“Organizing is sustainable, if your system is built around the way you think and designed to grow and adapt with you as your life and work changes.   In addition, like eating well and staying fit, organizing is a way of life that requires monitoring and ongoing effort until it becomes satisfyingly ingrained.“ [Organizing from the Inside Out · Julie Morgenstern · Henry Holt · 2004]

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Why do we never seem to find time to exercise?  Often, it gets put on the back burner, especially when other things come up.  Personal Fitness and Nutrition Coach, Taryn Perry, tells us how to put aside the excuses and keep health and fitness on the front burner.

As busy moms, dads, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and/or all of the above, there is always an excuse why you should put your fitness on the back burner.  Sound familiar?  Much like anything we do in our lives, most of it involves a commitment.  Your job.  Your family.  Your hobby.  Your future.  Why shouldn’t exercise be a part of that?  It does affect most aspects of your life and its future.  It sets an example for your children and determines the longevity of your life.  Isn’t that worth the commitment, in itself?

To know that taking care of your body by good nutrition and fitness can save you money on health care, would you make time for it?  If being fit meant that you could eliminate some of your daily medications, would you make time for it?  Likely, YES!  Carving out time for your exercise program can take as little as 20 minutes a day.  Those 20 minutes a day can easily be fit into the busiest of schedules.  The key is to SCHEDULING it and COMMITTING to accomplish it.  Make it as part of a daily to-do list.  We all have those, right?  Check it off as you work through your day.

“But when?,” you ask yourself.  Well, what works for me, is scheduling my workouts first thing in the morning.  Yup, that’s 5:30 am.  The alarm clock goes off at 5:00 am and I have 30 minutes to wake up and prepare myself mentally for my planned workout.  That way, nothing could get in the way or provide an excuse to push it further and further back, risking it never happening.  Right?  And as a bonus, I have an elevated amount of energy t get through my day.  I can use plenty of that chasing around my 2 kids all day!

The biggest misconception is that you need to exercise for hours on end to get any results.  NOT THE CASE.  Just get up and get moving.  Go for a brisk walk.  Play a pick-up game of basketball.  Hop on the elliptical at your gym for 20 to 30 minutes.  Press play with your favorite at home fitness trainer (I’m a huge fan of Tony Horton).  Do an interval workout.  In fact, interval training is the best, when short on time and wanting to maximize the results of your exercise commitment.

Whatever it takes to motivate you to get your body moving and elevate your heart rate for a short period of time, do it.  The trick is finding something you enjoy doing that is active.  There should be no excuse for the future of your health.

Please contact me if you’d like a consultation on a program that may be suitable for your fitness ability and time commitment.  There is always something for everyone.

Your partner in health & fitness,

Taryn Perry

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About the Author

I’m a stay-at-home mom of two wonderful and VERY active children. They truly are a blessing in my life and I’m so fortunate to raise them with my life partner and best friend. They inspire me to do great things in life and be a role model to help mold their future. After an 8-year career in Commercial Real Estate, I decided it was time for a change. It was also time for a change in my health and fitness.  After having 2 kids, I wasn’t going to “settle” for the figure these blessings left me with.  It was time to take charge and do something about it.  As a busy Mom, it’s easy to find excuses to why I can’t workout or find time to make a better lifestyle.  TRUST ME!  I’VE USED THEM ALL! Once I found success in my own health and fitness, I became a Personal Fitness/Nutrition Coach and Group Fitness Instructor.  I find the greatest enjoyment in helping others find a fun outlet for getting healthy.  My mission is to help others find a better quality of life. I want to help pave the way for a healthier future. I strive to help combat the rising trends of obesity, one child, one mother, one friend, at a time.

Connect with Taryn: Website | Email |  Facebook |  Twitter

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Greetings Readers…

On Sunday evening, about 8:15pm, I finally settled down to do this weekly post. It was a pretty good weekend all around BUT as far as “the best laid plans of mice and men”…(you see where I am going with this), :-) neither Pareto’s Rule nor a high grade in reaching all my task goals happened this weekend. I blame it partially on the great weather (yeah, that’s the ticket).

In all honesty, I did accomplish a few things on my list, with the help of my usual tech tools in assistance, but not to any great satisfaction.  In any event, if I didn’t have my usual assistance, it could have been worse! Speaking of which, I came across an interesting article from a NEW favorite blog of mine (thanks for the Twitter post, Deb). The site is The Time Management Ninja, and the post is entitled 9 Ways The iPad Will Change Time Management.

