For 62 per cent of employed Canadians, work was identified as the primary 

culprit of stress in 2010 according to new numbers from StatisticsCanada.

A pressure-cooker to begin with, the workplace is made even more stressful by  being disorganized.

“Canadians are in a constant time crunch and experience feelings of stress,  failure and frustration,” says Clare Kumar, a Toronto-based professional  organizer. “Today’s office workers must take stock of both their work habits and  their environment, and take necessary action to alleviate the tremendous  pressure disorganization has on their productivity and work-life balance.”

“By having the right tools in place, Canadian office workers can save at  least 15 minutes per day which works out to a week and a half per year,” adds  Linda Chu, a professional organizer in Vancouver. “This has a dramatic effect on  the health of businesses and their workers.”

Professional organizers say desks in disarray causes a drop of 20 per cent in  worker efficiency; costing the economy billions of dollars in lost productivity.  Studies show the average worker spends at least 400 hours per year searching for  paper documents. “This places tremendous stress on the bottom line for many  businesses that need to return to profitability, especially coming out of the  economic downturn.”

Chu recommends several steps to become more efficient and productive in the  workplace.

• Categorize. Sort through possessions and group them into similar categories  of information and tasks. Identify what things are, instead of getting  sidetracked by thinking of solutions.
• Limit. If space is a premium you may have to choose between what is  important – your space or your stuff. Limit your collections by regularly  reviewing and letting go of information.
• Evaluate. Focusing on what matters most is the key to prioritizing.  Continually evaluate information and tasks as they relate to achieving goals to  increase your efficiency and productivity.
• Allocate. Find a method to store information and possessions to be able to  find what you need, when you need it.
• Remove. Items that are no longer of value or no longer needed can be  removed from the workspace. Focusing on what is important will get you on track  to be more efficient.

see article in The Province

Un-cluttering the workplace leads to less stress and greater productivity

TORONTO, October 17, 2011 – For 62 percent of working Canadians, work, was identified as the primary culprit of stress in 2010 according to new numbers from Statistics Canada release last week. A pressure-cooker to begin with, the workplace is made even more stressful by being disorganized.

“Canadians are in a constant time crunch and experience feelings of stress, failure and frustration,” says Clare Kumar, a Toronto-based professional organizer. “Today’s office workers must take stock of both their work habits and their environment, and take necessary action to alleviate the tremendous pressure disorganization has on their productivity and work-life balance.”

To help Canadians make positive changes and take steps towards improving their personal productivity, ACCO Brands Canada Inc., a Canadian manufacturer of office products, is launching its fourth-annual Organize Your Desk Day, October 20th, in tandem with Small Business Week (October 16-22).
Read more

By Doreen Jung

As many will agree, the creative spirit is a shy creature, one that retreats at the sight of unfinished chores, clutter, and disarray. In the arts arena, inspiration and creative energy is often explosive, with ideas tumbling over each other.

Chaos and creativity can be seen as hallmarks of a visionary artist. How does an artist set up the best environment for channeling inspiration into great art?

Some wonderful and easy-to-implement ideas are offered by Linda Chu, a professional organizer and productivity consultant. Linda is the founder of Out of Chaos an organizing company that effects change by giving people the tools and knowledge to get organized at work and at home. She teaches people customized solutions to manage their space, time, information, and piles.
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By Linda Chu

Now that the clocks have sprung ahead, signalling a change of seasons, our minds are shifting to warmer, sunnier days to come. An exciting  prospect—if it weren’t for all those disorganized piles cluttering our path.

Eight in 10 Canadians are disorganized, especially those with children in the household. While the majority of disorganized Canadians have attempted to become more organized, their efforts have largely been unsuccessful.  Unfortunately, disorganized living can be costly—not just in terms of money, but also time and space. Here are a few tips to get more organized and save on all three.

