Use Gratitude to Encourage Greater Productivity

As defined online, gratitude is "the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness", stemming from the Latin word for "pleasing" or "thankful" and providing great emotional fuel.

Gratitude can be a very powerful tool in your productivity toolbox. As Lifehack explains, "Gratitude is a frame for reality, which enables us to align with the good in the world as well as the evolutionary progress of the human race." Research shows how gratitude improves productivity in many different ways: higher energy, alertness, enthusiasm, determination and attentiveness; lower stress, anxiety and depression; improved sleep and decreased illness.

According to HubSpot, there's a causal chain, where "Writing down what you're thankful for increases happiness; happiness increases productivity." Thus, documenting that for which you are grateful can be one of the easiest, least expensive and most effective ways to boost productivity. Yet, it requires a habit of documenting, not simply thinking about, that which makes you grateful.

Whether via your mobile devices Notes application, an electronic journal, a log of videos or a paper notebook, take time to jot down that for which you're grateful each day. I prefer to incorporate this in my daily wrap-up, ending each day reflecting upon the day that I just lived, but it's most important to choose whatever time of day is something you can maintain. Some days, you may be in a rush and have time to add only one item to your list; other days, you may be able to go into more depth and roll off several items for which you are grateful. Regardless of how many you list each day, the process of recognizing all your gifts will drive awareness, fuel gratitude and increase productivity.

What tool will you use to document your gratitude? Will it be electronic or paper? What can you include as today's gratitude list?

Which Tasks Can You Complete Quickly?

There is a well-known quote that instructs each of us to "plan your work and work your plan", which provides valuable insights for how to be more successful and better achieve more desired results. With a weekly strategy session, we create a game plan for addressing our priorities through tasks, communications, time commitments and development opportunities, staying on track toward achieving our most important goals via the habit of a daily wrap-up at the end of each day. Yet, there are times when we find that we can do even more than that which we'd planned to accomplish.

Maybe traffic was light and you arrived at your next appointment with a few moments to spare. Maybe one of your meetings ended early, giving you extra minutes before the next commitment. Maybe you had a cancellation, which opened up an unexpected block of time. That time can be a gift for boosting productivity.

If you have no guidance as to what can fit within the available time, you might spend 5 of your 10 available minutes determining your 10-minute tasks, which leaves only 5 minutes to actually get anything done. Alternatively, if you denote within your data-dump of tasks how long each will take, you'll know immediately which take 10 minutes and easily plug what fits into the available time.

Don't lose minutes. Make the most of your time, optimizing the most limited of your resources. Know which of your to-do items can be completed quickly so fewer valuable minutes are wasted determining possible tasks for small windows of available time, whether 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes or another increment.

How do you optimize your task management efforts, filling small windows of time as they become available for accomplishing more?

Assign a "When" for Each "What" to Get More Wins

In planning for each day, week, month, quarter or year, we all have things we want to accomplish. Sometimes, they are big, and, other times, they are small; however, we all have accomplishments that we aspire to achieve. Hopefully, we are documenting them somewhere instead of counting on simply remembering them; then, we can funnel that running list through our priorities to incorporate in our weekly strategy and pinpoint on a specific date with our daily wrap-up, but that doesn't always work as planned.

When you look at your data dump of tasks needing your attention, until time is allocated for moving each action from a to-do to being done, it's a list of things you wish you could accomplish. That's it. Only when you carve out time in your schedule for getting them done do they become goals and start looking more like a to-do list.

Many of us fall into the trap of thinking "I'll do that when things calm down" or "I'll get to that someday" or "I'll plug that in when I get a few spare moments". I've yet to find a calendar that includes someday; calendars include Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday but not someday. Does anyone ever have free time magically appear in our schedules? Does life calm down without proactively working to slow things down a bit? I believe it requires a different approach to get things done.

Assign each task that you want to accomplish specific time in your schedule, and you'll be much more able to get it done. With this move toward task management, every "what" is given a "when", meaning there is time allocated for getting it done, and you'll be able to actually complete it during that assigned time. You don't have to schedule every 15-minute block in your calendar, but it helps to have a general idea of how you'll invest each day's 1,440 minutes, which is fluid and flexible, allowing you to adjust as needed while being guide down that clear path to achievement.

Experience tells me this will empower you for greater success and make you more likely to win at the game of accomplishing your goals, but I'd love to hear about your experiences. What tactics have you found most successful for moving tasks from to-do to done? Do you create synergy between your calendar and to-do list?

Stay on Track with a Daily Wrap-Up

Are you familiar with the quote "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry"? This is a common experience for people as they strive to boost productivity. The week starts with a plan, something shifts, and that initial plan seems to no longer fit. Maybe a client has an urgent, unexpected issue arise and needs your time to get the situation resolved. Or a team member calls in sick, leaving you to cover the tasks that can't fall through the cracks. Perhaps one of your employees needs direction to meet a deadline, pulling you away from your must-do list to answer questions.

There are two ways to respond: either feel like the week is lost or make adjustments to get back on track. I find daily adjustments enable achieving my priority goals and fuel my desired results.

Completed at the end of each day, the following checklist enables the necessary adjustments and better empowers staying on track:

• Communications - Get end-of-day updates from appropriate team members, touching bases to drive awareness and get everyone on the same page; think outside the box to include all team members, like employees, subcontractors, vendors, family members, roommates, volunteer committee members and more. Touch bases with new and returning "hot prospects" to increase your awareness of what is happening while keeping you in the other folks' awareness. Verify you're up-to-date processing received emails and following up on voice mail.

• Tasks - Review your must-do list from the day that's ending and look over the next day's anticipated to-do list. Are all important tasks included that need attention to meet impending deadlines? If something wasn't completed today, determine at what point in the next few days time can be allocated for completing those carryover tasks. It is realistic to plan for fulfilling 3-5 actions on any given date, and knowing beforehand which are your must-do items for the next day will allow you to hit the ground running when you return to work.

• Time Commitments - Evaluate your schedule for the next day and verify that you are prepared for everything scheduled. If you are not prepared, when will that preparation occur? Does your calendar include buffers and time to get where is needed?

• Space - Whether you're in 4 walls, an open office space, a vehicle or working from a bag, tidy up your workspace. File new items and put that day's work back into each item's home, creating a blank slate for the next day. Make sure what you need for the next day's activities is ready and accessible.

• Successes - We live in a do, do, do society, meaning we don't necessarily take time to reflect on meeting the goals for which we strive. Instead, each day, celebrate all you've accomplished in the day that's ending. If you got out of bed, you accomplished something, and acknowledging that is motivating. Stop the monotony of simply getting things done, and acknowledge what you've successfully completed to encourage continued productivity. Make sure you take time to celebrate daily successes, no matter how large or small.

• Gratitude - As there is a vast amount of research regarding the many ways gratitude improves productivity, use the power of gratitude to drive your daily productivity. End each day with gratitude, and denote that for which you are grateful each day. Don't stop with simply thinking of that for which you are grateful; actually say it out loud or document in a gratitude list at least 1 thing for which you feel grateful every day.

