Getting Things Done: Affirmations

# I choose to be open to new ways of doing things.
# I choose to acknowledge the accomplishments of others.
# I choose to stay connected to the creative process.
# I choose to retain that which supports me easily.
# I choose to reach for the highest that is within me.
# I choose to maintain clarity in my work and my life.

Stop Piling, Start Filing

We are all soooo inundated these days! Instead of piling things on your desk, file them in the cabinet! Remove anything you can safely eliminate from your desktop. Items that you use on a daily basis, such as a stapler, a roll of tape, or pen, get to stay on top of your desk.

What you keep on top of your desk is uniquely individual. Your goal is to maintain the optimal number of items on and in your desk; enough so you function efficiently while there, but not so many that clutter inhibits work. Hold onto items you use at least once a week, but don't store those supplies too close by. Recognize that your desk drawers are not for storing supplies per se. You may store a pad of paper, but not pads of paper. You only need one pad at a time, and the general principle is to have the smallest number of a necessary item as you can get by with.

The fewer things you have in vital work spaces, the greater the sense of control you have over your immediate environment. For instance, if you choose to use one of your desk drawers for file folders, then these files should be as thin and potent as you can make them. Once your desk and flat surfaces are under control, you also gain a heightened sense of control over your time. Such a deal!

You may wish to place sentimental and familiar items, such as pictures, plants, and motivators near your desk, but not on it. Install items such as full spectrum lighting or ocean-wave music that support your productivity, efficiency, and creativity, near your work space, not on top of it.

From now on, manage your desktop as if it's one of the most important elements to staying organized, because it is.

Creativity in Your Life

Notes from the wonderful book, The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron:

* Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy, pure creative energy.
* There is an underlying, indwelling creative force infusing all of life--including ourselves.
* When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator's creativity within us and our lives.
* We are, ourselves, creation. And we, in turn, are meant to continue creativity by being creative ourselves.
* Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.

* The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature.
* When we open ourselves to exploring our creativity, we open ourselves to God: good orderly direction.
* As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be expected.
* It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.
* Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source.

Maintain a Positive Perspective

Martin Seligman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, offers seven essential traits for living a happy life:
* Love of learning-an interest in acquiring new skills.
* Creativity-trying new things just for fun and producing something surprising.
* Humility-recognizing your own abilities and appreciating those of others.
* Humor-being able to find something amusing even in difficult times, and helping others do so, too.
* Persistence-working through to a goal despite obstacles.
* Gratitude-being thankful for the things you have.
* Forgiveness-being able to let go of hurt and anger.

Capture Your Best Thoughts

Author, songwriter, and comedian Steve Allen was among the most prolific talent in broadcasting history. He wrote more than 9,000 songs, including "This Could Be the Start of Something Big," which is still often played at New Year's Eve galas. Not bad for someone who played by ear. He wrote TV scripts, gags, jokes. He also managed to write 50 books: first mysteries; then on show business; then self-help topics like presenting, speaking, and humor; and then later on social issues before passing away early this century.
Like many others in TV, Allen's career began in radio where, as a young DJ, he once announced a Harvard vs. William & Mary football score as "Harvard 14, William 10, Mary 7." His interests extended beyond show business as well. A tireless advocate, Allen was instrumental in the airlines' smoking ban.
I met Steve Allen in the 1990s at the American Bookseller's Convention in Los Angeles. It was rumored that he never traveled without a pocket tape recorder and when I asked him if this was true, he took out his pocket tape recorder and showed me. Allen once explained that although he was thought of as extraordinarily productive, he figured he owed his high output to "Not letting good ideas get away." He recalled that even back in the 1950s, when tape recorders were bulky and expensive, he had one in each room of his house, even the bathroom!

Stay Fresh and Vibrant

As I wrote in my April, 2006 zine I know people who will take courses on topics completely out of their field, who try new dishes at restaurants, and who strive to keep themselves open to new ideas. The odd and wonderful thing is you can do all kinds of new and different activities in your personal life that will serve to stimulate your creativity at work, break free of attachment, and overcome the inertia of immobility when you want to get things done.
Here are a few ideas:

At work:
* Take a planned 15-minute break twice daily
* Eat away from your desk
* Brainstorm with people not in your department
* Furnish your workspace with plants, pictures, or art that inspires you
* Learn some aspect of the organization that is completely foreign to you

Away from work:
* Change your magazine subscriptions
* Read a literary novel or epic
* Dress differently for different occasions
* Relax on your porch
* Install a hammock in your backyard

In general, to develop your awareness:
* Take an impromptu weekend trip to someplace you haven't visited
* Enroll in a course
* Join a book discussion group
* Volunteer at a charity
* Take up a new sport

A Trip to the WELL

What is The WELL? The WELL describes itself as a gathering place like no other: uninhibited, intelligent, and iconoclastic. For more than twenty years, The WELL has been a trail stop for thinkers from all walks of life.

The people who frequent this place include artists, programmers, journalists, educators, and others who engage in discussion, swap information, and express their convictions, and who greet their friends in the famous online forums known as WELL Conferences. Is the WELL for you?