1. Start with the area in your home causing you the most grief. Most likely, this area is the catch-all for all those unfinished tasks and items that did not have a home.
2. Identify items in your piles based on categories and outstanding actions. This might mean seasonal decorations, kids’ artwork/memories, or to-do’s like bills to pay, consignment, and laundry.
3. Purge, purge, purge. Be clear about your goals for each room in your home. If space is an issue, you may have to let go of some items in order to make room for your intentions.
4. Determine how often you need to access your possessions. Frequency of access plays an important role when developing an organizing system.
5. Choose containers and systems that are conducive to how often you need to access your possessions and information. Archive taxes must be kept but not accessed daily, unlike bills to pay.

Remember that your piles did not collect overnight, so to tackle an entire room in one go may be too overwhelming. Instead, consider my “15 Minute Sort, 15 Second Touch” approach to create momentum. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Touch everything in your disorganized room and within 15 seconds, make a decision as to which category or action this item belongs to. After your alarm signals 15 minutes, stop and reward yourself. Just don’t reward yourself by going out and buying more stuff…

Linda Chu is a professional organizer, productivity consultant and founder of Out of Chaos, an organizing company that effects change by giving people the tools and knowledge to get organized at work and at home, using customized solutions to manage their space, time, information and piles. Linda served as President of Professional Organizers in Canada and founded the BC Lower Mainland Chapter of the same association. For more information, visit www.outofchaos.ca.

By Alison Appelbe

Many of our homes harbour a “catch-all” room where literally anything goes — a kind of black hole of accumulated goods and  clutter.

In what may have originally been intended as a bedroom, den, rec room or garage, it’s where we place those objects we only occasionally use, unwisely hoard or would rather forget about. Collectively, they can accumulate until a once-useful space becomes overwhelmed.

If the space has been furnished for multiple uses — maybe it’s a home office, sewing room, guest bedroom, or a quiet retreat for games, music or hobbies — the accumulation of “stuff” may have sacrificed its uses and become a place of hopeless disorder.

“If your stuff is crowding you out of its primary functions, you’re rendering the room useless,” says Linda Chu, a Vancouver-based professional organizer whose business is aptly titled Out of Chaos. And you’ll know for certain the room is no longer serving your needs when, for example, you move the sewing machine or computer to the kitchen table.

“It’s convenient simply because it’s there,” Chu says of a room that is treated with an “out of sight, out of mind” approach. “It’s just one thing after another, and the pile starts. You tell yourself, ‘I’ll deal with it later.’ But it’s always ‘later.’ I call it delayed intension, meaning that for the moment, everything else takes priority.”

The challenge, then, is in determining how to sort out the mess, reclaim the room for its intended uses, and ensure that what’s stored there is accessible, and therefore useful.

What it takes, say the those with organizational skills, is careful planning, small, if regular, amounts of time, maybe a few organizational furnishings and — to prevent a recurrence of chaos — a modest infusion of discipline.

And, by the way, you needn’t hit yourself over the head because of the mess that’s been created.

“It can simply point to a busy lifestyle,” assures Elinor Warkentin, another space pro, whose Vancouver business is called Goodbye Clutter.

“A room that becomes a dumping ground is not necessarily a sign of failure. For many people, 80 or 90 per cent of their home is well organized. But for things that they aren’t sure where they should go, this is the one room where the rules don’t apply.”

Key to the rescue and ordering of an out-of-control room is planning, says Chu.

Begin by deciding how you want to use the room, and establish “zones” for those uses. Then make an inventory of every item: maybe seasonal sports equipment, Christmas decorations, games and puzzles, or family photos. Or a sewing machine that’s used only from time to time, or toys that visiting children will want on a regular basis.

“Sort and determine the usage,“ Chu advises. “Categorize. Measure. Be exact. Once you do that you will determine the volume of everything you have. And when you see duplicates, or an item you’re keeping for purely emotional reasons, revisit your intention and see if it has a place in your life now. Then purge. That’s de-cluttering.”

At the same time, remind yourself of the room’s intended purposes, and decide what items you will need access to. “If it’s not accessible, you won’t use it,” Chu points out. “How easy it is to access stuff will determine how useful the room will ultimately become.” It will also determine where and how everything is stored.

