Organized Homes: Of What Your Clutter Could Mean and Symbolize

“Being organized is not about getting rid of everything you own or trying to become a different person; it is about living the way you want to live, but better.” –Andrew Mellen

Over the past few weeks, social media has been abuzz about this new decluttering method that has been staunchly suggested to be effective by many.

In fact, social media feeds have been dominated by such posts coming from netizens all over the world asserting that this home organizing method works wonders insomuch that once you implement it, you may never have to clean another day in your life. Of course, you would probably have figured out that I am talking about Marie Kondo’s eponymous KonMari method. Popularized by the streaming service Netflix, Marie Kondo’s hit cleaning show, “Tidying up with Marie Kondo” has stirred quite a storm among netizens globally. Her decluttering and organizing methods are not only guaranteed to work, but the ensuing result has been said to make you fall in love with your homes all over again. For homeowners whose homes tend to accumulate clutter over time or for people who generally have an affinity for it, Marie Kondo’s solution will prove to be both useful and effective. However, before diving into the details of what goes into the KonMari method, knowing why you have way too much clutter in your homes is paramount to ensuring you will be able to eliminate it for good. Most homeowners might have thought that clutter is something they can easily overlook. When they are manageable and out of sight, they can be neglected. But once you accumulate way too much of it, the effect can be distracting and at times, it can be a significant source of stress.

Most homeowners accumulate clutter over time until they hit a breaking point wherein they have decided that they have way too much stuff. Latent epiphanies such as this are often triggered by major life events such as a move, marriage or even changing jobs. These are the events in our lives that compel us to declutter either to make room for more belongings or to downsize it. But beneath the hoarding disposition lies a deeper and more profound meaning as to why we insist on keeping some of these stuff despite them no longer serving its purpose. Understanding why we keep clutter around various areas in our homes can help us get rid of it better. More importantly, it makes the task easier. In any case, this article aims to unveil the psychology behind the clutter in the different spaces of your home and what it says about you.

Whether you are living in a perpetually disorganized unit in Avida Towers Cloverleaf or in a flat elsewhere, here are some of the things your clutter says about you:

Living and Dining Rooms

Your living and dining areas are where you entertain guests. This is the part of your home that is actually open for your guests and visitors to see. In this regard, it has been said that the clutter found here can be taken to mean that you are hiding an aspect of yourself from the world. Or it might be that what you are putting on is just façade and that who you really are is hidden from everyone else.

Kitchens

Kitchens are akin to utility rooms in the office insomuch that they see the most foot traffic and we dump everything from our daily lives in this particular area of the home. Our house bills, electronics, chargers, purses, school bags, dog bowls, vitamins and other various items can be seen strewn about kitchen counters every single day. Apart from the food and beverages therein, one would generally notice a number of household items atop counters and kitchen chairs. With so much going on, it can be rather difficult to truly nourish yourself and your family.

Bedrooms

The bedroom is a place for relaxation and of all the places in the house; the bedroom should be the sole place to give you optimal comfort. Unfortunately, having way too much clutter in your bedroom can feel stifling insomuch that it can be akin to having something encroach upon your personal space. Aside from the stress the general mess will give you, clutter in this area can make you feel “wired and tired” and consequently cause you to inhibit actions of intimacy towards your partner.

Bathroom

Bathrooms go by another moniker aptly called, “comfort rooms”. They are designated as such because this is where we go not only to relieve ourselves, but to indulge ourselves in some pampering “me” time. If our bathrooms are filled with way too many stuff—especially under bathroom sinks, it might mean that you lack self-worth or even self-care.

Closets

The contents of your wardrobe or closets are typically hidden from view. In this regard, it can represent all of the things which we conceal from others. With this in mind, it has been said that overly stuffed closets can block or impair one’s ability to use one’s insight and intuition to see into ourselves and situations.   

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Improving Work Productivity: Four Ways You Can Fall in Love with Your Job Again

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. The only way to do great work is to love what you do”-Steve Jobs

Every employee has a relationship with their job.

