It’s time for another installment (v3) of the “What’s Interesting?” feature where I share my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. Included are fun, inspiring, and interesting success-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You’re a wonderfully engaged group. I look forward to your participation and additions to the collection I’ve sourced for you. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read – Home Organization

Hot off the press is the new e-book, Room by Room Organization For the Home, from my friends at Smead. It’s a collaboration of organizing tips from Professional Organizers from around the country (including yours truly.) It’s a wonderful collection of quick tips to help you experience organizing success. Click here to download your free copy.

2. Interesting Product – Gadget Organizer

Cocoon’s organizing products are an inventive line of bags and cases that are designed to store, carry, and protect your gadgets and accessories. One of my favorites is the laptop backpack with built in GRID-IT® organizer. Replace cord and gadget clutter with organized tech success!

3. Interesting Assessment – Strengths

Working from your strengths is a success strategy. What if you aren’t sure what your strengths are? One strengths assessment is Clifton StrengthsFinder® 2.0. Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D., who is the father of strengths-based psychology, created it. To learn about your top five strengths, invest in an assessment and your success. Are you curious about my top five strengths? Just ask me below in the comments section and I’ll gladly share them with you.

4. Interesting Fact – Social Media

In a recent Fast Company article, “Man and His Machines,”Om Malik wrote, “The world of information has surpassed human cognitive powers. More than 100,000 tweets and nearly 250,000 Instagram photos are shared per second.” No wonder we’re challenged with processing information and using social media. How can you focus the most useful and relevant information when there’s such great volume being generated each second? What tools do you use that help you successfully navigate social media?

5. Interesting Thought - Success

Success is a way of being and not a singular event. Experiencing failure, experimentation, and frustration are integral to your success journey.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your interesting finds? Do any of these resonate with you?  Come join the conversation!

In March, I introduced a new blog feature, “What’s Interesting?to share my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. Round two of this feature includes fun, inspiring, and interesting time-related finds, which reflect this month’s blog theme. You're such an engaged group. I look forward to your feedback, participation, and additions to the collection I've sourced for you. What do you find interesting?

What’s Interesting? . . .

1. Interesting Read - Focus

The One Thing by Gary Keller

On route to Phoenix last month for the NAPO conference, I discovered The One Thing – The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller. He begins the book with a Russian proverb that highlights his message, “If you chase two rabbits you will not catch either one.” Keller shares strategies for focusing your time and energy around doing the onething that’s most important. He says, “...extraordinary results are directly determined by how narrow you can make your focus.”

2. Interesting Resource – Time Saver

This online resource, CashInMyBag.com, saves you time and pays you money upfront for your used designer clothing and accessories that you want to sell. After providing you with a quote, they’ll send you a box with pre-paid shipping label, making the process quick and easy.

3. Interesting Conference – Disorganization

The Institute for Challenging Disorganization’s (ICD) annual conference is September 18-20, 2014 in Nashville TN. Organizing and related professionals from all over the world will gather to learn from each other and industry leaders including ADHD expert Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D. and organizing pioneer, Judith Kolberg. Sessions include topics such as hoarding, ADHD, coaching, decision-making, and the latest research on chronic disorganization.

4. Interesting Product – Timer

I am a long-standing fan of Time Timer products. The timers, which have a visual time-elapsing display are available in electronic and physical versions. My favorite product is the 3” square timer, which I use for speaking, coaching, and teaching. At the NAPO conference, Time Timer introduced new options...colored cases instead of just black. I bought the turquoise timer and used it just this week for a coaching session with one of my clients.

5. Interesting Thought - Start

We only have so much time in a day, week, year or lifetime to accomplish our dreams. Why procrastinate or stress any longer? Start today. Now is all we have.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your interesting finds? Do any of these resonate with you?  Come join the conversation!

Next steps are the focus for March. This month winter will transition to spring. On Sunday we move our clocks forward. We’ll trade piles of snow for new blooms. With all these thoughts of transitions, change, and next, I’m excited to introduce today the new blog feature, “What’s Interesting?”

I'm sharing my latest discoveries that inform, educate, and relate to organizing and life balance. I look forward to your feedback, participation, and additions. Enjoy round one of fun, inspiring, and interesting finds.

What's Interesting? . . . 

1. Interesting Read - Habits

If you haven’t already read The Power of Habit – Why we do what we do and how to change by Charles Duhigg, I highly recommend it. Duhigg writes about the three-step habit process (cue, routine, reward,) and also how to alter unproductive and unhealthy habits. Identifying and changing “keystone” habits can have a positive domino effect, which automatically change other habits.  

2. Interesting Resource – Photo Organizing

One of my colleagues, Dr. April Lane Benson, recently told me about MyPublisher, a website where you can easily create high quality photo albums from your digital photos. I tried it, and was blown away by the quality, ease of use, customization options, and excellent customer service.

3. Interesting New Book – Chronic Disorganization

Just released this month, The ICD Guide to Collaborating with Professional Organizers, edited by Phyllis Floor Knerr, CPO-CD®, is an important addition to the organizing industry. It includes articles by 57 industry experts (including me) about chronic disorganization, what trained professional organizers do, building successful collaborations, and collaboration case studies. The only book like it in our industry, this is a must read for all professionals working with the chronically disorganized population.

4. Interesting Product – Planner

There are many ways to organize our time and plans. Especially for those that need a home-based system, prefer paper, are visually and tactilely oriented, thePost-it® Notes Weekly Planner could be a great addition. Color can be used to code events, people or activities. Sticky notes allow for easy movement and alterations. It’s a flexible planning system. 

5. Interesting Tech - Scent

We experience our world through our senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and scent. Our productivity can be enhanced or not by understanding how they can work with us. For example, using color can instantly help us recognize categories or brewing a pot of coffee can be the indicator that it’s time to start working. A new gadget being developed is the oPhone, which allows users to send and receive fragrances such as flowers, coffee, and fruit tarts along with their text messages. I’m curious how the oPhone will influence how we work and relax.

6. Interesting Thought - Next

We can make excuses or we can move ahead anyway. Just take one small step towards next, even if you’re not sure. Experiment. Discover. Stay curious.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you like this new feature? Would you like to see it continued? What was most interesting to you? Do you have anything you’d like to add? Come join the conversation. All feedback is welcome.