I remember when I used to put down multi-tasking as one of my strengths on my resume. I now realize how much of a weakness multi-tasking actually is. Instead of getting 3 tasks done at once I’m actually not paying attention to any of these tasks and am performing them poorly. This pretty much happens every time I try to multi-task. If I’m on the phone and looking at my e-mail I can actually end up saying words in the e-mail to the caller or I have absolutely no idea what I’ve just read or heard. It’s not effective and it ends up wasting time, not saving time.
The problem with multi-tasking is that in an effort to do more than one thing at once your mind ends up concentrating on the wrong bits of information. What actually happens is that the useless information ends up being what your mind remembers while the important information gets lost. What’s the point of holding onto useless information?
The other problem is that if you are thinking of or doing more than one thing at a time, how can you possibly care about either task if you can’t even provide those tasks with the concentration they deserve? Often your brain is overtaxed so you stop caring and that can lead to a whole host of problems, sociopathic behavior being one of them. I’ve met sociopaths and while I find it slightly fascinating that they can lie to your face and actually accept that lie as the truth, I don’t like surrounding myself with people who aren’t truthful. Since relationships, whether personal or business, are what drives us, how can you nurture these relationships if you don’t care enough to listen attentively to your boss, your client or your child? Will they continue to keep coming to you to help them solve a problem if they feel you don’t care? People tend to do business with those people they like so spending a meeting on your blackberry instead of listening isn’t likely to get you on their Top 10 Most Popular Businesses list.
Stress levels actually increase quite a bit when multi-tasking. This is because your mind is trying to do something it shouldn’t (doing 2 or more things at once) and it’s incredibly stressful. Think about what happens when you are totally in the moment and concentrating on one thing. Think of how focused your mind is, how you seem to get motivated and the work or effort produced is greater than at other times. Think of how happy that type of concentration ends up making you. It’s like when I go skiing. My favorite run in Stowe, VT is Goat. Goat is narrow, full of moguls, tree roots, rocks and ice. If I am not concentrating solely on skiing and where I am heading, I could seriously injure myself. Yet skiing down this run makes me incredibly happy, nearly giddy because I know it’s one of the few times when I get the sheer pleasure of being in the moment of skiing down a beautiful mountain and relying on the skills I have worked an entire life on to get me safely down the hill and I can’t be thinking about whether or not I paid a bill or whether or what to talk about in my next newsletter. I find that because I’m in the moment my creative juices start flowing and ideas will just come because I’m allowing my brain a bit of a rest for once.
There is something to be said about taking the time to smell the roses, of being in the moment, of enjoying where you are at instead of concentrating solely on where you’re going. Multi-tasking robs us of these precious moments and the statistics are coming back in loud and clear: it’s a nasty habit that no one benefits from. So the next time you start thinking about doing 2 things at once try to stop for a moment: take a breath and do just one thing at a time. See if you do it better that way. See how more relaxed you are and how better your work gets.
Start helping others to make this change. I’m hoping we’ll stop trying to multi-task since I never did quite get the hang of trying to listen and hear at the same time. I can’t process two people speaking to me at the same time and I never will figure out how to do so effectively. It usually stresses me out since I can’t choose which one to listen to so I hear none of either of them. Now that I understand the ramifications of trying to do so, I’m okay with never having mastered that “skill,” especially after learning that multi-tasking can lead to sociopathic-type behavior and may contribute to Alzheimer’s. I can do without developing either of those traits. I hope others can too.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Friday, December 4, 2009
Making It From Black Friday to NYE Successfully & Happily
Thanksgiving is over and Black Friday arrives. I always get the feeling I should be amongst those shoppers on that dreadful day, fighting my way through the crowds in order to get the best price on the latest iPod. Except the thought of being the mix of a frenzied crowd brings terrifies me…and irritates me. I know my limits and avoiding Black Friday like the plague is amongst them.
That being said, I always get stressed about the holidays. Am I buying gifts that people will like? Am I keeping to my budget (rarely)? Should this person get a holiday card even though I never hear from them? Will I get everything done on time and how can I avoid turning what should be a warm, fun holiday spent gathered with people I love into one of dread and stress?
Well, first off, I try to remember that I should be enjoying this time and then I make a plan. Knowing in advance what I will need helps me to plan out when I need to purchase the items, bake the cookies, send out the cards and it keeps me in line with my budget. It also helps me to avoid the stress of poor planning so now I rarely forget people and I find my stress levels are lower. The plan doesn’t have to be over-the-top, just a simple list of what I need for who and when is helpful to keep myself organized.
Holiday cards; most men don’t have to deal with this. I’m not sure why, but men are forgiven and rarely expected to send out cards. They are lucky. Then again, they probably don’t receive many cards themselves and I really like getting cards in the mail and hearing what others are up to or just reading the simple note. Which brings me to my next point: if you send out cards – keep the list shorter than the dictionary. Send out e-cards if you are so popular you have that many friends. If not, weed those people off the list you never speak to, don’t particularly care for, or who are too lazy to send you a card with anything other than their name on it. They’re not making an effort, why should you?
