(I wrote this e-newsletter in January but somehow it didn't make it onto my archive list. You'll have to use your imagination as I refer to the beginning of the year!)

Hello Everyone!

We're well into the new year now. How's it going for you? I've always been energized by the promise of new beginnings; you too? What have you started this month that you plan to continue all year long?

The thing that really holds true for me this time of year is that there's a renewed sense of hope. Hope that with a fresh start, just about anything is possible. So, once again, I'm focused on weight loss and like my friend quips, I'm on a 'savings spree'. I hope this is the year that some of your wildest dreams come true too!


It's a wrap!

Preceding each new beginning, there's usually a marked ending.

As you continue to plan for 2011, some goals may appear so large and in the distance that they feel absolutely ominous. One way to sanely attend to them is to create and follow project time-lines. Become a Project Manager in your own life! Here's an over-simplified example:

If, in December, you need to have your financial summaries ready for tax prep...
you'll need to get your reports from your bookkeeper.

If, you need to get your reports from your bookkeeper...
you'll have to send him/her your receipts and deposit slips monthly.

If, you need your receipts and deposit slips in order...
you'll need to have written the clients' name on them each time.

If, you need to identify the client on the deposit slip...
then, it would be handy to have a pencil and deposit slips in the car glove box!

Essentially you're walking backwards from each large goal to identify the myriad of necessary steps to progress in the appropriate sequence. This discovery process may end up highlighting a seemingly insignificant 'something' - in this case, putting deposit slips in the car. These time-lines are also a very sneaky way to ward off procrastination because you've parceled out a large project into many tiny manageable steps.

By the way, did you take a look back over 2010 to see where you've been? There's something about acknowledging the joys and the concerns, the successes and the difficulties on the path I've just walked that better prepares me to take on new challenges. It's almost a gentle push that ensures I'm starting new adventures without any excess baggage. I'm going to try to journal a bit throughout the year so that at year's end, I can accurately reflect on it.

I hope you feel good about each passing year. Consider taking time to congratulate yourself for jobs well done, games well played, life well lived. Well, heck. I'll take the time to sing your praises now: Yeah Baby! Keep up the good work! Rock on! Atta girl/boy! Hoo-rah! Keep on truckin'! (Oops, I think I may have gone too far!) ;D)


Plan your work; work your plan!

If you're like many entrepreneurs and small business managers, you're spending a significant amount of time planning for the year. Very important work indeed! If getting organized is on your list of things to accomplish in 2011, give me a call.

Organizing is what I do best and it's what I love to do. And believe me, once you're better organized you'll be better at everything else you do too!

Best Wishes for this Brand New Year!

Simply,

Maureen Heinen
Send In Maureen, LLC

"Due to a typing error, the U.S. sends in the Maureens." W. Pauluk

Is time moving a little too fast for you too?

Harold Taylor, the Canadian time management expert touts that you can't manage time. The best you can do is to make sure you spend the limited time you have (the same amount of time we all have) with the people and things that mean the most to you.

Hmmm... I guess you'd have to know exactly who and what are at the top of your priorities. So, when was the last time you sat down and contemplated what belongs on that exclusive list?

Hint: now's a good time!


Rock 'n Roll!

Stephen Covey of Franklin Covey and all the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" books says we have to fill our container with the 'big rocks' first. Those being the most important things in our lives: our family and closest friends, our 'life's work', the things that feed our body and soul. Only after we attend to them do we add the 'little rocks' (some may be important, but not necessarily the most vital things).

While it takes a certain degree of discipline to keep us from wasting our precious time, if those big things we initially identified really are big things, it's worth it. My advice: schedule important people, places and things into your day way ahead of time. And don't forget to schedule time with yourself to exercise, rejuvenate and have fun. (That's what's often referred to as 'sharpening the saw'.)

Don't let another week go by where you said something was important to you but you didn't actually spend time with it. Utilize your most energetic time of the day for your most important tasks (and people). Conversely, use your least peak times for more mundane tasks (did someone mention filing?). Julie Morgenstern, the world-renowned professional organizer wrote a book to help you with all that: "Never Check E-Mail In the Morning: And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work".

But what about all those other things that take up so much time? When are you going to find the time to do them? Establishing mini-routines at the beginning and end of each day can serve several purposes. It has a centering effect, it gets you on somewhat of a predictable schedule, and it insures that you attend to them on a regular basis.

My morning mini routine involves things like quickly posting to social media, following up with contacts from the day before and loading supplies into my car from my garage inventory. My evening routine includes making a note of the commitments I've made that day, prepping my receipts/deposit slips for my bookkeeper and putting away things to prevent a clutter buildup by week's end. And I'm not talking about hours each day, just minutes. But that's the beauty of mini routines. Work at things a little bit each day and you keep up with them. If you put it off and wait until the end of the week, you're likely to be overwhelmed with all you have to do.

Another tool to help you keep up is to have standard checklists for daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly tasks. I'll cover checklists in another newsletter soon.