What is your experience? Do you take time at the end of each day to properly wrap-up the day that's ending as well as plan for the next day? What successes can you share from practicing this habit? On the flip side, what issues have arisen when you've been unable to regroup daily and end each day getting back on track? What aspects of this checklist can you start implementing today?

Location, Location, Location

Although you might be familiar with the phrase "location, location, location" that's frequently used by realtors when you are searching for the ideal spot to live or work, but did you know it's equally applicable for organizing your workspace to be another tool in your productivity toolbox? It is with this mantra that you can be certain each item in your office is assigned a home that works for your needs.

In real estate, "location, location, location" applies to finding a home that's close to what amenities or destinations you want to easily access for an ideal life or finding a business spot that's in close proximity to your clients. Alternatively, when it comes to organizing your workspace, this refrain applies equally well to prioritizing the space within arm's reach from where you spend most of your working hours, assigning homes to what's in your office based on how frequently you use each item.

The second Monday of January each year is recognized as National Clean Off Your Desk Day, making today the ideal opportunity to begin your new year with a clean and organized workspace. Whether in a private or shared office, in your home or in a cubicle, having a desk that is uncluttered and designed for your success helps you work more efficiently, making today the perfect time to consider the "location, location, location" of what's atop your desk.

Step one is to evaluate anything atop your desk and make sure you need or want to keep it there. Retain only what is accurate, applicable, useful or bringing you joy. Decide what to trash, recycle, donate, move elsewhere or keep in your space. Remember that the less you have in your office then the less you need to sift through to quickly find what's needed.

Step two is to determine how often you utilize each item you are planning to keep. Physical items, papers, files or tools that you use more frequently earn a higher priority and can be kept closer to where you sit; alternatively, anything used rarely can be moved farther away. It is by knowing how often something is used that you can proceed through the organizing process.

Step three is to use those determinations in assigning homes for what's to remain. When something is assigned a home, you can more seamlessly return it to that location after each time you use it, meaning assigned homes can save time while lessening the stress of decision-making. When possible, group related items together, and position items near where they will be used. Anything used more frequently should be assigned space closer to you while less frequently used items move further away based on how much often less they get utilized.

Step four is to replicate the same process you used in cleaning off your physical desktop to clean off your computer's desktop. Those same principles that I mentioned previously apply to your technology; plus, when your computer home screen is cluttered, it slows down how well your laptop or desktop works, particularly if you use a PC as opposed to a Mac.

Pause for a moment to celebrate all the desktop you can now see and, then, schedule time to maintain the systems you created. Maybe you'll schedule time at the end of each day to put away what items have found their ways atop your desk. Maybe you'll commit to getting caught back up at the end of each week. Choose a maintenance system that works for your specific workflow and personality, but make sure to select some method of keeping that desk cleaned off so you continue to reap the benefits of greater organization and enhanced productivity.

Use a Timer to Boost Productivity

Maybe you are struggling with procrastination and simply cannot get started. Maybe you get distracted easily and want to better stay on track. Maybe you are overwhelmed by all that needs to get done and are drowning in what you're doing. No matter what might be your challenge for getting organized to boost productivity, a timer might be the most powerful tool to help you get things done.

Here are a handful of ways in which using a timer can help you better achieve your priority goals:

• Build momentum by getting started - As the old adage goes, activity breeds activity, which means working on a given task to a limited amount of time can propel you to continue working on it, making more progress towards its completion. Working on any task can energize you to get it all done.

• Eliminate procrastination - When struggling to find time to get started working on a big, hairy, audacious goal, it could be that you are frozen by the thought of all the time needed for the entire project rather than the individual tasks going into that overall project. Setting a timer for 5 minutes, 10 minutes or, even 30 minutes can get the ball rolling on any of those smaller, more manageable action items, giving a more realistic view of how long the entire project will take as compared to the intimidating mountain created in your mind.

• Shorter work times feel less overwhelming - If the task you have been avoiding is something you really don't want to do, knocking it out in shorter sessions of time can make it much less daunting. I mean, you can do anything for a short amount of time, right? When you envision something you truly dislike doing, it can be much less bad if attacked for a shorter interval.

• Work harder if for shorter durations - If you have all afternoon to complete a task, it is likely to take that entire time; however, if you set a timer for a much shorter amount of time, you will race to beat the clock. Shorter spans of effort energize greater results, and you are likely to get the task accomplished much more quickly, maybe even finishing the entire task in that shorter amount of time.

• Compete against prior times to do tasks - When faced with a to-do item that you complete regularly, it might feel more mundane and tend to drag on more with each iteration. If you set a timer for slightly less time than it took to complete the task previously, you race the clock, competing against yourself, and can often get it done more quickly.

• Stay on task to make greater progress - It is easy to get pulled away from the task at hand, running off on a tangent or following some distraction. Does "Ooooo... Bright shiny thing!" or "chasing squirrels" sound familiar? If so, setting a timer for the length of time you want to invest in any given task can keep you on track; when the timer goes off, if you are still working on the task at hand, you are success, but, if you've followed a distraction, you have to start the timer over again. Set a timer for short intervals and repeat that for whatever number of intervals is needed to achieve your desired result, making sure you are still on task after each interval.

Whether you implement the timer built into your phone, utilize a kitchen timer or try out the Time Timer app, this tool in your productivity toolbox will prove helpful in moving you more efficiently toward achieving your priority goals.

How do you currently utilize a timer? How have you seen using a timer boost your focus and productivity? What are some of your greatest success stories? If not yet, by when can you give a timer a try? How do you envision a timer fueling desired results?

Knowing Where You're Headed Helps in Getting There

At times, it seems like the world is conspiring against anyone's attempts at productivity. You sit down at your computer to work on a major project, and your mind wanders to all the things you've forgotten to address; you see a pop-up notifying you of a new email, and an alert appears on your smartphone that someone liked your photo on Facebook. The phone begins ringing. Then, someone appears at your office door in a panic and needing your help. How can anyone actually get anything done?!?

When you know where you're headed, you are better enabled to get there. If you create a strategy each week for how to best address what matters most, you have a clear, meaningful path for achieving your priority goals. To make this work, it's important to utilize your weekly strategy as a protective barrier, warding off time stealers and others' priorities, like your own personal suit of armor.

With a weekly strategy, you know which tasks, communications, time commitments and development opportunities focus on your priorities, fueling achievement of your goals. If you don't use this strategy to protect yourself from the world's distractions and conflicting priorities, it's easy to get swept up in reactionary measures, losing vision of what matters most.

Stop getting swept up in what's urgent but unimportant. Stop reacting. Start using your weekly strategy to proactively invest in what's important. Grow confident that you can consistently work toward your priority goals by wearing your protective barrior.

