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Articles from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson | Selfgrowth.com
- Email Is Dangerous! - by Submitted on Nov 15, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonLet's face it! Most of the time, you check email because you're unsure what to do-- or don't want to do what you should do. Years ago, a client told me, "I make lists of things I've already done because it's so much fun to check them off!" Checking email provides the same adrenalin rush. ...
Views: 10 - Design Your Vision - Option 3 - by Submitted on Oct 03, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonDEFINE WHAT YOU WANT YOUR SETTING TO BE, EXACTLY This is a valuable exercise and one many people imagine they can easily skip. You may be thinking, “I just want it cleaned up, cleared off, and efficient.” That may be “good enough for now,” but it isn’t the best that is possible. This is ...
Views: 36 - Design Your Vision - Option 2 - by Submitted on Aug 15, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonDOCUMENT YOUR CURRENT CONDITION Now it’s time for the before pictures. Get a camera or video and capture images of the area without a single change. Or you might draw a sketch, make a list of the contents, or do a funny audiotape like a broadcaster describing the layout of an old museum. ...
Views: 77 - Design Your Vision - Option 1 - by Submitted on Aug 08, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonHave you ever noticed how much you seem not to notice about your everyday environment? Look around yourself right now and you’ll probably “see” many things that have become invisible to you on a daily basis because you have trained yourself not to see them. There are those three towering ...
Views: 78 - The Power of Three - by Submitted on Jun 22, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonOne of the guiding principles of Productive Environment Institute is "Together We Are Better." Indeed, in today's quarantine environment, that statement has new meaning. While we cannot be together physically, technology enables us to share in new ways, and lifting each other up is essential. ...
Views: 88 - Clutter is Postponed Decisions® - by Submitted on Jun 01, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonRemember that one basic idea—CLUTTER IS POSTPONED DECISIONS®. Now ask yourself if you’ve ever really decided what you want your setting to be. Chances are you have not thought much about this. One client described her frustration at “visiting the banquet of life and feeling stuck in the mashed ...
Views: 103 - Our Family and Our World Need Our Best - by Submitted on May 26, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonSuppose you wake up tomorrow with a kindly presence whispering gently in your ear. “You are such a great person, we have decided to give you your heart’s desire of the most ideal setting in which to live and work.” You float halfawake with welcome visions of a sun-drenched easy chair, a ...
Views: 111 - The Key to Clutter Freedom - by Submitted on May 11, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonHere is the one simple principle that can help you escape the clutter trap and remain clutter-free forever: LOVE IT OR LOSE IT If there is anything around you that you do not know to be useful, believe to be beautiful, or treasure for reasons of your own, get rid of it. Love it or lose ...
Views: 112 - How Did You Get Stuck in a Clutter Trap - by Submitted on May 02, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonYou arrived on earth without clutter. Your parents and doting relatives started you on a pathway to accumulation. By the time you were a year old, you had mounds of functional clothing, twenty outfits suitable for dress-up, too many stuffed animals, custom-sized furniture, a silver spoon, and a ...
Views: 113 - The Clutter Factor - From Packrativity to Productivity - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonAre you embarrassed when you walk into your home or office? Do you frequently run out of space? Is your desk piled high with UPO's (unidentified piled objects)? Are you frustrated by the amount of time you spend looking for things? If so, you're not alone! Research shows the average person ...
Views: 114 - The Clutter Campaign: Maintain Your Success - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonLive Clutter-Free Forever. Have you noticed how clutter is like a boomerang--it seems to come back quickly? The best way to prevent the "boomerang effect" is to commit to a way of life that supports your new resolve to stay clutter-free forever. The five-step Clutter Campaign is not a ...
Views: 111 - The Clutter Campaign: Select Your Tools - by Submitted on Apr 18, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonHave nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. -William Morris What you love, you preserve. There are so many tools available to support your Clutter Campaign. And what works best for someone you know may not work for you at all. This is the time to ...
