Best Results Organizing

No matter how invested you have (or haven’t) been in the holiday shopping season, you may find you’re still behind schedule and seeking some inspiration. Luckily, you’ve come to the right place, as Paper Doll HQ has corralled some final holiday gift suggestions.

GIFTS OF EXPERIENCES

The best gifts are those that your recipients want, or would want if they knew that such a thing existed. As we’ve discussed previously, I’m hugely in favor of gifts of experiences, those that delight, and those which help us deal with the requirements of life than are less delightful. As I noted last week, a good first start are the experiential presents at my classic Holiday Gift List: Favorite Things Edition. Speaking of which, I’d previously suggested for this category:

Gifts of Adventure — For the thrill-lovers on your list, consider certificates for hot-air balloon rides, rock climbing or zip lines. Race fans might love the NASCAR Racing Experience or the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure. Athletes will appreciate a week of baseball fantasy camp, pre-paid rounds of golf, or time in the batting cages. For the more casual (and loosely defined) adventurer, bowling, miniature golf, or paintball work equally well. 

To these gifts of adventure, I add a new experiential form of adventure and entertainment. A friend who recently visited New York City attended Escape the Room, billed as a “fun, interactive game…While it looks like any other ordinary room, it’s actually a mystery puzzle. Find the hidden objects, figure out the clues and solve the puzzles to earn your freedom and “Escape the Room.” You have 60 minutes, so be quick!”

Not in the Big Apple? The puzzle-busting “Real-life Room Escape” concept is spreading across the country is different guises, from Adventure Rooms in New Jersey and Connecticut to the Real Escape Game in Las Vegas to Escape Experience Chattanooga. Most pricing seems to be about $28-$40/person.

Want more experiential ideas? Fellow Certified Professional Organizer® Bonnie Joy Dewkett, the Joyful Organizer, has come up with a free Clutter-Free Gifts Printable to help you and your fellow worn out, listless giftors come up with new gifting solutions. Karate lessons aren’t your giftee’s style? What about magic lessons?

Still not enough? Take a peek at Getting Organized Magazine‘s 72 Clutter-Free Gift Ideas, divided by categories and chock-full of nifty notions!

GIFTS OF CONSUMABLES

Want a different kind of gift that avoids clutter, but still satisfies? How about consumables, whether fresh-baked goods from your own kitchen or from a local eatery, like my pastry-chef friend Jennifer Hooper’s Chattanooga-based Sweet Eats? (Crispy Mini-Gingy? Yes, please!)

Want something that requires a little less physical effort on your end (so, less washing up or schlepping to the bakery) and more pizzazz? Or maybe you’re concerned about making sure your loved ones are getting something good, but also good for them?

Graze is your opportunity to give personalized, healthy (but not icky-healthy), portion-controlled snacks. Buy a gift voucher, and then your giftee gets to set up an account detailing all of his or her likes and dislikes for snack types, and then the boxes start arriving.

The Nibble Box provides maximum variety. Graze staffers review each person’s preference list and then send anything from chocolate-coated nibbles, to nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, to dips and dippers, crackers and snack bars, selected from 90 different options.

The Calorie Counter Box contains options selected from up to 50 ingredient types to create packages of 150-calorie snacks.

Your recipient can choose to send the Graze boxes to home or work.

Interested in this for yourself? Graze boxes are $6.99 each, delivery is free, and come once a week or every other week. For more information, check out Graze’s FAQ.

For something less snack-oriented, consider one of the nationwide upscale meal-in-a-box services, like Blue Apron, Plated or Hello Fresh. (There are also regional services, like Peach Dish in Atlanta and Home Chef in Chicago.) These services deliver correctly proportioned fresh ingredients and instructions for making a magical meal.

Of course, if your giftee isn’t much of a cook (like Paper Doll), a gift certificate for the services of a personal chef can be surprisingly affordable!