How do you utilize your weekly strategy to ward off time stealers and others' priorities? Have you ever considered how your strategy can protect you from deviating away from what matters most?

Be Proactive with a Weekly Strategy Session

Imagine it's Friday afternoon and you're preparing to walk out the door for the weekend. Looking back on the work week that's ending, how accomplished are you feeling? Did you effectively address what was important for work, home, your community and yourself? Or did you get pulled into others' priorities, spend your week putting out fires and neglect your goals?

If you feel less successful than you'd like, take steps to better address what matters most in upcoming weeks.

Those who have ever played or worked in athletics know there are many preparations that occur before each game, including scouting the opponent, preparing equipment and creating a game plan. Yes, during the game itself, there will be adjustments based off how the other team plays, but coaches would never lead their teams into athletic competitions without creating a game plan beforehand. It is about proactively creating the direction in which you will proceed rather than simply reacting to what's thrown your way, and the same philosophy applies to addressing your priorities for work, home, your community and making yourself the best possible.

Take control of your productivity by creating your own weekly strategy, which is a specific game plan for how you'll address your priorities in each of the following ways:

• Carryover Tasks - Evaluate which of the tasks you'd planned to do during the week that's ending were actually completed; determine what's left undone and when those undone tasks can be rescheduled. Be honest with yourself about what you are actually willing to do. If not you, then who can accomplish what needs to get done? What can you delegate? Does each incomplete task truly need to happen or can any be deleted? 

• Team Communications - Get in-depth updates from each member of your team (at work, at home, involved with the community projects you're currently addressing or those with whom you've contracted to get more done), seeking input on what is working, what is not working and what needs attention.

• Client Communications - Catch-up on processing outstanding emails, phone calls and snail mail. Reach out to schedule time with those who have been needing your attention. Touch bases with clients from whom you've not heard lately, whether with gratitude, to wish a happy birthday or simply seeing how things are going. Sometimes, reaching out should include a call to action; however, realize that reaching out without a call to action can provide even greater results in certain scenarios.

• New Tasks - As every project should be broken down into smaller, more manageable action steps with associated deadlines for their timely completion, there is a good chance upcoming deadlines are approaching, and there are tasks related to those deadlines that need addressing in the upcoming week. Decide which new tasks should be added to your to-do list, ensure you are clear on their associated deadlines, and make time for taking action to get them done.

• Time Commitments - Review the next week's appointments to make certain you're prepared for all related tasks, ensuring there is time for necessary preparations and travel to each. Do you need to incorporate any additional buffers for traffic or unforeseen things that'll pop up? Do you know which will occur in person, over the phone or via video conference? Are you clear about how to get to each of the in-person commitments?

• Development - Never neglect a focus on continually improving yourself. Determine opportunities for personal and professional growth; what will move you towards your goals? This could be training, networking or anything focused on fueling your desired results. Review what upcoming options have come to you via email, snail mail, websites you've seen or conversations you've had, and make decisions about which can earn space on your calendar, registering to attend once you've determined you will.

It is less important when you complete this process as compared to whether or not you get it done at all; many like to wrap-up the week with a weekly strategy session on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, but choose which works best for your unique situation.

Be strategic and map out a specific game plan for addressing all that needs your attention. Keep in mind each of the elements for work-life integration: work, home, community or society as well as the private realm of mind, body and spirit. As each of these elements is a layer of life with rotating levels of emphasis, focus on how you can best invest the upcoming week's 168 hours to address the current priorities within each realm of your life.

Especially when you first start implementing the weekly strategy session, set a timer. Knowing you have a certain amount of time in which to complete this checklist will keep you focused and better ensure your planning doesn't run longer than necessary.

Do you take time at the end of each week to properly plan the week ahead and proactively address your priorities? How does this equip you for greater productivity? On the flip side, what issues have you encountered when you haven't been able to plan adequately before starting your week?

Utilize Priorities as a Filter for Determining What To Do

Throughout the day, we are bombarded with items and people demanding our attention. Tasks come to us via email, calls, meeting notes and folks stopping by our offices in addition to the many, ongoing projects that need time to move towards completion. Amidst all the overwhelm, it's hard to know where to start, let alone how to get it all properly accomplished.

With all the attention on comic superheroes, it's easy to feel like Superman, Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel, but each of us is human and, therefore, can do only what's feasible within each day's constraints. Due to how many interruptions we face daily, it is realistic to plan 3 to 5 items that we intend on completing by the end of the day, leaving buffers for issues that arise.

To decide which of the many tasks on your running data dump of to-do items will make the cut for each day's must-do list, reflect on your top priorities. Which of the tasks on your list will fuel your success with your goals? Which tasks address what matters most for home, work, your community and taking care of yourself?

It's important to schedule your priorities rather than simply prioritizing whatever randomly falls onto your schedule. What you have established as your priorities should be what matters most, providing guidance for how you should best invest your limited resource of time. This allows you to proactively address the important things instead of reacting to others' priorities.

How many items are on your to-do list for today? If you're looking at a never-ending list right now, what steps can you take to focus on 3-5 items for this particular workday? What are your priorities, and how can you filter the never-ending list of what needs your attention through those to focus on what matters most?

Clarify Your Priorities

Within each day's 24 hours, we are gifted only 1,440 minutes; coupled with the fact each minute can be invested once, time is the most limited and valuable resource of all.

Saying "yes" to doing one thing is inherently saying "no" to doing something else, and you have to choose wisely in what activities you invest each minute in your limited inventory.

When a dollar is invested, it is with the hope that you will get more dollars in return. When a minute is invested, it is with the hope of an alternative return on investment, and what return you are seeking depends heavily on your priorities. Only when you know what matters most can you align your actions with those priorities to achieve your greatest goals.

Photo: Children's Ministry Magazine

Think of each day as a jar with limited space to fill. In that jar, you'd like to stuff tons of rocks, pebbles and sand. If you start with the sand, you may be able to shove in some pebbles, but you'll never be able to fit all the necessary rocks. Alternatively, if you start with the rocks, you can fill the spaces around those rocks with the pebbles and still fill the sand in amongst the remaining space. Comparing this to your day, think of the rocks as your highest priorities, for which you need to make time in your schedule first; then, the pebbles are lower priorities while the sand is even less important. Only by allocating time to your priorities first can you fit everything that matters into an already busy schedule.

One of the most effective methods for determining priorities is to consider the ramifications for completing each task versus leaving it undone. Depending on how well doing the task fuels your desired results, you can more easily rank that as what needs to be done first instead of later. Rather than getting swept up in what is urgent or on fire, focus on making time for what is most important.

What are your rocks or top priorities? How can you make sure time in your schedule is allocated for addressing those first, working the pebbles and sand into what time remains afterward?

Stop Depending on Remembering... Document Everything

Keeping track of our ever-growing to-do lists, resource materials, checklists, websites to reference and shopping lists gets progressively more overwhelming every day. The amount of information to be remembered is constantly increasing. How can we possibly remember it all, let alone take the actions necessary to respond to each request for attention?!?