Views: 116 - The Clutter Campaign: Eliminate Your Excuses - by Submitted on Apr 25, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonClutter is dandruff on the shoulders of your room. -Christopher Lowell "I always seem to have some good excuses for the clutter in my life. I'm too tired, too busy, the kids are doing a project for school. I guess I'll always have clutter and I'll always have excuses." This is what one person ...
Views: 108 - The Clutter Campaign: Design Your Vision - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonOne of the prime reasons that most of us have occasional or everlasting problems with clutter is that we do not have a clear picture of the ideal setting we want to create for ourselves, our family and our work. In the absence of that clear picture, specific to you, your life, your family, your ...
Views: 113 - The Clutter Campaign: Commit Your Time - by Submitted on Apr 06, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonDecide when and where to start. You have the same amount of time each day as did Thomas Jefferson, Einstein, and Mae West. It's all in where you choose to focus your attention. If you still catch yourself thinking, "This will never work," or, "I'll never succeed," you are right. If, ...
Views: 111 - Does Your Home Office Need a Make-Over? - by Submitted on Feb 23, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonStart by asking yourself these questions: Are you sick of continuous paper clutter in your home? Do you waste time looking for information you or other family members need? Are you hiding papers at the last minute when you are expecting guests? Is lack of organization putting a ...
Views: 125 - Do You Like To Keep SOME Papers? - by Submitted on Feb 02, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonRecently I wrote about 7 ways you could eliminate paper from your workspace, but many people like to keep some papers. When the concept of “paperless” began to surface, I decided that as an organizing and productivity consultant, I certainly should embrace it. Well, I tried! But like many other ...
Views: 127 - Do You Need "Family Office Hours?" - by Submitted on Jan 25, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonIn a blog entitled "Everything Broken is Clutter" https://youtu.be/qorpCQTKC6c, I mentioned that in a speech when I asked the question "What comes to mind when I say the word 'clutter?'” one participant replied "Relationships!" She was referring to relationships in her life that weren't ...
Views: 134 - Can A New Workspace Boost Your Productivity? - by Submitted on Jan 11, 2023 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonA few years ago I returned from a 5-day trip to New York City, and then to Greenwich, CT. It was a fabulous trip in so many ways, and one of them was that I was able to do lots of reading and writing in my hotel room during my travels. Many years prior, I had learned that traveling is one of my ...
Views: 153 - Thinking of Starting a Business? Now is the Time! - by Submitted on Dec 29, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson"The pandemic unleashed a flurry of new entrepreneurs. If the economy goes into recession, that trend will increase," according to an interview in Kiplinger's Personal Finance with Lakshmi Balachandra, professor of entrepreneurship and a fellow in the National Science Foundation's Technology ...
Views: 147 - Merry Christmas! Celebrate the Birth of Jesus - by Submitted on Dec 29, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonChristmas is, to use the familiar words of Charles Dickens, "the best of times and the worst of times." For some people, it is only the worst; for others, the best, but probably for most of us, it is somewhere in between! I always have more intentions than I carry out, which often turns ...
Views: 198 - Identifying the Rocks: Organizing Your Priorities - by Submitted on Dec 15, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonIn one of my favorite books, First Things First, written by Stephen Covey with Roger and Rebecca Merrill, is a story of the man in front of his class with a pile of rocks and a jar. He puts the rocks in the jar, and then asks the class "Is it full?" "Yes," they answer in unison. "Oh?" he replies ...
Views: 176 - Make Room for Christmas - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonAt a party, I listened to a man tell a story about a Christmas Eve in his house. The brother and sister were getting ready for bed, and they suddenly remembered that they should put out cookies and milk for Santa and ran into the kitchen to accomplish the task. When Daddy asked, "Why aren't ...
Views: 139 - Remembering the Star - by Submitted on Dec 07, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Matthew 2:9 (ESV) One year in the fall, I had been waking up in physical pain for several nights, but far worse, in deep emotional pain. It had been more than four months since I had a horseback riding accident and broke my ...