And that very relationship has a direct effect on how well or bad they perform. Unfortunately, much like any relationship there is, the one you have with your job can grow stale over time. The spark that was once there are long gone and what was once an exciting venture for you is now reduced to a mundane daily routine. Back then, you used to greet each work day with so much enthusiasm and the prospect of getting promoted was always something you had looked forward to. Now, it seems like you are a bundle of listless draining energy sapping away work productivity while you constantly look at the clock to see how much time you have left before you can get up from your desk and leave. At times you find yourself asking, “What happened? How has something I once so loved become something so boring and uninspiring?”

It might be that you just lack motivation but it could also be that you have fallen out of love with your job. And that is okay, you do not need to beat yourself up over it. If you had been doing the same thing every single day for quite some time, the routine can easily get old. However, this does not mean you should look for a new job right away. Like any relationship that might have gotten stale, you do whatever you can to rekindle the spark and reignite your passion for it. Quitting should only be resorted to last. So, if you feel suffocated and overwhelmed by your work or cramped in your desk in one of the Cloverleaf offices or elsewhere, take a deep breath and step back. There are ways to reintroduce the starry-eyed hopes and expectations you once had for your job but it is going to require a bit of work and effort from you.

In any case, here are the ways you can fall back in to love with your current job:

 Teach and Share Your Role With Others

 Being in the same job for a while allows you to be good at what you do. If not, what you do might already come east to you insomuch that it might no longer challenge you. For this reason, your job might come across as boring. However, if you shared and taught what you do to others, not only will you be able to solidify your knowledge but you will inevitably lead others to master their craft. Knowing you had a hand in their mastery and expertise will not only bolster your credentials but will make you feel good about yourself as well. So, round up your interns and conduct discussions as to how they can make their jobs easier.

Be Reverse Mentored

As an employee, you have some long-term goals for which you would need short-term skills in order to accomplish. These skills will propel you in your journey towards your goal or at least make it manageable. Some of these skills might be better off taught to you by a diverse set of colleagues who can reverse mentor you in a variety of objectives that would align to your long-term goal. From there, you can create a set of learning objectives as well as a monthly schedule where you can then absorb what has been taught to you then apply these same skills to your current role. In doing so, you will have acquired a new set of skills that will enable you to come up with fresh approaches to your current tasks thereby giving your job a fresh spin.

 Align your job with your next-stage goals

Unless you have long-term goals in mind, your job will feel like a mindless routine. In this regard, come up with goals first then see how your current job can be aligned to your next career goal. More often than not, one’s enthusiasm in working is stemmed from how they have lost sight of what their goals truly are. Remind yourself why you started to begin with and what you what from your job in the foreseeable future. Groom yourself for your next role by actively looking for ways to improve yourself in your current job. Is it possible for you to volunteer extra work? An extra assignment? Acquire new skills? Or even seek additional training? All of these can better help you in the preparation for your next career goal.

Turn mundane work tasks into games

Work should feel less like work and more like fun so as to say inspired and motivated. To do this, incorporate fun and enjoyment into mundane work tasks by turning the duller aspects of your work into a game. If there are any less desirable projects, break them down into steps and reward yourself when you complete them. Your rewards can range from small (a little coffee break) to big (a lunch date with a mentor where you can discuss your next career and professional move)    

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Productivity 101: How to Make Friday a Breeze When at Home

Image by Roman Bozhko

It is undeniable that working at home may not be as productive as working at an office like 6750 Ayala Avenue. Working at home means differently to each hustling citizen. It can be s studio unit in a high-rise condo in BGC or a home office in Quezon City. Either way, most people find it hard to get things done during a Friday.

Friday signifies the end of a work week. It’s a few hours away from the weekend. For most of the young population, it’s the invitation to get hammered, party all night and think about the consequences the next day. But even if these aren’t part of your routine, working at home poses several temptations —the children, soft pillows, shows on TV, and a bunch of other things that can hamper your productivity.

It’s easy to resist these temptations if you give all your focus to your job. But if a lot of distractions begin popping up along the way, then it’s time to take the big guns out. It’s time you come up with a foolproof strategy that helps you stay on track.

With that in mind, here’s how you can make Friday a breeze even when you are at home.

