Make decisions in a timely fashion—rarely does waiting improve the quality of the decision.
—ODETTE POLLAR
This is a wonderful world for women. The richness, the hope, the promise of life today…are exciting beyond belief. Nonetheless, we need stout hearts and strong characters; we need knowledge and training; we need organized effort to meet the future.
—BELLE S. SPAFFORD
When planning for a year, plant corn.
When planning for a decade, plant trees.
When planning for life, train and educate people.
—CHINESE PROVERB
I don’t know that there are any shortcuts to doing a good job.
—SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR
I was taught the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.
—MARIE CURIE
Some Helpful How-Tos
I must govern the clock, not be governed by it.
—GOLDA MEIR
If only everything were as easily organized as, say, my shoe collection. And even that can sometimes be a losing battle.
—SASHA MORROW
There are so many options, so much to do, so many demands on women. There is no point in taking one hour to do a ten-minute task, nor should we slap together an hour-worthy project in ten minutes.
—ELAINE CANNON
Arrange whatever pieces come your way.
—VIRGINIA WOOLF
A team is more than a collection of people. It is a process of give and take.
—BARBARA GLACEL
Effective teamwork is all about making a good, well-balanced salad, not whipping individuals into a single batch of V8.
—SANDRA RICHARDSON
Take just a few minutes each day to sort through any miscellaneous papers on your desk at home or the office, rather than letting unorganized piles multiply and grow.
—GLADYS MORISSON
To achieve your dreams, remember your ABC’s: Avoid negative sources, people, places, things, and habits. Believe in yourself.Consider things from every angle.
—WANDA HOPE CARTER
Keep things as simple as possible…nobody wants to reorganize their system of reorganization!
—CASSIE LAWRENCE
If a problem has no solution, it’s not a problem, just a fact.
—BJ GALLAGHER
There are two ways of meeting difficulties. You alter the difficulties or you alter yourself to meet them.
—PHYLLIS BOTTOMED
Adopt the highly effective SAW inbox system: [“S” for] STAT (as in a hospital emergency room) means “do it now!” and is for urgent tasks with a deadline of today. “A” stands for “as soon as possible” and goes on your to-do list with doable deadlines. “W” stands for “whenever” and is only for ideas and wishes for the future.
—ROBERTA LEFFLER
I always say don’t make plans, make options.
—JENNIFER ANISTON
Get a three-ring binder with pocketed dividers for receipts and user manuals, and organize by need such as “birthdays,” “utility bills,” “credit cards and reports,” “computer info,” and most importantly, “taxes”!
—NINA LESOWITZ
One way to keep control over the paper in your life is to get it back in circulation. Do you have a stack of magazines that you are almost done with? Take a few moments to go through them, and then pass them on to friends, a library, a school, a hospital, or a charity thrift shop. I have a magazine “trade” system set up with some girlfriends!
—LILLIAN CRIST
The most successful people in the world break big tasks down into doable pieces. If you have a major goal that feels overwhelming to you—slice and dice it. One step at a time and the mountain is climbed—now, doesn’t that feel great?
—DEENA PATEL-WINE
I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.
—SARA TEASDALE
Never rely just on your smartphone or a file on your computer to safely store your mailing addresses, numbers, and email addresses. Just one computer crash or loss of your smartphone can render you helpless if you lack backups, whether to the cloud, a hard copy, or thumb drives in safe remote locations!
—SUZANNA HARWELL
Less Can Truly Be More
You should only have possessions you really love; don’t let your things possess you. I have a neat-looking “outbox” on my front porch that I fill during the week with items I can take to the Reuse Center at my neighborhood recycling location. As the days go by, magazines, extra pots and pans, odd cups and dishes, old electronics, and any things that no longer have a place in my home go there. My partner and I go there at least twice a month, and it simply feels wonderful. The center has a lot of regulars, and we are now recognized as purveyors of 100 percent discount bounty, such as scented candles, barely-worn scarves, office supplies, crockery, and superb magazines, as we are a household of voracious readers. I have seen amazing trades at the Reuse Center, and I witnessed a musician sitting down and playing a free sitar with virtuosity while a family with young children got a sorely needed washing machine and dryer. Moments like this remind me of a novel by the visionary teacher and writer Starhawk; The Fifth Sacred Thing depicts a future where people return to a barter system and live harmoniously in community.
Take only what you need and share anything extra with your own neighbors.
Self-Care: Love Yourself So You Can Love Your Life
Be kind to yourself, too. Make a commitment to yourself to refrain from negative self-talk. Be kind to yourself and focus on the traits you like rather than the ones you don’t. The extremely wise Dawna Markova, the author of some of my favorite books, including I Will Not Die an Unlived Life, says, “Your soul remembers when you put yourself down; it imprints upon you. Never do this. Self-compassion is key to a life well-lived.” How can you take better care of yourself?
You know the feeling too well: you’re worn out. The rope you’re dangling at the end of is frayed and about to snap. But you can’t stop. Your to-do list is longer than the beginnings of that novel you’ve been working on, and every second that ticks by is gone forever. STOP! You’re no good to anyone in this state—not to your boss, your best friends, your family, and most of all yourself.
In high school, I was a bit of an overachiever, wearing myself to the bone to get good grades and participate in every extracurricular activity I could. Overall I enjoyed it, but I remember waking up one morning and having my mother tell me I should stay home from school. I wasn’t really sick, but I was exhausted. I didn’t know what to make of it—most parents would punish their kids for trying to get out of going to school. But her lesson was partly about perspective. If I was sacrificing my health and my sanity for things that were meant to be fulfilling and fun, what was the point? And she knew better than I that some downtime would refresh me, and then I could hit the ground running the next day doing what I loved.
Naps.