Views: 148 - Soar Above Your Overwhelm - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson"I fly because it releases my mind from the tyranny of petty things." – Antoine de Saint-Exupery As we hurtle down the runway toward the most hectic time of year for many of us, both personally and professionally, let's take a moment to keep things in perspective. Recently, as I attempted ...
Views: 162 - The 3T's of Office Productivity - by Submitted on Nov 09, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonTime, Tools, Trust As we learned from Barbara Hemphill, "it is not what SHOULD you do, it is what WILL you do." Having the right tools, trusting in them, and using them at the right time are the keys to a satisfying and productive day! I call them: The Three T’s of Productivity. Tools: The ...
Views: 159 - It’s Real, But It’s Not New - by Submitted on Oct 26, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson“Time spent minimizing possessions is never wasted.” ― Joshua Becker Let's listen in on a quick conversation between a man and a woman. As the woman pulls items from their bedroom closet, the man lies on the bed looking at a magazine. Woman - "..., I cannot do this job without you. Most of ...
Views: 167 - State Your Vision - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonI spoke those words in my 2017 TEDx talk - https://youtu.be/CrsdoIOGCRw encouraging people to make a decision about their clutter, take a small action step, and move forward. I wish I knew where I first heard the quote, but it’s been rattling around in my head for so long that I can’t remember, ...
Views: 173 - What is the BEST workspace for you to accomplish your work and enjoy your life? - by Submitted on Oct 20, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonHave you ever felt that something happening in the world just wasn't right, but you weren't brave enough to express your opinion? In the late 1980s, I had a client in New York City who was removing private offices and replacing them with an "open office." Management touted the change as a ...
Views: 158 - The Time Management Funnel - by Submitted on Oct 06, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonTime management is a popular term. It conjures visions of stopping clocks and herculean feats of efficiency, squeezing in one more task or commitment. In reality, it's less about managing time and more about managing ourselves and our decisions. We know that ineffective time management results ...
Views: 179 - Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help! - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonA colleague and I had just left our morning network group and were walking to our cars. As she walked, Ann was digging in her handbag struggling to find the key to her car. “This always happens,” she said, frustration mounting as she continued to dig – ultimately placing the bag on the hood in ...
Views: 174 - Calm or Stressed Before the Storm...You Choose - by Submitted on Sep 21, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonWith Hurricane Florence headed toward PEI almost 4 years ago, it was difficult to stay focused, but during my meditation that morning I read Isaiah 54:10: “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be ...
Views: 173 - Is Your Business Suffering from "Systems" Clutter? Why? - by Submitted on Sep 15, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonClutter comes in many forms -- physical, paper, digital, mental, etc. In this age of companies merging and reorganizing, clutter in businesses is rampant. Over and over we experience situations in which "the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing!" Today I received a letter ...
Views: 194 - The Path to Achieving Your Goals - by Submitted on Sep 07, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” - Mike Murdock What do you think and feel when you hear the word "routine"? For some, it brings thoughts of rigidity and mind-numbing boredom. For others, it evokes calm and a sense of accomplishment. No matter your reaction to ...
Views: 186 - Vacations Increase Profit, Productivity, and Peace of Mind! - by Submitted on Aug 31, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonProfit, productivity, and peace of mind… Over a third (36 percent) of Americans took their last vacation more than two years ago, and over half (51 percent) have not vacationed in more than a year, according to the 11th annual Vacation Confidence Index released by Allianz Global Assistance. ...
Views: 163 - Overwhelmed with "To Read" Piles? - by Submitted on Aug 24, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonVirtually every client I've ever had in four decades has asked the question, "What should I do with all this reading?" As we often say about all aspects of getting organized, "Progress starts with the truth," and that means no matter how many speed reading courses you take, you'll probably ...
Views: 190 - Everything Broken is "Clutter!" - by Submitted on Aug 18, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonEverything broken is clutter! At a recent speaking engagement, I asked the question, "When you think of 'clutter,' what comes to your mind?" Several of the answers I expected: "paper," "email," "my garage", but two of the responses truly intrigued me: 1) "head trash" 2) ...
