Counting Down to Christmas ...

I was reminded recently how this holiday means different things to different people.  I teach people how to shop within the framework of a budget and a gift plan.  I teach them how to plan menus and throw a fabulous party.  When it comes to my own life, I must say I have something of a 'been there, done that' attitude.  I don't want to crawl around a crowded mall, drive the freeways with thousands of my fellow drivers or cook a big meal.  I did all of those things for years and I have to say it all brought me great joy.  But now I'm content to help others and concentrate on the Spiritual aspects of this beautiful season.  

I have friends who are in the same boat with me.  One told me recently that she had everything she needed.  In lieu of another gift, she wanted 'an experience.'  We grabbed another friend and went to the theater!  I like to meet friends throughout the year in different places to spend a few quiet days catching up on our lives.  Instead of gifts in boxes we get memories for a lifetime. 

But I am not holding one type of experience above another. It's more of a cautionary tale: if we are the same at 50 as we were at 20 something is missing ... like growth!  What concerns me is how rocking the holiday boat causes some family and friends to become quite upset.  It's as if we're saying we reject them personally.  Somewhere between what we need to do to honor friends and family and what we wish to do to preserve our own sanity lies the perfect holiday. Have you found yours? Did your new tradition meet with opposition?  I'd love to hear your story!

May you have a holiday experience you will long hold in your heart as one of the more 'perfect' experiences of your lifetime!

The start of a New Year and a New Decade!

The reality of a New Decade didn't hit me until I got to the New Year's Eve party I attended this year. It was quite a delight to consciously leave behind not only the personal, emotional wounds of the past year but also the big challenges of the decade. In reality marking time is a man made concept but still these inner releases are powerful. What did you leave behind at the stroke of midnight? Have you decided to be on time for all of your appointments? Will you be paying your bills when they are due and avoiding late fees? Can your children count on your help with homework? Will you create/update a file system? Or have you resolved to be healthier, slimmer and free of stress? What is the personal transformation you wish to embrace in 2010? Life without new direction produces the 'same old/same old.' Step out on a limb this year. Let go of the past in some way. Make a joyful noise. Take a step to offering the world the unique gift only you can contribute.

Thanksgiving, here we come!

'When I wrote "One Year to an Organized Life" I called Thanksgiving, the 'Mother of all Dinner Parties!' It is, isn't it? If you can host this holiday, every other gathering is a piece of cake. It isn't just the enormity of the dinner (and all those expectations about the food), it's the large number of family members, including those we're sure must have been adopted because we have nothing in common with them! In the book, Chapter 11 / November has detailed instructions including information from my favorite caterer, Tanya Russell founder of In Good Taste here in Los Angeles. Today I'd like to chat about something that's a key ingredient albeit not found in the grocery store: your budget!

We become so caught up in the emotions of the holiday, we forget how much it can cost. The December holidays frequently find us counting our pennies with lists and careful planning but Thanksgiving? Not so much! Remember to take into account the price of the food, any decorations you plan to purchase and of course the beverages to be served. It's cheaper to feed 5 than 25 so make up your guest list and check it twice to see who has been naughty (and can be eliminated this year) and who has been nice (and deserves a repeat invite). And don't hesitate to involve your guests: ask them to contribute a dish...or bring a bottle of wine or... I am the 'Dessert Queen' in my circle of friends. Why? Because I live near an extraordinary French bakery and I let their chef do all the work.

Take a few minutes to make two lists: one is of things/elements you remember from past happy celebrations and the other is--you guessed it--some things you'd dearly like to avoid. This holiday is about companionship, great food and gratitude. Enjoy it...every minute of it.

Blessings,
Regina

The Fourth of July: more than a day for hot dogs and fire works

Are you holding on to something that drags you down?

Perhaps you delight in 'saving the day' and carry every object known to man in your purse or brief case? Whether it's a flashlight or a nail file, you take care of the requests of friends and strangers. It's breaking your back but the moment of rescue makes you feel too important to change.

Or maybe you refuse to toss anything out of your environment because 'someday' you might need it? This usually hides behind the pseudo mantra: 'I'm not a person who wastes things.' 'If you wait long enough everything comes back into style.' 'The minute I toss something, I need it!' Do these sound like the things you say as you move about your impacted space?

Sometimes what we hold on to are the pains of the past like the time your second grade teacher humiliated you in front of your class mates. Or maybe it's the last relationship that haunts you. He or she 'did you wrong' and you can't move forward because you cared so deeply.

Take a few minutes before this wonderful holiday and see if you are keeping yourself a prisoner. Are you hiding behind words that deflect responsibility? Whatever happened to you is in the past. It can't be re-done. It can serve as a wise teacher.

Declare your personal freedom this holiday.

Set new goals and intentions. Let them float into the night sky with the fireworks display in your neighborhood or on the TV. Embrace your ability to start over.

Blessings,
Regina

Multi-tasking: Friend or Foe

Very few subjects in the world of organizing are such hot button issues as 'multi- tasking.' However it certainly has its devotees! While I never like to waste time, I am not a fan. Let me explain.

If you are in a doctor's waiting room, why sit idle? This is a great time to get caught up on your paper work or even better give yourself an opportunity to start that novel you have been longing to read. If dinner is in the oven, why not toss in a load of laundry to fill the time before dinner is served? Maybe you can set the table while the food cooks and the laundry spins! These are examples of getting things done.