1. Set specific goals for the day

The difference between people who finish their job on time to those who only do half of it is their ability to plan. A comprehensive plan is crucial in having a successful day. The number of things you accomplish each day and how you do them depends on the list of goals you created. The list can be general and vague. However, it leads you to waste time figuring out what you meant to do for the day. If you list specific items, you won’t have trouble going through the things you wish to accomplish for the day. You can jump to and fro activities without missing a beat.

How to set specific goals:

• Identify your targets. Do you have a deadline? Are you working on a quota? Do you need to impress someone at the end of the day? Before listing the things to do, you must first identify your objective for the day. It can be a date, time or quantity. It can also be a person. Demanding jobs often have a combination of all those things. Those jobs also have different targets daily. It’s up to you to identify yours.

• Organize the objectives by importance. You can’t work on them at the same time. If you do, you risk submitting a low-quality output. You might also not finish anything in the process. Thus, it’s necessary for you to know which comes first. Prioritize those with a deadline. It helps you find out how much time you need to work on the project or series of tasks.

• Lay out the steps to accomplish your goal. These steps are your tasks for the day. Some tasks end once you finish them. Others are part of an ongoing process. Knowing the nature of your responsibilities allows you to manage your time effectively.

• Write them on paper. Writing is an effective method to remember stuff. Put your goals on paper and place it somewhere you can see. It serves as your reminder to stay on track. 

2. Set a schedule

Working at home provides a lax and lenient environment. Unlike in an office where everyone is within the confines of their cubicle or department, working at home has no limits. You can stay in the living room, set up a temporary office at the dining table or transform the study into a permanent working area. Being at home also means you don’t have to follow the usual office schedule. You can have breakfast and lunch while in front of your computer. You can read documents while munching on nuts and leafy greens. You can even prop up your feet while thinking of a concept for your presentation.

Indeed, a work-at-home setup is convenient and comfortable. Unfortunately, time is limited. If you don’t follow instructions daily, you might end up missing most of your workdays and end up with half-finished jobs. To prevent it from happening, you must set up a schedule. A schedule outlines the stuff you must accomplish for the day within the time you allotted for it. It makes it easy to understand the flow of your day when you outline things this way:

9 – 10 A.M. Work on the first task

10 – 10:15 A.M. Break!

10:15 – 11 A.M. Work on the second task

11 A.M. – 12 P.M. Finalize the second task

12 – 1 P.M. Lunch

3. Remove distractions

Distractions can only affect you as long as you allow them. The warmth of your bed, the fluffy pillows on top of it, the messages on your phone and other things don’t affect you if you choose to ignore them. If you keep minding them, you end up in bed with nothing to show for to your boss, clients, and customers. Retaining your focus takes patience and willpower to choose your work over the comfort of your home. If paying attention to your job means you have to lock yourself in a room with nothing but a desk, chair, and your laptop. Then, do it.

Discipline is the key. If you are not disciplined to abstain yourself from those temptations around you, then you will not be productive to do your work. And mind you, the ripples of being unproductive can extend until the rest of the month. It can even reach until the next year especially if you’re handling a big project. Hence, you must find ways to get rid of distractions so your mind won’t wander to them once you are in work mode. Washing the dishes, doing laundry or shopping for groceries during your free time are some ways to ensure you stay in a pleasant and productive environment for work.

4. Take breaks

Even if you are working at home, it is still a must for you to have time off your tasks. Continuous work can result in headaches. You might even suffer from body pain and other disturbances which impacts your work pace negatively. It’s best to balance your hard work with a few minutes of downtime. Clear your mind off things and relax. Grab a snack or enjoy a cup of coffee. Listen to your favorite tunes while stretching or play soothing melodies for a quick nap.

Including breaks in your schedule helps your mind and body relax. It keeps your brain sharp and your memory intact. Most of all, it renews your energy and refreshes your spirit. Spending a few minutes doing something that improves your mood allows you to come up with new ideas for your job. It also motivates you to go the extra mile. Lastly, it gives you a pause to reassess your work progress and home situation.

