Post originally published on 5/18/2007.

In the article, The Seven Essential “Stations” Every Home Should Have – lifehack.org, seven areas in the house are laid out for organization. I think that this goes beyond mere organization, and that having these stations will increase productivity by eliminating the time spent looking for things. I believe in keeping the tools for a task where I will use them, even if it means buying more. I am more likely to clean the mirrors if I don’t have to go downstairs to fetch the window cleaner, for example, so I keep window cleaner in all the bathrooms. This article deals with seven big ways to group things together so that the tools you need are in one place.

The human brain does not shift complete attention and focus between tasks instantaneously. This means that there is a period of time between the stopping of one task and the starting of another where the brain makes the adjustment between the two. Some people have referred to this as a fragmenting of attention.I believe that using these stations cuts down on this lag time from the simple fact that when we go to do something, everything is already in the correct place. Here are some examples of how I use these stations to keep us from searching for stuff:

Destination Station: This is where everything lands when people come in the door. Keys, mail, bags…everything stops here rather than be scattered across the house. Immediately beside our door to the garage we have a small flip top desk. Inside there is one large shelf with three dividers below. Below this is a large drawer and a cabinet with one shelf. Coming in the door, my keys go right into my mail slot. Mail gets sorted, and if it is junk, it goes into the recycle bin by the door, or into a “To Be Shredded” folder on the top shelf. At night, my briefcase goes next to the door, and my child’s school bag is packed and placed there too.

Communication Station Having one place to look for commitments, phone messages and household information means we never have to search for a phone number or calendar. We keep the calendar on the back of the door, within sight of the phone, and there is a binder of household information (including our personal phone book) next to the phone. Sports schedules get placed on the family calendar right away, along with any appointments. Everyone is responsible for making sure things are on the family calendar. If it isn’t on there, it doesn’t exist.

Donation Station: we have a bag in our spare bedroom that things get put into for donation. When the door-to-door collection people leave a note, I can then quickly gather up the bag and put it out. No fussing, no trying to remember where we stashed things for donation.

Gift and Shipping Station: I started this one by accident after my mother gave us a container for holding gift wrap. Now that container hangs in our office closet, with mailing envelopes in one pockets and all the necessaries for wrapping gifts in other parts (paper, tape, scissors, tags). Having it in one portable place means that I can easily move to wrap gifts in another part of our house and not have to stop to find any supplies.

Education Station: I hadn’t thought of our office space like this, but it does fit. We have one bedroom in our house that has been converted into an office for all of us. We each have a desk and chair, and all the reference books are in here. Everything is within reach, and often we will all spend evenings in the office together, rather than in front of the television.

Creation Station: The guest bedroom in the house serves double purpose as the creation station for me. This is where the textile arts and crafts get done. My child has a reachable bin in the area off the kitchen filled with craft supplies that can get messy. In either one, it is easy to get out the crafts, do what we want, and put things away. Before we moved to the house, we had plastic tubs holding our supplies that could be brought out to work on crafts.

Administration Station: This happens to be in our office as well. All bills get paid here, the records are filed here, and there is a phone and our computers. We also keep all warranties in this area and all maintenance records.

I really believe that having these basic stations set up in the home can make things run much more smoothly. And I encourage you to ask yourself how much time you have lost this week alone looking for things you needed to complete a task?

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Post originally published on 9/22/2008.

Back in 2007, Mark Shead over at Productivity501 ran an article: 17 Things you Should Stop Doing. I come back to this list frequently.

As I think about what I have learned about productivity, I came up with a list of my own: things I had to stop doing to be more productive.

1. Don’t multitask. Multitasking actually robs us of our productivity. Focus on what you are doing, one thing at a time, and you will find yourself getting more done, faster and better.
2. Don’t manually process if you can help it. Our technological age offers many advantages. Use them to your advantage.
3. Don’t be a slave to technology. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean you have to use it.
4. Don’t leave details out. When noting something, give details. Nothing is more frustrating than coming across an item in your to-do list that has incomplete information. “Call John.” John Who? Why call?
5. Don’t tweak constantly. Fiddling with the system is a great way to not actually get any work done. And the worst part is it feels productive, because you are working on your system.
6. Don’t leave things to memory. Writing things down frees our brains up. Trying to remember something often leads to forgetting altogether, or to remembering at a time where either you can’t do anything about it, or it’s too late.
7. Don’t leave things everywhere. Have designated places for things, and you won’t have to look for them.
8. Don’t do things that aren’t worth your time. You may not be the best person to do the job. And some things are just not worth doing. Just because my mother irons her dishtowels doesn’t necessarily mean that I need to as well. (I don’t).
9. Don’t say yes out of emotion. Just because someone asks doesn’t mean you have to say yes. Say no.
10. Don’t lose sight of the important stuff. Never put your loved ones on your to do list.
11. Don’t forget to live. The point of being productive is so we can lead full lives. But if all we are doing is cranking widgets, it’s time to reassess.

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Post originally published on 10/30/2008.

One thing I wanted to avoid during this period of unemployment was falling into habits that would be not only counter-productive, but could be detrimental to my well-being. Too many people have warned me about the possibility of falling into depression, as they had done in the same circumstances.

There were things I knew I was going to have to avoid: sleeping late or oversleeping, overeating, non-enhancing activities (too many computer games, pointless surfing, etc). Each of these had led to periods of bump-on-a-log-iness in the past.

