Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Feb 6, 2012, 1:18 am
photo © Zeffss1 Delegation is one of the most difficult skills for many entrepreneurs to pick up. There are  a lot of reasons for this – the skills and traits required for long-term delegation make the subject of other posts. But what if we just need a little low-stress help on a temporary bas...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 23, 2012, 9:00 am
Getting Things Done (GTD), the time management system based on David Allen’s best-selling book, is loved by many. It’s also no secret that not everyone finds it smooth sailing. GTD can become a cause of pain for many, maybe for you. I often work with people who have tried GTD and after a while ...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 17, 2012, 9:00 am
Happy birthday to my New Leaf organizing and productivity blog! Begun in January, 2008, it’s now four years old! I’m dipping into the archives to offer you, my readers, a few yummy posts from those past Januarys. You know, since I can’t serve you cake digitally. In case you thought that clut...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 15, 2012, 1:04 pm
We live in a world of interruptions and distractions. These interruptions can make it tough to finish the projects that matter most to us. And the answer to this problem is – a tomato. I’m talking about a time-management method called the Pomodoro Technique. First taught in the early 1990s, the...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 11, 2012, 2:00 pm
For years I considered myself a slow reader. But it wasn’t until I began to use an electronic reader that I understood just how slow. Routinely I would dawdle over a page of newspaper text for so long, that my iPad would time out and close up the document, thinking I wasn’t there anymore. I was ...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Dec 31, 2011, 6:06 pm
I spend my weeks helping other people make plans for their work and their lives – plans that are compelling, challenging, powerful, and juicy. And I believe that the best plans are as simple as possible. So here’s my resolution for me and my wish for you for 2012.
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Dec 22, 2011, 8:19 am
They are responsible for our good years and our continued hope for the future. They are our clients, but also our teachers and friends. A card is not enough to express our gratitude. Every year at this time, we look for ways to tell our clients what they mean to us. Here are a few ideas to please t...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Nov 23, 2011, 5:00 am
"Forest Interior" by Paul Cezanne We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. - Thornton Wilder At this time, I am especially conscious of how grateful I am for you, my clients, friends and readers. Thank you for your presence in my life. I wis...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Oct 11, 2011, 11:46 am
We’ve all been told that studying hard and doing well in school were necessary for our future success. But there are some things you learned in order to do well in school that you really need to unlearn in order to successfully start and run your own business. Here are four school rules that flunk...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Sep 27, 2011, 11:07 pm
Show yourself some love! How can I motivate and reward myself when I am both the boss and the employee? So, one of the skills I teach in my Plan to Thrive productivity program is how to use a four-month rolling plan to keep up your momentum. And one essential part of the rolling plan is a way to r...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Sep 22, 2011, 11:18 am
  With NAPO founder Ann Gambrel, 2011 On October 15 I’m teaming up with Geralin Thomas, owner of Metropolitan Organizing and expert organizer from A&E’s Hoarders, to present a workshop especially for newer organizers and those who are wondering whether organizing might be right for them. It�...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Sep 21, 2011, 11:23 pm
Lois Morton is the Gilbert and Sullivan of professional organizing. Watch her music video, here: Lois Morton’s “Confessions of a Clutterholic” And she’ll make you laugh, make you wince, and give you courage. Can you ask for more?  
