Creating Balance: A Productivity Hack 
Last month, Organizers Northwest participated in an awesome vision board-making class from local Portland artist and habit coach, Tammy Bennet. There we learned that creating a vision for what you want, and then keeping it front of mind, can play a huge role in accomplishing that vision. 

Interestingly (and perhaps not surprisingly), one of the resounding similarities among the vision boards being created around the room was the repetition of a single word... BALANCE. 

In this distraction-oriented, social media obsessed world, full of alarms, notifications, pings, dings and reminders, how do we manage to find balance amidst all of that NOISE? 

As organizers, we have noticed that when our clients achieve a feeling of balance in their lives, they see their productivity skyrocket, their relationships strengthen and their general happiness increase. So how to achieve it?

Here is some food for thought. 

If you were to break your leg, you would hope that no one will say: "Just brush it off, it's all in your head." You would be expected to take the time you need to recover and rehabilitate from the trauma that your body went through. Your friends and family would support you through that process. 

And yet, when we are emotionally unsettled or overwhelmed, we tend to overlook those feelings and continue to focus on "the grind", completely neglecting ourselves in the process.  The problem with this method is that we are always busy - but not necessarily productive. And at some point, we will reach a point of burnout. 
 
I encourage everyone to take ten minutes a day and review your emotional temperature. How are you feeling? What is working well today and what do you need more support with? Ten minutes doesn't sound like a lot, but it can make a huge difference towards achieving a feeling of purpose, productivity and balance.
 
10 minutes/day = 70 minutes a week!
70 minutes/week = 1 ½ weeks a year of emotional health! 
 
And if checking your emotional temperature doesn't resonate with you, choose something else that you have been wanting to do but struggle to make time for. Cleaning off your desk at the end of the day, stretching, meditating - even organizing a single drawer are great things to do to support your mental health, give yourself a break and focus on yourself. 

Happy Organizing!


Portland Resources and Events

photo by PortlandEventPhotography.com
A Tip From Missy: Come Join 
Bizwoman Mentoring Monday!

I'm so looking forward to participating for the third year in a row as a mentor with the Portland Business Journal's Bizwoman Mentoring Monday.

Mentoring Monday is a "speed coaching" event that brings together women in a casual, fast-paced atmosphere to network and offer career advice, tips and guidance. The event will take place on Monday, February 12, 2018 from 8:00-9:30 a.m. at the Nines Hotel. With a total of almost 10,000 women across America taking part in the event, you will be part of a nationwide effort to encourage and support mentoring in the business community. Register Here

Room-By-Room Organizing Series, Month 1: The Bathroom 

This month marks the start of our year-long Room-by-Room Organizing Challenge. The goal of this challenge is to eliminate the feeling of overwhelm that often accompanies the act of organizing, by breaking it down into small, measurable goals. 

We are starting off the challenge in a small but important room of the house: the bathroom. We chose this room for an excellent reason: it's MUCH easier to start there, since we have far less emotional attachment to bathroom items than in the rest of the home. 

This room challenge will take a total of approximately 2 hours. Before starting, you will want to gather the following items: medium sized boxes, garbage bags, a sharpie, gloves and cleaning supplies. Resist the urge to purchase organizing products until you have done the work.  


Donation Resource Hotspot of the  Month: Community Warehouse

Donation and recycling resources are a big part of the service we provide at Organizers Northwest. In addition to removing your unwanted household items to the charity of your choice, we also have a full list of preferred donation resources on our website. You can check those out here

This month, we would like to remind our Portland community about an amazing local donation resource that we use A LOT with our clients: Community WarehouseThe Warehouse collects donated home goods, working with social service agencies to get those goods into the hands of those who need them most.

Community Warehouse is currently in desprate need of clean, like-new pillows and mattresses. As usual, they are also in search of kitchen items like pots and pans, appliances and cutlery, and gladly takes small household furniture as well. 

Please keep in mind that if they don't take an item, it is because they can't pass it along to people in need - usually because it is too large, too well-used or doesn't work. It's not a reflection on you or your stuff! A great rule of thumb to go by is whether you yourself would be happy to have the item in your own home. If not,  Goodwill is a better place for it. 

They charge a $30 pickup fee and provide a tax-deductible donation receipt, or you can drop items off at their NE Portland or Tualatin locations. Drop off hours at both locations are Monday - Friday 10 - 4 and Saturday and Sunday 10:30 - 4. 

We want to give them a BIG shout out for all of the incredible work they do for this community!

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