This is a picture of my desk with my mouses on it. Not mouse. Mouses.

Meese. Mousies. I’ve got two of ‘em.

It all started a few months ago when I noticed that the scroll wheel on my old mouse would periodically get stuck and hard to move. I was using so much pressure to scroll that my second finger felt sore at the end of the day. Turns out, I’d actually bent the wheel somehow. Guess I use the computer a lot.

Truth be told, sometimes my work day is 10-12 hours long. My computer (and thus the mouse) is my primary work tool, so how well it works affects my body!

After checking the ads, I ended up at Best Buy and couldn’t decide between two different mice. With their generous return policy, I decided to bring both home and test drive them to see which I liked better.

Well, long story short, I chose not to decide.

I love the simple arched one (made by Microsoft) for its button-touch scroll without an actual moving wheel. This gives my second finger a break. I also like that it moves like a regular mouse with side to side wrist movements.

AND! I also love the ergo-mouse (made by Logitech) which is stationary. Instead of moving my wrist to navigate, it allows me to use a track ball with my thumb. It has a standard scroll wheel, but it is way smoother than my old one.

What I love best is being able to switch between the two mouses throughout the day. Because of their design, they use almost completely different muscle groups. I no longer experience muscle fatigue, soreness, and aches like I used to. On the rare occasion that I do feel discomfort, I just switch to the other mouse and it goes away.

Although I’m no ergonomics expert, I’m convinced using these mouses alternately helps prevent repetitive stress injuries in my hand, wrist, and elbow. When you’re at your desk as much as I am, that’s eighty bucks well spent!

(P.S. None of the companies mentioned in this article, nor Jasper, have asked me for this positive review, but they got it anyway!)

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In exactly one week, I’ll be on a plane, traveling to southern France. Once I arrive, I’ll begin a 500-mile walk to Santiago, Spain and then on to the Atlantic Ocean on Spain’s west coast. I decided to go for my 40th birthday, but it’s turned into a much bigger journey.

You may not have any interest in this ancient pilgrimage, or Spain, or even travel, but I will tell you that this leaving is a remarkable accomplishment for me — even before I’ve left.

Not only have I whittled my essential belongings down to about 47 basic items, but I will be unreachable by phone or email the entire time I’m away. My life has never been this simple.

Despite this, the lights will stay on at Inspired Home office. Every important business operation, from email to customer service will still be up and running in my absence. Classes will be offered. Newsletters will be sent monthly. Support will continue.

How is it possible for a girl like me — once cluttered, creative, overwhelmed, and over-scheduled — to successfully plan a trip of this duration and simplicity? Four things, to be exact. And you can do them too.

Create conscious systems

All these years of self-employment, no one has ever seen how I “do” email or pay my bills. In releasing these tasks to others while I’m away, I’ve discovered I have decent systems! I feel proud of the tools I’ve created that help my business run well.

You can get there too by treating every new system as an experiment. Write down the steps and try it out for a while to see what works. If it does, you just keep following the steps!

Cultivate willingness to delegate

Ever feel like you want someone to help you, but you want to manage every aspect of how they do the things you delegate? (Or is that just me?)

At some point (last month, probably) I realized that if this pilgrimage was to be a success, it was imperative that to choose to release everything to others. From feeding the cats and leading classes, to paying the bills and addressing customer questions — I needed to let go of doing it all myself.

One of the illusions of self-employment is that the business can’t run without me/you. Turns out, if you plan well, it can! The key is willingness.

Is there anything in your life or work you want to delegate? What if you tried it?

Create clarity about what’s important

Whether you’re sorting through an old pile of papers or deciding what to put in a 45 liter backpack, both offer an opportunity to practice discerning what is and isn’t important to you.

For your home office, perhaps it’s important to enjoy your surroundings and have space to do things you love. If you have a bunch of baby elephants on your desk, you’ll eventually realize that they’re keeping you from what’s important to you.

