Challenging Disorganization and Hoarding Expert Ellen Hankes

Brain Time or Clock Time?

Did you turn your clocks ahead today? Today as I waited for a flight, I picked up a copy of the Sunday St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It contained a fascinating article on time by German science writer Stefan Klein. In talking about time perception, he says,

"The brain creates its own time, and it is this inner time--not clock time--that guides our actions."

Turn Your Kitchen Hotspot into a Tropical Island

This week I gave presentations on Fasting From Our Clutter to a church group and Chronic Disorganization to a women's health conference. In  conversations with me after both events, participants talked about their kitchen hot spots.

Our seminar participants both inspire me and provide a window on what organizing issues are on their minds.

For many of us, a kitchen island or a certain kitchen counter is the hot spot that collects mail, keys, school papers, items to return, and all kinds of stuff. It is the hot spot that causes us  visual distress.

Idol Organizing

Organizing can be somewhat like choosing your favorite performer for the popular show American Idol. We often are faced with a number of similar items but each has its own special attributes. We know we can't keep them all. As we evaluate them, we look closer at each item and find one, or several, that really don't meet our standards. We can "vote" for our favorites and find another home for the less preferred items.

Try Closing Ceremonies

Our seminar attendees often ask how to effectively plan the day so they can maximize their work output.

National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization founder Judith Kolberg suggests Closing Ceremonies as a way to wrap up one work day and plan for the following day. In Ms. Kolberg's Special Report #4; Getting from 'Here' to 'There': Executive Function and Organizing, she suggests doing these things at the end of the workday:

Put your files away. Update your notes. Do a brain dump. Check your calendar for the next day. Pull the files you might need. Jot down notes that focus on the most important three things to do the next day.