#Organization Skills

[accessmentalhealthservices]

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by a combination of persistent problems like hyperactivity, difficulty paying attention, and impulsive behavior. ADHD in adults can affect behavioral health and lead to poor work or school performance, unstable relationships, and low self-esteem.

[thelonesgroup]

Don't Let This Challenge Derail Your 2024

This is a time of year that I love - many agents are feeling full of promise and inspiration toward making changes in their business! I am also very excited about what is coming up for our industry this 2024 and beyond. We have a strong year ahead of us that is full of changes that many of us have never seen before. You need to be ready!

Whatever your resolutions this year - making more money, taking time off, getting your systems up-and-running, creating a buyer package - there is one critical component that I hope you are including in your business today: education.

This year, education is going to be an important part of what separates successful agents from agents who are left behind and miss the huge opportunities that will be shaking our markets.

Agents are very skilled at putting out fires: transaction fires, urgent buyer fires, listing drama fires. While many of you provide heroic and timely service to take care of your clients, you are neglecting putting time towards your own personal improvement. It's easy to fall flat when all of your time and energy has been spent putting out fires, but this 2024 will mark a period of changes in our industry. These changes mean investing time to expand and update your expertise.

For example, here in Washington State we are seeing a big change to how single-family residential property can be used. House Bill 1110, which passed last year, is already triggering big changes to municipal comprehensive plans through-out the state, allowing townhomes, duplexes, and multi-family units to be built in certain SFR zoned areas. It's a complex issue and agents who understand how this impacts property value and transaction management have a huge opportunity ahead of them.

Another change seen here in Washington State and elsewhere are new laws like HB1337, which allow much broader placement of accessory dwelling units (ADU) to encourage density and expand available housing. This is very exciting news for agents and property owners through-out our state!

And more are on the way. Just this month the Washington State House overwhelmingly passed HB1245, which will allow property owners to split lots. There are caveats of course, including that new lots must be no smaller than 2,000 square feet and not result in changes to existing affordable housing, among other details. When it goes to the Senate floor, we hope for its passage.

How legislation like these bills are changing the landscape of the market and creating opportunities for agents is just one topic of many at my upcoming State of the Market event, next week on the 24th. If you are looking for an easy opportunity to immediately elevate your knowledge and expertise, this is the best chance you may have this year and since it is an online event, you can participate from anywhere.

"But Denise!" I hear some of you say, "I am so busy juggling business. I don't have time to take out of my day to deal with these issues. I'll figure it out when it happens."

I understand the challenges that business brings. As a top-producing agent I know these challenges all-too-well. However, I also know that becoming a market expert was one of the most important things I could have done. The time I have spent developing expertise has paid me back thousandfold.

When I first set out on my plan to become a top-producing agent I saw my plans derailed by the unpredictability of the business again and again. One month turned into six and before I knew it, half the year had slipped by and nothing had really changed. My business hadn't grown and my quality of life was worse than ever. I knew that if I wanted my business to grow, if I wanted more quality of life, I had to find the time to grow my knowledge of the market and my trade.

REGISTER NOW

If I wanted my business to change, I needed to change. I needed a chance to be able to impress potential clients with my knowledge, not, "Let me get back to you on that." I needed to extend that knowledge through my marketing and connect with clients that were dealing with issues right now. And right now, there are a growing number of clients out there dealing with these issues and more.

I took a close look at how I was spending my time and made a commitment to grow my skills as an agent. After examining my tasks, I realized I was doing several things that were not bringing me closer to my goals. I was having long lunches with clients, touring properties that were too far away and that I had no buyer for, helping fellow agents market their properties. Admirable maybe, but ultimately not activity that was building my own business. I was procrastinating by filling my time doing work-tasks that made me feel like I was working, but that were not bringing in results.

Don't fall into this trap! If you are struggling to invest in your business knowledge and skills this year, look for inefficiencies in your schedule. That might be wasting time on the internet, spending time in the office with agents who aren't out working, touring buyers who haven't been prequalified, or something else. Set new rules in your business that give you the opportunity to invest in yourself!

As I mentioned, this January 24th, I'm presenting my State of the Market online. In three-hours you will learn more about what is happening in our industry, how we got here, and my predictions for where we are headed, than you will experience at any other time this year. Where are mortgage rates headed? How will that impact our market? How is legislation shaping our industry for years to come? How are evolving tenant friendly policies impacting landlords and investors? What must you know about second homes, ADUs, middle-housing, and other opportunity markets? I will be covering all of this and much more, growing your expertise and providing you with client-talking points you can use for the year to come. Don't miss it - go get registered right now!

