Yesterday, I spent time in really going through 25 Best Time Managment tools and tips and some part of the Getting Things Done. With new found knowledge, I decided to put some learning into play.

I started the weekend (plus two days vacation time), with a goal to simplify the whole house! Instead, I have a vision for my life (at least as it stands currently) and values/standards or principles that I live (and want to) by.

Focusing on fulfiling those values, I have set goals for the year! Some of these are large and some are tiny, but they are there, with a deadline by which I want to get done. For example, Decluttering and finishing some decorative aspects for home has a deadline by June this year and yet another for spring/summer plantation. These are great project titles, but a project is only as good as its action items and and mini-milestone deadline dates. So, I put into play excel, outlook and notepad to jot down the "What needs doing", and "When it needs doing by" and "What I do need to (note: did not say "like to") do to get to end result". This system is out on trial! It is only as good as the efforts put in for its up keep. So, I am going to try it out for the month and do a review towards the end of the month on what worked or what didn't.

Pst: I will blog as I go to write what is working and what is not. Oh! and I am happy to report that my closets look spic-span with four categories: Keeping stuff, Donating stuff (already in my car and ready for Goodwill), Craiglist/Yard sale stuff, and finally Altering stuff (professional or me). It is fantastic to know that I had four black skirts! a zillion other shirts that were way-way to big for me (yeah, I still had them). Also, completely categorized my yarn stash, with yarn-don't-remember-what-I-am-going-to-do-with-you, and ongoing-not-yet-completed-knitting/crocheting-projects.

All in all! I would say a perfectly productive and getting loads of things done and all of them feed into fulfiling my vision! Simplification is Sweet!

Few days back (Friday to be exact), after successfully simplifying the desk at work, I turned my attention to the 50 hours planned marathon for simplifying the environment at home. Here is a little update on the same.

On Saturday, I received two books that made me take a step back and rethink the vision and goals. The first book "The 25 best time management tools and techniques" and "Getting things Done". Both incredible books! I had a choice to make, either continue down the path of marathon cleansing or take the time and figure out what these books are saying. Learning something new took precedence.

So, this Monday, I find myself abstracted away from the home into the wonderful starbucks cafe in my town. Fortified with a Grande Gautemalan slow roast coffee with skim milk, I studied the 25 best time management tools and techniques.  As I read and did all the exercises, what struck me immensely is that, this in not the book for "do this- and -you will better manage x time". It would be indeed comical, if the book said that! As I read, I found myself really asking myself what is my vision for life and work? what do I want to achieve? what are the essential focus items for me? This is not a to-do list, but a living breathing statement, that will evolve and mature (as I hope to too!).

Great! So, I have a vision and mission statement! The 25 tools and tips talks about distilling a focus (inline with my values and vision) and then setting goals, planning, organizing, taking action, reviewing the goals and then redo the cycle. All this is really good read! Now what! here is when I think Getting Things Done is an awesome book. I just started to read the book and it talks about the five stages to go about getting it really done! Not just talking about do this and don't do that! More about this when I get down to it.

Away from the maddening crowd and into the home clutter. That is exactly what I will be doing for the next 96 hours. Er... no. considering that it is four days, and I need to catch up on sleep, so minus 32 hours. Also I have my weekend 6-8 hour second job, so minus 8 hours. I have the weekly wine education and tasting to attend, so minus 4-6 hours (roughly). So really I have 96 hrs - 46 hrs = 50 hours.

I have 50 hours (Sat-Tue) to get my house spring cleaned and contribute to the life simplified- home blog archive. I have a plan and the challenge is to keep to the plan. I think it is doable, but four days from now we will know.

The focused zones for the four days:

1. Work Room and Filing sections.
2. One (of the many) bedrooms.
3. Kitchen...... ah! ouch! don't know about this one.... may be I need two days just for this. I think it is relatively organized. But, I think it needs a little more TLC.
4. Living and Dining rooms.... piece of cake! There is very little and very Zen already. Now, what do i do with all those TV and electronic wires! Everything should be wireless! Godsake we are in year 2008!
5. Porch and bookshelves... another simple task! Not much attention needed. Loads of spring work from caulking, painting and finishing to do here, but is already in Zen space.

I will blog as I go! But for now, a fantastic red wine, and the movie hitman with incredibly gorgeous Tim (Give me a break! Its Friday!). ;)

Only a week late! But it is Friday, and it was a perfect day (with the weather being all messy and raw), to complete the spring clean that was started eight days ago.