These are the basics of retaining work on a Friday. Before looking forward to the weekend, it’s best if you focus on what’s ahead. You might have to focus on a bunch of tasks before you can fully relish the joys of being work-free.

What Successful People Do in the First 15 Minutes of Their Working Day

Starting your day at work might often be a huge boner for you because; yes it’s a workday. But then again, think of it this way—you can make things smooth and better if you know how to start it right. To commence the day, you should motivate yourself in anyway as possible to become productive, just like how a digital marketing agency in the Philippines and their employees do it, as an example.

The first few minutes in the office is crucial; it should set the mood in order to accomplish and score productivity. Below are some ideas on how one can be truly successful at the office, not only for a day but also always.

Think / Reflect

A person who reflects might be able to get a clearer idea of what he or she is going to do during the day. Thinking also helps your brain, making it practice critically or just going around your mind palace. It also helps to reflect so your mind is ready for the challenges up ahead. Questions like, “What did I accomplish toward my goals so far this week?” or “What is the status of my current projects?” or “What do I need to accomplish?” are just a few of which you should answer to keep yourself updated.

Make Yourself Comfortable

Successful people take some time at the beginning of the workday making sure that the items they frequently access such as their keyboard, computer mouse, phone, etc. are all in comfortable reach, most especially the chair or desk they are designated on. Being comfortable makes the tasks to be done easier when performed. You also have to ensure that you have proper lighting to have an ergonomic environment that is functional. But of course, make to a point that you won’t get too comfortable because doing so might have you slacking off.

Stretching Helps

This makes your muscles and your body’s reflexes more prepared to the day’s work and from the sedentary sitting position. Aside from that, stretching makes your blood circulation into a good condition. You should also consider walking or standing in the first few minutes of the workday. With that, it can give you greater control as you tackle the day’s agenda.

Listen to Music

Music helps a lot. This can create a mood, which would make your body and mind ready for the day. Perhaps you might have a workday playlist that you can play (and sing along) while getting ready for the day’s hustle!

Organize Workspace

It is important to have that space in your own desk because you would not be able to move around freely and quickly. Organizing your workspace is a must-do to keep your desk clean. Facing a cleaner slate on your desktop will better clear your mind for the day’s tasks.

Prioritization is The Key

For a person who is about to go on a 9-5 hour work shift, there might be projects coming along the way, not mentioning the current ones that you are working on. Be reminded that to make things smooth flowing, you need to have a priority-list and know which ones are urgent and important. Or, you can go beyond just making a list, and challenge yourself to create a realistic hierarchy for your projects.

Review To Do Lists

It is already a given that you have prepared your to-do-lists. And the many you have on the list, the more of a possibility that you will be able to miss out on them if you don’t keep yourself updated. From time to time, make sure to check and review your list so you could stick to the plan and focus on the more important things.

Strategically Check Emails

Checking your email is maybe one of the most tedious tasks you would be doing especially when you have been doing it from the start of your day. Strategically check your emails by quickly scanning and prioritizing which emails you could answer later as part of your pre-planned day, instead of diving into the entire mass at once.

Map The Day Out

By mapping out your day, it means getting ready for what will happen during the work hours. Organizing your thoughts of which things to prioritize will help, and then maybe you can write down what they are on sticky notes or your organizer. Do what works for you to keep the workflow smooth and easy.

Taking A Moment to Be Grateful

By being grateful, would mean keeping positive vibes to come in. Gratitude on the simple things that come in hand is a good practice. Identifying something you are grateful for, it may be personal or business related is a great way for a successful person to start their day with.

Driving Employees Satisfaction beyond Their Works

It’s a great challenge for the companies, to mention few of them, especially some of SEO Consulting Services firm that appoints number of staffs, on how they’re going to treat their employees which will contribute to them good performance and at the same time are satisfied to their works.

Most of the working people or the employees nowadays derive satisfaction from having some control over their working environment. They prefer to work in an environment where they feel comfortable with their colleagues and supervisors that will lead into an enjoyable job that will allow them to work independently for much of the time. But beyond that, the main reason most people seek employment is for the monetary compensation which is a vital aspect of all jobs that employees need most.