By Denise Lones CSP, CMP, M.I.R.M. The founding partner of The Lones Group, Denise Lones has over three decades of experience in the real estate industry. With agent/broker coaching, expertise in branding, lead generation, strategic marketing, business analysis, new home project planning, product development and more, Denise is nationally recognized as the source for all things real estate. With a passion for improvement, Denise has helped thousands of real estate agents, brokers, and managers build their business to unprecedented levels of success, while helping them maintain balance and quality of life.

[mindful-chapters]

Powering Towards Success: 19 Key Strategies for Time Management, Life, and Self-Care for Busy Moms!

"Calling super moms! 🌟 Master time management, work-life balance, & self-care. #BusyMoms #TimeManagement #SelfCare"

Hey there! I’m a full-time working mom with a teenager, and trust me when I say that the struggle to manage time, maintain work-life balance, and still find room for self-care is all too real. But, you know what they say, necessity is the mother of invention, and over the years, I’ve picked up some valuable strategies to make it all work. Join me on this journey where I’ll share my personal…

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

got a worm nibbling my brain. can someone help me find a piece of obscure media?

webcomic/indie comic from the 2010s. basically a sci-fi short story about a young girl (with red hair?) who was being raised by scientists as part of an experiment. she receives a haircut/has her head shaved, in preparation for her annual brain scan/testing. it is revealed that while her body is human, her "brain" is artificial, made of computer implants throughout her skull and spine. at some point her biological mother (also a scientist on the same campus?) encounters her and is repulsed, viewing her as a machine who has murdered her daughter.

it was very poignant and it bruised my heart and i can NOT find it anywhere

[spilledkaleidoscope]

Skilltober Week 3 - FYS

aka the week in which I went nuts for no reason

[procrastinationaccount]

Tlt fans should hold audiobook listening parties á la Rocky Horror screenings. Come in costume, recite key lines, wave lighters, bring themed snacks, throw popcorn at the device when things get campy.

[cy-lindric]

House of Finwë family tree, based on the later version from HoME. I chose to stop at Elrond & Elros' generation, but later added Arwen as a side note, which is why her brothers are not included.

[hillbillyoracle]

For those with home related New Years Resolutions:

I’ve been a disabled homemaker for 5 years now so I wanted to share the resources that have helped me take our home from complete chaos to reasonably functional and enjoyable.

If you’re not functioning...

If you’re constantly tripping over things and getting injured, eating food that makes you sick, dealing with pests in the home, and struggling to complete basic tasks like feeding, clothing, and bathing yourself, then you should start with...

KC Davis aka StruggleCare aka DomesticBlisters

TikTok

Book

Podcast

Website

I recommend KC Davis’s stuff with a big heaping dose of “keep what works and leave what doesn’t.” She’s one of the few people I’ve seen talking about compassionate care focused on maintaining a level of personal functioning rather than maintaining a home. Her stuff has been very helpful to me during some very challenging times. 

I think her some of her best work is probably her videos on the 5 step tidying process, the ones on setting up bedside hygiene and food kits, and the ones on dealing with DOOM (Didn’t Organize Only Moved) boxes. 

That being said she has a tendency to use neurotype as a shield for not reckoning with other dynamics in a situation (gendered, narcissism, etc) when asked for advice by viewers which can lead to this “all people with neurodivergence are good” vibe which I find off putting (especially as an autistic person). I mention it because her bleh stuff was all I was coming across and I missed out on her good stuff for a while. It’s worth picking through though. 

Her book is a little better on the whole. 

If you’re functioning but still very overwhelmed...

If you can complete your daily activities of living pretty regularly but you’re still losing papers you need, rebuying items you didn’t realize you had, or looking around your home at a mess that feels impossible to clean, then check out...

Dana K White aka A Slob Comes Clean

YouTube

Website

Podcast

Books

I love Dana K. White’s stuff. Honestly, I recommend her to every level on this list but I think she probably shines brightest in this category. 

Her 5 step decluttering process is pure fucking gold. It’s a decluttering process that doesn’t rely on feelings at all - really helpful for those with trauma or alexthymia generally. She has multiple videos explaining it and even more where you can watch her go step by step with someone over the course of an hour and make a huge dent in some very overwhelming mess. Its the process I’ve used to go through over 50 moving boxes to declutter so we could fit in this much smaller space we moved to in April. 