I determined that I would have a schedule and stick too it, including as many of the things I said I would do “someday” when I “had time.” Here is the schedule I stick to:

• Rise at 6 a.m. First on the business is my 20 minute session with my SAD (seasonal affective disorder) light. While I am doing this, I read my daily stuff, and wind up with my latest fiction book.
• Walk the dog.It’s still dark out, but I like watching the sun rise, and both the dog and I get some much needed exercise.
• Get ready. Get showered, dressed, makeup, the whole works.
• Eat a healthy breakfast. I fix my daughter her breakfast, assemble her lunch, and sit down and eat with her. Then we wait for the school bus.
• Writing. Besides the five articles per week I put out here, I have at least one on my personal blog, and a novel in revision, plus a novel in planning (for NaNoWriMo). I do at least 1500 words on the revision and then work on the blogs.
• Eat a healthy lunch. I get up and get away from the computer for a while. I may read while eating lunch, or sit outside.
• Household cleaning. I still do 15 minutes of “zone” cleaning ala Flylady. I set the timer and do what I need to, plus clean up the kitchen and do a general house pickup.
• Exercise. I discovered I like walking the treadmill if I am watching a video. Right now I’m catching up on The Office via Netflix Watch Now.
• Reading/Other Projects At this point I usually have some time before my daughter gets off the bus. I may catch up on email, do some reading, practice flute or do a craft.
• After School Routine. When my daughter gets off the bus, the time between then and dinner belongs entirely to her. She does her homework, practices piano, and then we will generally go to the park.
• Evening. After a family dinner, I have the evening “off”.

What I have found is that by sticking to this schedule, I am making a lot of progress on previously stalled projects, maintaining my spirits, and spending quality time with my family. The scary part for me right now is the thought that I would really like to keep doing this…

Photo by swimboy1

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This was originally published on 10/29/2008.

Most living spaces, with the exception of the tiniest, have some area that can be set aside for guests: the ubiquitous guest room. Few of us actually set aside space for guests and use it for no other purpose: that would be a waste of otherwise functional space.

In our condominium, we put our office aside as guest space after our daughter was born. That quickly changed when we found a friend’s socks hanging from the printer. In our house, we have a separate room with a bed set up. This room, though, also serves as my crafting room, where my sewing machine and yarn stash live.

It is very easy for us to get ready for guests; here are my top 5 tips:

1. Don’t use your guest space as a dumping ground. If you have a spare room, don’t use it as an overgrown junk drawer. Many people stash things that they will get to later: mending, things to be donated, outgrown clothing, seasonal decorations. The less you keep to do “later” the less you will have to do to prepare for a guest.
2. Keep bedding close. Whatever you use for bedding, keep it close. If you have a permanent bed set up, keep clean sheets on it. If you are using an inflatable bed, keep the pump and bed together with the bedding.
3. Keep clean sheets on the bed. If you are using a permanent space with a bed as a guest room, change the sheets after a visit to ensure that there are always clean sheets on the bed for the next visitor.
4. Use furniture to contain the supplies of other purposes. My sewing items live in one drawer of the dresser, and my yarn stash is in boxes in the closet. It is close at hand during non-guest times, but easy to clean up and store during visits.
5. Have all supplies in one place. For guests, we keep the little hotel soaps, etc. on hand. They are in a basket in the guest room. Add clean towels, and everything is set.

With just a little planning, facilities for guests are easy to set up.

Photo by rick

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Originally published 5/22/2008

You are about to step into a meeting with the visiting vice-president, and you realized that you have spilled coffee down your shirt, and you are missing a button. Then you walk into the meeting, to find out that the in-floor power receptacle is still under its screwed down cover, and the headache kicks in.

A well stocked office supply kit can mitigate some common office emergencies. Here is what I keep in my kit:

A sewing kit. This was purchased at the dollar store, and contains a needle, several threads in common colors, a spare button and a safety pin. It is useful for quick clothing emergencies.

An instant stain remover. These come in either cloth packets or as a liquid. They won’t make your clothes look absolutely clean, but they will camouflage most stains without leaving the tell-tale water marks of a quick bathroom “wash-up”.

Basic medical supplies. I keep a small container filled with my favorite pain killers, sinus tablets, and a migraine pill. I also have several bandages in there, after discovering that no one knew where the office first aid kit was as I was dripping blood from a really nasty papercut. There are also a few cough drops to be found, as well as a packet of herbal tea for soothing throats.

A small toolkit. This is currently a nicely-packaged job with small pliers, a small pocket knife and a set of small screwdrivers. Before I received this kit (a gift), I kept a small screwdriver that reversed to flat and Phillips heads, as well as needle-nose pliers. These tools have come in handy when popping computer cases open, installing hardware, opening up microphone jacks, and stripping wires to make a cable end.

All of us have favorites. One co-worker keeps a portable television in his desk to check on weather emergencies. Another keeps a stock of herbal medicines she uses. What are your favorite supplies?

Update July 2009

I have gotten rid of the small toolkit. Actually, my husband confiscated it from the bag of stuff I hauled home from my client after being laid off. I have not missed it. I have added a small bottle of saline solution, and a small sample of mouthwash.

Photo by Slightlynorth

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