In its simplest terms, employee’s competence is their ability to get the job done. Their abilities to set priorities, to separate the relevant from the irrelevant tasks, and then to concentrate single-minded until the job is complete.

For the Wages                 

In view of the fact, that most of the employees of today’s generation are so demanding about their works in order for them to support their living. It may be part of working but the promotion and increment of salary do not ensure that all of the employees are satisfied in an organization. They need to work at their optimum level to have the most job satisfaction where they can fairly presents new challenges and some changes to keep constantly engaged with their works.

For their Stance 

Employees have attitudes or viewpoints about many aspects of their jobs, their careers, and their organizations. However, from the perspective of research, the most focal employee attitude is job satisfaction. Thus, referring to employee attitudes also are specific focus will concern job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction is defined as “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experience. The importance of both affect, or feeling, and cognition, or thinking, when we think, we have feelings about what we think. Conversely, when we have feelings, we think about what we feel. Cognition and affect are thus inextricably linked, in our psychology and even in our biology. Thus, when evaluating our jobs, as when we assess most anything important to us, both thinking and feeling are involved.” (Locke, 1976)

Being involved in the decision making, autonomy in planning about the employees’ work made to feel that he or she is part of the big picture of the company. Thus, the workers really want is meaningful work that stretches them beyond their current abilities and goals that will force them to learn new skills and work hard at the same time.

 

For their Ideal Workplace

  

They say that it is very important that employers know what their employees need to be satisfied on the job and make every effort to fill those needs well. A great workplace also attracts the loyal and dedicated applicants in the first place. 

The bottom line is that the more satisfied your employee, is the better chance you have to retain them as a productive, loyal staff member who makes your job easier. By managing your workplace in a way that meets your employee’s needs, you can keep them happy for a long time and save yourself the time 

and money to find something new.

 

 If you pay attention to these ten things employees want in a job, you will have a real opportunity to create a team of inspired and highly engaged employees. That's good news for your employees and for your career.

Give your employees a clear understanding of their roles, responsibilities and objectives. Do this one on one and with the team.

Always remember, this isn't a one-time event. Do it periodically through the year: monthly to quarterly. Conducting performance reviews only once a year doesn't cut it today. Most performance problems come from a lack of clear expectations or goals and a lack of recognition.

Try to keep in touch with this line: “There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow. It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” – Jack Welch

Focus Your Business Efforts to Right Customers

Remember that time when you wanted to date that person you have been eyeing on for prom? When you really tried and asked her out for the reason that you wanted to get to know her better? You’ve sent her bouquet of flowers and treated her for lunch and escorted her to parties but still, your efforts haven’t been paid enough? It may sound desperate but you also need to be noticed. However, this does not always apply every time. And just like having a business, say for example an SEO consulting services firm, or any type of business you are in, it’s like courting your customers, but over the right efforts and right ones.

Despite having that charisma, there would be times when you would feel that your efforts have not been paid off. But won’t you ask yourself, “Am I doing this for the wrong person?” Call it marketing but the truth is you have to keep your radars up and psych on the potential customers and not just wasting time on some different people whom you think would not mind you.

There are a lot of reasons why they don’t notice you that much perhaps because of the following:

Because they compare. They might be looking for some other companies whom they think are better than you.

Tip: Make this as a motivation to be better. You would not know when you’re big break’s going to be so better be prepared.

Because they think you are not good enough. Customers are still finding some proof from you whether you could be of help to them.

Tip: Take this as a challenge. You can banner out the projects you have accomplished from various past and current clients you have been working for. Show them your work.

Because they have found what suits them. Sure, they may have found what suits them. What works for them, works for them. Let them be.

Tip: Learn from the experts. Know their strategies on why people keep on coming for them. There is no better way of learning than experiencing.

Because they just don’t want you. Perhaps because they can’t afford your services, that is why they’re opting for others. You don’t have something at fault. They’re missing the point.

Tip: Hone your skills more and be more passionate about what you are doing. Let them see that what you are doing is truly worth a thousand pennies.

