Welcome to my newsletter. The mission of this is to offer you some helpful organizing and productivity tips, share useful tools, fun stuff, and a fair amount random Anne insight based on whatever shiny objects I happen to be chasing at the time. Hope you enjoy it!

Last December I did an offsite planning day. A small group of my colleagues from my local NAPO Chapter. [National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals] went to a co-working space where we could work independently, socially distanced, but blissfully out of our own homes. For a full day each of us worked on plans for our individual businesses, gathering once an hour to check in, see how it’s going, pick each other’s brains. The timing was perfect for me because I felt my business going into transition, and I had many ideas swirling about in my head of what I needed to do next to increase my exposure and reach, introduce & develop my productivity services, and improve my business operations in general. 

It was an amazing day of focus that most of us never take the time for. I fine-tuned my company mission, my ideal clients, and set solid SMART goals. I came out the other side ready to tackle 2021 with webinars, more blogs and social media posts, and evolved service offerings. 

But now it’s June. 

And like many of my middle-aged moms peers, there’s a little, shall we say, malaise. The frenetic run to the end of the school year - COVID or not -  can be a bit exhausting. My time seems especially fractured by upended and burnt out kids. The weather’s bi-polar behavior wreaks havoc on my sleep and sinuses. Everyone is hungry and tired, including me. Summer is coming which brings later mornings, less structure, and that urgent sense that we should all be planning wonderful things to do to enjoy it. So, my business development motivation has waned a bit, and I’ve kind of been beating myself up about it. 

It’s June.  

If you read my newsletter last month, you know that I kind of live and die by my Moleskine notebook which I carry everywhere. It ran out of pages last week and I had to start another.  Before cracking the new one open, I flipped through the pages of the one I’d just finished to migrate over any existing to-dos, contacts, or big ideas. As I flipped through the pages I was amazed at all I had done since I started using the notebook in September. So amazed, in fact , that I started writing them down. I did five webinars and started this regular newsletter. I’ve taken about a dozen online courses and developed a productivity consulting program. I’ve added many new clients and reconnected with previous ones. I also attended a virtual conference, did two puzzles, volunteered with our high school and spent almost every Friday on outings with my mom. I’m not beating myself up anymore. I’m feeling pretty proud of myself. And looking at how and when to tackle the as yet undone tasks from my December planning session. 

We all do so many things in our work, for our homes, for our families; but we rarely give ourselves credit. It’s June. The halfway point of the year and a good time to take stock of what you do. For me, that review is helping me stay the course of my December plans, and also to feel perfectly free to chill a little as I slide into summer.  I recommend it. 

Product Recommendations of the Month

Pen Loop

No matter what kind of planner or notebook you use, it’s always good to have a pen or pencil handy. With a stick-on pen loop, you’ll never have to dig around for something to write down that brilliant idea.

Garage Shelving

Many people find this the perfect time of year to clean out the garage. The key to a really orderly looking garage is shelves shelves shelves. I’m a big fan of these. 

What I like:  

• No tools required to assemble (though a rubber mallet can help)

• Can be used high or low. Build it low to have a work surface. 

• Deep - 24” shelf depth holds the biggest of storage containers.

What I’m Consuming

Focus Music

Recently listened to a podcast interview with Will Hensall, creator of the Focus@Will music service. Fascinating insight on how our fight or flight instinct affects our ability to focus, and how different types of music help different people focus. You can check that interview out here.

Thematic Reading

Lately I’ve been reading thematically. My daughter was reading Alice Walker’s The Color Purple for school, so I decided to read along. That’s got me on a new deep dive into various works of literature about the black experience in America at different time periods. The Color Purple is set in the 20-40s. I read Toni Morrison’s Beloved set in the Reconstruction era. I’m now looking for options to read about people in different eras of the 20th & 21st century. I’m not trying to impress you with my reading prowess here, but my observation is that approaching my media consumption this way is not only fun, but I feel like I’m getting a whole new education on things, and I love it. Never too old to learn. That said, summer is coming, so I plan to dive into some beach books next. I welcome your recommendation on any of these!

News About StepOne

Productivity Services

Do you struggle managing your time? Do you have a million projects swirling about at work or at home that you can’t seem to get traction on?  Still trying to find that elusive work-life balance? I can help. I now offer productivity consulting services to help you with prioritizing your tasks, establishing routines, organizing your space and your time to help you get more done.  Over a series of six online sessions, we find the tools and techniques best suited for you to help you get and maintain that ‘productive day feeling’. If you’d like to learn more, you can schedule a free discovery call with me here.

COVID Protocols

I am thrilled to report that I am fully vaccinated!  I am continuing to serve both organizing and productivity clients in-person and virtually.  When working in person, I will respectfully follow whatever protocols make you feel most comfortable. There are also many instances where I work independently in a space, conferring with clients only at the start and end of a session or via phone or video. Virtual organizing and productivity consulting are excellent alternatives, with clients working hands on with step-by-step guidance from me along the way.  Questions about working together?  Send me an email, let’s chat!

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