The art of gift giving. Some people are lucky, they have everything they possibly could want or need. Those who must buy those people gifts are not as lucky. So this year, I realized that after surviving through part of this recession that I am really lucky. I have everything I need and so do those people I intend to buy gifts for. So instead of racking my brain for a gift they’ll like and instead of going with the token bottle of wine or scented candle, I turned to Heifer International , Ocean.org, the Cancer Society, and the local animal shelter where my dad adopted his cat as a way to give gifts that can’t end up dusty in the back of a closet. I purchased honey bees, chicks, a hammerhead shark, and a baby seal on behalf of the people I love so we could give back to the planet in some small way. I have to say, I feel fabulous about these gifts which is a nice change from carting around heavy items and wondering if I picked out the right item. I couldn’t go wrong this year and I waited in no lines. Just pick a charity you think that person would also support. My aunt had cancer and is now healthy so I’m contributing to the American Cancer Society.
I’ve also been pacing myself. I do a little bit at a time instead of waiting for a Saturday in which to kill myself in a race to get everything done. It is satisfying and I feel a lot less stressed. I practice doing a little at a time for most things and I find I always get everything done on time. Not forcing myself to do it all at once helps me do better work, stay interested, stay on task and not feel like I need to tear my hair out. Whether it’s housecleaning, purging old files or clothing, or even shopping for gifts or groceries, it doesn’t need to be done all at once at the same time. Remembering I can do it all, but not all at the same time helps me keep what’s important in perspective.
My mother actually used to do a little at once over the holidays and managed to make a game out of it for us kids. Every day we’d come home from school to find she’d put up a few new decorations. This way she wasn’t doing it all at once and we got to figure out what was new and where she had placed it. It was very fun. Again, doing a little at a time makes the process easier, more enjoyable and it still gets done on time.
Speaking of mom’s they seem to be the one’s who do nearly everything in preparing for the holidays. Just remember that they need and deserve to be helped. Husbands can do their part and even small children can learn how to help as well. Offering to help someone during the holidays may be the greatest gift you can ever give them.
May you all have a happy and healthy holiday season.
That being said, I always get stressed about the holidays. Am I buying gifts that people will like? Am I keeping to my budget (rarely)? Should this person get a holiday card even though I never hear from them? Will I get everything done on time and how can I avoid turning what should be a warm, fun holiday spent gathered with people I love into one of dread and stress?
Well, first off, I try to remember that I should be enjoying this time and then I make a plan. Knowing in advance what I will need helps me to plan out when I need to purchase the items, bake the cookies, send out the cards and it keeps me in line with my budget. It also helps me to avoid the stress of poor planning so now I rarely forget people and I find my stress levels are lower. The plan doesn’t have to be over-the-top, just a simple list of what I need for who and when is helpful to keep myself organized.
Holiday cards; most men don’t have to deal with this. I’m not sure why, but men are forgiven and rarely expected to send out cards. They are lucky. Then again, they probably don’t receive many cards themselves and I really like getting cards in the mail and hearing what others are up to or just reading the simple note. Which brings me to my next point: if you send out cards – keep the list shorter than the dictionary. Send out e-cards if you are so popular you have that many friends. If not, weed those people off the list you never speak to, don’t particularly care for, or who are too lazy to send you a card with anything other than their name on it. They’re not making an effort, why should you?
The art of gift giving. Some people are lucky, they have everything they possibly could want or need. Those who must buy those people gifts are not as lucky. So this year, I realized that after surviving through part of this recession that I am really lucky. I have everything I need and so do those people I intend to buy gifts for. So instead of racking my brain for a gift they’ll like and instead of going with the token bottle of wine or scented candle, I turned to Heifer International , Ocean.org, the Cancer Society, and the local animal shelter where my dad adopted his cat as a way to give gifts that can’t end up dusty in the back of a closet. I purchased honey bees, chicks, a hammerhead shark, and a baby seal on behalf of the people I love so we could give back to the planet in some small way. I have to say, I feel fabulous about these gifts which is a nice change from carting around heavy items and wondering if I picked out the right item. I couldn’t go wrong this year and I waited in no lines. Just pick a charity you think that person would also support. My aunt had cancer and is now healthy so I’m contributing to the American Cancer Society.
I’ve also been pacing myself. I do a little bit at a time instead of waiting for a Saturday in which to kill myself in a race to get everything done. It is satisfying and I feel a lot less stressed. I practice doing a little at a time for most things and I find I always get everything done on time. Not forcing myself to do it all at once helps me do better work, stay interested, stay on task and not feel like I need to tear my hair out. Whether it’s housecleaning, purging old files or clothing, or even shopping for gifts or groceries, it doesn’t need to be done all at once at the same time. Remembering I can do it all, but not all at the same time helps me keep what’s important in perspective.
My mother actually used to do a little at once over the holidays and managed to make a game out of it for us kids. Every day we’d come home from school to find she’d put up a few new decorations. This way she wasn’t doing it all at once and we got to figure out what was new and where she had placed it. It was very fun. Again, doing a little at a time makes the process easier, more enjoyable and it still gets done on time.
Speaking of mom’s they seem to be the one’s who do nearly everything in preparing for the holidays. Just remember that they need and deserve to be helped. Husbands can do their part and even small children can learn how to help as well. Offering to help someone during the holidays may be the greatest gift you can ever give them.
May you all have a happy and healthy holiday season.
Monday, November 16, 2009
5 Ways to Survive Thanksgiving
Holidays are stressful. Mostly because we make them out to be stressful, so here are 5 ways you can survive Thanksgiving this year.