As I prepared for this pilgrimage, I decided that simplicity was the most important thing for me. I decided to put as little “stuff” and weight in my pack as necessary and create as little waste as possible. I also decided that giving you, dear reader, a positive experience in my absence was important too.

Clarity helps you act meaningfully.

Choose to act on your dreams

This month in my community, the Creative Haven, our topic is Vision. We’re diving into our dreams and wishes. We’re following our inklings of inspiration.

Sadly, many of people gave up their imaginations in childhood, but if you give it a little space to come out, you’ll discover that your inner wish machine is still vividly alive inside of you. It’s just gone into hiding.

What do you dream of? What, in your most private moments, do you wish for? What idea feels so tantalizing that you feel a thrill just thinking about it?

I had a dream to do something BIG for my 40th birthday. I had no idea I’d be flying halfway around the world to walk my tail off, I just wanted to do something significant to mark the transition. If I look even further back, I remember that had a dream of going on regular retreats to nourish my spirit and reflect on my life. And I did it… but I wanted more.

This journey I’m about to take is a giant-sized retreat. It came from a butterfly-inducing idea. I dared to dream for it and now (holy cow!) it’s miraculously here.

I chose it.

You can do this

If you’re looking at what I’m about to do with a little envy… If the idea of taking almost 3 whole months off from your work appeals to you… Do it. I’ve done nothing exceptional except write it in my calendar and decide to make it happen.

And once I decided, the miracles showed up — the right shoes, 15 generous friends’ contributions, an amazing assistant, a talented best friend, a powerhouse group of gifted volunteers, a willing and supportive spouse, and encouraging community of friends and family, and divine encouragement in times of doubt that I could get there.

Yes, I’m doing this. And so can you — whatever you dream of — if you choose it.

Know this: At the precise moment that you choose to act on your dream, not only will decluttering and organizing get easier, but a million angels will line up behind you and fan you forward with their wings. As they have with me.

Want to share your dream? Or cheer me on as a plan to meet mine?

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Like most busy, creative people you end up with loose stuff strewn over the desk. No biggie.

Then, in order to tidy up, you combine those loose things into a pile. Looks neater! You add a few things to it over time. Weeks later, it hasn’t been touched and starts to feel stuck and heavy. The longer this pile sits untouched, the more solid and stuck it feels.

Most piles of paper are made up of deferred decisions and projects. Stuff is lurking, waiting for your attention. Lots of little things and some big things just sit, waiting for you to have time for them. Sitting there so you don’t forget.

Energetically, that pile is like a baby elephant sitting on your desk. Heavy, unwieldy, and unwelcome. Who’d want to try and lift it off?

If you avoid chunky clumps of paper like this, you’re not alone. It’s hard. It’s easier to avoid it (in the short run). It’s easier to procrastinate dealing with it because it’s so darned heavy. Avoidance is one way of giving yourself a break.

However, at some point you’ll know that it’s time. When the time comes and you’re fed up and ready to clear the pile away, how do you start?

Limit your work time: First of all, set a timer so that you have a finite duration to the project. Choose a reasonable amount of time where you can stay focused without getting fatigued. 45-90 minutes is good. Stop when it’s time to, even if you’re not finished.

Start at the end: Flip your pile over and start from the bottom. This is helpful for two reasons. First, it helps makes the pile get unstuck. It also exposes the oldest material first. Old stuff is usually easier to clear because it’s expired or things have gotten settled or the dates have past.Start with these and the pile will start disappearing faster right away.

Make disposal easy: Have a recycle bin and shredder within arm’s reach. This will save you countless trips and prevent creating a monstrous ‘shred’ pile.

Practice monotasking: Pick up one item at a time. I mean this literally. Most people grab a fistful of papers or spread them all out — and this is the best way to short-circuit your brain. Do one thing. Like this:

• Pick up one piece of paper.
• Decide where it goes next.
• Put it in the next place.
• Pick up the next item.
• Rinse and repeat…

Get vertical: I find that standing up helps me a lot. When I’m seated and clearing I noticed that I got stuck a lot. So now I push back my chair and stand up. I feel more confident and decisive.