Her day to day cleaning advice is also excellent. Her concept of dishes math has really helped me make decisions about what chores to focus on when I’m low energy. Her 14 Days to Opening Your Front Door series is amazing if you’re having to host for a given occasion but your home is a wreck. 

If you’re not painfully overwhelmed by your stuff but there’s still a lot of friction in your home...

If your stuff doesn’t overwhelm you but your home still doesn’t feel that good to be in, you’re still not finding things when you need to or it’s taking you a long time to find them, you create homes for things but they look terrible or they never seem to stick, then you’d love...

Cassandra Aarssen aka Clutterbug

YouTube

Books

Website

Podcast

Clutterbug types were kind of a game changer for me. It’s what really opened my eyes to why the systems that worked for me did not work for my partner. She is a Bee - lots of small categories that are all very visible - and I am a ladybug - big bucket categories that aren’t visible. When I reorganized our space according to the compromise between our types, Butterfly - big categories and very visible - all of a sudden the systems just worked so much better. There were many fewer fights sparked by things not getting put away or not being able to find things. So I really recommend her videos on the different types and examples of each. 

Quick word of warning, she does have regular videos about diet and exercise that I personally find pretty triggering to my disordered eating habits so I’m not subscribed to her and just check her channels every now and then so it’s easier to skip over videos where that might be a topic she talks about. 

Cliff Tan aka Dear Modern

TikTok

YouTube

Website

Book

Cliff Tan’s work is the most recent of these resources that I’ve come across but holy shit I cannot recommend it enough. 

Because my parents didn’t originally intend on my partner using the room she wound up using, there’s simply not space to keep some of the furniture and items in there anywhere else. Meaning she just kind of has to keep a fair bit of junk in there. But after watching (read: binging) the Dear Modern YouTube channel and seeing him completely change spaces by moving furniture around, I redid my partners room over the course of about 2 hours and it’s a completely different room. Way more comfortable and she’s already mentioned she’s getting much better sleep. 

So I really really recommend his stuff. Sometimes what you really need isn’t new stuff but just rearranging what you already have. 

If you’re pretty content with your home but want to streamline the process of caring for it...

If your home is pretty functional but regular tidying, deep cleaning, and maintenance tasks specifically keep falling through the cracks, then you might like...

FlyLady System

Website

The Secret Slob - YouTube

Diane in Denmark - YouTube

There are lots of systems out there for house keeping but I’ve yet to try or see one that seems to do better than FlyLady for me. Since with my illness my energy varies wildly, I don’t necessarily do things when her system recommends but I do them according to the priority her system ascribes to them as I’m able. 

FlyLady is a notoriously convoluted website so I really recommend learning from a secondhand source. The Secret Slob and Diane in Denmark are my favorites. 

Maintenance Lists

This Old House

There a lots of maintenance lists out there and honestly finding one and doing what you can is better than nothing. I personally like the ones from This Old House because they’re broken up into annual, seasonal, monthly, and some weekly tasks - which are essentially priority categories, similar to FlyLady. I’ve linked the winter one here but there are many others to pick through depending on what you want to work on. 

Bonus: Paper Clutter

My System

Link

This is what I’ve arrived at after years of experimentation. It’s an amalgam of a few different ideas from different systems in one place. I keep mind on my fridge but put yours where ever you’re dumping paper anyways. If you’re in a room or live in a car/backpack - I have ideas on how to organize it for those in this post too. 

Sunday Basket

YouTube Video

The Minimal Mom’s Video

She’s in Her Apron Video

Need something a little more robust? The Sunday Basket is probably be best version of a paper (and other stuff) system I’ve seen. Got something that needs dealt with? Chuck it in the Sunday Basket. The creator also has videos on long term paper storage ideas if that’s something you need as well. But her videos usually run an hour long so I recommend starting with either the Minimal Mom’s video or She’s in Her Apron’s video. 

Bonus: Digital Clutter

PARA System/Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte

YouTube Channel

Website

Book

Essential Video

The branding on this system can be very productivity tech wonk which is off putting to me but when I finally started hearing what was at the core of it and applying it - my digital life was changed. I’ve linked my absolute favorite video he’s done here. Ignore the bit about it being the last in the series, most of us are already using some note app and if you like it you can always go back and watch the rest. But just applying what’s in that video to your digital systems will make things easier to find. 

Hope this helps someone out there! 