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 30, 2011, 5:58 pm
  Does that clear things up? Having a clear vision and mission in your work can make a powerful difference in how easily you’re able to move ahead. Think about it: a calendar full of tasks will never get anyone to spring out of bed in anticipation, but a compelling vision and clear mission will...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 18, 2011, 1:09 pm
Photo (c) Lynn Park, http://dailybenigneye.blogspot.com/     Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. William James
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jul 15, 2011, 12:55 am
No matter how we hurry, time passes quickly. ("Ducks on the Run" by Lynn Park, http://thebenigneye.blogspot.com/2010/07/ducks-on-run.html) Does this sound like a trick question? Let me ask it another way: have you ever planned to get a certain amount of work done only to find at the end of the day...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jul 11, 2011, 10:04 am
photo by Lynn Park, dailybenigneye.blogspot.com/ I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. Douglas Adams This blog has fallen silent as I’ve been working on some other projects — more on those soon. In the meantime, I haven’t lost interest in organizing and prod...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - May 24, 2011, 2:43 pm
Old and new met as an Apple II displayed a twitter stream at the 2010 Makers' Faire, San Mateo, CA (photo by M. Lukens) Looking ahead to summer. Remembering the past on Memorial Day. Listening as commencement speakers recall prior achievements and give advice for a lifetime. May is filled with beg...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Apr 25, 2011, 7:00 am
Have you heard the term “email bankruptcy?” Here’s how it happens: when my email inbox reaches such a staggering load of messages that I can never hope to deal with them all and I just need a fresh start, I may choose to declare email bankruptcy. I delete everything, then send a message to my ...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Apr 15, 2011, 7:30 am
photo by M. Lukens   There’s only one thing worse than paying income tax, and that’s not paying it. – Anonymous
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Apr 14, 2011, 7:30 am
Daffodils at the Bishops' Ranch, Healdsburg, California Is April the cruelest month? The poet T. S. Eliot thought so. But the New Leaf archives from Aprils past kindly produced a fresh crop of relevant articles. I’ll share them in case you missed them the first time around. When you have a lot t...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Apr 13, 2011, 4:00 pm
Sometimes perfection is beside the point. What’s better than perfect? Many years ago, when I applied for my first real career-launching job, I prepared for my round of interviews with practice questions supplied by a university career counselor. I remember one question we were advised to be read...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Mar 3, 2011, 8:37 pm
Boats in the harbor, Vancouver, British Columbia (photo by M. Lukens) Some of the productivity challenges we deal with are brand new, while others are evergreen. For those perennial problems, here is a sample of favorite March  posts from years past. It’s a good time to review your team. Are y...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Feb 27, 2011, 11:53 pm
It's the white space that makes the thing stand out. When you look at your office or your calendar, consider the use of white space. What do I mean by white space? In graphic or visual arts, white space is the portion of a page left unmarked. In radio, white space is the space between channels tha...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Feb 15, 2011, 12:08 am
No, not “I love you,” though they, too, can start all kinds of mischief. The dangerous words I have in mind are words that are not a problem when used in moderation and with awareness, but dangerous when applied too often. I’m thinking of “just for now.” I hear it regularly. When I ask a...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Feb 10, 2011, 5:00 am
What the world really needs is more love and less paperwork. – Pearl Bailey
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Feb 5, 2011, 10:10 pm
Never forget favorite posts from the past! I’m in love with this sample of February posts from years past, and I hope you are, too! It’s a good time to check for “tolerations” – those small annoyances that can get in the way of your progress. Address them now! Here’s how. And speaking...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 31, 2011, 3:54 pm
Hofstadter’s Law: It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law. – Douglas Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid As you make your plans for 2011, do you feel that you didn’t do much, or enough, last year? Do you feel that you r...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 19, 2011, 11:00 pm
What's the best location? What are the three most important considerations in real estate? Location, location, location. When organizing your office, apply real estate principles to get the most benefit from your space. Real estate professionals refer to different classes of office space. Class A...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 12, 2011, 4:00 am
Twenty-first century office? Or retirement home for electronics? My organizing colleague Susan Shankle is an avid student of history. Recently she shared a discovery that illustrates our enduring human tendency to hang on to things that don’t serve us. I get a smile every time I read her note, so...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jan 7, 2011, 11:25 pm
Paper still has its uses. Keeping office paper within bounds is a challenge that hasn’t gone away. Here are three practices you can adopt this year to reduce the amount of paper you keep. Subscribe to online versions of newspapers, journals, and magazines. Many publications offer a full or expa...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Nov 23, 2010, 7:00 am
  "Still Life" by Vincent van Gogh, Legion of Honor, San Francisco (photo by Margaret Lukens)   For all that has been, thanks. For all that will be, yes. Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish diplomat, first Secretary General of the United Nations (1905-1961)
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Nov 8, 2010, 6:21 am
From the garden, alstromeria and Sunset Celebration roses. Photo by Margaret Lukens November is a time for looking back and looking ahead. Gratitude and future plans have been on my mind in Novembers past. Here are a few posts worth revisiting. Are your meetings short, focused, and productive? Tak...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Nov 4, 2010, 9:00 am