When I first learned of the iPad after it’s official release, I said what many have. “It’s pretty much a big iPod Touch” (being a 2nd gen iPod Touch owner myself), and I subsequently (without further investigation) wrote it off, saying I wouldn’t purchase one. Interestingly enough, after reading the above article, I changed my tune. What really became a catalyst to that change was that I was reading the article on my iPod Touch, while waiting for the barber to finish cutting my son’s hair. It was then that I really wished for, at least, a bigger screen. The article makes many other good points that I now subscribe to, especially since I was an early user (as a long time Apple fanboy) of their Newton MessagePad.  Without getting too deeply into it, I believe Apple was way ahead of it’s time with the Newton, despite it’s early demise. I still find ways to use my Newton MessagePad 2100, but believe the iPod Touch and iPad are today’s resurrection of it.

The issue, for me, lies in the fact that the iPod Touch, form factor and all, makes a great time management tech tool, mainly because of it’s size and portability. The iPad is even greater, but while screen size makes it easier on the eyes, that same size reduces it’s portability (see my post about how I frequently use the iPod Touch as a portable video player). I was exclusively using my iPod Touch as my PDA for a few years (before I got my Blackberry Curve), and the only downside was that I had to rely on an open wifi connection for any time management tasks that involved the internet. Then again, I had no net connection with the Newton either. Either way, I give the iPad a thumbs up but I feel it’s a bit too big, portability-wise.

I will happily take all monetary donations toward the purchase of one, though! (wink)

Have a productive rest of the week!

NASA knows what it’s like to move after being in the same place for a long time.  They’re ending their space shuttle program after 30 years.  Just like anyone who’s trying to clear out a home or office, it can be a daunting task.  The nice folks at NASA have been separating the good stuff from the space clutter, and are in the process of finding a home for all the things that are considered to be valuable.

How can you be like NASA when it’s time to move?

• Start the process early. When the folks at NASA realized the program would be ending in 2010, they started going through their inventory back in 2006.  They began to identify the pieces that were special enough to give a way.

• Identify “The Getters.” NASA has three space shuttles and they’ve already figured out that one of them, Discovery, will go to the Smithsonian.  Bonus:  “the getters” will have to take care of transporting/delivery of the shuttles.

• Use the Internet. NASA has posted several items with photos in specific categories (e.g., clothing, shuttle parts, etc.) on the web so that museums, universities, and other institutions can browse and choose the things they want.  You can use websites, like Craig’s List or Freecycle, to sell/give away items that you will not be keeping.
  

I love a fabulous vase.  They just make the flowers look that much better.  They even smell better, don’t you think?  Well,  maybe that’s a stretch. =)  I also love their various shapes, sizes, and textures.

I recently came across a different sort of vase – a flat, flexible one.  Yep, flat and flexible in a variety of colors.  Flat means it’s easier to store (i.e., less clutter), and colorful means you can change things up a bit without breaking the bank.  Just fabulous!

Ever heard of YouTube? Stupid question, I know.  I have an account and I bet almost everyone reading this article has one, too.  Sometimes, the videos are funny and other times, not so much. And, sometimes, they are just unexplainable.  Take, for instance, the popular YouTube craze called Hauls.   In these videos, people show off the junk, er, stuff they buy.  Why?  Because they can.  Would you believe that lots of people watch these haul videos?

I heard about this a few weeks ago on Marketplace (American Public Media), and like the host, I’m baffled by why this would be interesting to anyone.  Why watch someone talk about the things they bought and the reason why – especially when you don’t know them?? Is this another way to “fit in” by watching and getting what the popular kids buy?

Could it be just one more way to encourage over spending and over shopping?  Could today’s haulers turn into tomorrow’s hoarders?  Yes, I know there’s a difference between hoarding and over shopping, but there’s a line between the two that some people dance over.  Perhaps I’m looking at this too negatively. Perhaps these girls (and boys) are doing product reviews so that we can make the right purchases. Right?  Still.don’t.get.it.

You be the judge.  This video by beautycakez was viewed about 8,000 times.

I got a beret which is like a hat…

The next thing I got is just a MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.  I just wanted another one because I have one right now and I’m not really close to finishing it, but I just wanted to make sure I had one for when the school year starts.

“45% of senior executives felt that employees would be more productive if meetings were banned once a week.”

[Office Team · Let's Not Meet · 5.7.2009]

It’s hard to believe the official start of spring is only a few weeks away, but it is!  Warmer weather, silkier fabrics, bare skin, sandals… It’s fun to think about the new colors and patterns you want to bring in to your wardrobe, but you’ll want to get your closet ready first.  If you start now, it will be a painless process, and before you know it, you’ll be ready for the new styles and trends spring has to offer.