Be Thankful. It IS Thanksgiving after all. Sure, the holiday started out with the Native Americans kindly sharing their bounty with us and then we killed most of them and took their land but we can still be thankful that we’re with our families, we have our health, we have a day off from work or something. Just find something you’re grateful for and enjoy the day.
Plan ahead. Sure, some of you may get a rush by waiting until the last minute, but then you risk the good stuff being gone from the stores, or worse- the wrong sized turkey, the stress of not having anything done and the panic that comes when you can’t find one small, but key ingredient and have to travel to 6 busy grocery stores fighting with everyone else who waited until the last minute. At least plan out your list ahead of time, know what you need and how long everything will take. Add in an hour or two for those unexpected, “oh no!” moments and if you don’t need them, then sit back and relax. If you can pre-order your groceries or get them delivered, do so.
Ask for help! I’ve spent too many Thanksgivings doing all the shopping, the cooking and the cleaning. I then spent every Friday in an exhausted turkey induced stupor. Why? I have no idea. I could have asked everyone to help, but I didn’t. Do not make my mistake. If you have people over the age of 5 who are able bodied, give them a job to do and let them help out. Even if it’s taking out the trash with the turkey carcass in it, who cares, just know it’s not your sole responsibility to do absolutely everything. Unless you’re the maid and you’re being paid for it, then it is your responsibility.
Don’t overdo it. There’s no such thing as perfection and if you’re anything like me, the more you try to be perfect, the worse the situation becomes. The mistakes are kind of comical after the fact, but during that time you’re just needlessly stressing yourself out. Good enough is good enough. I once mistakenly spilled too much rosemary into my stuffing and couldn’t pick it out. The stuffing was painful to eat because the rosemary was poking our gums. It was a bit embarrassing, but I dealt with it, no one died and from then on I remembered that the cap to the rosemary should be opened carefully. See, good lessons can come from not-so-great events. You can probably do anything, but you certainly can’t do it all at once. Let little things go.
You can’t change anyone else but yourself. If you’re spending the holiday with your not-so-favorite relatives or friends, choose how you’re going to react to the day. Sure, Aunt Erma will probably drink too much…again, but that’s her issue, not yours. Choose to make sure that you have fun, you are relaxed and those little bumps that come with holidays are just little bumps instead of major tragedies. A major tragedy is when you put the deep fryer too close to the house and it burns down. Try making wine spritzers and hopefully that will help keep Aunt Erma slightly more sober, but if you walk into the holiday acting like you’re walking on to a battlefield, you probably won’t have much fun. Again, choose to let the little things go, if even for one day and be grateful everyone at the table is there again, at least for this year.
To learn more about Alison Kero and her company, Gotham Concierge or to schedule a time management seminar, webinar or one-on-one session with her, contact Alison at: info@gothamconcierge.com or 646-831-9625.
Be Thankful. It IS Thanksgiving after all. Sure, the holiday started out with the Native Americans kindly sharing their bounty with us and then we killed most of them and took their land but we can still be thankful that we’re with our families, we have our health, we have a day off from work or something. Just find something you’re grateful for and enjoy the day.
Plan ahead. Sure, some of you may get a rush by waiting until the last minute, but then you risk the good stuff being gone from the stores, or worse- the wrong sized turkey, the stress of not having anything done and the panic that comes when you can’t find one small, but key ingredient and have to travel to 6 busy grocery stores fighting with everyone else who waited until the last minute. At least plan out your list ahead of time, know what you need and how long everything will take. Add in an hour or two for those unexpected, “oh no!” moments and if you don’t need them, then sit back and relax. If you can pre-order your groceries or get them delivered, do so.
Ask for help! I’ve spent too many Thanksgivings doing all the shopping, the cooking and the cleaning. I then spent every Friday in an exhausted turkey induced stupor. Why? I have no idea. I could have asked everyone to help, but I didn’t. Do not make my mistake. If you have people over the age of 5 who are able bodied, give them a job to do and let them help out. Even if it’s taking out the trash with the turkey carcass in it, who cares, just know it’s not your sole responsibility to do absolutely everything. Unless you’re the maid and you’re being paid for it, then it is your responsibility.
Don’t overdo it. There’s no such thing as perfection and if you’re anything like me, the more you try to be perfect, the worse the situation becomes. The mistakes are kind of comical after the fact, but during that time you’re just needlessly stressing yourself out. Good enough is good enough. I once mistakenly spilled too much rosemary into my stuffing and couldn’t pick it out. The stuffing was painful to eat because the rosemary was poking our gums. It was a bit embarrassing, but I dealt with it, no one died and from then on I remembered that the cap to the rosemary should be opened carefully. See, good lessons can come from not-so-great events. You can probably do anything, but you certainly can’t do it all at once. Let little things go.
You can’t change anyone else but yourself. If you’re spending the holiday with your not-so-favorite relatives or friends, choose how you’re going to react to the day. Sure, Aunt Erma will probably drink too much…again, but that’s her issue, not yours. Choose to make sure that you have fun, you are relaxed and those little bumps that come with holidays are just little bumps instead of major tragedies. A major tragedy is when you put the deep fryer too close to the house and it burns down. Try making wine spritzers and hopefully that will help keep Aunt Erma slightly more sober, but if you walk into the holiday acting like you’re walking on to a battlefield, you probably won’t have much fun. Again, choose to let the little things go, if even for one day and be grateful everyone at the table is there again, at least for this year.
