Discomfort With Silence

We as a human race are very uncomfortable with silence. Just check it out for yourself. 

Sit in a quiet room, with a clock or watch that has a second hand. Of course the clock must be clearly in view, with no distractions. 

Don’t say anything for thirty seconds. Just listen and be present with the silence permeating your presence. Notice how long that small duration of time feels when there is total silence.

How did it make you feel? What did you notice? Where did your mind and thoughts go?

What would happen if you extended it to one minute of silence? People who regularly meditate often do it for thirty minutes to one hour a day. They claim it clears the fog in their mind and creates renewed energy. After doing this exercise, I think it will be come increasingly clear to you that it takes discipline to sit still in silence. I think the benefits to people with ADHD can be significant but learning to sit still with a physically and/or cognitively hyperactive mind is quite challenging. You might want to start with learning to feel comfortable with silence.

Click here to watch this video. Afterwards, ask yourself the following question? How will I begin to integrate silence into my life?

(Written by David Giwerc, ADDCA)

It's New Calendar Time!

This is the time of year when those of us who rely on paper planners need to think about purchasing our new planners for the New Year.

Purchase your calendar based on your personal needs. Do you need a one day at a time format or week at a glance? Do you need a specific size, to fit into your backpack or purse? I personally like a loose-leaf format, so you can easily add accessories, such as address/phone book section, planner guide tabs and pages, etc.

A favorite of mine is Frank Covey: http://store.franklinplanner.com. There are so many different styles, formats and options to choose from, you're assured a planner for your specific needs. Another favorite of mine is Day Timer: http://www.daytimer.com. I used Day Timer as my time management system, before the invention of PDA's. Now my iPhone is my time management choice. Whichever calendaring system you use, be sure that you use it consistently. Otherwise, it is useless.

My blog & I

If you've come to my blog to get the latest information about the work I do, the clients I serve or the hottest topic of the day, week or month, well it might not be posted on here at this time.

The reason is that I'm very fortunate to have a very busy professional organizing business. And rather than hiring someone else to write my blog, which might never happen in my lifetime (never say never), I decided that I need a bit of a hiatus from this wonderful blog to continue to serve my clients needs to my fullest capacity & mine (to get a good night sleep).

If something inspires me to write, well write I will. Until then, if your checking my website out & seeing if I'm the kind of organizer that will suit your specific needs and you wind up at my blog, understand that there are only so many hours in a day & what kind of organizer would I be if I spent all my time blogging & not serving my clients needs???

You can now safely go back to my website, check out my contacts page & go from there. If you have a specific question about my services, I'll look forward to receiving an email from you.

Until then, happy blogging...

Hoarding in Manhattan

This wonderful New York Times article mentions my dear friend & colleague Kristin Bergfeld's business (Bergfeld's Estate) and the fantastic work she does in New York. Here is her information and the link to the New York Times article:

"To mark our 24^th year of successful business, we have established a new program, “BERGFELD’s Partnerships for the Elderly™”. Our purpose is to serve elders who choose to “age in place” but whose home is at risk because of hoarding. We coordinate with social service organizations that identify qualifying elders from among their clients. We then collaborate with them, their elder client and related professionals who contribute at no cost all products and services necessary to clear, repair and reconfigure the qualifying elder’s home.

Our very first “Partnerships” project is the subject of an extensive article in The New York Times, 26 August, 2010."

Is anybody out there?

Do you ever wonder if anyone is really out there reading these blogs. I do. I know that I haven't been a great blogger over the last few months, but what I have learned is that there is so much to write about that might or might not be important to the reader. What I have found out is that my clients are brilliant and creative and I honor each and every one of them.

How lucky to be welcomed in to so many homes, helping my clients realize their goals and dreams. My dream is to be able to do the work I do for a long time to come. That will mean that I can never stop working out, to keep my aching back strong. Tomorrow is another day to find out if there is anyone out there, who really cares about what is being said here.

I will work on blogging more often. How about you?

Best Buy Recycles

I'm a devoted Best Buy shopper and love hearing that they have included other customer services. Here's some good news to all of us that have anything electronic, including TVs, DVD players, cell phones, audio and video cables, computer monitors and more. No matter where you bought it, what brand, or how old it is, bring it to Best Buy for recycling. They will make sure it's properly and safely recycled. It's all part of their Greener Together™ program.

Most things are recycled absolutely free, with a few restrictions. Each state has their own restrictions, so look-up your states info before you visit a store. In Texas, you can bring three items per household per day to recycle. If you are recycling a computer, the hard drive must be removed before you recycle it. Best Buy charges a fee of $9.99 for the Geek Squad to remove your hard drive. Best Buy charges $10 to recycle televisions and monitors, but you receive a $10 Best Buy gift card good toward a future purchase. Check out their website for additional info: http://www.bestbuy.com

Warning Signs of Tech Overload

From a very interesting NY Times article, here are "The Seven Signs of Tech Overload:"
Sign 1- Do you always check your e-mail before doing other things?
Sign 2- Do you frequently find yourself anticipating the next time you'll be online?
Sign 3- When you're online and someone needs you, do you usually say "just a few more minutes" before stopping?
Sign 4- Have you ever lied about or tried to hide how long you've been online?
Sign 5- Have you ever chosen to spend time online rather than going out with others?
Sign 6- Does going online lift you from a depressed or nervous mood?
Sign 7- Do others in your life often complain about the amount of time you spend using technology?

This doesn't sound like me. Does this sound like you?

To read this article, go to: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html?pagewanted=1