And don’t rush out and buy lots of costly containers, Chu emphasizes. “There’s a whole container storage industry out there willing to take your money, but it doesn’t mean that they will sell you what you need.”

Rather, determine the type of storage you need by considering the nature of the items to be stored, and the people who will use them. For example, says Chu, children relate better to an “open system,” one that requires little more than dropping something into a bin or pulling open a drawer, than a “closed system” that may entail a latch or lid.

Because when it comes to locating things, functional storage allows you to find what you want “in a reasonable amount of time — and with as little stress as possible.”

Home-outfitting stores sell bins and boxes of every configuration — often stackable — cabinets (both “open” and “closed”), myriad shelving systems and “modular” storage units with box-like “cubes” outfitted with decorative drawers or wicker baskets.

“Concentrate on function before you throw endless money on form,” advises Chu. In other words, know what you have and how you want it stored before you splurge on storage fixtures that simply look good.

Then label or colour-code those boxes, drawers, cupboards or shelves. “The more visual, the better the storage,” says Chu, using the analogy of kindergarten, where children learn (with the help of signs and pictures) where everything from boots to crayons is correctly stored.

Nor does reorganizing need to be time-consuming, Chu insists: “Do it 15 minutes at a time, five days a week, and you can get through the pile.”

Warkentin experienced household efficiency early in a large Manitoba farm family where her father’s well-ordered farm office doubled as a child’s bedroom.

Today she’s a “totally hands-on” organizer who gets down on her knees and sorts with her client, while talking them through the principles of organization.

Once a room has been sorted, and returned to its intended functionality, she suggests adding wall art that reinforces its primary uses — “subtle but strong” pieces that hint, for example, that this is a home office or a room for games.

She suggests adding personal touches with appeal, like a favourite mug to hold writing utensils, rather than an uninspiring office-like holder: “Because if it’s attractive to you, you’re more likely to put things away.”

Warkentin works with a client whose “catch-all room” is devoted mostly to shelves and drawers filled with quality paper objects, wrappings and future gifts for friends and family. Kept in good order, the room functions well.

“One of the reasons the room works,” says Warkentin, “is she’s clear about what she values, people and gifts. And she’s clear about what she wants to use the room for, and she sticks to it.”

Article reprinted from HR Voice.

Being disorganized is tough. It’s stressful. Maybe your home or office is full of clutter. Or the electronic clutter that fills your email inbox seems unmanageable. You get interrupted. You miss appointments. You don’t accomplish your goals. So how do you get organized?

Perhaps you recognize some of these challenges in your own home or work setting? Eight out of 10 Canadians classify themselves as disorganized, according to a Leger poll for Professional Organizers in Canada. Among this group:

• 91% feel that disorganization negatively impacts their lives
• 70% who work say their workplace is disorganized
• 43% report feeling stressed
• 39% feel frustration

Here are some solutions for becoming more organized and productive:
Read more

Last month, Chu on This… was entitled Make Things Happen. I want to thank everyone who was inspired by my words and took the time to let me know. As we start the new year I am asking you to Make Things Happen… for Me.

The new Marilyn Denis Show aired January 10 and the contest is on! I’ve been selected as one of 3 finalists for their Wild Card spot as an expert on the show. The winner is by popular vote. Please click on the link below and vote me in as Marilyn Denis’ Organizing Expert. Forward this to your friends and colleagues in support of Out of Chaos, of organizing, of expert advice from Western Canada, of me… — just VOTE. See the media release below and link to vote for Linda Chu as the organizing expert.
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The Society of Notaries Public of British Columbia Volume 19 Number 2 Summer 2010

Keep everything . . . provided you have the space and you can find it.
Therein lies the challenge.

Whether you are a piler, a filer, or a stuffer, you may be running out of space. In this electronic age, our access to information in many formats has resulted in our offices, desks, computers, and minds becoming stuffed to capacity. Not only are we crowding ourselves out physically, we are overburdened and stressed with too many interruptions via email, voice mail, and paper mail.