If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable. – Seneca Once in a while a client avoids planning on the ground that it takes too much time. They’d much rather dive right in and spend that time getting some of their work done, instead of reviewing goals, choosing priori...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Oct 19, 2010, 8:00 am
  No means no! (Photo taken on Vancouver's Canada Line by Margaret Lukens)   Productivity is as much about what we choose not to do as it is about what we do. (Remember the Evil Overlord List? 100 tongue-in-cheek won’t-do entries that begins, “Being an Evil Overlord seems to be a good caree...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Oct 17, 2010, 2:31 pm
  Still fresh, still good for you! (Farmer's Market, Granville Island, British Columbia. Photo by Margaret Lukens) I’ve dipped into the New Leaf News archives to share a few posts that still seem as fresh and relevant today as they did in Octobers past. In case you missed them the first time ar...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Oct 4, 2010, 8:20 pm
Gum tree seed pods stick; your tasks don't have to. (photo by M. Lukens) Take a look at your to-do list. Are there things that have been lurking there for weeks, maybe months? How do you feel when you think of those tenacious tasks? Tired? Discouraged? You can get rid of those “Velcro jobs” fa...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Sep 28, 2010, 1:46 am
Back in June I pledged to achieve in-box zero by the first day of autumn, so I owe you, dear readers, an update. How did I do? In a word: busted. I managed to keep up with most everything that came in during the past three months, but the backlog is a mere 10 percent smaller than it was. My 500+ m...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Sep 13, 2010, 8:49 pm
When I asked my father, then aged 85 and about to move out of the home he’d built with his own hands 25 years earlier, whether there was anything more he really wanted to do, his response was memorable: “You can always think of more things to do in a day than you can get done. But, no, there...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Sep 12, 2010, 7:17 pm
(photo by Margaret Lukens) I’ve sorted through the New Leaf archives to choose a few posts from Septembers past. Here’s a sample of what was on our mind during recent years. When no work is getting done, you can’t seem to muster any enthusiasm, and yet you can’t relax either, it’s time t...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Sep 3, 2010, 1:07 pm
Give your files room to grow Feeding old financial documents and client files through a small office shredder is no one’s idea of fun. Finding a shredding company that will pick up less than 10 boxes of paper can be tough. So how does the small office or home office clear out a backlog of shreddi...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 19, 2010, 9:00 am
Wine caves at Schramsberg in California's Napa Valley - NOT chardonnay (photo by Margaret Lukens) I sometimes joke that here in northern California, it’s illegal to smoke cigarettes just about anywhere, and it’s also illegal NOT to drink Chardonnay. If you’re not getting as much done in a d...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 18, 2010, 9:00 am
I can carry it myself. No, really. It’s natural for business owners to feel reluctant to delegate. After all, their name and reputation is often all over the work. If the person they delegate to doesn’t come through with top quality work, it’s the owner who suffers most. Still, learning to d...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 17, 2010, 4:28 pm
photo of Willie Mays statue in San Francisco courtesy of soulofamerica.com You’ve no doubt heard it before. To be more productive, we must: Discard (whatever isn’t needed), Deposit (into files whatever needs to be added to the archive or handled later), and Do (what can be done right ...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 12, 2010, 8:00 am
I’ve written before about ways to exercise when it seems hard to include exercise in your schedule. There’s another tool that I recently suggested to a client who wants to do a lot of exercise with no down-time. It’s a Steelcase desk called the Walkstation. The Walkstation’...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 10, 2010, 11:00 am
Let’s suppose that as you dash out of your office to do a round of meetings and errands, you neglect to pick up the paper with the address of one of your appointments. Trip wasted? Not necessarily. Now you can just text GOOGL (46645) with the name of the business followed by CITY,STATE and im...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Aug 8, 2010, 9:04 pm
I’m sharing a few posts from the New Leaf archives. Here’s what was on our mind in August during the past couple of years. Productivity depends on being able to work in comfort. Eliminate at least one pain in the neck with a wireless headset. Successfully planning for the future requires ackno...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jul 26, 2010, 7:13 pm
Your friend and mine, Vilfredo. Allow me to introduce someone who can profoundly affect your productivity. You may know him by his reputation, if not by his name or face. Name: Vilfredo Pareto. Claim to fame: formulated/discovered the Pareto Principle, also known as the “80/20 Rule.” ...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jul 6, 2010, 8:00 am
Register for this free session with Meggin McIntosh and me. Does business planning really matter, or do all business plans sit forgotten on a shelf? According to a recent study, lack of a well-developed business plan is a factor in 78 percent of all small business closures. In fact, planning is...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jul 5, 2010, 4:17 pm
photo by Margaret Lukens I’m sharing a few posts from the New Leaf archives. Here’s what was on our mind in Julys past. How can you make progress on a goal that, for lack of a “natural” deadline, seem to take a back seat to everything else? Here are a couple of ideas to hel...
Comment - Like

Margaret L. posted an article on New Leaf News - Jul 1, 2010, 9:00 am
An Iraqi voter (AP Photo/Andrew Parsons/Pool, 2005) We should constantly be reminded of what we owe in return for what we have. – Eleanor Roosevelt, May 10, 1940 (quoted in No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: the Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin)
Comment - Like