Sue & her grandmother, Smith College reunion 2002

Letting Go ... of Your High School Senior! 

When I think of "letting go" as an organizing coach, I think about our stuff, our habits which no longer serve us, and our internal clutter.  I hadn't thought about high school seniors!

It started about a year ago, as clients and friends moved through college applications, senior year events and prepared for a graduation celebration.  I started hearing: "I wonder what it will be like next year when he's/she's gone."

Ideas for how you can model your life organizing skills as they prepare to leave home.

Work on these together. Teach what you know as you model it and share your words of wisdom.

Get  ready for their new home.

What day is your child returning or starting college? Create your dorm room list of what you need to buy or find at your home to send them off in August.

If you start your list now, before the emotions set in too heavily, your mind's clearer to come up with your best list.

And, you'll have several months to spend the time and money on things, rather than having big bills in August.

Avoid last minute purchases here or at college. You'll pay more than what you wanted and/or won't get quite the product you wanted.

Read the full article 

Times of change are prime times to ask for support to make it easier to move on to your next chapter. I work mainly with people who have gone through one or more of these significant life events - some sad, some happy, many bittersweet.

Support can be in the form of brainstorming, ideas from other clients, insights, perspective and cheering on your behalf.  

Belief in you, even when your belief may not be as strong as it usually is during regular times. 

Meet with me for 1, 2 or 3 hours.

Meet with me by phone or in person.  

603.765.9267            email me 

Organize with the End in Mind: Graduation Parties

This article is not a checklist for how to pull off a fabulous, scrapbook-worthy graduation party. (But I've included a resource below for that.)

What it IS about is how to add this major event on TOP OF your already crazy busy schedule.  How to fit all of this into your life when you have virtually no time to begin  with.

It's a project management primer and I used to project manage and then managed groups of these professionals, so today's your lucky day.

So that you can actually use these strategies to get any project done at home, at work or in your business,  I've listed also pm skills and terms in parentheses. A truly helpful life skill, project management.

Start with the end in mind.

What's the party date.... and when will your first out of town guests arrive? Two important "end dates."(goals, project deadlines)

If you'll have guests staying then add to your party checklist, so you have everything you need to do in one place. (stakeholders)

If you have guests, are they people you feel comfortable putting to work or not? If they are not, you have less time to get ready; if they are, then you'll have more assistance getting things ready.

Count how many weeks you have left on the calendar.  How many weekends will you be away? X out those times.(time as a resource)

You have a rough sense of how much time is left now.(ball park estimate)

Review your appointment/to do's over the same time.

This begins to identify how much you can accomplish in the time you have.

Read the full article here.