You know you’re going to want to store your out-of-season clothes (after first laundering or dry-cleaning them). But, how about editing your cold-weather wardrobe first? It will make getting them out of storage come next fall that much easier.  To identify keepers and discards, ask yourself a series of questions about each piece. A single “No” answer means the piece really should find a new home (that is, one that’s not in your home).

Here are the things to consider:

• Do I love it?
• Would I buy it again?
• Have I worn it in the last year?

There will be pieces about which you find yourself saying “No, but…,” things you’re reluctant to get rid of.  Some are real keepers, like a wedding dress (but that type of piece belongs in deep storage, not in your main closet.)  With your true maybes, see if you can give them a second life by creating new outfits with them or adding accessories you haven’t tried before. Then, if you still wish you could change out of that piece before you’ve even left home, because you still don’t love how you feel in it, it really is time to say goodbye. Start a give-away bag, and add that item to the pile. Repeat with all your fall-winter clothes, and don’t forget accessories like shoes, belts, scarves. If they’re worn, dated, or don’t make you feel great, out they go!

Once you’ve gone through this process, you’ll have a closet full of clothes you’ll be happy to see again next fall.  Bring on the warm weather — you’re ready!

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About the Author

Don’t love what’s in your closet? DC-based writer and image consultant, Ketura Persellin, helps her clients find the style that works for them, through personalized style assessments, color analysis, closet editing, personal shopping, and other services. For more information, visit www.TheWardrobeWorkshop.com.

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Hello, readers. Here’s hoping this post finds you well, as well as I felt on Sunday night. Most of the week has been an introspective one in that I have been thinking about how I could better organize my time. It’s more than just a planning process.  Time management, for me, is the very focus of Deb’s entire blog – organization resulting in revitalization.

For those of you who are familiar with The Odd Couple, the character Felix Unger is an obsessive compulsive neat freak. While I can’t claim such a personality, I can’t function efficiently in disorganization. I find that doing my daily planning in spaces that allow maximum focus and minimal interference works well for me.  While the environment doesn’t have to be library quiet, a clean, organized workspace is necessary to at least lay the foundation for the day’s activities.

My organized workspace – the most organized being my home recording studio – employs certain elements of feng shui that makes the process even more enjoyable. An integrated ability to manage time and resources requires skills not usually taught in the mainstream.  Are there many books and online resources that teach the foundations and methodologies of effective time management? Sure there are, however, I believe because everyone is different, cookbook approaches may not work for everyone. Once you understand your particular personality in areas of goal setting, planning, resource management, and the like, you can customize all that you learn to best work for you.

My first taste of organized time management came from my first job as an engineer over twenty years ago. I picked up tips that I still use to this day. They’re not ground breaking, but make sense to try.

1) Plan your next day the night before, just as you find that quiet time before retiring. Your mind is generally (keyword is generally) less active and can better assess what lies ahead without the daily distractions.

2) Find a quiet place to do so. Quiet, by definition, varies from one person to the next, but make it such that your thoughts flow freely. I usually like to have some chilled tracks playing as it relaxes me.

3) Have your calendar and contacts list handy, as well as any tech apps that you use to manage your time and schedule. If your email inbox is set up to filter important items you need to address, include that in the planning process.

4) Have your workspace as organized and clean as possible. I’m a sucker for workflow ergonomics with a ‘lil feng shui mixed in.  Many people often comment, “Wow, your recording studio is SO NEAT!” :-) A clean and organized space will help make the planning process go easier.

5) Visualize yourself accomplishing the goals you set for the time allotted (e.g., the next day, next few days, or week ahead).

6) Procrastination is a time management KILLER (I speak from great experience). Learning to conquer it is something that is forever on my plate. Start with the little things and watch them soon dissipate.

Lastly, I’ll leave you with a quote I often put at the top of my to-do list daily. NOTE: Pay particular attention to the very last part of it, for out of its entirety, the last part is key.

Failing to plan means planning to fail, so plan the work, and then work the plan.

Until the next time, wishing you increased productivity.

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Good news!  You can organize your books so that they are easier to find.  Not so good news:  you will likely need to sell or donate a few of them if you’re running low on shelf space.

Back to the good news… It’s helpful to use categories to locate specific books.  Add labels so that it’s easier to put them back in the right spot.

So, you can organize by…

• Category
  • Fiction
    • Alphabetically by author
      
  • Non-Fiction
    • Option #1: Subject (e.g., business, travel, crafts, etc.)
      
    • Option #2: Alphabetically by author within a particular subject
  • Genre
  • Children

• Color…get a little creative…
  

Organizing Bookshelves by Color ·  COLOURlovers

A Rainbow of Books:  Organizing by Color ·  Hooked on Houses

Organizing Books by Color ·  The Haystack Needle