Dear Mom,

Sixty-seven years ago (1946) your father wrote the preface for your middle school autobiography-

“Her interests and thoughts are for the pleasure and comfort of others. May she always have friends and happiness in the many years to come.”

We have all benefited from your gracious, generous and fun-loving spirit. Last month when I found your neatly typed autobiography, with black and white childhood photos, bound in a wooden hand-carved book cover – it was the most wonderful and unexpected gift. To be able to read – in your words – about the first 14 years of your life, and reflect on all that you have done since, was very special.

Your parents would not be surprised to know that you are a friend to all; and you are very happy. You are one of the few who gets along with everyone and who people love to be around.

I am so grateful that you took the time to write this book all those years ago – especially grateful because we are no longer able to have conversations about your past, the present, or future plans. Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease and seems to find the kindest and gentlest to take away from us all too soon. As Dad so tenderly summarizes, “My favorite sugar maple is not re-foliating, but her wonderful personality traits remain – she is always beautiful, gracious, mannerly, and personable, with a great love of family, wonderful sense of humor and a great laugh attracting admirers. One is witnessing the nectars of life trickling through lovingly cupped hands.”

How lucky we are to have a mother who wrote in her middle school journal – “My family is the most important part of my autobiography”, and who went on to become the most important part of our family.

Happy Mother’s Day Mom.

With lots of love,

Diane

For efficient storage and timely access I recommend three separate storage areas for filing your papers.

1. Desktop file organizer – for all current projects and time-sensitive outstanding tasks (keep these action files front and center as a visual cue for what you need to focus on; try to limit these to less than 10)
2. Easy access filing drawers – you will want to keep all documents you refer to regularly off of your desk but within arms reach
3. Out of the way storage – archives and reference materials (documents you access infrequently but need to hold on to) can be stored further away from your daily work zone; if space is limited, keep these in a different room

“If you literally clear the clutter from your desk, the remaining items are easy to find. But not only can clearing the clutter expose those things that you know are there; it can reveal the otherwise invisible essence of the situation.”  The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking is a wonderful new book teaching inspiring and thought-provoking techniques on how to become more successful through better thinking.

If you would like suggestions for your paper challenges or information on how I can help, please contact me at diane@positiveworkspace.com or 704-236-9181.

“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  - Albert Einstein

In order for your life to change, you must change.

If you’ve let your office clutter get out of hand it might be time for some spring cleaning. The issue isn’t a lack of space – it’s having too much stuff.

If you want to see better results in your business, in your productivity levels, and your attitude – it helps to remove all the clutter from your workspace and manage your papers and filing systems so they’re working for you.

More time, less stress and best of all, increased energy, are all the result of a highly functioning office.

When organizing your office or your life, paper is what most people struggle with; it just keeps coming and it can be overwhelming and challenging trying to figure out what solutions work for you.

In April I’ll be sharing my favorite solutions for getting control of your paper.

If you would like suggestions or a free consultation, please contact me any time at diane@positiveworkspace.com or 704-236-9181.

A little twist on the traditional Easter Hunt – grab a basket and collect 10 things from your office that can be thrown away or stored elsewhere.

“Begin with the End in Mind” – Stephen Covey

Contact me to help organize your inspirational and efficient office space: 704-236-9181 or diane@positiveworkspace.com

The resource to rely on as demand continues to increase is energy.

Energy is the capacity to do work; and we all have the ability to manage and maximize our energy levels.

The number of hours we invest, combined with the energy we bring to those hours, determines the value of what we create.

1. In order to perform at our best, we must balance energy expenditure with energy renewal.
2. High positive energy drives the highest level of performance.
3. Know your capacity for focus; multitasking increases the time to get a task done, at a lower level of quality. The most efficient way to get things done at a high level of quality is to do one thing at a time. “A wealth of information, creates a poverty of attention.” – Herbert Simon

Having extra energy makes everything easier to do, enabling you to be the best you can be.

Hearing so much about how the Whole 30 Nutrition Program helps improve sleep and energy levels, I decided to give it a try for the month of March. I’m on Day 20 of the program and have felt a noticeable increase in energy.

Nutrition is just one of many ways to impact your energy level; for other ideas, read Michael Hyatt’s article: 10 Practical Ways to Boost Your Energy Level.

Contact me to help plan your inspirational and efficient office space; 704-236-9181 or diane@positiveworkspace.com

LinkedIn turned to the folks who have risen to the top of their industries and asked each to reveal the best advice they ever received.

1. “Have No Regrets” – Richard Branson
2.  “Keep Listening” – Pete Cashmore
3.  “Take Time To Get To Know People” – Beth Comstock
4.  “Sit On Your Own Bottom” – T. Boone Pickens (There’s no point in blaming others when you fail.)
5.  “Don’t Correct People When It Matters Little” – Craig Newmark
6.  “Feed The Eagles And Starve The Turkeys” – Nilofer Merchant (There are only a few things that matter. Know what they are and place your energy into them.)
7.  “When You Want Something From Someone, Give Them Something Instead” – Dave Kerpen
8.  “Follow Your Instincts” – Michael Moritz (“Do your homework well, analyze things carefully, assess the options but eventually trust your judgment and have the courage of your convictions – even if they are unpopular.”)
9.  “Don’t Be a Perfectionist” – Ilya Pozin
10.  “Are You Happy?” – Jeffrey Selingo
11.  “Never Show How Upset You Are” – Peter Guber
12.  “You’re Never As Good As Your Best Review, And Never As Bad As Your Worst” – Vivian Schiller

Read all of the 70+ responses at: The Best Advice I Ever Got

Contact me to help plan your inspirational and efficient office space; 704-236-9181 or diane@positiveworkspace.com

Better organization creates:

• more natural energy
• more productive time
• more money, and
• so much less stress

It is a rare person who doesn’t feel the need to get more organized.

Organizing your paperwork and filing systems, emptying out old folders and creating new blank folders – helps to create both the mental and physical space for growth.

Do you have the capacity for your business to grow?

You want to be very proactive and thoughtful about where you’re headed and why – getting help and investing in your business early on will help develop insight and uncover opportunity.

With better workspace organization, hence better time management, you’ll be able to more clearly map your hours and determine if how you’re spending your time is aligned with your financial target.

There’s a big difference between marketing, creating a desire – and sales, actually getting clients. You have to spend a majority of your time on sales, or have someone doing this for you.

Some time-saving tips:

• Each day write down your top 3 tasks that must get completed
• Make use of the recycling bin and trash basket
• Delegate
• Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place
• Do one task at a time
• Take control of your time and priorities
• Less is more… get rid of your unnecessary stuff

TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT:

• Start tracking your time; is it in alignment with your financial goals

• Have confidence and believe in your services

Tiny acts of kindness have a remarkable effect on us.

We become happier when good things happen to us, but the effect is even greater when good things happen to us unexpectedly.

This is interesting in the context of happiness at work because many of the things companies do to make their employees happier are predictable:

• holiday parties
• bonuses
• team events

They all happen on a mostly fixed schedule, which to some degree diminishes their effectiveness.

This is why we advocate adding random acts of workplace kindness – small gestures of gratitude and kindness.

Here are some ideas from the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation:

• smile at 10 strangers
• buy something for the person in line behind you
• reach out to someone you haven’t talked to in a while
• bring a treat to your neighbor or your co-workers
• donate your time or money to a local charity
• cook a healthy meal
• let someone go in front of you in line

Today’s Assignment:

Perform at least one random act of kindness at work.