Have a snack: Research shows that making decisions for an extended period of time can tax your brain and lower your blood sugar. Amazing, huh? Stop periodically to discern whether your brain needs food.

So! Now that you have some tools, are you feeling more inspired to do some clearing? I hope you’re clearer about what strategies would work for you. I’d be so happy if you could have a space you actually enjoy working in.

Have you tried these — or do you have other approaches to clearing off the piles from your desk?

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Wow. In the last two days, I’ve talked to three different women who are completely overwhelmed by clutter. Worse, they’re overwhelmed by the life they’re living that creates and contributes to the clutter.

As someone with ADD, I can completely relate to the overwhelm, paralysis and lack of enthusiasm for maintenance. Yuck. If you’re under a lot of stress, having clutter is perfectly normal.

If you’re completely at capacity for time and energy at the moment, the best thing you can do about your clutter is wait. I know this seems anti-intuitive if you’re bogged down. You want to jump right in. I get it.

What I recommend instead is thinking about when you’ll have more time and energy to do some clearing. Do you have a summer break coming? After tax season? When do you think the current stresses might subside a bit?

Once you have an idea of when life will be a little calmer, you can use that as the starting date for your clutter-clearing project. In the meantime, just prepare mentally. Think about what you’d like to do. Think about what you want to change. Deciding not to take action right away can ease some of the stress. Instead, ease into the idea that soon, this situation will change.

When you’re ready to do that clearing, here are some supportive options at Inspired Home Office this spring:

First of all, I’m offering The Wish Kit class on March 29th at 10am Pacific. If you purchase a copy of my Wish Kit ebook, you get this 2-hour class for free. I do this because many people buy things they don’t read. I offer this class at no cost so you USE what you purchase. The Wish Kit is $47 and you can read about it here:
http://inspiredhomeoffice.com/products/wish-kit

Secondly, I’m offering a 4-week group coaching class called Gentle Spring Clearing in March/April. All the participants in this class build clearing skills and spend about 4 hours a week clearing clutter, some of it in real time on the phone. The 4-week class is $89 and the details are here: http://inspiredhomeoffice.com/products/gentle-spring-clearing

Last suggestion: My Creative Haven is a group of lovely, funny women who meet weekly to clear their spaces together, create accountability, and celebrate big and small accomplishments. The Creative Haven has helped many women in the same cluttered boat revolutionize their work spaces. It’s tremendous fun. If you’re a member of this community, both of the previous suggestions are included in your membership. It’s $68 per month. Here’s info about the Creative Haven: http://inspiredhomeoffice.com/products/creative-haven-info-page

More than anything, I hope that your stress begins to subside and that you take good care of yourself. If I can help you on the journey, please let me know. I want to make sure you get the support you need. That’s from the heart.

Warmly,
Jen

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by Mary Ellen Grace

The other day Anita asked me, “Do you ever get tired of playing the same thing over and over?”

It wasn’t a question out of the blue. I had just been practicing my alto sax in preparation for a recital performance in a few daystar was coming up.

I was working on the first movement of a suite by Paule Maurice. It is written in C# minor for the alto and there are many accidentals (sharps, flats, naturals) throughout; a great deal of them are double sharps!

Am I at ease reading a long run of eighth notes where just about each eighth note has an accidental applied to it? No. I’m not. But that’s where practice helps me feel at ease.

“Do you ever get tired of playing the same thing over and over?”

“No,” came my reply, quicker than thought.

You see, I was practicing and practicing is quite different from performing.

When I practice, I am not thinking about what it may sound like to anyone nearby. My focus is on the finger patterns, the technique, the articulation — the deep, fine detail of the music.

In that frame of mind, I might play a 2-measure passage twenty times (at least!) in a slow loop. Then I will gradually increase the tempo, playing another 20 loops for each tempo increase.

I might play those 2 measures 20 more times at my goal tempo and then add one measure before and after and play those 4 measures 20 times.