People make decisions and they have their own choices. But oftentimes, they are still finding the right choices even if they have already decided things. By doing so, it would mean keeping you more determined and at the same time, open to ideas for you to grow more and be more than enough a client needs.

Identify Your Key Clients.

By knowing your key clients, it would be easy for you to know what strategies to do and what products you should focus on for a particular customer. It would also be good to have a client relationship to be more comfortable with each other and for your clients to be more receptive as you introduce your services.

As a firm, you can also choose clients that have unrealized potential. By doing so, you will be able to see tangible results as you help them grow their business.

Discovery Process.

A good step to do next is the process of developing a strategy for your firm. In this way, you will be able to approach the list of your target clients properly. For example, you are a link building services firm, by undergoing the discovery process, this would include thinking about the needs of each business, what’s going on in their industry, the goals of your clients, what resources your company can offer them and most importantly, how to communicate those services to them.

By these strategies, your firm will increase the odds of garnering clients who will surely utilize your value added services and in turn, your client’s loyalty to your firm. Once you’ve chosen you clients and when they choose you, alert them of your new services and give them the best that you could do.

Source: entrepreneur.com

How To Create Happy and Motivated Employees and Make Them Stay

For businesses, it is important to value your employees, next to your customers. Why? Because without them, you would not have enough manpower to operate your company and the other duties and responsibilities that are needed to be focused on, that is why proper treatment to your personnel is your task too as an owner of the business. Say for example, you are an owner or head of management of an SEO consulting services firm, which employs quite a number of staff, or any kind of business whatsoever, it should be the management’s task to satisfy your employees in return for the hard work they have invested on your company.

Below are some tidbits a company’s management should know, no matter how many employees you have at the moment:

Define Vision

As the ‘leader’ of the company, the vision should come from you. But in order for this to be realized, you have to let your employees know what your vision and mission is, so they could also embody this within themselves. Aside from that, be an inspiring leader who, not only withholds what good trait a true leader should have but also, motivates his employees of their tasks.

Give Them What They Want and Need

Give your employees the proper training and equipment they need in order to deliver the work you are expecting them to do. Remember that you should not always assume that each and every one of your employees has all the tools and knowledge. As a supervisor, you should know their strengths and weaknesses to be able to know which area they needed to improve on and hone.

Communicate Well and Often

Communication is important. And by communication, it would mean having training sessions, sending out memos, newsletters, and regular meetings or simply allowing them to give you a message whenever an information sent to them turns out to be something they are confused about. Redesign the way the information reaches them if you have to. There has to be an amicable and two-way interaction between you and your employees, so in the long run you would not have the difficulty of engaging with them.

Get Everyone Engaged

Figure out how you could keep your employees engaged in planning and decision-making; something they would be willing to fight for. Whenever possible, make it a point that they’re input and ideas are being asked. This way, they have a vested interest in seeing the project succeed and can empower and motivate themselves.

Coach Success

Give them feedbacks as much as possible. Be a mentor and keep them motivated, not only by you, but also by themselves as well. Don’t wait for periodic reviews; instead, offer feedback as often as possible. Constructive criticisms are all right as long as you explain to them why you have given them such feedback and that they can have the opportunity to discuss ongoing projects and issues. These meetings won’t take a lot of time and they can build strong relationships.

Respect and Act Fairly

As a leader, use your judgment, wisdom and experience to create a supportive judgment. Respect and trust your team and you will get the same in return. Admit that you are wrong whenever your make mistakes and apologize. This way, your employees will gain trust and appreciate your honesty.

Discipline Yet Keep The Fun

It is important to have fun especially if the workload becomes too tough. At the same time, you can keep the discipline among your employees when you practice this with them. There are always a time for duty and pleasure so keep the work-life balance a stable one.

Implement Incentive Programs

This is a perk you can give to your employees based on their actual performance and paid out only after an employee has reached the desired goal. No matter what kind of business you are in, it is important to look into incentive programs. This will make a positive impact on the company as a whole, having your employees strive harder to meet the target needed.

How about you? What kind of work ethics and employee-employer relations can you share? The comment section is always welcome to have your thoughts.

Source: triplepundit.com