Views: 195 - Even Positive Changes Can Feel Overwhelming - by Submitted on Aug 10, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson"You have no idea how much stuff you have until you have to pack your life into boxes." - Carol (Kathy's Mom) A quick Google search of life's top stressors returns arguably positive events such as getting married, starting a new job, retirement, and moving to a new residence. One might ...
Views: 181 - Speaking of Productivity: What Do You Hear? - by Submitted on Aug 03, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonEvery time I tell my husband that I will be giving a speech, he asks, "What are you telling them?" I have to laugh, because I've been saying virtually the same thing for 40+ years. I used to feel guilty about it, but I've discovered that even though a speaker says the same words, I don't always ...
Views: 188 - Forget Your Filing System - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonForget Your Filing System! Create a “Finding System” That Works Every Time! Recently I received the following email: Dear Barbara, A colleague just called me to her office and asked, "Do you remember when you first came here and I gave you all of that information on orientation for new ...
Views: 195 - The Four-Day Workweek: A New Opportunity? - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonI'm excited! For decades, Jeremiah 29:11 has been a guiding principle for my entrepreneurial journey. It reads, "I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." To me, that means the possibilities are endless, even ...
Views: 221 - Is Your Desk Hurting Your Productivity? - by Submitted on Jul 14, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonIs your desk hurting your productivity? Location, location, location. It isn't just about the real estate market. Is your desk intentionally arranged? Or is everything strewn about wherever it landed the last time you used it? Like it or not, your personal productivity is significantly ...
Views: 218 - Now Rather Than Later: A Gift for Everyone! - by Submitted on Jul 27, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonNow rather than later! One of the significant causes of clutter in our society today is the result of my generation collecting and saving items for the next generation – who have no interest. Perhaps it's because they saw how much effort it was for us to pay for it, store it, clean it, insure ...
Views: 202 - Create a Productive Environment™ Using These Three Principles - by Submitted on Jun 29, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonDo you ever sit down at your desk buried in paper and say, "OK! Today's the day - I'm going to clean up this mess?" You pick up the first piece of paper - and immediately think of any number of reasons why now is not a good time to deal with this particular piece of paper. You pick up the second ...
Views: 204 - Simple Gets It Done - by Submitted on Jun 24, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” - Confucius I had a Zoom video meeting scheduled on my calendar. These days, who doesn't, right? Shortly before start time, the person messaged me saying their computer had gone into an unexpected update, they couldn't access ...
Views: 213 - The Path to Achieving Your Goals - by Submitted on Jun 15, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson“The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.” - Mike Murdock What do you think and feel when you hear the word "routine"? For some, it brings thoughts of rigidity and mind-numbing boredom. For others, it evokes calm and a sense of accomplishment. No matter your reaction to ...
Views: 208 - Productive Environment: Did you Find Everything? - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonWhen I check out of my local grocery store, the clerk asks, "Did you find everything?" Frequently, I reply (and I'm sure the clerks hear this often): "I did. More than I came for!" I have to admit that I have become a big fan of online shopping, and one of the primary reasons is that I find what ...
Views: 219 - Organizing Your Office for Less Stress and More Profit - by Submitted on Jun 02, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonIf you discovered your career depended on how organized your office was, your reaction could range from complete composure to sheer terror. Even the most successful professionals sometimes utter, "Someday I'm really going to get organized," but purging files, organizing receipts, tackling piles ...
Views: 209 - The Home Office Rules! - by Submitted on May 18, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea AndersonTwo years ago, The Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal each had an article about the death of the traditional office. When I first started organizing offices in the early 2000s, office buildings had private offices — lots of them. Then the trend moved toward "office hoteling," and later, ...
Views: 225 - What the World Needs Now: Love at Home-Workplace-Community - by Submitted on May 13, 2022 from Productive Environment Institute with Barbara Hemphill & Andrea Anderson"Your customers are the reason you exist, and your job is to earn their love and loyalty," says Deb Boelkes, author of The WOW Factor Workplace: How to Create a Best Place to Work Culture. "That means you must first love them. And that, in turn, means you must first love your employees." In ...
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