No matter how we attempt to keep track of everything, we must keep in mind that our brains are meant for strategic and creative thinking, not remembering things. Our brains are less than ideal tools for keeping track of anything, and the biggest lie we tell ourselves is "I don't need to write that down; I'll remember it." How often does that actually work?

Get what must be remembered out of your head and document everything. Whether you choose a paper or electronic solution, do a data dump and collect it all in something other than your brain.

While you probably use a calendar for dates to remember, an address book for contacts' information and a task management solution for your must-do items, where do you cull together everything else that is overflowing your brain? Do you prefer a paper notebook, a mobile app or something accessible everywhere?

If you prefer a paper solution, I suggest you look at the Arc notebook system from Staples®. Once you choose which notebook size, style and color you prefer, you customize it with the type of paper preferred; then, you can segment the content to be retained with tab dividers, adjust the amount of paper that can be retained with expansion discs and move pages around by simply lifting them out and pressing them back into the rings however preferred.

I prefer to document everything in Evernote since it allows easy reference as I live, work and play on-the-go. This suite of applications allows me to use one username and password for accessing my information synced across all my devices (smartphone, tablet, laptop, desktop as well as accessible via the Internet), it has unbelievable search capabilities to find exactly what I need when I need it, it allows for uploading an extensive amount of different content types in various ways, and it empowers me to easily share content with others to boost collaboration. Whether retaining typed text, web clippings, photos of handwritten notes, checklists, audio / video recordings, bills from service providers or files, I can easily add those to my Evernote database; plus, when adding content, there are so many ways to seamlessly accomplish it: manually, scanning from my phone or the Fujitsu ScanSnap, IFTTT, emailing, FileThis and many more options.

As an Evernote Certified Consultant, I often post about ways to implement Evernote for your greater success, how you can utilize Evernote to boost productivity and ways Evernote will help alleviate your stress as you achieve harmony through work-life integration. To find these many helpful hacks and tidbits, simply search Evernote in the top, left-hand corner of this blog.

Do you already have a tool you prefer using to remember everything? Are you trying to rely on your brain, do you rely on a paper solution or do you have an electronic option you prefer? Have you tried Evernote for culling it all together?

What Will Guide You to Success This New Year?

For many, it wouldn't feel like the start of a new year without setting resolutions, which are formal expressions of intentions made or declarations of what actions will be taken. The most common resolutions as we start a new year include get healthy, get organized, live life to the fullest, learn something new, find a better job, do more good deeds for others, be more fiscally responsible, work out more often and spend more time with loved ones. However, the success rate for resolutions tends to be abysmal. If you choose to set new year's resolutions, follow the advice of Valorie Burton, life coach and author of "Brave Enough to Succeed: 40 Strategies for Getting Unstuck", which outline how to choose the correct resolutions and more likely conquer those goals: be super specific, set a timeframe of strategic deadlines with a realistic timeline of milestones throughout, make sure your resolutions are achievable so you commit or quit, and recalibrate through failures as needed.

I, on the other hand, have found that resolutions don't fit the way I think. To me, they feel like yet another something for my to-do list. Instead, I sought a clear, meaningful path to guide my year, allowing me to live with intention and purpose, fulfilling one of my favorite mantras that "From those to whom much has been given much is expected." Rather than listing out new year's resolutions, I have started picking a "word of the year". Sometimes, it's simply a word for the upcoming season or it might change from month to month; it must be a word that really speaks to me and pulls together what I'd like to make happen in the foreseeable future.

When I first started choosing a word to guide my year, it seemed like a rarity; today, though, it is a much more widespread practice. A quick Google search for "what is your word of the year" pulls up a plethora of articles, blog posts and websites to help you choose what word works best for your specific needs and where you are in life. Delve deeper into the process with Blessing Manifesting, Create & Connect, Cultivate What Matters, kale & chocolate, My One Word, One Word 365 and Susannah Conway.

Going into 2018, I have chosen fulfillment as my word of the year. Searching Google for "define fulfillment" shows that this word means "the achievement of something desired, promised or predicted". This can cover so many things that matter a great deal to me in the new year, like fulfill dreams, fulfill goals, fulfill commitments, fulfill work-life integration, fulfill Greensboro LUNGe Forward's budget requirement, fulfill blog-writing consistency, fulfill RSVPs by showing up, fulfill outsourcing and fulfill business growth. For me, it's about follow-through, particularly as I remind myself that perfection is not required and, sometimes, done is better than perfect when getting things accomplished.

Maybe a word of the year is not enough for you, and that's quite alright. Maybe you'd prefer a phrase or mantra to guide your actions toward what results you'd like to achieve in 2018. There is no right or wrong option for what you choose; it's simply important to pick something that resonates with you, reflects what you desire and provides the direction necessary for getting from where you are to where you want to arrive.

With that word, phrase, mantra or resolution in mind to guide you to success, you are ready to embark upon the journey of 2018, writing the story you desire upon the blank pages of this year and taking with you the resources to best fuel what results you aspire to achieve. Let's launch this new year with "Get Organized Month", where I'll share a daily tidbit that's easy to implement for boosting your productivity, helping you more efficiently accomplish your goals and encouraging greater happiness.

For the new year, will you choose a guiding word, phrase, mantra or resolution? Please share what you've chosen in the comments so we can follow the advice of Alex Sheen, Founder of "because I said I would", who reiterates holding ourselves accountable for important commitments made amidst the over 15,942 words each American says daily.

Over 60 Gift Ideas to Eliminate Clutter for Loved Ones

It's the holiday season, and, whether you're celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or Boxing Day, chances are good that your shopping list feels endless. While giving the gift of your time, access to an experience or consumable items (edible, personal care, art supplies) offer excellent alternatives, we often want to give a tangible item that can immediately improve the recipient's life. When determining which such gifts to consider, it is important to think about lifestyle elements for the recipient. Here are some of my favorite, clutter-free gifts for folks on your list:

• Mornings can be tough for some of us, but the BEDDI Glow help.s This intelligent alarm clock enables waking up naturally with sunrise simulated wake up light paired with your favorite music from Spotify, Apple Music or other music players. Set multiple alarms on different days, and receive traffic / weather information once you wake up. You can also sleep well every night with soothing white noise or choose from five, relaxing, nature sounds while charging your phone and tablet.

• As a huge fan of music for motivation, I love starting my day by singing in the shower, and Kohler's Moxie 1-spray showerhead with wireless speaker offers a great tool to facilitate this. It enables streaming music wirelessly with any Bluetooth-enabled device, and the speaker can be easily removed from the showerhead for recharging. If gifting this great find, pair this with an Apple iTunes gift card, and your gift recipient will be ready to jumpstart the day.