To learn more about Alison Kero and her company, Gotham Concierge or to schedule a time management seminar, webinar or one-on-one session with her, contact Alison at: info@gothamconcierge.com or 646-831-9625.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
How I Use Time Management to Keep My Sanity
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have become an expert in time management and productivity. Yes, I do enjoy helping people make their lives easier but more importantly it’s made MY life easier and less stressful.
As my business continues to grow and things become busier and busier, it becomes difficult to navigate everything that comes at me. Every week I have 20-40 offers of various networking opportunities I can go to. Which ones do I choose? I have personal responsibilities as well as professional responsibilities and which ones come first? How do I make time for myself, get enough rest, exercise, get all my work done and not collapse at the end of the day or week?
It’s not easy finding your own path when there are so many options that were never available before. It’s confusing and overwhelming and how do you make everyone else happy while remembering you need to be happy as well?
For myself, I had to not just learn time management and productivity skills I had to learn how to stand my ground and remember to think about myself. It is true you have to take care of yourself in order to do any good for others. Yet sometimes that feels like the most difficult task I’ve ever faced. It’s so easy to put off taking care of yourself when you have so many other responsibilities. However, it’s vital to continue to place yourself as a priority.
So, how do you get those productivity and time management skills to work for you? Well, when faced with so many opportunities, the best way to figure out which ones to go for and which ones to avoid is to break them down. I always think to myself, based on my past experiences, which types of networking meetings worked for me? Who is my target audience? Which businesses can help me gain more customers? Who do I need to meet? What times of day are easiest for me to meet others? Then I let the other opportunities go, as they are someone else’s opportunities, not mine.
This lesson I had to learn the hard way. I stayed in networking groups for too long because I ignored my gut instinct that told me I was on the wrong path. I instead chose to allow others to tell me that it was my fault if I got no business from the group. I wasn’t trying hard enough, I wasn’t a good business person, I wasn’t this, that, and the other thing. Once I stopped listening to the negativity and started focusing on what was fact, it became easier to see the direction I should have been in all along.
When balancing your schedule paying attention to what your body is telling you can help as well. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Perhaps walking away from an activity and taking a break is the best way to deal with it. Last week my computer crashed for no reason. I started to panic, thinking of all the material I had lost, the cost of finding someone to fix it, the possibility of spending more money on a new computer and getting it done immediately, which meant I was on the brink of freaking out. So I walked into my kitchen and washed my dishes. I did not allow myself to think of the “what-ifs” as there was no purpose in doing that. I did not know what the real outcome of my computer crashing was and therefore any thoughts toward my next steps was a waste of time. When I had calmed down enough to think rationally, I turned back on my computer (after taking a very large breath) and took a look at what had really happened. As it turns out, my computer had a minor bug in it that I could fix myself and everything was okay. Had I panicked and reacted, I would have wasted time and money getting someone in to fix a problem I could do myself. I also would have stressed myself out needlessly. Instead I forced myself to calm down and walk away until I was thinking clearly– a tool which is a huge time saver.
A few weeks ago I went to get my watch repaired. I’ve had it for well over 10 years and the battery was dying and I needed the clasp fixed. I took it to the company headquarters where they have a department which repairs the watches and expected to walk out 15 minutes later with a fixed watch and $30 less in my wallet. Instead I found out the whole watch needed internal repairs which would cost $350. I again began to panic and then utilized the 10-10-10 rule I learned from an article in Glamour magazine. I thought to myself, okay, I know the original price of the watch and what a watch from them costs now ($1,300). I know this is a very good watch maker. If I choose to walk away and not repair my watch, how would I feel 10 days from now knowing I’d have to spend more money on a new watch and spend time finding a watch I liked when I already had one I loved? How would I feel 10 months from now? How about in 10 years? I decided that I loved my watch and it was worth spending the money to be repaired. The good news was that I had a client who happened to work there. I asked her some questions about general upkeep so I wouldn’t be surprised by such a large price tag in the future and she was kind enough to give me a discount. In the end, I saved time by keeping myself calm and being honest to myself about how I would feel not just now, but in the future about my decision to keep my watch. I’m now back wearing my watch and loving it!
With everything that comes flying at us these days, there are so many decisions to make. The best way to keep yourself on task, stop everything from becoming too overwhelming and keep your stress levels at bay is to be true to yourself. Know what you really want from life, cheerfully say no to things that aren’t of interest to you and continue to move forward. Don’t be afraid of someone reacting badly to you saying no, of unexpected things that pop up and always make sure you take care of yourself. When you are well rested, eating well and exercising regularly your ability to make decisions and ward off stress are at their highest peak.
Everything that comes flying at you becomes your decision. Your decision on how to react to it, your decision to choose whether or not to dwell on a bad situation, your decision to turn a negative into a positive, and your decision to choose to make the world a little better, a little less stressful and a little more fun. Life isn’t easy but if you have the proper skills and tools and the ability to keep a positive attitude, it sure is a lot easier.
If you are looking to learn time management and productivity skills, contact Alison Kero at: 646-831-9625 or info@gothamconcierge.com. To learn more about Alison and her company, Gotham Concierge visit http://www.gothamconcierge.com.