GIFTS FROM THE HEART

Sometimes, the best gift isn’t just a thing or an experience. Author Leo Babauta recently put together an amazing blog post detailing gifts that are (generally) low on cost and high on creativity. To do justice, please read The Zen Habits Holiday Gift Guide in its entirety, but I had to share some of my favorite ways Babauta lists to do something truly special for the people in your life:

• Create a personal website for someone, complete with photo montage, if you’re good at web stuff.
• Find a board game at Goodwill and customize it for the person’s personality.
• Make a treasure hunt for them.
• Help them realize their dreams.
• Do a challenge with them.
• Take a class together (community classes are often free or cheap).
• Create a video from family/friends with everyone sharing what they love about the person.

The key to all of Babauta’s gifts? Taking time and thought to consider the person’s hopes, dreams and needs, and using your abilities to help them reach those sparkly stars.

Of course, in an ideal world, not all of our gifts (or our focus) would be spent solely on those we know. Author Laura Vanderkam‘s recent article in Fast Company posited that we should Forget the Gift Cards, Try 12 Days of Microphilanthropy Instead. Vanderkam comes up with ideas that allow you to give of yourself (and your expertise) one-on-one, and give of your wealth (however meager or robust) to those less fortunate. My favorite of her suggestions?

ModestNeeds.org is a twelve-year-old non-profit that aims to “…responsibly provide short-term financial assistance to individuals and families in temporary crisis who, because they are working and live just above the poverty level, are ineligible for most types of conventional social assistance…“

Applicants and the facts of their situations are vetted by ModestNeeds.org before their cases are presented for donors to consider.

GIFTS OF ORGANIZATION & PRODUCTIVITY

The gift of organization is one that keeps on giving. Has someone in your life expressed an interest in getting more organized? Are you feeling magnanimous? Help your loved ones find a professional organizer through the National Association of Professional Organizers‘ searchable online directory and offer to pay for a session to help get them closer to their organizing goals.

For a more modest present, give a gift subscription to Getting Organized Magazine for four quarterly issues full of great advice on developing the skills and systems for getting organized. For print issues, it’s $19.50/year (or $29.50/year, internationally), or $13.50/year for a truly clutter-free digital subscription. (For new subscriptions, use the coupon code GetOrgJan15 for 20% off if you’re ordering by January 31, 2015.) [Editor’s Note: Getting Organized Magazine is now a digital-only resource, but it’s still worth checking out for more clutter-free and decluttering ideas.]

COOL STUFF FOR WRITERS, TINKERERS AND READERS

Have an inveterate letter-writer on your gift list (or are you trying to encourage a child to write thank you notes)? For $14.95 plus shipping, you can help keep the clutter of unevenly-written and scribbled envelopes at bay with The Lettermate.

(Hat tip to blogger Patrick Rhone of The Cramped for finding this nifty option.)

Got a tinkerer on your list, one who is always leaving bits and pieces of repaired eyeglasses or gadgets all over the place? The Magnetic Project Mat from iFixit is an 8″ x 10″ mat with non-slip foam backing and a dry-erase surface for note-taking ($19.95).

If you’ve got readers in your life, you know that it’s OK not to know their preferences: there’s always an Amazon or Barnes & Nobel wish list — or gift card — to help you out. Of course, if you were intrigued by my post, Netflix-esque Subscriptions for Books: Oyster, Scribd and Entitle, earlier this year, you might want to buy a gift subscription for Scribd (three months for $25, six months for $50 or a year for $100) or an Oyster subscription (customizable pricing for up to 24 months, with pre-set gift pricing at $9.95/month, $29.85 for three months, $59.70 for six months and $119.40 for a year). Entitle lets you select your preferred gift amounts, with fixed-month pricing running about the same as Oyster.

Finally, if there’s someone in your life for whom you’re in still doubt about their wants or needs, chances are good that they’ll appreciate the gentle, goofy humor of this collection, The Little World of Liz Climo.
Check out Climo’s work at her Tumblr page, and no matter how harried the holidays have made you, Paper Doll believes Climo will put a smile on your face.

