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    Products | Magazine & Articles | Magazine Archives | Ask Deanne...
    October 2007 Edition
   
The Organized Lifestyle Magazine
HOME * OFFICE * TIME * SPIRIT
October 2007
Deanne
Hello,

It's hard to see with blinders on.

Blinders, also known as Blinkers, are a piece of horse tack used on a horse's bridle that restricts the horse's vision to the rear and, in some cases, to the side. Many racehorse trainers believe this keeps the horse focused on what is in front of him, encouraging him to pay attention to the race rather than other distractions, such as crowds. (1)

If you think about it, we live multiple portions of our lives with blinders on. It's almost as though it's a protective mechanism which activates when we can't process something. Maybe because we can't find or create a solution so our internal protective programming kicks in until we can process the information.

I've been doing this unconsciously with my kitchen table since we got the new fridge which sticks out an extra 2-3 inches. These extra inches cause the door to bump the chair every time I open the door. Bump, bump, bump. Can you image just how crazy that was making me? Do you have any idea how many times a fridge door is opened each day? It was starting to feel like a thousand and yet, I ignored it.

It was one morning last week when the door bumped the chair for the last time because I suddenly had a light bulb moment which enabled me toss my blinders.

I moved the rectangular table in a ¼ turn and voila. Oh, it all seems so simple in retrospect and yet I hadn't thought of this as a solution earlier - for a multitude of reasons.

I bet you, my Feng Shui lady, will think it's pretty great too (more of that to come).

We can't always throw off the blinders because we are often unaware that we even have them on. It can take the perspective of a new set of eyes, a new employee, a friend, a conversation, a new team member, or something as simple as a good night's sleep to loosen the straps to our own blinders so that we can remove them completely.

This edition of the Organized Lifestyle Magazine is all about the blinders that I have taken off at different points in my own life, especially over the past month as I have been working with a Feng Shui expert. Wow - what a new perspective, read on and I'll tell you about it.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinders

Blinders In Your Closet
* HOME *

The closet door opens and you ignore the feeling of dread that is associated with how you feel every time you open your closet. Does that sound like you? Let's look at few ways in which we can start changing those negative feelings every time you open your closet door.

Start by grouping, sorting, & purging. As we switch over our summer to winter, it's a perfect opportunity to weed through the items that you aren't going to wear again and get rid of them.

As you can imagine I'm somewhat organized. I was born this way and it's a 'need' for me to be organized because it grounds me. I find it refreshing when I can see all my shoes, when my jewellery is easily accessible and organized. I like being able to get dressed easily and effortlessly.

I have been planning on changing over my clothes from summer to winter for about one month now - so I started a pile of 'Things to Donate'. For me it's about shedding a layer of unnecessary items from my closet. It just so happens that my switch-over prompted a fine tuning of my linen closet, guest room closet, kids closet, I believe you get the idea.

In Feng Shui they have a theory that you need to make space for new things to arrive. Clothes, love, relationships, new clients, etc. So - I've been making space.

Here are a couple of space making tips for your closet:

Shoes

  • Consider boxing them in transparent containers and stacking them or get a shoe rack that you can hang on the door or mount on a spare wall.
Purses
  • Keep them readily available and easily accessible by displaying them from hooks or on shelves at the top of the closet. Those fancy handbags can be neatly placed into a stackable container with drawers - hey you could even put your shoe polishes in the other drawer!
Your seasonal clothes
  • Purge them on the way out and on the way in. Pick another closet or use storage containers to keep the seasons separate.
Dresser drawers
  • Containerize like items by using drawer organizers.
Jewellery
  • Fishing tackle containers with re-sizable inserts are the perfect way to organize your jewellery.

Getting to Awe
* TIME *

I'm the gal who just loves when things happen coincidentally, being in the right place at the right time, serendipity, etc.

Michael Losier, Canadian author of Law of Attraction , says I create it by wanting it and then allowing it.

I am the same girl who likes results immediately which, let's face it, is not always possible. But I can create it and there are the accomplishments markers along the way which give me hope and assure me that I am headed in the right direction.

If the truth be told, I have wanted 'time' for a very specific project for a very long time. I have been working diligently (6 months actually) towards creating the time I need for me to begin, while strategically removing the time wasters.

I have just (I mean a short while ago) met the apex of my efforts and what a funny feeling. I feel like I need to celebrate and yet am in awe that I've arrived.

The system I followed was this:

  • I evaluated all of my responsibilities & assessed their return on investment.
  • I created a plan regarding what had to go, what had come in, what to be cleaned up, and what needed to be archived and started working the plan.
  • I reviewed the 5-year objectives to ensure that everything was aligned.
  • I then allocated the short-term goals to my calendar.
  • I determined the 'big' goal and how to begin (this is a project management breakdown process) and most importantly
  • I began clearing the clutter, fine tuning my life and my systems, and preparing my environment so that I could proceed.

I looked at every corner of my personal life and my professional life. I've reviewed things esoterically and pragmatically. I've cleared the clutter from my own house three times in 6 months and the results are incredible.

If you're wondering how & when you can get started, drop me a line at info@kaosgrop.com.
Deanne's Web Picks

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Your Place of Power
* OFFICE *

As an experienced organizer it's very exciting to get to the fine tuning stage with our clients. It's emotionally rewarding, it's a substantial accomplishment, and our clients finally get to shop for fun decorative items instead of core organizational items.