Read full article…

Fail-proof tips for faking a clean house in a hurry
Cathie Kryczka

This time of year, our homes — decked out in wrapping paper, skates and bowls of half-eaten cereal — look well lived in.

So what happens when the phone rings and guests are dropping by in 10 minutes? Lynn Fraser, an Edmonton life and executive coach and owner of Balance Your World, reassures us that the goal is not a perfectly clean house — just a warm welcome for your friends. After all, “your guests are coming to see you and the kids, and it doesn’t matter if your home isn’t perfect. A place that’s homey and comfortable is much more welcoming than a show home.”

Still, with a plan and some expert know-how, you can make a house presentable in almost no time (and keep your heart rate within normal range). Here’s how:

Tidy timeline

Linda Chu, the owner of Out of Chaos Professional Organizing Solutions in Vancouver, recommends focusing on the living or family room, kitchen and washroom. Don’t worry about bedrooms — your guests aren’t coming for a sleepover.

Pop the little kids’ favourite DVD into the player, suggests Chu, and give them a small no-mess snack so they’re occupied — this way, they won’t undo your work as you go (much). Meanwhile, you, your partner and big kids can zip around the house.

Give yourself three minutes for a sweep through the rooms. Grab a bin or basket or two and pick up everything that doesn’t belong: dirty laundry, excess shoes, toys, models of the Eiffel Tower. In the family room, stash books and mags into an ottoman or a drawer in your coffee table, if you have one. In the kitchen, the big kids can clear the counter and load the dishwasher. Don’t worry about sorting things nicely — that’s for another time.

Finish picking up in the bathroom and, while you’re there, take three minutes: Flush the toilet, close lid, close the shower curtain, wipe counters and replace towels. The key to a quick bathroom turnaround is a little prep, stresses Chu: Pack a set of clean coordinated towels and washcloths in a zippered bag (the kind comforters come in). Include kitchen and dining room linens, if you like. When company drops by, you won’t have to scrounge in the linen closet. After they leave, do the laundry and pack the set back up, ready for the next visitors.

On to the kitchen! You and your helpers have three minutes to wipe the table and counters, put out the garbage, clean under the table with something like a Swiffer WetJet (especially if your children are small and floors are sticky).

A minute left! Enough time, suggests Chu, to comb your hair. And take a big breath.

Desperate measures

What if you don’t have 10 minutes? What if friends just pop in? Try these quick tips:

• Grab a garbage bag and do a fast runaround, picking up what you can. Stash and sort later.
• Consider an alternative use of appliances, suggests Margaret Weeks, a home economist at the University of Prince Edward Island. Pop clothes and towels from the floor into the washer or dryer; your dishwasher will hide (er, hold) lots of dishes and pots.
• Put a fresh bar of soap in the bathroom — the room will smell nice even if you don’t have time to scrub.
• Focus on a welcoming atmosphere, says Fraser: Put on some holiday music, turn on the kettle for coffee, clean off the table, put out a snack, clear a path to wherever you’re going to entertain your guests, and remove the clutter from the front entryway.
• Remind yourself that if people are dropping by on the spur of the moment, they must be very good friends who’ve seen you through thick and thin, says Weeks. Smile, open the door and welcome them in for a cup of coffee.

Panic prevention

Streamline your tidying technique:

• Contain it To control clutter, you need storage — baskets, pretty boxes, plastic bins. Weeks also likes big tote bags and hampers for quick storage of toys, shoes and laundry. When not in use, stack and tuck them away.
• Give it a home If everything has a place, you can tidy in a hurry because you know where it goes.
• Hang it Install hooks or pegs at your entryway, suggests Chu. Guests can hang their coats on the hooks (rather than in closets you don’t want them to see).
• Multi-task with cleaning supplies Fraser mixes one-third vinegar to two-thirds water in a spray bottle for mirrors, counters, glass and fixtures.
• Teach your kids Keep clutter under control by picking up 10 things every day, says Weeks. Encourage your kids to learn the same habit (if you start right now, this will take approximately 24 years).

