Your Life - Inspired

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This is going to be quick.

It seems with all the novel writing and the hanging out in the Tuscan Villa that is my email and the finishing up of a new product, Boring Change, I have overtaxed my hands and wrists and have major pain from carpal tunnel and tendinitis. My days now consist of ice baths for my arms, ugly wrist braces, and long, frustrating chats with my new friend Bixby, the speech recognition software program.  At least that's what he said his name was when I tried to get him to type MacSpeech for me.

While I have to severely limit the use of my hands and wrists over the next two weeks, there's no reason I can't talk on the phone.

That's good news for you!

Normally I only have a few hours a week available for telephone coaching, but suddenly, all the time I had allotted to finish up that product is now wide open. So, I'm having a carpal tunnel coaching special!

If you ever wanted to try coaching but didn't want to make a big commitment, now's your chance. Between now and Friday, December 4, I'm going to be doing single coaching sessions (an hour-long) for just $99 each.  That's practically half my normal session fee.

Usually, we'd exchange emails, chat for 10 minutes or so, then schedule a session.  To try and limit the amount of typing required, I've put an add to cart button below. Once you buy a session you'll get an automatic e-mail to schedule it. Since this bypasses the normal get to know you process, if during the first 15 minutes of the session either of us decides this isn't the right thing, I'll cheerfully refund your money immediately.

Sound good?

And remember, you're not just getting a coaching session for a really great price, you'll also help me stay sane while I'm healing my hands and wrists.  And that's a good thing.

I'm in! (Click the "add to cart" button below)

Sorry, this extra-special offer has expired.
Learn how we can work together here.

Big news, I'm now seeing clients in person!

For the last six years I've fully embraced the working at a distance mode. Working with clients over the phone and with email allows so much flexibility with scheduling, location, travel, clothing and personal grooming. But a few weeks ago, while I was enjoying dinner with the lovely Hiro Boga I had an epiphany. She was asking me about my business, and as we were talking it struck me, I want to work with people in-person.

Big wow for me. I didn't realize how much I'd been wanting to do it, and pretending like I didn't because of the whole work over the phone and from home thing I mentioned before.

I found some convenient office space that's comfortable and doesn't cause me to amp up my overhead expenses too much, and started working with clients face-to-face. I love it! It's so fun to get to see people in-person, actually watch their amazing transformations. And the totally awesome surprise? It has enlivened my phone coaching too.

Yes, yes, yes, I'm still phone coaching, and that will continue to be the primary way that I work with clients. However, I have created space to work with a very limited number of clients in person.

And to help kick off this new opportunity I'm offering a very special introductory package for the two spots I have available: Six Sessions for $837 (That's 25% off of the price you'd pay for single sessions!)

There are a couple of things you need to do to get this bargain price:
1. Pay for the package in advance.
2. Use all the sessions by January 31, 2010.
3. Be able to attend sessions in NE or N Portland between the hours of 9 and 3pm Monday through Thursday.
4. Be ready to work through your stuck stuff and have some fun while you're at it.

Interested? Fill out the form here on my Services page.

(As promised here's the main article from my March newsletter.)

When you want to do your thing, or even just spend some time figuring it out, does other stuff get in the way? Sometimes it's "stuff" (picture big finger quotes) like a crammed schedule, tight finances or family responsibilities. Other times, it's actual stuff, as in physical clutter.

It can show up in different ways. Maybe you'd love to get started on an artsy-craftsy thing, but the spare bedroom, which would make a perfect studio, is full. Or you'd like to sit at your desk and write, but the stacks of papers threaten to fall in on you. Maybe you really want to experiment in the kitchen more, but finding the utensils you need is a nightmare.

Not only does clutter create these physical barriers, it can be physically draining. It can suck your energy until you don't have any extra left to fan that small spark of creativity you're protecting inside you.

Clutter Is Surprisingly Complex

Professional Organizer Janine Adams and I have been talking a lot about clutter lately. It seems like it shouldn't be such a big deal. Pick up the stuff, put it away or get rid of it.

But it's often not that easy.

Janine works with people and their clutter every day and for most of the people she works with, there's a lot more going on. It's not unusual for there to be tears shed in her decluttering sessions. Why should decluttering make someone cry?

Janine explains it like this: The emotions behind the clutter are what that make things so complicated. For many chronically disorganized people, their stuff represents so much more than just stuff. Hanging on to things (or acquiring things) can have emotional roots. It might stem from what they were told when they
were brought up. Or maybe they got in trouble as a child for throwing something valuable away. It might be a finely honed sense of responsibility that prevents them from discarding something. Or it might be what the items in question represent to them. There are many emotional sources of clutter.

Practice

When you think about the stuff that is preventing you from embracing your thing, is clutter on the list? If it is, try these steps to help you understand clutter and gently ease it from your life.

1. Ask yourself, how does clutter block you from your thing.

2. What would you be able to do if you didn't have this clutter?

3. Choose a physical area where you'd like to focus your attention; it should be large/important enough that you'll see a difference, but not so big as to become overwhelming.

4. Start with one thing. Ask yourself if you want to keep it or discard it. If the answer's discard, move on to the next item. If it's keep, then continue with the questions.

5. If you want to keep it, does it have a home? If it does, put it away. If it doesn't, yep, that's right stick with the questions.

6. What's important to you about this particular thing, what does it represent?

7. Knowing that, is it still important to keep it?

8. Remind yourself of #2 above as often as you need to.

I'd love it if you'd try this and let me know how it goes, or share your favorite way to take care of clutter.

If you'd like more help with decluttering, take a look at this new teleclass that starts March 31, Declutter Happy Hour. The early bird discount ends March 21!