As my business continues to grow and things become busier and busier, it becomes difficult to navigate everything that comes at me. Every week I have 20-40 offers of various networking opportunities I can go to. Which ones do I choose? I have personal responsibilities as well as professional responsibilities and which ones come first? How do I make time for myself, get enough rest, exercise, get all my work done and not collapse at the end of the day or week?
It’s not easy finding your own path when there are so many options that were never available before. It’s confusing and overwhelming and how do you make everyone else happy while remembering you need to be happy as well?
For myself, I had to not just learn time management and productivity skills I had to learn how to stand my ground and remember to think about myself. It is true you have to take care of yourself in order to do any good for others. Yet sometimes that feels like the most difficult task I’ve ever faced. It’s so easy to put off taking care of yourself when you have so many other responsibilities. However, it’s vital to continue to place yourself as a priority.
So, how do you get those productivity and time management skills to work for you? Well, when faced with so many opportunities, the best way to figure out which ones to go for and which ones to avoid is to break them down. I always think to myself, based on my past experiences, which types of networking meetings worked for me? Who is my target audience? Which businesses can help me gain more customers? Who do I need to meet? What times of day are easiest for me to meet others? Then I let the other opportunities go, as they are someone else’s opportunities, not mine.
This lesson I had to learn the hard way. I stayed in networking groups for too long because I ignored my gut instinct that told me I was on the wrong path. I instead chose to allow others to tell me that it was my fault if I got no business from the group. I wasn’t trying hard enough, I wasn’t a good business person, I wasn’t this, that, and the other thing. Once I stopped listening to the negativity and started focusing on what was fact, it became easier to see the direction I should have been in all along.
When balancing your schedule paying attention to what your body is telling you can help as well. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Perhaps walking away from an activity and taking a break is the best way to deal with it. Last week my computer crashed for no reason. I started to panic, thinking of all the material I had lost, the cost of finding someone to fix it, the possibility of spending more money on a new computer and getting it done immediately, which meant I was on the brink of freaking out. So I walked into my kitchen and washed my dishes. I did not allow myself to think of the “what-ifs” as there was no purpose in doing that. I did not know what the real outcome of my computer crashing was and therefore any thoughts toward my next steps was a waste of time. When I had calmed down enough to think rationally, I turned back on my computer (after taking a very large breath) and took a look at what had really happened. As it turns out, my computer had a minor bug in it that I could fix myself and everything was okay. Had I panicked and reacted, I would have wasted time and money getting someone in to fix a problem I could do myself. I also would have stressed myself out needlessly. Instead I forced myself to calm down and walk away until I was thinking clearly– a tool which is a huge time saver.
A few weeks ago I went to get my watch repaired. I’ve had it for well over 10 years and the battery was dying and I needed the clasp fixed. I took it to the company headquarters where they have a department which repairs the watches and expected to walk out 15 minutes later with a fixed watch and $30 less in my wallet. Instead I found out the whole watch needed internal repairs which would cost $350. I again began to panic and then utilized the 10-10-10 rule I learned from an article in Glamour magazine. I thought to myself, okay, I know the original price of the watch and what a watch from them costs now ($1,300). I know this is a very good watch maker. If I choose to walk away and not repair my watch, how would I feel 10 days from now knowing I’d have to spend more money on a new watch and spend time finding a watch I liked when I already had one I loved? How would I feel 10 months from now? How about in 10 years? I decided that I loved my watch and it was worth spending the money to be repaired. The good news was that I had a client who happened to work there. I asked her some questions about general upkeep so I wouldn’t be surprised by such a large price tag in the future and she was kind enough to give me a discount. In the end, I saved time by keeping myself calm and being honest to myself about how I would feel not just now, but in the future about my decision to keep my watch. I’m now back wearing my watch and loving it!
With everything that comes flying at us these days, there are so many decisions to make. The best way to keep yourself on task, stop everything from becoming too overwhelming and keep your stress levels at bay is to be true to yourself. Know what you really want from life, cheerfully say no to things that aren’t of interest to you and continue to move forward. Don’t be afraid of someone reacting badly to you saying no, of unexpected things that pop up and always make sure you take care of yourself. When you are well rested, eating well and exercising regularly your ability to make decisions and ward off stress are at their highest peak.
Everything that comes flying at you becomes your decision. Your decision on how to react to it, your decision to choose whether or not to dwell on a bad situation, your decision to turn a negative into a positive, and your decision to choose to make the world a little better, a little less stressful and a little more fun. Life isn’t easy but if you have the proper skills and tools and the ability to keep a positive attitude, it sure is a lot easier.
If you are looking to learn time management and productivity skills, contact Alison Kero at: 646-831-9625 or info@gothamconcierge.com. To learn more about Alison and her company, Gotham Concierge visit http://www.gothamconcierge.com.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Fall Into a New Productive & Organizational Routine
A lot of opportunities tend to come our way in the fall, lot’s of school related events involving our children, networking opportunities for ourselves as well as social opportunities. How do we handle all that comes our way without completely collapsing exhausted, stressed, disorganized and unhappy?
The first way to handle all these opportunities is to remember that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything. Saying yes to everything means you’ll be unhappy and exhausted and your family will too. Pick and choose which activities to say yes to and make sure there is plenty of time for rest, relaxation and exercise. If you overexert yourself trying to do everything you’ll be rundown, highly stressed and probably working at half the capacity you’re capable of. Don’t short change yourself or your family. Take care of yourself. You’ll be setting a great example for them.