Originally published in Today’s Parent, December 2010

By Jennifer Myers
The Globe and Mail, December 26, 2009

Heading into the new year may be just the time to look at order and disorder in the workplace.

Your desk is a mess. You can’t dig out your to-do list from the overflowing pile, never mind tick off any items on it. You have dozens of e-mails waiting to be read. And you keep getting distracted every time a co-worker stops to chat, your in-box signals another message has arrived or the phone rings.

Workers everywhere can identify with that. And it’s only getting worse.

Downsizing and layoffs have resulted in fewer workers but no reduction in the workload. Those who have kept their jobs are functioning in a state of semi-chaos, scrambling to bring order to their work lives. And far from helping us stay on top of things, technology has only made things worse, says Linda Chu, founder of Out of Chaos, a professional organizing firm in Vancouver. Business has moved to a 24/7 economy and workers are now always on. We try to multi-task and it’s not working, she says.

Disorganization in the workplace can range from merely annoying to nearly paralyzing, and it costs companies both time and money in lost productivity.

“Things pile up, people feel mentally defeated and exhausted, and the task of organizing seems impossible,” Ms. Chu says.

Heading into a new year may be just the time to look at order and disorder in the workplace.

You know you need help when
1 . You spend more than 15 minutes each day searching for misplaced items.

2. The pile of papers in your inbox is always more than eight inches high.

3. Your book shelves are used for storing items other than books.

4. You have more than 100 old e-mails stored in your computer’s inbox.

5. You are constantly asking people to resend their contact information to you.

Source: Professional Organizers in Canada website

Calculating the cost of chaos
Your messy desk or jammed e-mail box may not seem like a big deal, but it could be costing you, big time. Find out the real cost of chaos with Tennessee-based DME Consulting & Training’s “cost of disorganization” calculator (http://www.thegosystem.com/cod_start.asp)

Enter your company name, number of employees and average hourly wage to learn the amount of time lost each day to disorganization.

Three common saboteurs to workplace organization, and how to beat them
Clutter Control
PROBLEM: For many, the desktop has become a storage place. Next to the family photos, you might also find yesterday’s lunch leftovers and an Aspirin bottle, not to mention overflowing piles of paper. People are still more comfortable reading physical documents, so they print every e-mail, memo and report that comes their way. Without the time or a system to deal with the material, it, too, ends up in disarrayed piles.

SOLUTION: Make it a habit to always put things away. Toss the garbage and return useful items to drawers when you’re done. Create a system for dealing with paper by segmenting it into three categories: active files; archival materials, research or information on projects you might need; and reference materials, contact info, or items you may need for a future project. The only folder that should stay on your desk is the active file you need to get the job done today.

E-MAIL
PROBLEM: Besides the distraction of checking e-mail messages either immediately or shortly after they arrive, many people also neglect the delete button. These days it’s not uncommon to see 1,000 e-mails stored in an inbox, Ms. Chu says. “It’s a fear of out of sight, out of mind.” But the sheer volume of messages makes it overwhelming and mentally exhausting each time we go online.

SOLUTION: Check e-mail on a schedule and stick with it. For some, that could be three times a day, for others it could mean every couple of hours. “Then get rid of the crud,” Ms. Chu says. Use the functions available on your e-mail program to manage your mail. For example, set up folders and move mail you really need to keep into the appropriate location. Create a rule that sends subscriptions, such as newsletters or news alerts, directly to a folder. The key is to process as much mail as you can as it comes in.

PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY
PROBLEM: With the constant barrage of interruptions by managers and co-workers, the obsession to check e-mail and voice mail and the Web, and an overwhelming list of tasks to complete made only more onerous by belt-tightening and staff reductions, we’ve lost our ability to focus, Ms. Chu says. As a result, workers often reel from one task to the next without making any real progress.

SOLUTION: Develop a priority action plan each day. A to-do list is a useful way to declutter the mind and determine which items are a high priority. That means when a phone call, an e-mail or a co-worker interrupts, you can decide if the interruption is important enough to trump what you’re currently doing or can wait until you finish the task at hand.