• Misfit Ray is an exceptionally versatile tracker while offering a sleek style for those preferring a minimal option. It automatically tracks steps, distance, calories and light versus restful sleep; it can count swim laps, too. Its vibration alerts provide notification of calls, texts, when to move and set alarms. It is smart button enabled to control connected household devices while never needing charging and is water-resistant up to 50 meters so it can be worn constantly, providing more data, better insights and greater motivation.

• If one of your gift recipients gets frustrated by how photos aren't printed anymore, consider the Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer or the Lifeprint Wireless Photo and Video Printer, both using ZINK Zero Ink Printing Technology as well as working with Apple iOS and Android devices alike.

• For those of us on-the-go throughout each day, it's easy to have devices that need refueling while out and about. The QBracelet merges technology with modern style to offer a sleek, lightweight bracelet that can charge an iPhone, holding its charge for up to 30 days and charging your phone up to 50% in 40 minutes. Offering size and color options, it works with iPhones 5 and up, including the iPhone 8, 8+ and X.

• With all the buzz around Meghan Markle these days, I'm inspired by an item she considers a "travel essential", but be forewarned that the associated cost makes this more of an investment piece. The Personalized Stow Leather Zipper Tech Case is made from buttery soft Spanish leather and helps keep track of all your tech accessories in one place, regardless of whether you're home, at work or on-the-go. As described on its website, "there's a spare leather pocket and loop, perfect for headphones and extra cables, and a leather pen loop centrally placed. Travel essentials such as passport, boarding cards, reward cards and receipts are organized neatly to the right." 

• For those who struggle to have a "home" for their iPhones or iPads, the DOCK+ Charging Station with Lightning Cable sits elegantly on a desk, nightstand or any flat surface for a sleek, stable base in minimalist design to charge a device while allowing comfortable use or viewing the screen at a glance.

• Speaking of those Apple mobile devices, if your gift recipients have had issues with the cords that came with their iPhones and iPads, they will appreciate Paracable's 5' Apple Lightning Cables,  Belkin MIXIT Duratek Kevlar Lightning to USB Cable or Anker PowerLine 10' Apple-Certified Lightning Cables, which charge and sync Apple devices in style with longer, more durable cables in various, fun colors.

• For those with multiple devices needing homes for charging at once, Hammacher Schlemmer's 7 Device Charging Station is ideal. This charging station supplies power to seven USB devices simultaneously. The hub draws power from a standard wall outlet and supplies up to 14 amps to tablets, smartphones and other electronic devices via two 2.4-amp, three 1-amp and two 3-amp ports. The dock's integrated smart-charging technology adjusts the energy output of each USB port to optimize recharging speeds of plugged-in devices. The 3-amp ports also feature Quick Charge 3.0 technology for compatible Qualcomm devices that can recharge a completely drained battery to 80% full in just 35 minutes. It turns off automatically after devices are charged, occupies as little space as an alarm clock by standing devices on end and includes plastic dividers that help protect screens while minimizing cord tangles.

• Whether your gift recipient's phone or tablet is an Android or Apple iOS device, Neet Products can protect the charging cords, make them easier to wind up for traveling and differentiate between similar cords in the same household by giving each person an assigned color. The Cable Tie Wrap is available in 36-inch and 8-inch options, comes in 11 colors, reduces everyday wear and tear, eliminates tangles, reduces strain on cable tips and is a lightweight addition to tech tools.

• Power Perch is a charging shelf that can be added to any single outlet. This is a great gift for folks who travel a bunch and need to keep mobile devices perched atop outlets across the room from any tables or flat surfaces. It can also help for those living in smaller spaces where it doesn't make sense to take up floor space near the outlet for resting what will be plugged into it. or where there is a desire to keep mobile devices off limited countertop space.

• It's easy to get grossed out by what happens to our tech tools, but PhoneSoap will keep anyone's smartphone disinfected as it charges; plus, the brand-new version adds wireless charging for your device that offers this functionality already. Pair this with the screen cleaning wipes from Spruce and Co to make life a little brighter with the cleanest mobile devices possible.

• Many of us hover between a love of technology and a dependence on the effectiveness of paper solutions; if you have someone on your list that fits that description, consider gifting the Bamboo Slate Smartpad, which is a board that holds your own paper so you take handwritten notes naturally, push a button on the board to upload to the cloud and organize, edit or share those saved notes and sketches how its easiest for you to use and get things done. Turn your handwritten notes into text and, then, sync across devices. Work smarter, not harder.

• If your loved one likes swimming laps at the local gym or riding the waves off the coast, protecting technology from water is a key consideration. The Unifun 10400mAh Waterproof External Battery Power Bank Charger includes a strong LED flashlight and strap hole for devices. Its creative design is waterproof, dustproof, anti-shock and skid resistant, making it ideal for campers, hikers, skiers, construction workers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. It can fast-charge two devices simultaneously. To help your gift recipient protect mobile devices, consider the Ace Teah Waterproof Phone Pouch Underwater Dry Bag, which is snowproof, and dirtproof in addition to waterproof. Cellphones, IDs, credit cards, cash and keys are protected from water, snow, dust, sand and dirt when diving, swimming or partaking in other outdoor activities while the crystal clear transparent window remains sensitive to touch so typing, taking photos or videos and making calls continue. Plus, Finis' Duo™ Underwater MP3 Player uses bone conduction audio transmission for incredibly clear sound, making it a game changer for swimming laps. Its integrated clip design secures to google straps to rest on the cheekbones for a comfortable and streamlined fit; there are four buttons to easily navigate between songs, podcasts, audiobooks and other supported audio files. The device offers 4GB of flash memory and a Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery life of up to 7 hours.

• Although it can often appear that electronic storage space is limitless, we're regularly reminded of the limits to our physical space. Combat the space constraints of drawers in your gift recipient's home with a couple items from The Container Store. The Dream Drawer collection offers organizers and dividers to make better use of each drawer's space; likewise, the 5-Section Boobie Trap Bra Organizer is created specifically to store up to 10 bras while preserving their shape, protecting delicate lace and guarding against snags.

• Sharper Image's Motorized Tie Rack offers the ultimate tie organizing, holding more than 45 ties, belts and accessories within a smaller space and making it possible to find the perfect one with the press of a button. The rack includes 3 bright white LEDs to illuminate all items, making it easier to quickly find what's needed, and they shut off automatically.

• For the person on your list who loves the outdoors, the CGear Sand-Free Multimat has a double layer weave made from 100% PE, which is perfect for camping and the beach. It is easily cleaned and dries instantly should drinks be spilled; plus, as you lift it off the ground, sand, dirt and dust disappear before your eyes. Its D-Rings around the edges help to affix it firmly to the ground, and it is UV stabilized to prevent fading. Choose which size and color is preferred.

• No matter why your loved one is headed out into the cold, you can help prepare them with Ravean heated down jackets and gloves. With these tools, anyone can control the temperature whenever and wherever needed. Plus, the same cord that heats the jacket can charge a mobile device, making sure no one suffers from a dead battery. As an alternative, consider the EnergyFlux Enduro Rechargeable Hand Warmer, which doubles as a USB portable charger power bank to make sure your hands stay warm while keeping your device charged. As a bonus, it includes a built-in flashlight, too.