Personally, I have been on a mission of 'fine tuning' each room in my house for about 6 months. Which I know I have already said but it truly impacted every area of my life. Can you imagine what I mean when I say fine tuning? Yup, I've reviewed broken jewellery, hyper organized my clothing closet, the linen closet, the pictures, the books, decorations, furniture, every cupboard in the kitchen, & under the beds, absolutely everything and it's been great!. However; the office has been a hard one to fine tune because this requires, for me, intense attention to detail. It's not so much the office that needs fine tuning but what's inside all the files.

I put my blinders on in there. It's beautiful, big, and bright, with a wrap around desk and enough space for me and both of the kids to work all together and yet, I knew it needed to be fine tuned.

It was time to take my own advice and 'call an expert' - so I did! I brought in the Feng Shui expert and got a whole lot more than what I had bargained for - in a great way. You see, we started in the office but because of the nature of how she works, and because I have a residential office, we did an assessment on the entire house - it's all connected!

Feng Shui is about the placement of furniture and objects for optimum energy and efficiency. It's all about math, which is interesting because last month's edition of the OLM was The Mathematical issue. She also confirmed that the only person to fine tune my files was me. Damn, I new that! But she gave me some great insight into the layout of the office and even feedback for the internal filing system. I'm so glad I called her!

Here are some of her expert tips for running your empire:

  • Your desk must be placed the farthest point from the door - this is also called the "power point" of the room.
  • NEVER face a wall when working at your desk; this will "block" your thinking process and creativity.
  • NEVER sit with your back to the door. This constant surge of energy on your back will make it difficult for you to concentrate , as well as, it invites bad reputation (people "stubbing" you in the back feeling).
  • Bring nature to your space - place a plant in the money area - Southeast corner of your desk. Best plants for the office: Bamboo and Peace Lilies.
  • Make sure that the focal point of the office is an inspirational poster. A mountain view, with some water and birds is said to be very lucky when placed on the North wall.
  • Most executive offices have a statue of a horse. A Horse is a symbol of performance and movement. Place it in the South area of your office facing in.
  • Place three Chinese Coins (tied with a red ribbon) on your office door, telephone or clients' files - this promotes continuing flow of money.

Knowing that she is coming back for a follow up visit is helpful because it keeps me on track to completing my Feng Shui To-Do list.
My 10 year old Cliff Jumping Coach
* SPIRIT *

Recently I jumped off a 24 foot cliff (twice). You might think that I am a courageous gal but I don't do this sort of thing without a damn good reason.

I sat quietly on the boat watching other kids jump from the auspicious height and a couple of adults jumped too. Kids just seem to get a huge kick out of it. I had a rumbling in my heart because I really wanted to do it but I was very busy evaluating the potential consequences. Such as: if I get hurt where is the nearest hospital, what is the worst thing that can happen, will I land on the rocks, what is the distance I must jump outward to avoid the rocks and all the thoughts of that elk. My sister and son were with me so she could take care of him and my daughter was with her nana so she was fine.

It seemed like a blip in time and suddenly I was swimming towards the cliff with my god son and seconds later I was standing on the top of a 24 foot cliff, my legs visibly shaking from my ankles to my thighs.

I put my faith in my god son and simply asked him to explain to me 'exactly' where to position my feet and 'exactly' what did I need to do to land in the water and not on the protruding rocks below.

He did exactly that. 'Crazy auntie Deanne, put your left foot at the very edge and then push off really hard with your right foot - you'll be fine, just be sure to jump out as far as you can!'

*Did I mention that somewhere in our conversation he said that there was no other way down?*

I positioned my left foot, then my right foot and splash - I landed in the water! What an awesome feeling I actually landed in the water and I was coached by a young man who had no idea of all of the crazy thoughts going on in my head.

We promptly headed up for a second round! Shaking less and successful just the same.

At 24 feet I took off a set of blinders and put my faith in my young coach. We all have blinders that we use when necessary but I've started to realize just how beautiful it is to see the world without them on.

The type of coaching he offered me is what we, at Kaos Group, offer our clients. We don't hear the thoughts in your head about your situation. We are clear and focused on the goal (jumping off the cliff - so to speak). We understand that it can be scary but we also know that you will be safe.

When you call us it's like climbing up the cliff & after we work together it's as exhilarating as having jumped. You will always be further ahead than before you worked with us and you will have the story to tell your friends about how 'YOU DID IT'!.
It's Finally Here - Ask Deanne!

Ask Deanne! has now been launched and the questions are pouring in.

It has been a long time coming and now you can 'Ask Deanne' your questions too! Email 'Ask Deanne' with your questions, concerns, specialty inquiries, suggestions, tips on what helped you, or to simply discuss, in a safe place, how you are nearing your wit's end!

Q: Tell me about your Lunch and Learns?
A: Regarding our Lunch and Learn seminars: they are developed based on the most common 'business' challenges: time management and core operational systems in offices (paper and electronic) and we send questionnaires to each attendee prior to the seminar(s). The seminars are customized based on your companies specific needs and are interactive in adult learning format. The results of our approach ensure that each attendee can effortlessly apply their newly learnt, or enhanced, organizational skills to their work environment - immediately.