Great containers are only half the battle. Linda Chu of Vancouver’s Out of Chaos offers a series of tips in the Fall issue of Western Living Condo Magazine.

Divide and Conquer
Split your clothes into two seasons, winter and summer. Store any items (like heavy skiing sweaters) that you would never wear out of season.

Birds of a Feather
Put pants in one pile, T-shirts in another and so on. Subdivide the piles into casual and dressy items. Take it one step further and sort by colour or sleeve length – a great way to discover a glut of items. Do you really need a dozen black camisoles?

Tough Calls
If you’re waffling on an item, put it in what Chu calls the “not-sure box.” List what’s in the box with the current date and the contact information of a charity and attach it to the box. Make a note in your calendar a year from now. If you haven’t missed anything in the box by then, you can donate it to charity without opening the box (and risking a trip down memory lane).

Two Questions
Question each item using two principles of purging: When was the last time you used it? Were you surprised to find it?

Air Time
Clothes need to breathe, so don’t store them in plastic boxes. Be sure to label the containers.

Call for Help
If you feel overwhelmed by your closet, Chu recommends having someone support you in the process. Make a deal with a friend to work on your closets together, or hire a professional organizer for help restoring order to your space.

View full magazine spread.

We’ve all gone through those moments when the idea of tearing out our hair has sounded oddly soothing, when the hundreds of lists in our heads collide and the only left is to sit in the corner and (gently) bang our heads against the wall. So how do you do it?

We thought we would ask a few experts—people whose job it is to help others stay on track, stay focused, and accomplish their goals, whether those goals are about career, health or just plain being organized. We hope their thoughts and advice will inspire you to pick up where you left off, and take charge of your life—in all areas. Because you can do this.

The Time Factor
Busy working mothers juggle a lot of hats these days. Even stay-at-home moms seem to have too much going on. How can they get rid of the mental clutter and help themselves focus and relax, exercise occasionally, and maybe even carve out some personal time? How do they juggle work and family without sacrificing one or the other?

Linda Chu:

Focus is the key. When the mind is cluttered, it’s like a kid in the candy story, not knowing what to pick first. The time honoured to-do list is key. The only problem is not the list itself, but our lack of focus, prioritization, and follow-through. Jotting down all your to-do’s only de-clutters the mind. Prioritizing what to do next and when, is critical in helping to keep you on track and in focus.

Using a priority action system will keep you on track. Note: this system can be modified to suit individual needs. When you have a priority action system in place, you are able to plan your highest priority items each and every day, but most importantly when emergencies come up (and with kids, the unexpected does happen), you are able to re-shuffle your priorities, as long as you know in advance what they are.

If you want to start your own business, a business plan is key, where you spend time to determine what your goals are and how you will achieve these goals, including monetary & time goals. Without a map, you have no sense of direction.

Obviously family life is important, so this needs to be factored into your ultimate daily schedule. Do you want to only work weekends? Are you only available after your drop off your children and before you pick them up from school? Find a line of work that will give you the time you need, the income you want. If it is important enough, you will schedule the time to make things happen. Just like all those competing weekend birthday parties & multiple kids’ activities.

Patti Bishop:

“Not enough time!” is definitely the biggest obstacle I hear from my busy moms. Notice I said “obstacle” and not “barrier”—there are ways around it! Instead of having a workout be an hour—you can split up the time throughout the day in smaller blocks; 15 minutes in the morning, half an hour at lunch and 15 minutes after dinner. It is the cumulative time that counts but you have to make the best use of your time.

Try incorporating exercises into your morning routine: pushups at the kitchen counter, balance on one leg while getting lunches ready, step-ups while brushing your teeth, triceps dips at the edge of the bathtub, crunches on the floor and squats while waiting for the shower to warm up.

Stroller Stride type classes are fantastic for new moms, but once a baby starts to walk and move, workouts need to change. If finances are an issue, moms can get together and create a babysitting co-op where one mom baby-sits while the other two workout. Sharing the cost of a babysitter is another option or tag-teaming the babysitting between partners. While one partner works out, swims or goes for a jog, the other partner watches their child and then they switch after an hour!