My mental focus draws me in so deep that I forget there are other people nearby who might hear. I’m not thinking, “What does this sound like to Anita in the other room?” I’m not thinking, “She must be getting real tired of hearing these 2 measures by now.”

What I am thinking is, “F#, G#, A#, B#, smoothly now, you’re dragging there, G double #, D#, A#, A natural, repeat…” Or something like it.

Thank you Jennifer Hofmann

A few months ago, I was working with Jenn in her 3-month Time and Money program. One of the things that we addressed during our sessions was clearly defining my home office/music studio space.

You see, my work space has an entrance from the outside that my students use when they come for lessons. Unfortunately, both Anita and I had been seeing that entrance as our exit out of the house and using it as such. Which meant, walking through my work space to get outside.

I needed some boundaries for my work environment.

Jen’s coaching guided me to make a list of what I needed to make my space my own and then take that information into negotiations with Anita. I know, it sounds all formal and whatnot, but we needed the structure of negotiating to find a good outcome for both of us.

We came up with some ‘rules’ that we tested out over a few week trial period. Things like:

• When my door (into the hallway) is closed, it means do not interrupt except in emergency. We also defined what is an emergency.
• When I have students and other work visitors in my office, the door to the hallway will be locked.
• We make use of texting to one another when we are in our separate work environments which both happen to be in the same building. Sometimes the texts are sweet love messages and other times they are logistical concerns.

We continued negotiating during the 3-week trial period. It was a fluid process that continues still. The texting has had a fun impact on our relationship.

Anita knows that when the hallway door is closed, she can knock to come in but if I don’t answer, it means don’t come through. With these guidelines, the two of us have helped to make my work space clearly defined and special.

So when I’m practicing 2 measures of F#-G#-A#-B etc, over and over again, I do so from the Sanctuary of my Special and Clearly Defined work environment. Thanks, Jen!

Mary Ellen Grace maintains a private music studio in Portland, Oregon, guiding motivated saxophone and clarinet students of all ages on their musical journeys. Mary Ellen is the author of the incredibly FUN warmup method for wind players, Truly FUNdamentals.

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Most of us are unknowingly addicted to the little adrenaline rush we get every time a new message comes into the inbox. Sometimes I get to the point where I can’t go 45 minutes without checking my inbox. Okay, sometimes 20. Or 2.

As February stirs us into action and we move into the year, now is a great time to be thinking of ways to minimize the control email has on your life.

Email is a communication tool, not a to do list.

Fortunately, there are oooodles of things you can do to regain control of email so it’s the useful communication tool it’s supposed to be, rather than a time tyrant. If you want more control over email there are two areas to focus on:

• Decreasing distractions: Eliminating clutter, unwanted email, and advertising
• Increasing mindful usage: Creating systems for when to check email and how to respond

All the suggestions that follow will help you get closer to those goals.

Basic:

1. Remove visual distractions: Turn off email notification pop-ups on your computer, tablet, and phone.
2. Remove auditory distractions: Turn off audio notifications (dingdong!) while you’re at it.
3. Break the habit: If your web browser automatically opens your email account when you start up, change the setting so that it opens to something benign. This stops your email habit and distraction from accidental email use.
4. Decrease spam: Register your email address on the DMA site to prevent receiving spam in the first place. It’s free and only takes about 2 minutes: https://www.ims-dm.com/cgi/optoutemps.php (requires you respond to a confirmation email).

Intermediate:

1. Folders: Set up folders for emails that are not critical, but you’d like to peruse at some point. To do this, create a folder and set up rules so that the email skips your inbox and goes right to your folder.
2. Reduce email clutter: Sign up for gmail (http://mail.google.com/mail/help/open.html) if you want a really good spam filter. It’s free and prevents wasting precious time weeding out spam from your inbox.
3. Unsubscribing: Spend a week noticing want emails you get that you don’t really want. Then get cutthroat about unsubscribing from them. Usually the unsubscribe link is at the bottom of emails. Note: Unsubscribe only from things you are certain you subscribed to, otherwise your spam may actually increase.

