5 minutes and 5 steps to more organized living

Anyone who knows me...or who reads this blog, knows that I am a huge fan of "list making". I feel that it is very important to have a tentative plan for the upcoming hours, days, weeks and even months.

For me, these lists give me a chance to relax and concentrate on other (more important) things because I already have "my plan"! Although things don't usually work out exactly as planned, it is still nice to take a few moments to think through my day and feel like I am ready to go.

As I work with clients who constantly seem to be stressed out, fly by the seat of their pants, and wonder why they are always behind and never seem to get anything accomplished, I often find myself implimenting some type of list creation with them. We sit down and figure out the most important areas they want to de-clutter while I am working with them. Then we decide on the 5 most important things for them to do after I leave. And finally, we decide on the 5 most important things for them to do the following day.

It is interesting how in about 5 minutes, and with 5 small steps of action, I can literally see their stress melting away! They FINALLY have a plan and they know where they hope to go, what the end results should be, and when they should accomplish these end results.

I usually get an e-mail or phone call within a few days, thanking me for my work and expressing amazement at how much less stress they had for those few days!! It always makes me smile!

So my challenge to you is to grab a pad of paper and a pen and take 5 minutes to write the 5 most important things for you to do today! Then every evening after dinner and before you go to bed, take 5 minutes to think about the day ahead and write down your top 5 things to do. I guarantee you will sleep better!