One last thing... after you've identified the most important things in your life, take a good look at the 'time wasters' that might be lurking around every corner. Here's where you need to get ruthless! Mindless TV shows wouldn't be a big or even a little rock. Or shopping for the heck of it. Or leafing through junk mail. Stop wasting your time on things that don't serve you. Your time is worth more than that. You're worth more than that!


Discriminating taste...

Take time to think about the life you want to create for yourself. What's important, vital, essential, valuable, critical, necessary, useful, precious, loved or cherished? That's what (and who!) you want to fill your life with! Take a discerning look at the 'things' in your world. If they don't fall into these categories, maybe it's time to be ruthless. Have the courage to let go of things that don't serve you, that don't bring value to your life. It may not be easy, especially at first. But it is worth the time and effort. You are worth the time and effort!

And make a point not to bring in new possessions unless they meet that criteria as well. A side benefit of that whole process is that you will have less 'stuff' to deal with overall. And it'll certainly be easier to 'keep up' with it all when it has demonstrated value to you.

If you need a little help determining the mini routines or checklists that would really serve you the best, consider contacting me. I can help you with 'values clarification' and making the most out of the 24 hours you have each day. It's not rocket science but it often requires a thoughtful process with someone who does it all the time.

And remember, being organized is just another way of being prepared. With simple and sustainable systems in place, you can prepare your home for guests, prepare your office for productivity, prepare your life for fun and relaxation! But don't forget to...

Keep It Simple Sweetheart!

Simply,

Maureen Heinen
Send In Maureen, LLC

"Due to a typing error, the U.S. sends in the Maureens." W. Pauluk

Are you familiar with The Blue Sky Guide? That great coupon book that lists savings for everything from yard and garden to dining and entertainment? Well it's now called The Chinook Book and for the first time, Send In Maureen has a coupon in it! (I also have a limited supply of the Chinook Books available for purchase. Just let me know if you want one.)

Wishlists & 5 Year Anniversary

Is it Spring yet? You'd think it was months off with the temperatures so low the last couple of days. Need something to hold you over until Spring really arrives? How about a celebration? Send In Maureen is now 5 years old! YAY!!!!! Time for a little soiree, don't you think? Scroll down for all the particulars and be sure to Save The Date: 3/22/11

I just love March! It's my anniversary, it's the heralding of spring and more of my wonderful organizing clients contact me than in any other month of the year! It's so much fun to work with people who are eager to leave those dark winter months behind and start to bring new energy into their home or business. It must be a 'creature' thing. No matter how complex our human brains are, we're still so often affected by the change of seasons, the lunar cycles and who knows what other strictly natural factors. So we might as well put those 'animal urges' to good use, yes?

Music, Movies, Books, Oh My!

If you're like me, you come across titles of CD's, books or movies that you're interested in but you don't want to buy one every time you think of it. So how do you keep track of these 'someday' items?

You can create 'wish lists' on iTunes and Amazon! You can even create accounts at the local county libraries.

Want to listen to a few songs before you buy the CD? Go to YouTube and watch the videos. It's a great way to test the waters before you commit. You can also purchase individual songs on iTunes without shelling out for the whole CD. Then you can make your own mix CDs of your favorites! (Don't forget to click on SendInMaureen's link on YouTube for a few little videos and a quick laugh!)

If you're not inclined to tackle learning how to use these sites yet, you can go about it in other ways. Create an entry (as if you're recording a name and address) in Outlook or Google Contacts (or your Address Book on Mac). Name it something like 'Media Wishlist' and add the titles whenever they come to mind.

Want to do it all without using the computer? Keep a paper file or a notebook to house your various 'interests'. Beyond your standard Financial, Legal, Medical documents, you can have files that contain any information you want to keep track of. Don't let little slips of paper and Post It notes overrun your desktop. Put these items in a file so you can retrieve them easily. Name it 'Interests - music' or 'Interests - books' and all your Interests files will be neatly nestled together. (Cozy!)

Spring into Action!

Don't know where to start? Just begin by thinking about your goals for your space. Do you want to find things more easily? Have less 'stuff' overall? Create a simpler, lovelier environment? You don't have to know 'how' to achieve these goals; that's where we professional organizers really shine. You just have to imagine the results you want to achieve. Then call me. I'll help you do the rest.

Organizing is what I do best and it's what I love to do. And believe me, once you're better organized you'll be better at everything else you do too!

Simply,

Maureen Heinen
Send In Maureen, LLC

"Due to a typing error, the U.S. sends in the Maureens." W. Pauluk

Celebrate, celebrate...

dance to the music!

Need another reason to celebrate this spring? How about an anniversary party? This month Send In Maureen is 5 years old! And YOU are invited to a lovely little soiree from 4:00 to 6:00pm on Tuesday, March 22nd.

Let's see... that's 4 on 3/22/11... what could those numbers possibly mean? How about lively conversation and easy networking with great folks enjoying nummy refreshments and enough luck to win lots of drawings for cool door prizes? (Did I mention 'good parking'?)

Visit the link below for all the information and to RSVP:

http://5yearsofsendinmaureen.eventbrite.com/

4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011
Roseville Professional Building
(basement conference room)
2233 North Hamline Avenue
St. Paul MN 55113

See you there!

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter archive

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter archive