[originalaccountname]

putting my hands on your shoulders looking directly into your eyes why are you so insistent that Dazai is faking every emotion every second of every day except when he's acting mean or evil why do you think his dark side is more true than his happier or sillier sides

do you not also have multiple facets you show different people? are we not all beautiful multifaceted individuals? are your actions and reactions not influenced by your emotions and state of mind?

can't he laugh at his own jokes? can't he fondly think of the Agency? can't he be dramatic because he wants to? can't he be surprised by something suddenly happening, even if he knew it would happen? do you not jump when the jack in the box gets out even if you were the one working the mechanism?

why would the mean persona be more real? why would any and all joy be faked? why are you only allowing him misery?

[gizkalord]

love how the aldhani rebel crew was both highly skilled yet also obviously inexperienced, and that there were different levels of experience. on one hand, they called out the commandant’s bluff about the vault scan, knew how to unstrap the payrolls, engineered this elaborate plan timed to the second, successfully hid a mole for 7 years, and found a way to navigate the eye. On the other hand, they were behind schedule from the start, vel almost lost her nerve, they got so overwhelmed by the sheer amount of money that they were still trying to load payrolls up to the last minute until Gorn, who probably had the most logistical experience of them all, arrived and made them start closing things up. Then they were careless about securing the payrolls which needlessly cost them Nemik’s life.

It’s great because you can see how the empire could have been brought down by such passion and brilliance and hard work, but at the same time it emphasizes how fucking hard the earlier Rebels had it because they didnt have organized training or resources or the sheer experience. Everything about their plan was fraught. It was so easy for just one action or person to jeopardize a mission or make it succeed. There are no contingencies, no back ups, no plan B. All or nothing.

[femmefatalevibe]

Hello darling! I’ve tried several times to do time blocking and have my app calendar organised but it never works. I have adhd so it’s like I don’t know how to keep it up because I never found a method that it works for me. Can you share how you do it in case you do it? And some tips? I feel like it’ll help me to organise my life but I feel stuck every time I have to do it. Thank you <3

Hi love! Sharing my method below. Hope it's somewhat useful xx

To-Do List Planning:

Spend an hour or so on the weekend to list all of the important assignments/errands, etc. you need to complete during the week. Fill your calendar with your school/work/activity obligations first see an overview of how you will need to spend a considerable amount of time dedicated to each non-negotiable activity. Use this overview to help you map out the "free" time" you have and pre-schedule when you will do specific work projects, study for a particular exam, when you will run certain errands, engage in leisure activities, etc.

Before bed/dinner, use this weekly framework to finalize the next day – your agenda for the upcoming day. Determine the big 1-3 tasks you want to complete the following day and when throughout your day you will focus on these specific tasks. Giving yourself this pre-assigned schedule will eliminate decision fatigue and allow you to go into a more "autopilot" mode by completing the action you've already planned to take at any time of the day.

Important Date Reminders:

Utilize your Google Calendar and sync it to your iCloud (make sure it's private!) to allow you to write down any important dates available for viewing on your phone, computer, etc. at all times.

Create a color-coding system to organize your calendar (i.e. make any big projects due in blue, regular/smaller assignments to complete in red, important job reminders in yellow, errands tasks in green, family/friend obligations in purple, appointments in orange, etc.)

If you need to remember to submit certain paperwork, run an errand, etc., use your Reminders app to alert you at the time when you're able to complete this task before a deadline, going home, etc.

Use the location function or invite other participating members on a specific Google calendar event for any obligations where you need to be at a certain place at a specific time and/or are working on a group project, having a meeting, or need to be at a location with someone else.

I'm very into my "bookend" routines aka the rituals I do before I start my tasks for the day and how I wind down at night.

In the morning: Skincare, outfit, makeup, 2 big mugs of black coffee, reading articles & newsletters

In the evening: A long walk outside or a 15-30 minute YouTube workout/dance party session when the weather isn't optimal. Shower, skincare, get into sweats, make dinner, clean up around the house

To plan out my work week/days:

I use the 3-Month Productivity Planner by Intelligent Change (linked here). It's been my holy grail while building my business for the past 3-4 years. I also love having a physical "To-Do" list notepad next to me for tasks that come to mind or come up throughout the day that I want to organize/come back to later. (I always try to plan my week out on Sunday evenings and for the next day either before my evening routine or after dinner) I was gifted this one from The Daily Edited a few years ago and love it. Very much worth refilling the inserts.

For meetings: I use Google Calendar that's linked to my iCal. The notes section is essential for me.