• For family trips to the beach, afternoons at the park or protection during outdoor concerts, the Sport-Brella Portable All-Weather and Sun Umbrella offers an 8-foot canopy with UPF 50+ protection to keep your skin safe and protected from over 99.5% of UVA and UVB rays. Side panels offer extra protection while wind flaps provide ventilation. It is water repellent to keep everything inside dry and relaxed on rainy game days or cool from the warm summer sun at the beach. The kit is easily portable, collapsing down to a 54" x 4" x 4" unit, which weighs only 9 lbs and can be carried in one bag with the 8 steel ground stakes and 3 tie-down cords.

• For the yogi in your life, consider YoYo Mats from The Grommet. This self-rolling fitness and yoga mat helps maintain the Zen moment well after each class. With two, patented steel bands hidden inside, you can give it a toss while holding on to one end to unroll; then, push and click the other end down to keep the mat flat. To roll it back, give it another quick toss, which will make it snap shut like a slap bracelet, and it will stay put. The lightweight mat is made from a recyclable, eco-alternative material that's nontoxic and free of latex, PVC as well as phthalates; further, its closed cell construction blocks out moisture, bacteria and odors.

• As I explained in last year's gift guide, the S'well water bottle is an excellent tool to keep hydrated as it keeps beverages cold for 24 hours or hot for 12 hours; when I shared that tidbit, the only option was the original S'well bottles and accessories, but, now, they have expanded to include travelers and tumblers, which ensure the S'well brand meets all the beverage needs while eliminating use of disposable bottles. Choose from a wide variety of colors and exterior textures to best reflect the personality of your gift recipient.

• We all need socks; however, the gift of socks can be yet another something to fill your drawers unless you give Bombas socks. Each pair purchased leads to one pair donated to someone in need. Yet, these aren't normal socks... At Bombas, the "goal is to make socks that feel better than anything you've ever put on your feet." These socks offer superior comfort, support and softness. Click here to learn all about Bombas' higher level sock tech and prepare to be amazed.

• Does the stylista on your list love the most beautiful shoes that always make her feet absolutely ache? It's tough being gorgeous, but your gift can help. Sole Serum's essential oil and lidocaine-infused lotion relieves foot pain and discomfort instantly, lasts for hours, reduces inflammation, dries quickly, is easy to carry, doesn't leave a stain, refreshes skin, offers non-greasy moisturizing and has a soothing scent.

• Although a local fine jewelry store claims that every woman wants one of their boxes, I must admit that I prefer more eclectic jewelry, and many of my friends feel the same way. If someone on your shopping list fits that description, consider The Painted Pearl for your gift-giving needs. The artist making these small paintings and hand-crafted jewelry is Courtney Frye, and her signature oyster necklaces are both unique and beautiful with every necklace being different from any other. Other items of note include Courtney's tassel and City of Oaks acorn earrings as well as her watercolor calendars.

• Rumpl blankets utilize technologies developed for activewear, outdoor gear and sporting goods to modernize the everyday blanket; these high-quality, versatile blankets keep their users comfortable anywhere and everywhere. Offered in a variety of colors and sizes, you can get the original or down puffy, which can each be rolled up in their bags for easy transport.

• Batteries run out at the most inopportune times, which is why it's so helpful to keep a stash of back-up batteries in the sizes you use most frequently. The Battery Organizer Storage Case by Range Kleen holds 82 batteries of various sizes in one tiny space, organizing the batteries by type to keep every size easy to see, access and keep stocked. The case includes a detachable battery tester, and it can be stored in a drawer or mounted on the wall, offering a unique, durable design.

• For the person in your life who loves to cook, consider Agatha, who will hold your spoon and release the steam from your bubbling pot, adding a playfulness to what work is happening in that kitchen. The Dreamfarm Spadle is a versatile, silicone spoon that features a flat squeegee tip to scrape, a deep 1/2 cup scooping head and useful measuring lines. It's designed to sit up in your pot while also offering the option to be a serving ladle with its unique shape. Simply twist the handle to transform from spoon to ladle and back again. The MasterPlan non-stick 3-section meal skillet lets recipients use only 1 pan to cook a full meal with 3 compartments to cook 3 different elements of the meal at once. Its non-stick and stain resistant surface is oven and dishwasher safe, making life much easier. The Honey Can Do herb preserver keeps herbs fresh for up to two weeks. The Taylor Weighing Bowl and Scale measures up to 11 pounds to give your chef the knowledge necessary to create a sensational finished product. Likewise, the bakers in your life might prefer the Flower Pot Bread Making Kit from Terrain, which includes four terracotta baking pots plus the dry ingredients needed to make tasty flower pot bread and lavender butter. All your chef would need to add are butter and parchment paper. Plus, any BergHOFF Perfect Slice plan set with slicer tool provides a grid around the dishwasher-safe, nonstick baking surface so you can line the silicone cutting tool up to make all servings equal sized and of the size you desire.

• Whether your gift recipients love to cook or to eat, chances are good they'll enjoy Jacobsen Salt Co.'s tasty offerings. I recommend the Sourced Salt Vial Set to get a cost-effective taste for their variety; however, the many infused salts (black and white truffle, cherrywood, garlic, ghost chili, habanero, lemon zest, pinot noir, rosemary, vanilla bean and more) beckon deeper analysis to find the best option for giving.

• Although we don't always find an easy way to get our daily quota of greens by eating the right foods, 8Greens' tablets make it so much more simplistic. Made of aloe vera, barley grass, blue green algae, chlorella, kale, spinach, spirulina and wheatgrass, one tablet of 8Greens is high in vitamins and minerals, detoxes organs, oxygenates the body, helps reduce the effects of aging, promotes collagen, encourages organ functioning, balances PH levels, helps circulation, decreases inflammation and provides a key source of antioxidants. Your gift recipient would simply drop the tablet in 8 ounces of water, let it fizz until it completely dissolves and, then, sip.

• If your loved one struggles to get a good night's sleep, the Alaska Bear® Natural Silk Sleep Mask provides a sleep aid and eye relaxer made of 100% top-quality 19 momme natural mulberry silk on both sides, offering the breathable, cool relaxation of the soothing masks found at the world's premier spas. To even better ensure boosting the probability of a good night's sleep, gift a Blackout Bedroom Curtains Set, which has grommets at the top of each room darkening panel with thermal insulating draperies for saving energy, reducing noise, blocking UV rays and limiting distractions to getting more sleep.

• Speaking of getting better sleep, it is not simply about making it easier to get to sleep; the Eden Pillow features luxurious, gel-infused, cooling memory foam and a gusseted design that allows for maximum edge-to-edge support so you stay asleep and get better rest. Pair this with the Outlast Woven All Season Temperature Regulating Blanket, and you help your loved one balance the temperature around one's body to maintain optimal sleep temperature.

