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Articles by Sue Becker

Browse every published article connected to Sue Becker, with exact attribution and full-archive search.

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68 articles by Sue Becker · showing 18

Browse every published article connected to Sue Becker, or search within this exact expert archive.

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Be Prepared When Emergency Strikes

The recent series of disasters in Japan, as well as unrest in many parts of the world, should have us all thinking a little bit more about whether or not we’re prepared for an unexpected disaster. Whether caused by Mother Nature or a human being, an emergency can throw our lives into chaos – being prepared can help mitigate an emergency’s negative impact. While there’s been lots of information in the press recently about how to prepare for physical survival in a disaster, you may not have given much thought to your recordkeeping and paperwork. Here are some ideas you might want to implement:r

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,209 views4/5 (1)

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Get Things Done to be Ready for Anything

My crusade to make this the year to “get things done when they need to be done” paid off in many ways recently. Several events, both personal and business, came up at the last minute, and I was able to attend them without missing a beat because I was caught up on everything I’d needed to get done. A year ago at this time, I might have felt stressed and overwhelmed at the prospect of taking time away from my well-planned, yet poorly executed, to-do list.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,114 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Don’t Forget to Plan for Travel Time

Do you feel like you’re always running late to appointments and events no matter how hard you try to be on time? Do you frequently lose patience when caught in traffic because you’re rushing to get somewhere? Many of my clients, especially those with ADHD, experience the same frustration. One common cause of their recurring tardiness is not building travel time into their schedule. There are sometimes other issues as well, such as being anxious about arriving early and having nothing to do, but ignoring how long it takes to get somewhere is almost always part of the mix.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,125 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Turn Waiting Time into Productive Time

I recently was on my way to a client when she called to say she had a last-minute emergency and needed to push our start time back an hour. Since it wasn’t feasible for me to go back home, I parked near her house and spent the next hour making phone calls, writing a few thank you notes, and reading. I was grateful that by having planned my day the day before, I had with me not only a list of phone calls to make and notes to write, but also the materials to get those tasks accomplished. I also had a couple of magazines with me to read.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,218 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Quick Cures for 7 Common Challenges

Happy autumn! It’s hard to believe that summer is coming to an end. As the leaves change color, you might want to consider which habits you can change to help you be more productive and efficient, both at home and at work. To help inspire you, I’ve noted some common challenges that you may be facing, and some ways to overcome them: Receiving too much paperr Call 1-888-567-8688 or go to https://www.optoutprescreen.com to opt out of unsolicited credit card offers. Sign up free at http://www.catalogchoice.org/ to decline paper catalogs you no longer wish to receive.r

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,134 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Manage Your Notes

Whether you take notes on scraps of paper, in your planner, or in a notebook, they can pile up quickly. Notes may result from attending a meeting, taking a class, having a phone conversation or engaging in a face-to-face conversation. No matter what the source of the notes, it’s important to have a system to process them after you’ve taken them; otherwise they’ll simply become random bits of information looking for a home.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,160 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Allow Time to Be on Time

Do you find yourself arriving late for appointments, meetings and social events more often than you’re on time? Do your friends and family members tell you an event is going to start a half hour earlier than it actually starts just so you have a chance of being “on time”? Here are some possible reasons for your tardiness and how you might be able to turn around your reputation for always being late:r

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,185 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Making the Most of a Busy Schedule

I recently finished working on a month-long project that had me leaving home at 7:00 a.m. and not returning until 9:30 p.m. every night. Although it would be easy to complain about working such long hours, there were plenty of positive outcomes from my experience: • I got to work on an interesting and fulfilling project and meet a lot of wonderful people.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,209 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Own Less and Gain More

A recent Oprah episode included an interview with multimillionaire director Tom Shadyac, who decided to simplify his life by letting go of his mansion and many of his belongings. His former home had 17 bedrooms (although he wasn’t quite sure how many!) and 13 bathrooms. He downsized to a mobile home with three bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and has never been happier. It was fascinating to hear him describe how freeing it was to let go of so many material things as he felt the weight of his former lifestyle lift off his shoulders.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,055 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Time Changes How Meaningful Things Are

I was recently reminded of how, over time, the significance of our possessions can change as I was helping a client clean out her basement. She had lived in her house for 45 year, raised her family there, nursed her husband through a terminal illness there, and celebrated countless birthdays and holidays there.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

911 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Time Management for Performing Artists

Time management can often be quite tricky for visual and performing artists. Achieving success and the stability that comes with it is difficult, and unlike other occupations, that success can be fleeting. More often than not, artists are juggling the job they love with one or more other careers that make it possible for them to eat and keep a roof over their heads. The ability to focus on several simultaneous jobs must be developed quickly, or it is quite easy to feel overwhelmed.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,102 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Making the Most of a Power Outage

A recent series of rainstorms left my home without electricity for 2 days. Being without power certainly made me realize how dependent I am on it. No lights, no landline phone, no computer, and only intermittent cell phone service left me feeling as primitive as it’s possible to feel during a suburban blackout. Here are a few observations about my experience that may help you be prepared for a power outage:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,313 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

Neatening Isn’t Organizing

I recently encountered a situation with my client, whom I’ll call “Ann”, which exemplifies how some people think neatening is the same thing as organizing, and how detrimental that can be. Ann has several chronic medical conditions that generate lots of paperwork, leaving her buried in piles and overwhelmed. She also tends to be an over-shopper, buying things because they’re fun or pretty, not because she’ll necessarily use them, although she says she intends to give them as gifts someday.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,338 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

How Would You “Live Like You Were Dying”?

I recently heard the song Live Like You Were Dying by Tim McGraw on the radio, and it got me wondering what I’d do differently if I took his advice. I don’t want to sound macabre, but I found this exercise to be refreshing and eye-opening. Here are the options I pondered:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,265 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

How to Jump Start Your Own Organizing Makeover

I’ve had the opportunity to be part of several organizing makeover shows (as the organizer, not the client, mind you) and really enjoy seeing the client’s excitement as they view their transformed space for the first time. While you may be hoping there’s a television crew about to knock on your door to announce that you’ve won an organizing makeover, odds are that’s not about to happen. So here are some quick tips to help you jump start your own home organizing makeover:

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,204 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

From Disastrous to Delightful in 15 Minutes

I was recently doing a marathon baking session at my house when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a huge mess in my kitchen. There were pots and pans and all kinds of things all over the place.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,181 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

What Can You Do With 15 Minutes?

The one challenge I hear most from my clients is that they don’t have enough time in their day. However, they typically take an “all or nothing” approach to getting things done. This is unrealistic, because most of us don’t have large chunks of time available to knock out big projects in one fell swoop. A more realistic approach is to chip away at large tasks in the small bits of time we do have available (see my prior blog posting on this topic). In order to do that, we have to break projects down into smaller components first.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

2,056 views

By Sue BeckerRecently published1 topic

When Does Enough Become Too Much?

A few years ago I entered the produce section of my newly remodeled grocery store to purchase some tomatoes, only to discover that it was going to take quite an effort to fulfill my mission. The new and “improved” produce department was at least double the size of the old one, and it took me 5 minutes of intense searching to discover where the tomatoes were located. There were dozens of tables displaying bin after bin of all types of fruits and vegetables, and I became increasingly annoyed at each bin that didn’t reveal the object of my quest.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize

Organizing and Learning How to Organize

1,131 views

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