Secondly, learn to say no to opportunities you won’t enjoy, don’t have time for or just don’t want to be involved in. There are so many ways to say no in a way that doesn’t make the other party unhappy. “Thank you for offering this opportunity to me, but I unfortunately do not have the time to give this project the type of attention it deserves. I hope you think of me if another opportunity arises” is one of them. Don’t allow yourself to feel guilty for turning down an offer either it’s a time and energy waster.
Third, start a routine for your morning hours. Most of us don’t wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed, so having a routine takes a lot of the stress out of weekday morning madness. Use timers, prepare as much as you can the night before, offer less choices and have your children help as much as they are able. Not only are you teaching them to share responsibility, but you’re teaching them great organizational skills that will last them a lifetime. Often using a reward system for being on time and being organized will work. No major gifts, just something small that keeps things interesting and fun.
Be creative and use what works for you and your family. Have a happy and healthy fall.
Alison Kero, founder of Gotham Concierge, helps business professionals get organized. While she learned to master time and organizational management in her own career, she also came to recognize that many others struggled with these skills which became their career Achilles' heel.
On a mission, she launched her firm to help business people eliminate the barriers that keep them from growing in their career. She consults and trains on the skills that drive both personal and corporate productivity. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), she provides a real-world perspective on both time and organizational management and is frequently sought by the media to share her vision of this passion with others.
For more information visit: http:/www.gothamconcierge.com or you may contact Alison Kero at: info@gothamconcierge.com or on her cell at: 646-831-9625.
The first way to handle all these opportunities is to remember that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything. Saying yes to everything means you’ll be unhappy and exhausted and your family will too. Pick and choose which activities to say yes to and make sure there is plenty of time for rest, relaxation and exercise. If you overexert yourself trying to do everything you’ll be rundown, highly stressed and probably working at half the capacity you’re capable of. Don’t short change yourself or your family. Take care of yourself. You’ll be setting a great example for them.
Secondly, learn to say no to opportunities you won’t enjoy, don’t have time for or just don’t want to be involved in. There are so many ways to say no in a way that doesn’t make the other party unhappy. “Thank you for offering this opportunity to me, but I unfortunately do not have the time to give this project the type of attention it deserves. I hope you think of me if another opportunity arises” is one of them. Don’t allow yourself to feel guilty for turning down an offer either it’s a time and energy waster.
Third, start a routine for your morning hours. Most of us don’t wake up bright eyed and bushy tailed, so having a routine takes a lot of the stress out of weekday morning madness. Use timers, prepare as much as you can the night before, offer less choices and have your children help as much as they are able. Not only are you teaching them to share responsibility, but you’re teaching them great organizational skills that will last them a lifetime. Often using a reward system for being on time and being organized will work. No major gifts, just something small that keeps things interesting and fun.
Be creative and use what works for you and your family. Have a happy and healthy fall.
Alison Kero, founder of Gotham Concierge, helps business professionals get organized. While she learned to master time and organizational management in her own career, she also came to recognize that many others struggled with these skills which became their career Achilles' heel.
On a mission, she launched her firm to help business people eliminate the barriers that keep them from growing in their career. She consults and trains on the skills that drive both personal and corporate productivity. A member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), she provides a real-world perspective on both time and organizational management and is frequently sought by the media to share her vision of this passion with others.
For more information visit: http:/www.gothamconcierge.com or you may contact Alison Kero at: info@gothamconcierge.com or on her cell at: 646-831-9625.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Learning to Respect Your Own Time
Learning to respect your own time. Sounds like a really basic concept and not hard to do at all, and for some this is true. I, however, struggle on a daily basis to respect my own time and I am a professional organizer who specializes in time management. I am also a people pleaser. For years I gave up my free time to help others. Whether it was running into the city to meet friends who were always at least unapologetically 20 minutes late despite the fact that they lived 10 minutes down the block and I had just spent 45 minutes racing in to get there on time, or spending more time working as secretary on a board of directors than I was on my own business. What was I doing, and why?
I ended up getting angry at my friends for not respecting my time and I would complain bitterly each month as I prepared the agenda for the next board meeting because no one ever bothered to send in their materials in a timely manner. I finally quit the board when my mother pointed out that I wasn’t enjoying myself, so what was the point?
What took me years to learn was this: it wasn’t my friends or colleagues disrespecting my time, it was me. I never said or did anything to change what kept occurring over and over and over again and how can things change when YOU don’t change? I had to be the one to let others know my time was valuable and then act accordingly.
I finally had a break through recently. I had plans with a friend to see a movie and early on in the day I sent her an e-mail with the times and places around the city of the movie we wanted to see. I heard nothing until 4 pm when she sent an e-mail asking if we were still going. Apparently my e-mail had gotten stuck in spam. I then resent her the information and she took 2 ½ hours to send back a reply. I live in a different borough than her so I need time to travel and I also own my own business so I need to plan my work schedule more carefully than others. By the time she replied about the movie, it was too late for me to get there.
It wouldn’t have mattered. By that point, I was so irritated by her lack of respect for my time that I was too angry to have sat through a movie. Instead I left my cell phone at home and took a nice long walk. On this walk I realized that I was right in not rushing out of my home at the last minute to see a movie with someone who wasn’t being respectful towards me and had I gone, I would have been telling her that my time wasn’t valuable to me, so why should it be to her?
