Don’t Start Touching Things…First VIS-U-AL-IZATION

Start with the end in mind. We do this in our paid work, but now we need to do it for our meaty project. I know it’s so exciting when you have all your supplies. But to be most effective, I want you to have a meaningful start. When you are done, come Labor Day, how does it look? AND how does it function? Will it effectively support you during the upcoming most productive weeks out of the year?

• Teacher

  • When you think about going to school, how do you envision the Teacher Friday Workbox® effectively helping you with your administrative tasks? Compile the paper and slash pockets you need to make it a reality. Maybe set up a table in the corner of a room as your project station for the summer. Communicate with your family and remind them about planned neglect.

• Organizing Your Paper

  • The first few steps are very much like starting the Teacher Friday Workbox®. And you get to start once you have time blocked out on your calendar. How much paper will you go through at time? Starting a Sunday Basket®? Consider the Paper Organizing Retreat or hire a professional paper organizer to help. And then plan it on your calendar.

• Organizing Your Health Journey

  • When spaces are modified to support goals, goals are more likely achieved. Again visualize how the kitchen will best support your new goals. If it’s losing weight, visualize how you want it to look. I know I’m looking forward to a half full refrigerator and replacing some items I will hand down to Abby and getting some new ones I have my eye on.

• Personal Development/Personal Spaces

• • Reflect! This is time you are setting aside to reflect on who you are and what you want. I strongly encourage you to attend Embrace. I’d start there because you may find you want to do something different than before Embrace. This is also a time to think about your wants. It’s not like “I deserve this.” No, maybe you have wanted something and everyone else has their needs met…go ahead and dream. And if it’s in the budget, get it! What do you want your life to look like?

• Getting Your Kids Organized

• • Dream with your kiddos how their rooms could look. Consider your budget and make a plan. I noticed I did this about every three years. Your kids have grown and are now different people. Make sure you know how you will do it because once you tell them they will want to start tomorrow!

• Organizing Your Family & Communal Spaces

• • Just visualize functionality. I remember this lady who had a perfect home and when a magazine came to take pictures, they replaced some of her decor! It was in that moment that I realized even perfect isn’t perfect. These are communal spaces and they will not stay organized long at all. This is the first floor of a two story home. Plan it out on your calendar when you will do each room and in what order.

Focus

Since this is your summer long project, I want you thinking about it all the time. On the way to the grocery store you may have a great idea come to you; write it down. And the next time you get 5 minutes or 3 hours, you can implement that idea!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Teacher Friday Workbox®

• Paper Organizing Retreat

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Embrace Self-Guided Retreat

• Kids Program

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Now that you know all about Annie, it’s time to learn about her Teacher Pilot. Annie was part of the Teacher Friday Workbox® Mastermind. And she had lots of ideas. So when I put feelers out to see who wanted to run a pilot, Annie raised her hand high. Annie had been using the Teacher Friday Workbox® and she wasn’t shy about it. When Annie’s school hosted a “choose your own adventure” personal development day, Annie offered to teach about organization and the Teacher Friday Workbox®. From there, interest grew and we were able to narrow down our pilot participants.

I think everyone is in agreement that while massages are nice, to give yourself peace of mind and ease at work feels more like self care! I went on a little sidebar about self care. Self care is such a buzz word among Annie and her peers. But what actually provides long lasting self care? You know, child care and elder care is noted because someone else has to administer that care. But self care, you are the one administering it and it too needs to be done daily. But it’s invisible. Self care is not “in addition to,” but it should be baseline - like we all need daily self care!

The lucky kindergarten and 5th grade teachers would be the grades piloting implementing the Teacher Friday Workbox®. And one of Annie’s 4th grade teachers got to sneak into the program too. At the beginning of the pilot, Annie asked each participant to give 10 sentences about how they felt about their current organization and hopes of the program. They got training on how to set up the box and systems. Annie offered additional training throughout the year and during one of their personal development days, she offered for them to see how she had her Teacher Friday Workbox® set up. Annie asked for feedback in February too so she could see their progress. They all said that was extremely helpful. As we saw in Jayme’s pilot, each teacher implemented the Teacher Friday Workbox® in different ways. The teachers all want to stay in the pilot and continue to report their wins. Annie noticed it took her three years to hit that sweet spot and she assumes it will for her colleagues too. The overall feedback though was gratitude for this solution. They are excited, even asking for training over summer. Annie agreed and reminded them they also get to attend Teacher Camp coming up in July!!

Let’s face it: Teachers are not digital and we need to offer non-digital solutions to promote teacher retention. I know this is a big ask. But at the end of the day when we meet the needs of our teachers, they will meet the needs of our students. When you move forward with the Teacher Friday Workbox® for your teachers, make sure to provide time for them to effectively learn how to use the Teacher Friday Workbox® and customize it for their classrooms.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Teacher Friday Workbox®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Alright, we’re at step one of the meaty project you have decided on. We’re talking prep. We need to wrap our minds around what we are doing, when we are doing it, and our budget.

Declutter

You may already have some stuff in mind that you have been wanting to get rid of but got held up not knowing what to do with it. I say give it away, donate to donation centers that will recycle or resale the items. Or trash it. Many companies will come out and pick up large items, or get a dumpster and fill it up to your heart's content. And of course, you need to set time aside on your calendar to complete this decluttering. You must be intentional.

Prep

We talked about this in the last episode. Decide on your budget and get your supplies. I always say buy in advance what you think you will need. We are planning this project to be done in August so…save your receipts in the back of the slash pocket you used to plan this project. With supplies on hand, you can stay in that project energy. At the end, return the items you didn’t use. And prepare your family. Let them know your planned neglect tactics you will be practicing. And let them know your timeline and what to expect!

• Teachers - Getting organized and ready for the most productive fall

  • Declutter: Your classroom and Teacher Workbox before you leave for summer.

  • Prep: Your calendar and block off Teacher Camp and try to join us live; such great energy to be surrounded by.

• Organizing Your Paper

  • Declutter: Decide when and how much you will go through at a time and designate where the keep pile will go.

  • Prep: Block off the Paper Retreat or seek out the local help of a professional paper organizer.

• Organizing Your Health Journey

  • Declutter: Toss all expired items (also consider vitamins) or items that do not support your health journey, from your pantry and refrigerator. And declutter the kitchen - Revisit The Productive Home Solution® section for the Kitchen.

  • Prep: Schedule time daily to track in an app or plan the day for success.

• Personal Development/Personal Spaces

• • Declutter: Daily plan for 15-30 min to declutter personal spaces. AM? PM? When is best for you?

  • Prep: Sign up for Embrace and try your hardest to join us live!

• Getting Your Kids Organized

• • Declutter: Go through the Kids Program. Kids stuff sells so consider a garage sale within two weeks of hearing this podcast!!

  • Prep: This is kind of declutter and prep together. But as you get through the Kids Program, you can buy clothes once the closet is decluttered, buy paint once another section has been watched and implemented. You get the idea. You could put together a fun calendar for your kids to follow along with the plan.

• Organizing Your Family & Communal Spaces

• • Declutter: Let your family know your plan and what to expect. This may be the project to call in Junk King. They’ll come into your home and remove any items for you that you have delayed tossing for this reason - you needed muscles LOL

  • Prep: Decide what is no longer serving you and your home. Plan the time on your calendar when you will complete this task.

I know, we didn’t even start! LOL!! Next week we will begin all the fun now that we are decluttered and prepped!!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Teacher Friday Workbox®

• Paper Organizing Retreat

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Embrace Self-Guided Retreat

• Kids Program

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!