Many gyms offer babysitting between set hours. If you can make it to these times, the actual cost can be quite reasonable. Once your children are able to play safely on the playground equipment, the playground can be your gym too! There are so many fun ways to turn an hour at the park into a workout for you. Try decline crunches on the slide, walking lunges, hamstring curls and knee tucks with the swings and of course pushups—you can always find a space to do pushups!

Christopher Flett:

The first step to a woman getting past the guilt around family/work balance is understanding that she can “have it all.” Being a good parent doesn’t mean you can’t have a career, nor does focusing on your career make you a bad mother. The secret is having separation in your life. When you are with your family, be with your family. When you are at work, focus on your work. Unless you are a neurosurgeon on call, turn the cell phone/blackberry off when you get home and on weekends. Work will always be there.When you are at work, work diligently to increase your professional value and find joy in the work that you are doing. Having success in both parts of your life comes from having systems and backup plans. Don’t just have one babysitter, have three. That way if one isn’t available, you have a backup. When you are taking time off to be with your family, find someone you trust to cover you in the event of an emergency at work or in your business. Train this person how to handle situations that can come up, and then let it go. Kids don’t like it when mom is continuously checking her blackberry and work doesn’t like it when a woman misses a meeting because she has to get her kids from school. Find resources to cover your transitions between work and family and your stress will go down.

One local resource for women looking for multiple babysitters is Lullaby League. This service allow parents to meet 10-20 babysitters at a mixer in under an hour. Another well known service is Nannies on Call.

Set personal, professional, and financial goals for yourself. Make sure that every goal has a measurable plan associated with it. Find an ‘accountability’ partner to share your goals with and to keep you on track. If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Women put their own goals behind those of their partners, their family, and their friends. Focus on yourself so that you can empower other women to do the same. It is women’s time to shine but you have to step out into the light.

The STUFF Factor

Children’s toys, books, homework, STUFF always seems to be a big issue for moms. How can they organize all the stuff and get their kids to maintain it? Is there a way to organize your

Linda Chu:

Less is more. In these economic times, gluttony is not a game to be playing. A serious purge session is in store for everyone. Get everyone involved. Start kids young by personally taking them down to transition homes & street youth centres, etc so that they can see for themselves those in need and less fortunate.

Create a box for each person of items that you know you have not used, but can not bear to let go of. List an inventory of items. Date the box. Identify the name & number of a charity for donation. Store the box away in your garage/ basement/storage locker. Mark a date on your calendar for 6 months or 1 year for this date (whatever is reasonable to you). If you have not touched these items in this period, your commitment will be to donate the contents of the box. Do not open the box, hence the inventory list. Touch/feel/smell will bring back memories & intentions making it harder to let go…

Regarding husbands…a family counsellor/therapist I am not! [laughing] I would recommend that communication is key. Just like when your got married and talked about children, your expectations and goals must be out in the open and talked about. Be clear in what each expects of each other. Who is responsible for what. Division of tasks is very important. Do not overlook that unpaid work (like being a stay-at-home mother) is still work, with all the emotional and physical demands of working outside for a paycheque.

If budget allows, you may want to look at leveraging off some tasks to auxiliary services like a housekeeper, lawn-mowing service, personal chef, professional organizer etc. What is your time worth? Is time better spent on family vs. the entire weekend on certain chores? You decide.

The Legal Factor

Most parents have RESPs and RRSPs in place, savings accounts and life insurance set up, all to protect their families. Is there anything else they should be doing?

Jacqueline Flett:

GET YOUR WILL DONE. This is item one, two and three on this list. In your Will, the following issues should be addressed:

1. Name a guardian. If either you or your spouse (who is your child’s biological parent or adoptive parent) pass away, the survivor would become the sole guardian. But if you both pass away, the court will appoint a guardian. The court will usually appoint the closest relative (next-of-kin). This is problematic if:

a. There are two equally related next-of-kin who both want to be guardian (i.e. your parents and your parents-in-law)

b. There are any relatives you do not want raising your children;

c. There are any relatives you expect may pursue a battle over guardianship;

d. There are no suitable relatives;

e. You want your child to remain with a step-parent.