I also realized I needed to let her know that it wasn’t acceptable and how I expected to be treated in the future. So I wrote her back telling her that I had gone for a walk and missed her e-mail. I also told her that I needed more planning time because of my work and because I needed to allow for traveling time. I asked that in the future plans be made much further in advance.
The good news was my friend apologized and moving forward it will be easier to make plans with her. The great news was I owned my own power and my own time and it’ll be easier in the future to continue down this path of positive change.
I also will recognize that in the future, if I let someone know that I expect to be respected and they continue to be disrespectful of my time, I will know that it is time to walk away from that relationship because any relationship that doesn’t have both parties providing equal parts give and take isn’t healthy.
This story may seem like a baby step to some, but for me, who has spent a lifetime more concerned with everyone else’s needs than my own, who has been taken advantage of and used continuously, it was a groundbreaking huge step in the right direction toward taking care of myself first in order to give more to those around me.
You can’t give if you have nothing to offer. I hope this article helps someone understand that the first step in time management is respecting your own time and yourself. It’s not just a concept but a way of being. I teach in my seminars and webinars that the oxygen theory is a vital theory to have in your life. Take care of yourself first and then you are fit to take care of others. It’s a simple theory but the practice of doing so can be really challenging for those of us trained to give first and take care of ourselves later.
If you’d like to learn more about how time management can lead to achieving your goals more quickly, having more time to achieve what you want in life, reducing your stress levels and much more, contact me, Alison Kero at: info@gothamconcierge.com or by phone at: 646-831-9625. I do at home or in office consultations in the NYC area, offer seminars nationwide and do private phone consultations. I wish you the best of luck in improving your time management skills!
I ended up getting angry at my friends for not respecting my time and I would complain bitterly each month as I prepared the agenda for the next board meeting because no one ever bothered to send in their materials in a timely manner. I finally quit the board when my mother pointed out that I wasn’t enjoying myself, so what was the point?
What took me years to learn was this: it wasn’t my friends or colleagues disrespecting my time, it was me. I never said or did anything to change what kept occurring over and over and over again and how can things change when YOU don’t change? I had to be the one to let others know my time was valuable and then act accordingly.
I finally had a break through recently. I had plans with a friend to see a movie and early on in the day I sent her an e-mail with the times and places around the city of the movie we wanted to see. I heard nothing until 4 pm when she sent an e-mail asking if we were still going. Apparently my e-mail had gotten stuck in spam. I then resent her the information and she took 2 ½ hours to send back a reply. I live in a different borough than her so I need time to travel and I also own my own business so I need to plan my work schedule more carefully than others. By the time she replied about the movie, it was too late for me to get there.
It wouldn’t have mattered. By that point, I was so irritated by her lack of respect for my time that I was too angry to have sat through a movie. Instead I left my cell phone at home and took a nice long walk. On this walk I realized that I was right in not rushing out of my home at the last minute to see a movie with someone who wasn’t being respectful towards me and had I gone, I would have been telling her that my time wasn’t valuable to me, so why should it be to her?
I also realized I needed to let her know that it wasn’t acceptable and how I expected to be treated in the future. So I wrote her back telling her that I had gone for a walk and missed her e-mail. I also told her that I needed more planning time because of my work and because I needed to allow for traveling time. I asked that in the future plans be made much further in advance.
The good news was my friend apologized and moving forward it will be easier to make plans with her. The great news was I owned my own power and my own time and it’ll be easier in the future to continue down this path of positive change.
I also will recognize that in the future, if I let someone know that I expect to be respected and they continue to be disrespectful of my time, I will know that it is time to walk away from that relationship because any relationship that doesn’t have both parties providing equal parts give and take isn’t healthy.
This story may seem like a baby step to some, but for me, who has spent a lifetime more concerned with everyone else’s needs than my own, who has been taken advantage of and used continuously, it was a groundbreaking huge step in the right direction toward taking care of myself first in order to give more to those around me.
You can’t give if you have nothing to offer. I hope this article helps someone understand that the first step in time management is respecting your own time and yourself. It’s not just a concept but a way of being. I teach in my seminars and webinars that the oxygen theory is a vital theory to have in your life. Take care of yourself first and then you are fit to take care of others. It’s a simple theory but the practice of doing so can be really challenging for those of us trained to give first and take care of ourselves later.
If you’d like to learn more about how time management can lead to achieving your goals more quickly, having more time to achieve what you want in life, reducing your stress levels and much more, contact me, Alison Kero at: info@gothamconcierge.com or by phone at: 646-831-9625. I do at home or in office consultations in the NYC area, offer seminars nationwide and do private phone consultations. I wish you the best of luck in improving your time management skills!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Breaking It Down: Getting Things Done… Eventually
Breaking It Down: Getting Things Done… Eventually
I’ll admit it I have not always been organized. In fact, if you saw my bedroom up until I left college, you’d never believe that I now spend my days organizing others and helping them manage their time. My bedroom used to look like a tornado hit it. Sometimes it was so bad, my brother, (whose organizational skills can best be described as overly-anal) would offer to clean my room for me. I always cheerfully accepted. (What a treat!)