But if you are in the habit of working on the computer, talking on the phone and writing all at the same time, I have to ask how you feel at the end of the day? Exhausted, depleted and weary would be the responses I would expect. The first set of activities were each getting your full focus even though they seemed to be happening at the same time. The second set will fry your nerves as you direct your attention in multiple areas at once. Or at least attempt to...

If you are suddenly angry with me and feel I am making you wrong or trying to take something away from you that works, don't fret. I'm simply sharing what works for me, my readers and my clients. Give it a try. Examine how you multi-task and, most importantly, how you feel when you are done. It's fun to experiment with different ways of thinking, doing and being, isn't it?

I am a long time practitioner of yoga, both the physical postures and the ancient philosophy that the postures are a part of. I am writing this post on Wednesday, June 24th. In just two days I'll be leaving for the second of four yoga retreats I am honored to enjoy each year. I will write again next week with the renewed sense of peace being on a mountain top always brings to my Soul. I hope your week is productive and your weekend brings you a time of renewal. It's summer after all, you deserve a break.

My system of organizing, by the way, is called 'Zen Organizing" and is expressed in all (soon to be seven) of my books. The new 'One Year to...' series best captures this system. I invite you to read more about it. If the home is your area of challenge "One Year to an Organized Life" is for you. If you languish is a sea of chaos at work, you will enjoy "One Year to an Organized Work Life." Late this year "One Year to an Organized Financial Life" will be out. We're all concerned about our finances, aren't we? And yet so few of us receive an adequate education in this area. My new book is written with Russell Wild, a financial planner who makes the arcane world of finance accessible. I know you will enjoy it as much as I did writing it with Russ!

What have you got to lose by embracing 'Zen Organizing' except perhaps tension and turbulence? What you'll gain is peace, calm and oh yes, productivity.

Vacations, packing and time...

June 22, 2009

Earlier this month I returned to China for a second visit. I love history and Beijing has centuries of tales to tell. Shanghai is 'only' about 100 years old but its mix of traditional Chinese culture and the China of tomorrow is heady. My internal time clock is still getting adjusted. I tend to get sleepy around 5 pm and be flooded with energy around 1 am. An amazing turn of events for a woman who dubs herself the 'Queen of Sleep.'

For the past 11 years I have been traveling the world with a small suitcase that blissfully fits in any overhead compartment. This trip I took just what I needed and restrained myself from buying things I didn't need. The day before we were due to return to the U.S., however, the shopping gods struck a blow: I stumbled upon something I didn't purchase last time: a silk comforter. They are as light as a feather and yet warm in winter and cool in summer. I had to have one.

Here's a little packing tip that isn't in any of my books: very often the manufacturer will pack an item with unnecessary padding. If you remove it from its factory material, you can tuck it into a corner of your suitcase. Somehow we squeezed my new queen size comforter into a postage stamp size suitcase. I remember the challenge each night as I crawl under the cover of my sweet silk comforter.

Happy travels everyone!

Regina Leeds

Travel Light...

Isn't it funny how each year of our lives seems to have a 'personality?' When we're in school, we're identified by the year of school we have reached. As adults there's the year of the first job, the year of getting married, the year of the first baby and so on. Last year I traveled across the United States to speak and organize private clients. My late golden retriever Spirit began to get deeply depressed because my suitcase came out with such regularity. It was a travel year for sure.

I've been working on my new book since early February of this year. "One Year to an Organized Financial Life" is complete as far as the first draft goes. Soon I'll be receiving notes from my brilliant editor, Katie McHugh.This is the first time I have collaborated with anyone and I have to say it has been a perfect experience. Financial planner Russell Wild has taught me so much! I think you're going to use this book as a financial reference bible. If your eyes glaze over at the mere mention of IRA's, mortgages, medical insurance and the like, you'll be feeling more in command. I am especially delighted I got to write about how to manage your health care when you don't have insurance. Seven years ago when I faught my battle against cancer, I had no insurance. There are ways...no one should die for lack of insurance.

Before the edit process begins, I am sneaking in a little trip for pleasure. I am returning to Beijing, China for a week this June. I just love that city! I have studied Feng Shui and been a devotee of Chinese medicine for two decades. To be in the city whose traditions date to the origins of both of these interests is just fantastic. The Great Wall is overwhelming in its majesty. No photo can capture its power and presence. And entering The Forbidden City is awe inspiring....you can almost feel the emperors and their thousands of concubines!

I travel in the U.S. and throughout the world with one small suitcase that fits in the overhead compartment of the plane. This trip I'm leaving my lap top at home. I am going to walk away from the computer and the cell and be 'in the moment.' Hard thing for a technological junkie to do! We won't be going to any formal dinners so I can pack a few pairs of jeans and assorted summer tops and be ready. Two years ago I took one pair of shoes. Can you imagine? LOL. They were broken in and old friends. At the end of those 12 days, however, I was sick of them! This year I'm taking a pair and a spare.

Are you traveling this summer? You'll find detailed packing instructions in "One Year to an Organized Life." The key is to take what you really need and not to dress to impress the hotel staff or the folks on the street.

More soon.

Blessings,
Regina