• Until any of those solutions kick in to create a more rested individual, provide your loved one with Honest Hazel Eye Gels, which use powerful natural ingredients to reduce puffiness, brighten dark circles, firm fine lines and hydrate the delicate under-eye skin. It's like the gift of refreshment!

• Norwex started as only these miraculous cloths that effectively kill 99% of the germs on a surface by using microfiber and water, but it's grown to be so much more: laundry detergent, dusting mitts, body towels, dish cloths, cutting boards, pot scrubbers, mop collections, cleaning paste, descaler, glasses' cleaners, chenille hand towels, sink or bath mats, footstones and the list goes on and on. Further, Norwex products improve quality of life by radically reducing chemicals in our homes. My friend Heather Hooper is an authorized consultant so a purchase from the aforementioned link supports her local business. It's such a win-win to shop local.

• If your gift recipient is local to Raleigh, NC, a gift certificate to Skin Sense will give access to the Himalayan Salt Cave; however, for those living elsewhere, consider a salt lamp from Kohl's, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Walmart or wherever you prefer. The salt aids the body to draw out impurities and toxins, leaving your loved one better balanced.

• Pinhole Press creates beautiful, customized, photo gifts, many of which help engage kids in activities to bring the entire family together. For younger children starting to learn family members, consider gifting the custom board book of names and faces; beyond that, look into the photo puzzles, photo memory games and family faces photo sticker book. There's still time to get your custom order completed before Christmas Eve, but check online for Pinhole Press' important holiday deadlines.

• The future of play is met by the many kids' activities from Seedling. Choose your youngster's fun from activities like Design Your Own Superhero Cape, Maze: A DIY Virtual Reality Adventure, Color The Galaxy Inflatable Ball and Make Your Own Dreamcatcher.

• As described on their website, "Usborne and Kane Miller books are the most exciting, engaging and educational books on the market today. They are high-quality, innovative, lavishly-illustrated and, best of all, they are the books kids love to read." I was recently introduced to them by my local consultant, Jennifer Hammond, and I can attest to the high quality of these engaging books. They offer a wide variety of styles, topics and book formats so there's something for all ages and interests.

• Sometimes, the best way to get a little one who is a picky eater to actually chow down is via distraction, making eating more fun. The Construction Plate and Utensils or Garden Plate and Utensils from UncommonGoods are such helpful options.

• When searching for the perfect gift to give the mother or father of a four-legged friend, consider something that would benefit the dog or cat. Casper's dog mattresses are made with the same expertise used for its people beds. Gosh EasyFeed Smart Pet Feeder is a revolutionary food and water dispenser that allows you to program a pet's meals from wherever you are and check in via webcam; it holds a liter of water and 20 cups of food, which can be released in portions at scheduled mealtimes. As seen on Shark Tank, the mind-blowing Fresh Patch is a hydroponically grown grass patch that simulates an all-natural potty for dogs to use indoors; it is easy to clean, is environmentally friendly and can be shipped across the US.

• We never know when an emergency is going to strike so preparedness can be one of the best gifts to give. Consider the ER310 E+Ready Emergency Crank Weather Radio to provide valuable information, allow for recharging USB compatible devices, provide a Cree LED flashlight for power outages or navigating low light areas and include a high frequency dog whistle. The Preppi GoBox is an emergency kit for individuals with a briefcase handle on its compact box to easily tote around; it contains all the basic survival essentials needed: first-aid kit, 3-day water supply, 3-day food rations, Swiss Army multi-tool, LED flashlight, glow stick, mylar emergency space blanket, rain poncho, waterproofing utility bags, notepad, pencil, dust mask, safety matches, 4-hour candles, emergency whistle and playing cards. The Mini Firefighter is a fire extinguishing foam, which operates like a can of hairspray and uses foam to smother electrical, solid, fat or petroleum-based fires; push the nozzle, and its foam expands up to 40 times its size around the fire, contracting to prevent re-ignition. Once it cools, the foam transforms into a gel you can wipe off; plus, the nontoxic formula biodegrades, making it perfect for the great outdoors. If your gift recipient lives upstairs, the Easy Deploy Fire Escape Ladder might provide a necessary exit when the home is ablaze.

• One of the more creative gifting options that I've seen is Ancestry Service from 23andMe, where recipients get a comprehensive understanding of their genetics, including a breakdown of global ancestry by percentage and connections to DNA relatives. Through December 26th, you can save up to $50 off each kit and get free gift wrap; then, fulfillment is super simple for the recipient as it's a matter of simply mailing a saliva sample back to 23andMe's US-based lab in the same kit it came in using the pre-paid postage provided.

• Lindsay Sherbondy is a graphic designer who fell madly in love with lettering, opening the online shop for Lindsay Letters in 2012 from her belief that surrounding ourselves with beautiful and meaningful goods makes us feel special, happier and more hopeful; her latest creation is The Creatives Calendar™, and it is one of the most productive juxtapositions of beauty, meaning and function that I've ever seen. Lindsay wanted a big wall calendar that was simple yet functional and beautiful, being big enough to record all important things (appointments, meetings, social media planning, deadlines, new ideas, brainstorming and more) and with a plexiglass cover to accommodate everyone's rapidly changing minds / plans. Choose what design, size and framing option would be best.

• If you have a gift recipient who runs a business, will be making big changes in the new year, has tons of new ideas to be implemented or is looking to up-level goals moving forward, consider the Powersheets® Intentional Goal Planner, which pairs nicely with your favorite planner as you strategically invest your limited resource of time each week and day.

• There is a great deal of research linking gratitude with productivity, which is why FranklinPlanner's A Year of Gratitude Kit can be the gift that continues giving all year long. This is a kit to inspire 52 weeks of giving thanks, which is a habit that leads to many rewards.

Feel free to utilize these ideas for the holidays or throughout the entire new year... There are plenty of upcoming opportunities for gift-giving, including birthdays, thank yous and so many different types of celebrations. Still, since it is hard to go wrong with gift cards and gift certificates, keep in mind options like Cardpool, Gift Card Granny, Gyft or Raise to buy, send, organize and redeem discounted gift cards while the Yiftee app will let you send certificates for what's local to any recipient via text or email.

I recommend culling together all your gift-giving ideas, what you've bought for whom, where each present is stored and whether it has been wrapped thus far. Evernote provides an excellent option to organize those details amidst all the other information you must remember; however, if you are seeking an app designated for tracking only your gift-giving activities, The Christmas List and GiftPlanner are really fabulous iOS alternatives while Gift List Manager and Christmas List Snowball are great Android options, and Christmas List works cross-platform.

Above all, realize we are still 2 weeks from Christmas so there is time to pull together all the loose ends. Take a deep breath, remember to take care of yourself amidst the craziness and start breaking the big projects down into manageable action items. You can stay sane while addressing all priorities.