Advanced:

1. Get Rapportive: Rapportive.com is a free tool that helps you remember who you’re corresponding with by displaying their image and recent social media activity. Because of where it appears on the screen, it coincidentally also prevents gmail ads from appearing on the right hand side. Yes!
2. Sanebox: If you’re up for a paid option, I can’t recommend Sanebox (sanebox.com) highly enough. For $6/month, you train this tool to remove non-urgent email from your inbox. I save almost an hour a week using it and I’ve never missed an important email because of their unique reminder system. Genius! (My link above gives us both a $5 credit.)
3. Plan dates with your inbox: Experiment with checking email once a day at a specific time. If it works for you, this is a system that will give you huge amounts of free, productive time.
4. Internal systems: Create a policy called How We Respond To Emails. For example, my assistant and I both have a goal to reply to emails using warm, compassionate language and address the issue in 3 sentences or less. Powerful and effective.

So. Are you feeling more empowered? Try out some of these suggestions and see how they work for you.

Or if you have other email-taming techniques, please share them below!

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5. Word clouds

These ideas are only the beginning — but are hopefully inspiring you to think about what you want more of this year! Feel free to comment below about what works for you and what your word is this year!

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Welcome 2013!

This year I gave myself a big scrapbooking binder for dreaming up my new year. I love the big 12×12″ pages for spreading out and making really creative vision collages.

I loved the stacks of magazines I accumulated over the year in anticipation.

I especially love sitting with the question: What do I want this year?

Then tearing out images and words that speak to my spirit.

Here is a glimpse of my dining room table — and a few of the eleven collages I made — over the holiday break.

Enjoy!

~ Body

~ Personal growth

~ Money

What’s in your collage and dreams for this year?

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Over the whole two weeks, really, I just lazed.

But toward the end, I started to get that itch to clear something out. So I did two areas:

Project 1: The Pantry

No before photos this time, sorry!

I took out everything, wiped the shelves clean. Then I sorted everything, checked expiration dates, composted what wasn’t usable and organized the rest.

My favorite part? The labeler!

Now I can find ALL my baking goods without having to shake the container wondering, “Is this the powered sugar or the bleached flour?” This also helps any other Inspired Bakers put things back again without a hassle.

Project 2: The Bathroom Cabinet

This is the ‘after’ photo — and I must have decided to donate about 10 pounds of beauty products and cleansers.

Mid-project, the bathroom floor was covered with the various things I dragged out: towels, first aid supplies, medicines, body care stuff, travel toiletries, beauty supplies, and a ‘donate’ pile.

Because Inspired Spouse is a dental hygienist, of course we have an entire basket for teeth-care items!

After I was all done with these two projects, I would walk by and open the doors just to see how good they look. It took about 3 hours total, but it was totally worth the effort!

Curious:

What cupboard or closet is calling in your own house?

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I received an email from a great client asking me how I organize my to-do list and goals. Great question!

Honestly? I have come a loooong way from the disheveled, disorganized girl I once was.

I used to run around like a crazy thing from one activity to the next, stressed out, exhausted, running late. It was not fun. Can you relate?

Over the years, I have honed my ability to keep track of my time and tasks. And instead of telling you about it, I just wanted to show you.

Keeping track of to-dos

I loved this planner I found last year at Staples. This year, the cover is TEAL and has SPARKLES!! Whee! Practically speaking, I like that the week overview is on one side and on the right there’s a WHOLE PAGE for writing my to-dos for the week.

This is what it looks like, personal to-dos at the bottom and work to-dos starting at the top.

I write my to-dos on Monday morning and then check this list daily, adding things or taking them away.

The other feature of this planner is that is has a WHOLE PAGE for planning your month! Which I love!

Every few weeks, I check back with this monthly list to see how I’m doing. Last summer, I started setting an intention for the month — how do I want to feel this month?

This solution isn’t a perfect one for everyone, but it works best for me since I like BIG sheets of paper and writing by hand.

How do YOU keep track of your to-dos? Share below in the comments section!

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