Happy holidays!

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. In 1953, academic researchers interviewed graduating seniors at Yale University to quantity how many had created specific, written goals for their future. The answer: 3%. In 1973, researchers polled the surviving members of Yale’s Class of ’53 and — lo and beyond — the 3% with goals had accumulated more personal financial wealth than the other 97% of the class combined!

It’s a great, motivating story. Build it and they will come; write it down and it will happen. The only problem is, it isn’t true. None of it — no survey was done of Yalies, or at any other of the Ivies, in 1953 or twenty years later. But for decades, productivity consultants and business writers kept hailing that study, cross-quoting one another to reference its existence. It took another 23 years, until Fast Company researched (and debunked) the story by tracing every reference to the tale, and questioning both Yale’s administration and the Class of ’53. Nada.

If the study never happened, does that mean that writing down your goals won’t make you richer than all of your classmates or colleagues? And what if your life goals aren’t financial in nature, and you want to be an Olympic gold medal winner, a published author or a happily married parent with a Martha-Stewart-cloaked-in-Pinterest lifestyle?

Dominican University of California Professor Gail Matthews set out to find an answer. She recruited 267 participants, aged 23 to 72, from a wide variety of businesses, organizations, and networking groups, both in the United States and abroad, to examine how achieving professional goals can be influenced by pro-active behaviors.

Matthews’ findings? The three key ingredients to achieving professional goals are:

1. Writing down your goals
2. Committing to goal-directed actions
3. Getting accountability from outside yourself, including detailing your goals to a friend or colleague and providing (weekly) updates on your progress

No big surprises here, and we can probably extrapolate to figure that these behaviors can help achieve goals outside the professional realm. But, how do you put it all into action?

CREATE YOUR GOALS

You’ve probably heard that motivational experts encourage setting SMART goals, where the mnemonic stands for goals that are:

Specific—Don’t merely plan to sell “more” or serve your clients “better.” What do you want to accomplish? Where, why, how, and with whom will you take each step? Instead of “losing weight,” might your goal be losing 5% of your current weight? Specificity of goals improves your ability to visualize, and you’ll be more inspired to take the necessary steps to achieve each goal if you can picture the intricate details of which it’s composed.

Measurable—How will you know you’ve achieved a goal completely? Can you track, record or log your progress? (And have you come up with a strategy to do exactly that?) Think beyond general hopes and dreams. How much, in dollars or by percentages, do you want your business revenue (or household savings) to increase next quarter? How many speaking engagements will you secure each month for the coming year? Quantify your goals: How many? How much? How often? By when?

Attainable—It’s fine to dream big, but research shows that always setting goals beyond your reach eventually leads to disappointment. Set goals high enough to be aspirational, but modest enough to be achievable. Consult your formal and informal advisors, your employees, clients and colleagues, your friends and family, and ask for a reality check on whether the goals you’ve selected fit the economic environment, the community, the family schedule and your actual or anticipated resources.

Relevant—Goals can be precisely defined, measured, achieved, and timed without being relevant to your ultimate purpose. Is your goal aligned with your other aspirations and strategies? You’ll maintain your motivation and get more support from others if the goal fits the bigger picture.

Time Sensitive—Clarify goals to identify when you plan to achieve them. Set intermediate benchmarks, so rather than setting yourself up for failure, each smaller goal creates a stepping-stone.

Organized SMART goals are superior to random dreams, but to attain ideal levels of productivity, Paper Doll encourages you to take the next step. Become a SMARTY.

Yours—It does you, your company and your customers, your family and your club or group, no good if you resolve to meet goals solely to reflect the latest marketing buzzwords or social trends. Make a concerted effort to set goals that reflect the aspirations that prompted you to enter your profession, start your company, create a family or begin a project in the first place.