For small tasks/bills/errands: I set scheduled Reminders for the day/time I need to pay a bill, write an email, schedule something for work or life, create a reminder for something I need to take before heading out to a meeting or appointment, something I need to buy at the pharmacy, etc.

As someone who in certain ways completely embodies the stereotypical "creative" type, my brain naturally goes in a million directions at once, so streamlining everything has become an important, deliberate habit and way of life for me. People think I'm naturally organized at this point in life, so I hope this system works for someone else out there too! x

[dxmxuse]

A few things ive been doing recently that help manage my adhd

Not sure if this will help anyone but i've made a list of things ive been working really hard to do to help manage my adhd and general inability to be a functional adult:

Make reminder posters! Get on canva and create personalized posters to put around your room/house to help remind you to do daily things like take your meds, feed pets, take out trash, etc.

Keep a junk notebook! Anything you think of that cant do immediately write it down. If its important it'll help you remember it, if not it saves you from getting distracted or making impulsive decisions. (This is especially helpful if you tend to get distracted when studying!)

CLEAN AS YOU GO! Whether its taking a cup out of your room every time you leave or washing each dish immediately after use. If you can develop this habit it keeps your space so much cleaner!

Have two laundry bins: one for worn but not dirty things and one for dirty things. It limits what ends up on your floor!

Make use of bins. I have several around my apartment that I use for things that dont have a home. Once those bins are full, I go through them and discard or find a permanent home for them.

Don't study/work at home. Even if it means buying a $5 coffee just so you can sit in a spot and effectively work, its much better than getting so behind on tasks you get overwhelmed.

It takes some work to develop habits and im far from perfect with all of these, but if I can do these things even 3 days a week it makes a huge difference!

[parasolemn]

[Image description: In the first image, Encyclopedia from Disco Elysium talks directly to the viewer, hands raised. He says: "The sound outside -- you recognise it. It's a Coupris Kineema motor carriage..." In the second image, Harry, standing in the middle of his broken room, asks "WTF do any of those words mean???" A blue thought orb responds, "LOL". End ID.]

SKILLTOBER DAY 2!!!!!!! LOVE IS REAL AND BEAUTIFUL originally I was gonna do the bit with The Greatest Innocence but @/spilledkaleidoscope did that (and it was soo pretty!), and my second choice for encyclopedia went to interfacing instead. so i did my Third choice which is this line at the start of the game :)

please don't mind the messiness and general weirdness I didn't do a sketch before I drew this today wkhshs. anyways as promised a few other encyclopedias I have drawn (EDIT: the one I did for the prompt format thing died so im putting it back in ! hooray)

[somerandomdudelmao]

Oh well, I can't deny it anymore, I really need a masterpost for this apocalyptic comic before it gets too complicated huh

[sharkysherbetz]

Imagine a link meets au but all the different links are drawn by different artists in their different artistyles

[pastel-charm-14]

how to organize your room and keep it that way

a lot of people think of their rooms as just a place to dump stuff, but that's not the case! so here are a few tips on how to keep your room clean. it's not just for super organized people either; these are things anyone can do.

-have a dump bin

have a place to throw things like clothes/extra items you have/anything you want to put away in the moment but will put away later. this keeps stuff off of your floor.

-sleep on top of your covers

put a blanket at the bottom of your bed instead and use that. this is so you don't have to make your bed every single morning to keep it looking decent.

-have a place to put all your papers

have a spot to put school notes, receipts, volunteer forms, coupons, anything you want to keep in a safe spot. it's hard to organize papers if you don't have a place to put them! you can get some cute dividers from staples/walmart/target, wherever. hanging folders also help keep things tidy.

-have garbage/recycling bins

kind of an uncommon tip, but yeah. bigger ones work better because they can hold more before you have to empty them. not huge but big enough so that you don't have to empty them all the time. set a time to empty the bins so it doesn't just accumulate and it looks nicer.

-use under-bed storage

this one is super important! have a bunch of bins/bags under your bed if you can to hold things you want to keep but don't know where to put. like extra bags/makeup etc.

-group "like" items

if you have drawers/bins, have a different category for each drawer/bin. plastic bins with different compartments like from walmart or ikea work really well for this.

-use hangers

this helps you avoid just throwing clothes on your floor or bed. you just hang whatever it is up and deal with it later (more on that in a sec). this works for bags too!

-purge regularly

dedicate some time each week to cleaning out your dump bin and putting stuff on your hangers away. set a reminder on your phone or put it in your planner to remember.