I have since altered my disorganized ways, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve gone overboard on everything having its place or that I somehow experience joy by going through stacks of paperwork. I too hate filing. It’s hideous and usually you’re just glad you avoided getting a paper cut. The worst part is how dry it makes your hands!
So how does an inherently lazy disorganized person go from never seeing the top of her dresser to professionally going in and helping others create workable systems to make their lives easier? Mostly by figuring out that being organized could be fun and easy, that’s how.
There are some basic rules on how to make getting organized easier, like doing a little at a time instead of big projects. It’s easier. You can talk yourself into doing 3 dishes because, hey, it’s only 3 dishes and I’ve never once woken up the next morning and I thought to myself, “gee, I’m so glad I waited to do these dishes. I totally feel like doing them now.” No, I always thought, “Thank GOD I did those dishes last night!” So just knowing that made it easier to almost always do my dishes as I dirty them instead of waiting to do the 3 hours project (which has now become an even longer task thanks to dried food particles now clinging to the dirty dishes) because I have to do it.
Do that with everything in your life and it kind of makes it more manageable. If there are certain things you don’t like to do, like those dishes, try to at least make a game out of it. I like to do some dishes during the commercials. I get some done and I know I get to sit back down when the show comes back on. It’s win-win in my opinion.
It’s just a matter of how you think of things. If you go about the task at hand thinking negatively then the activity will almost always take longer than you thought – mostly because your negative thoughts got in the way. Just accept that certain tasks will always suck. Like doing your taxes, this activity will always suck. However, choosing to reflect on the fun things you did with all those receipts may make the time pass much more quickly than griping about it ever will.
So when you wake up tomorrow and try to talk yourself out of making your bed, remember that it’ll take 2 minutes of your time (unless you’re one of those people who likes to put like 10 pillows on your bed for show, then it’ll take more time and frankly, if you are one of those people, it’s your own fault it takes so long because you were the one who bought those pillows. Stop buying so much stuff – less stuff means less time dealing with your stuff) and the end result is a nicely made bed. I guarantee you the thoughts you have looking at the nicely made bed are far more positive than looking at a tumble of linen. So start breaking down your projects today. It’ll make the process more manageable, easier, more fun and you’ll probably actually do it versus waiting for that “one day” when you try to accomplish the whole task in one fell swoop.
Good luck on breaking down your projects into simple tasks. If you need more advice or help getting organized or managing your time contact Alison Kero at: 646-831-9625 or at: info@gothamconcierge.com to schedule an appointment.
I’ll admit it I have not always been organized. In fact, if you saw my bedroom up until I left college, you’d never believe that I now spend my days organizing others and helping them manage their time. My bedroom used to look like a tornado hit it. Sometimes it was so bad, my brother, (whose organizational skills can best be described as overly-anal) would offer to clean my room for me. I always cheerfully accepted. (What a treat!)
I have since altered my disorganized ways, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve gone overboard on everything having its place or that I somehow experience joy by going through stacks of paperwork. I too hate filing. It’s hideous and usually you’re just glad you avoided getting a paper cut. The worst part is how dry it makes your hands!
So how does an inherently lazy disorganized person go from never seeing the top of her dresser to professionally going in and helping others create workable systems to make their lives easier? Mostly by figuring out that being organized could be fun and easy, that’s how.
There are some basic rules on how to make getting organized easier, like doing a little at a time instead of big projects. It’s easier. You can talk yourself into doing 3 dishes because, hey, it’s only 3 dishes and I’ve never once woken up the next morning and I thought to myself, “gee, I’m so glad I waited to do these dishes. I totally feel like doing them now.” No, I always thought, “Thank GOD I did those dishes last night!” So just knowing that made it easier to almost always do my dishes as I dirty them instead of waiting to do the 3 hours project (which has now become an even longer task thanks to dried food particles now clinging to the dirty dishes) because I have to do it.
Do that with everything in your life and it kind of makes it more manageable. If there are certain things you don’t like to do, like those dishes, try to at least make a game out of it. I like to do some dishes during the commercials. I get some done and I know I get to sit back down when the show comes back on. It’s win-win in my opinion.
It’s just a matter of how you think of things. If you go about the task at hand thinking negatively then the activity will almost always take longer than you thought – mostly because your negative thoughts got in the way. Just accept that certain tasks will always suck. Like doing your taxes, this activity will always suck. However, choosing to reflect on the fun things you did with all those receipts may make the time pass much more quickly than griping about it ever will.
So when you wake up tomorrow and try to talk yourself out of making your bed, remember that it’ll take 2 minutes of your time (unless you’re one of those people who likes to put like 10 pillows on your bed for show, then it’ll take more time and frankly, if you are one of those people, it’s your own fault it takes so long because you were the one who bought those pillows. Stop buying so much stuff – less stuff means less time dealing with your stuff) and the end result is a nicely made bed. I guarantee you the thoughts you have looking at the nicely made bed are far more positive than looking at a tumble of linen. So start breaking down your projects today. It’ll make the process more manageable, easier, more fun and you’ll probably actually do it versus waiting for that “one day” when you try to accomplish the whole task in one fell swoop.
Good luck on breaking down your projects into simple tasks. If you need more advice or help getting organized or managing your time contact Alison Kero at: 646-831-9625 or at: info@gothamconcierge.com to schedule an appointment.
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