So, now you’re a SMARTY! Congratulations! In business and in life, though, being a good old boy is no longer enough, so we need to move beyond being a “smarty pants” with goals. It’s time to get in touch with your feminine side. Take that smart start to the next level with goals that are:

Stretchy—Do you want to meet everyone’s expectations, or do you want to exceed them?  In Annie Hall, Woody Allen said, “Relationships are like sharks. They have to keep moving forward or they die.” Keep your ‘goal relationship sharks’ alive and well. Keep stretching forward!

Knowledge-based—Follow gut instinct, but commit to those SMART goals based on research and strong reasoning. Specificity moves you beyond the vague; pinpoint what previous businesses or role models have accomplished successfully. Make your goals measurable by basing projections on recorded successes and failures – your own and those of others who have achieved what you want. To know if a goal is attainable, due diligence is key. Do your homework.

Inspiring—Breathe life into the soul of your goals. Instead of just saying you’ll increase revenue by $3000 in April, why not peg the goal to a reward for yourself, your employees, and vendors – even your customers. For personal goals for your health or home, make sure they resonate with your spouse, your kids and your friends. How can you motivate everyone so your success breeds more success?

Revolutionary—Foment rebellion against whatever isn’t working. Think Jerry McGuire’s mission statement!

Fire off an “Email Read ‘Round the World” and maybe a statue will be erected in your honor!

Tantalizing—Boring jargon doesn’t spur action. If you can’t inspire yourself, how will you motivate your troops to support you?  Define your goals so they make you salivate as if someone walked by with a chocolate cheesecake. Write your goals with colorful language so you’re eager to advance and post them where you will see them and be stimulated to act each day.

Be a SMARTY SKIRT. Because Smarty Pants are so last century.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Now that you’ve got the content of your goals squared away, take Professor Matthews’ research to heart. Write your goals down and commit to goal-oriented actions. But how should you write them? In Too Much of a Good Thing: The Benefits of Implementation Intentions Depend on the Number of Goals, a study published by Amy N. Dalton and Stephen A. Spiller in the Journal of Consumer Research, found that the more competing goals you have, and the more detailed your implementation plan is, the less successful you’re likely to be. And that makes sense — as summarized:

…the benefits of implemental planning for attaining a single goal do not typically extend to multiple goals. Instead, implemental planning draws attention to the difficulty of executing multiple goals, which undermines commitment to those goals relative to other desirable activities and thereby undermines goal success. 

So, don’t write a bible, which will just psych you out and make it all seem too hard. Focus on one main goal at a time, determine what steps (and in what order) you will commit to implementing them, and write it all down.

Once you write your goals, don’t tuck them away in your musty Yale 🙂 trunk. Place them somewhere that will trigger you to think about them often. For example:

• In your journal
• On the bathroom mirror
• On the refrigerator door
• Clipped to the front of your Tickler File
• On the wall beyond/behind your computer
• On the start-up screen for your computer
• On the lock screen for your phone or tablet
• On the whiteboard in your office
• On a vision board on your wall or bulletin board
• On a digital pinboard (like on Pinterest) that reflects visual representations of your goal

Consistency is key. Don’t let your goals become faint whispers or faded wallpaper. Use your reminder system (online prompts, phone alarms, Siri, etc.) to review your main goals every day. In the morning. At the end of the day. When you’re stuck. When you’ve succeeded at reaching the next benchmark.

When you plan your schedule and block groups of similar tasks, particularly when you’re getting dragged down — ask yourself, is this helping me to move forward to my goals?

Track your goals — pay attention to how consistently you perform the activities you’ve assigned yourself to achieve those goals. Whether you go high-tech with an app like Lift or prefer the classic Seinfeldian Don’t Break the Chain approach, tracking your progress lets you savor successes and figure out if and where you’ve gone astray so that you can press “reset” and start again.

How will you reach your goals for 2015 and beyond?