fat to enter their systems.

Exercise is a great regimen, for mind and body, but the people I see running in rain, snow, fog, and other hazardous conditions I think are more compulsive than smart. Wouldn’t a treadmill suffice for that day? And would your health be drastically affected if you skipped one day? I work out three times a week with a personal trainer, but I don’t beat myself up when I can’t get there because of other commitments. Nor do I compensate for it through some forced exercise. (The trainer beats me up enough for the both of us.)

We’ve seen people whose desks are beyond orderly—the pencils must be the same length and aligned perfectly, the phone pad squared against the phone. We recognize that as "over the edge." But there are also subtle routines which also form compulsions which we too easily overlook.

An orderly life is sensible, but a compulsive one is not. Even "order" makes little sense when you sacrifice value for the sake of order. I’ve seen restrictions placed on guests, pets, and even children to the extent that I wonder why the guests, pets, and children were included to begin with. (I knew a woman so fastidious about her Mercedes that her husband, who bought the care for her, was forbidden to drive it.)

In many cases, I love my ducks in a row. But there are times when I just run through the bushes, because it seems like fun. And, interestingly enough, the ducks on my pond have yet to line themselves up in a row.

©2008 Alan Weiss

Do you have 2, 4, or 7 boxes of pasta in the pantry?
Do you shop at Sam’s Warehouse, Costco or BJs and buy things in bulk?
What’s in the freezer? Pounds of meat? Bags of shrimp? Containers of leftovers? Packages of frozen veggies?

How long could you prepare meals using the stuff in your cupboards, freezer and pantry? If it’s more than a week take the challenge – eat out of your pantry until you’re just about empty.

Here are the guidelines:

1. You start a menu with something that you have on hand. Let’s say it’s a can of chick peas, potatoes, rice, onions, frozen green beans, chutney, bananas that are starting to turn brown and frozen chicken breast.
2. You decide to make a dish or menu using those items. Let’s say chicken curry with the items above.
3. Put the extra ingredients you need to make the dish on your shopping list. Let’s say you need diced tomatoes to finish the ingredient list.
4. You purchase that item when you grocery shop for perishables like milk and fresh fruit.
5. You make the curry and use all those things out of your stores. And, let’s say you savor every bite!

Go to the top and start at 1. Again with another pantry item.

Repeat until the cupboards, freezer, and other extras are almost gone.

For fun mark your calendar with the date you start this project. Mark it again when you’re doing a replenish the staples shop which you don’t do until you think, "I feel like Old Mother Hubbard with Bare Shelves."

The benefits of doing this:

• You’ll use ingredients before they go bad or expire saving guilt & money
• You’ll be creative and resourceful – be proud of yourself
• You’ll be eating well! – enough said
• You might lose weight – depends on what type of recipes you choose, doesn’t it!?

I’ve been doing this for 8 weeks so far. I think I have 4 weeks more to finish using most of these extras.

____________________________

R & R (rest & rejuvenation) are the intentions behind the Friday at 5:00 entries. Often these are inexpensive and low key because you recharging your batteries can be more easily achieved without running around and doing, doing, doing. Your productivity is rooted in your energy being high. Your energy being high is rooted in recreation!

Most people are visual – picturing things allows us to make things happen. A bush that needs trimming sends us one signal, while a bush that was recently trimmed sends another. And, if we’re the one doing the trimming we have a starting look and a finished look that we’re cutting to achieve.

Would picturing the ‘end result’ work for you if you were clearing up the computer desktop? Is your screen full of icons for documents, spreadsheets, URLs, the recycle bin, shortcuts, folders and more? If you were to reduce the number of icons, would it make finding the ones you’re using easier? Well, the best place to start for you might be to picture what a streamlined, organized, and polished desktop would look like. The remake might include a soothing or plain background and a list of just 10 to 12 items. It might be ‘just like Ray’s’ (or insert your co-worker with a desktop that appeals to you).

This is like planning a drive from your house to Nashville. You have your starting point, what your desktop looks like now (home), and your ending point, what your desktop will look like then (the goal).

Visualizing works for a number of productivity and streamlining activities. Here are some examples:

• Emptying your Inbox – real or electronic
• Clearing the clutter from your brief case, office, closet, drawers, files, etc.
• Redo a room and have a photo from a magazine for inspiration
• Bills paid
• A shop floor from haphazard to systematized
• Tools from in a jumble in a tool box to hanging on the wall in attractive & useful order

What you can imagine & believe you can achieve!