Finally, make sure you are getting the best deal possible. If you are shopping in stores, you can compare prices with the Buy VIA and Flipp apps; alternatively, if you are shopping online, use Amazon Assistant, camelcamelcamel, Coupons.com, Honey, PromotionCode, RetailMeNot and SlickDeals to find ways of saving money instantly. Plus, with Ebates, you can earn cash back by shopping at the stores you love while seeing the best coupons and deals available.

What gifts do you have in mind to help your loved ones boost productivity while taming technology or limiting clutter? What tools do you currently utilize in your own work-life integration efforts? What are your go-to gifts that are functional for folks? I am always looking for more and would love your ideas!

Prepare Your Business for Withstanding a Hurricane

As businesses and residents of Texas and Louisiana recover from Hurricane Harvey, those of us in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina brace for the arrival of Hurricane Irma. Although it can feel overwhelming to prepare for a natural disaster, especially one of this magnitude, there are steps each of us can and should be taking right now to make sure we are ready. 

Invest a little time now to make sure you, your employees, your relationships with your vendor partners as well as your customers and your facilities are prepared for whatever is headed your way. Here are 5 things businesses can do today to prepare:

• Establish from where employees can obtain important updates during an emergency situation, especially when and where to return to work if there is a satellite or back-up location.
• Determine how your choice of operations before, during and after the storm will be communicated to all your partners, including customers, prospects and vendors alike. If you have overdue updates to partners' data, enter those new email addresses or phone numbers before things get too hectic.
• Verify all computer programs, documents and data are being automatically backed up from each team member's technology to a remote location, preferably via an online cloud back-up solution that will save the information to multiple servers in various parts of the country. Choose whichever option works best for your needs at the lowest cost between Backblaze, Carbonite, Crash Plan and Mozy.
• Decide how you will facilitate payroll if you are displaced, lose power or have intermittent Internet connectivity.
• Make certain you have proper insurance and it is up to date. Ask your insurance agent, broker or underwriter if you are adequately covered for potential property damage as well as what business interruptions you could possibly face. 

If conditions become unsafe to go out, you might be stuck at work or your home; therefore, make sure you have what supplies might be necessary for the long haul. Visit http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit for what should be included in a disaster supplies kit and, then, start accumulating it all, storing them somewhere easily accessible yet secure. For more about what you need, click here for a video description, and take actions to get ready now.

Power outages are regularly a by-product of natural disasters, particularly when strong winds are a factor; therefore, prepare for potential power outages with these steps:

- Fill up your gas tank. Without power, the pumps don’t work.

- Visit your bank's ATM for cash. Credit and debit cards won’t work during a power outage.

- Charge your mobile devices and try steps from http://bit.ly/VcvO6u to conserve battery consumption. If you can, get at least one back-up battery, like this Unifun 10400mAh Waterproof External Battery Power Bank Charger, Techlink ReCharge 3400 Portable Charger or PowerNow USB Rechargeable Mobile Battery Charger.

- Keep on hand extra batteries for your flashlights so you are always ready to see in the dark.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has partnered with Agility Recovery Solutions to provide this disaster planning toolbox, from which you can obtain checklists for recovery overview, critical business functions to consider, assessing your risks, creating your emergency communications plan, phone recovery, your disaster recovery kit, winter weather preparedness, earthquake preparedness, tornado preparedness, wildfire preparedness, flood preparedness, hurricane preparedness, crisis communications to consider and much more. I highly recommend small business owners and entrepreneurs check these out to troubleshoot what's missing from any company's preparedness plan.

Above all, though, make a plan, prepare for possible communication gaps, have the supplies you need on hand and keep what you’ll need remotely stored in the cloud.

For more in-depth advice to prepare for future natural disasters, attend my lunch and learn workshop "When Disaster Strikes, Will Your Business and Your Team Be Ready?" at 11:30am to 1:30pm on Thursday, September 28th. September is National Preparedness Month, and we'll address tactics to help you, your team and your entire business become prepared for emergencies, including hurricanes, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, fires, winter storms, terrorism, geological events and technological issues. By attending this class, you'll learn how to do the following:

• Create an Emergency Response Plan
• Find solutions for data and paperwork challenges
• Build an Emergency Preparedness Kit
• Develop a Communications Strategy
• Maintain and update plans

To gather additional details and reserve your spot, please visit http://bit.ly/preparedness17.

What natural disasters are issues where you reside? How have you prepared for those potential issues? What steps can you take now to be fully prepared for the next emergency to strike?

Is It Time To Simplify Your Life?

The first week of August is celebrated as "Simplify Your Life Week"; however, I feel confident that any time of the year can be ideal for streamlining. With a little effort, you can determine what matters most and develop razor-sharp focus of your resources on those priority goals; you can best invest your limited time in efficiently and effectively achieving the results desired.

Clutter is the greatest deterrent when working to organize for success. Whether the clutter is in your space, your mind, your technology or your calendar, beyond simply robbing you of precious time, it can be physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Clutter makes each of us overwhelmed, enhancing the difficulty of forward-thinking decision-making and creating a scenario where it is more challenging to best achieve your goals.

Taking time to simplify can tame some of this stress, making it easier to quickly find what you need and effortlessly know what needs to be done at any moment. Here are some strategies that can be implemented this month to eliminate the unnecessary:

- Deliberately choose how you invest your time. By developing habits for a weekly strategy session and daily wrap-up, you can map out a specific game plan to guide you throughout the week and, then, stay on track amidst the world's distractions.

- Stay true to your priorities. Yes, priorities can shift by the day, week, month or year; sometimes, there are shifts minute-by-minute. Yet, if you have a flexible game plan that can act as your protective barrier, you can shuffle how you invest your time accordingly, filling each day's 1,440 minutes with only what matters most and keeping your actions aligned with your goals.

- Respect the value of your space. Whether it's in your physical space, electronic files, email folders or calendar, keep only what is accurate, applicable, useful or bringing you joy. When anything not meeting one of those requirements is maintained, there's more to dig through, leading to overwhelm, distractions and stress.

- Be positively present. Try to live in the current moment instead of worrying about the future or what is outside of your control. Listen intently to others, focusing on understanding rather than planning how you will respond. Accept that none of us is perfect, and work to bring folks together rather than fueling divisiveness.

- Learn to say "no". What can you keep out of your space? What can be deleted in general? What tasks or time commitments can be delegated? With tips from mindbodygreen, it's easier to master the art of saying no, which eliminates what doesn't rank high enough in your priorities to earn space in your files or time on your schedule.

- Incorporate tactics for success from work-life integration. Through research by Wharton's Work / Life Integration Project along with my clients' best practices, yes, you can create harmony with goals for work, home, community and self complementing one another rather than competing with each other. Focus on outcomes over activities, and invest your time in activities that accomplish wins in more than one area of life at the same time.

What steps do you take to simplify your life? Will you try any new tactics for this year's Simplify Your Life Week?