Several accomplishments (and I highly recommend this too all) to report from the clean up:

1. Like I said previously, orchids stay where they are. And they are with simple rearrangment and all is well. Also, Sunday, I am going to drive back to work to transport all personal items (all those that managed to sneak into the office and make themselves home there), and some of the orchids are coming home too.
2. Next tackled the three drawers full of stuff.
   1. No idea, what stuff, so I took the opportunity to re-acquaint myself with the stuff hiding in there. This needed the recycling bin next to me. Whatever I have not used, read, written over or required to refer got tossed into the recycling bin. Felt really relieved to get rid of items that were printed and outdated.
   2. I found two scotch tapes, two staple pin removers, old business cards, paper clips about a 100, 15 cents in change, a pair of warm socks (there they are!), wonderful black sandles (oh! there they are!), four spoons (clean, for heavens sake!), old rotting-instant-coffee granule pack (yuk!), old tea packs, clean (thankfully) plastic containers, file holders, plastic folders empty, employee manuals, travel (outdated) manuals, expense reports (old and all paid out), budgets for contractors and zillion little nick-nacks. Each of the items got 10-15 second consideration and it landed one of the four piles:
      1. Keep
      2. Take Home
      3. Send back to Mail room
      4. Toss in trash.
   3. Funnily... actually not funnily, interestingly and happily most of them were in either 3 or 4. :) I am  glad that the trash is not simply being moved from one place to another (namely work to home).
3. Stuff that stayed on the table are of course, laptop, monitor (actually two of them), mouse, keyboard, stapler, three-punch hole machine, and hmmm.. orchids! :) I am pleased with the outcome.
4. Additionally, happy to report that the stuff I thought I was going to move into the drawer space to keep the desktop clean, either made it to a mail room or the trash.

Habits learned (or rather plan to work on):

1. Clean desk before leaving for the day.
2. Store items back and clean up for the day before leaving.
3. ah!... don't collect crap and don't bring stuff from home. If stuff-gathering is unavoidable, then keep in transient file. So, toss out when done. :)

Lofty habits, but worth trying them. :)

Duh! No camera, will take a picture on Sunday when I swing by.

Few weeks ago, I kicked off Life Simplified. Somehow, with the whole Las Vegas trip, the simplification went on the backburner. However, my Tackle Chart (Vision Board) stayed up and right in front of my face, so re-focusing attention to it was much easier.

Towards checking off items from the list and considering that we are few hours away from 2008 Spring Equinox, the office space has been on the receiving end for cleaning and de-cluttering. Also, two of resources I have been reading (thanks to one of the presentations at work) have inspired me to take action; Zen Habits and Unclutterer. I might not go completely the route of getting rid of everything that is on the desk, but at least non-essentials are either getting placed back in the drawer (or trash if I really don't need) or (better yet) moved it back to the office mail-supply room.

Some rules:

1. Orchids are staying right where they are (I have my priorities in correct order (hee hee)!).... or moved around just for variety. Some of them are coming home with me. :)
2. Why print? Save paper! Make it electronic! Ah! Somethings still need printed paper, such as expense reports, employee manuals, employee updates, possible (or probable reviews), reading material for the bus-ride to and from work and what? Dunno, there may be more in here.
3. The three-hole punch, stapler, lined postit and couple of pencils/pen will stay on the desk. Interestingly, these are all accessories to do with paper. If I don't need paper as much then do I need these accessories? Hm! Food for thought. Perhaps when I clean out the drawers, then I can place them in there and off the desk space.
4. Ok! I have to have the phone on my desk.
5. Box of tissues.... I cannot live without.
6. Rest is all history! :)

Now that the grand utopian desk is set, I am going to tackle the three drawers of complete chaos on Friday. :)

Like minded people got together to put forth ideas and chanllenges for making life more simplified.

For a while now, I have been striving to simplify life and come to realize that it takes dedication, discipline and there are no magic buttons (or wands). On the bright side, there just knowing that I need to simpllify, has opened several avenues hetherto un-travelled. 

So, what does simplification mean to me? To me, it first and foremost means being organized, prompt, and uncluttered. This thought may evolve as time goes by and I have walked some of the new avenues and made some different choices. Can you simplify without being organized? Perhaps one can, but not me. So, towards simplification, my first goal is to be organized and uncluttered. Just the thought of the same is very liberating. It really is! But, a great thought is just that a great thought, and really not concrete until put into practice!

The plan is to get organized! Far more easily said than done. Perhaps breaking it down into Environment and Behavior might a good approach! Hmm, sounds better... lets start with Environment, which is obviously the easiest one! :)

What should be done to have an organized Environment? Environment being home, office and immediate surroudings. There is tones that can be done, and not being overwhelmed is just the start! Tackle Chart! That is what I have.... a Tackle Chart... simply said, it is a To Do List on steriods or a Vision Board with To do's. Over the weekend, that is what I have got a Tackle Chart. Some of the items on it, are simple like.... clean closet, complete taxes forms. These items are posted with little yellow postits (this _must_ be fun)! Whilst tackling these tasks, I am sure I am going to find some simple processes and behaviors, which are going to feed into the behavioral aspects.

What should be done to instil organized Behavior? I dunno yet! But as I do the environment organizing I am hoping that some of the processes and behaviors will come to light.

More to follow.....