2. Name one or more alternate guardians. If your named guardian is someone that you are close to, it is possible that you could be in a common disaster with that person. Have a back-up just in case.

3. Appoint an executor and an alternate executor of your Will. These people need to be capable of managing your children’s inheritances for the long-term. If your children are young, your executor will likely be handling their finances and dealing with the guardians until your children reach the age of majority.

If you are a single parent because of a breakdown in your relationship, your former spouse would likely be awarded guardianship of your children. If your children’s other biological parent is not in the picture at all, it is even more critical to have a guardian appointed in your Will because you do not have a second-parent safety net. If you are concerned about your children being returned to an unfit or abusive former spouse, you need to raise those issues with your lawyer to ensure that your reasons for wanting to exclude that person as a guardian are properly documented.

Some factors to consider when choosing a guardian are:

• Does the person like your kids?
• Do your kids like the person?
• Do you have similar parental values and parenting styles?
• Does the person have sufficient financial resources and, if not, do you have sufficient life insurance to provide that person with access to enough resources to care for your children until they reach adulthood?
• Is the person’s location satisfactory?
• Is the person young enough and in good health to take care of your kids until they reach adulthood?

The Work Factor

Women face a lot of choices in the workplace or when running their own business. How can they get ahead and stay on top? What should they avoid doing?

Christopher Flett:

Women give up their power and this can be challenging to get back. They need to be clear that business today is not gender specific. Their actions will either play into stereotypes, or will support them being seen as an exceptional professional. In the book, “What Men Don’t Tell Women About Business”, over 16 points are covered on how women inadvertently give up their power in business.

Here are some of the more common pitfalls:

• Make excuses
• Not getting to the point
• Taking things personally
• Declaring open war on others
• Gossiping
• Not understanding professional endorsement
• Accepting poor treatment
• Being selfless rather than selfish
• Not asking for what they want (instead asking for what they think they can get)
• Expecting that everyone will act fairly towards them
• Not having a Plan B (backup plan)
• Being too loyal

Get advice on how to build your business from other entrepreneurs who understand the challenges moms face. Beware of government resources online, most have been built by government employees, not business owners. Find someone who understands business and the dynamics of being a parent.

Know that women are leading the edge of self-employment based in the home. You aren’t alone in doing this. Find a good mentor who can help you through the challenging parts and you too can join the ranks of successful female entrepreneurs that can have it all.

The Health Factor

What’s the best way for busy moms to lose those post-baby pounds, get more energy and stay healthy and strong?

Patti Bishop:

When it comes to losing body fat, what you eat is number one! Getting back to or developing healthy eating habits are key to fat loss. Along with diet, comes strength training—they go hand in hand. If you dramatically change your diet but don’t start or maintain a strength training program, you can lose muscle mass. Your muscles are your fat burners. Thirdly, you want to add in cardio because you need to keep your heart and lungs strong too. Instead of doing steady state cardio for long periods of time, add in some high intensity bursts of speed to both challenge yourself and boost your metabolism.

The first year after birth is a challenging time for fat loss. You need to be kind to yourself—your body has gone through a lot—you just made a baby! Your body will hold onto body fat while you are breast feeding and if you are stressed out. Sleep deprivation is definitely a stress. Once your baby gets on a more regular sleep schedule and your sleep improves, your body will start to relax and let go of the extra pounds.

Watch out for the following common pitfalls that mothers are most prone to:

• Eating what their kids eat
• Eating their children’s leftovers
• Eating prepackaged food
• Not preparing ahead of time
• Skipping meals
• Eating late at night
• Waiting too long between meals
• Not drinking enough water
• Depending on coffee for “energy”

My favourite thing is to put a sticker on my kitchen calendar after I have completed a workout (walking, strength training, swimming, yoga, etc.) The more gold stars I see at the end of each week, the better I feel!

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By Jennifer Fresher – WestCoast Families