SISTER WISDOM : build a better life

Ninety-nine percent of all failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. George Washington Carver

Update (Friday): 20 minutes cardio (aerobics); 10 minutes stretching.

I am really starting to enjoy the stretching. It's getting to me. I feel... well... stretched. (Profound.)

Resources: I recently read Organizing for Success by Kenneth Zeigler. I'm addicted to organizing books. I should get help, but I don't know of any group called "Organizing Books Addicts Anonymous." Maybe I should start the first OBAA. We can have a sheep (with glasses, and a book, and paper for taking notes, and a selection of pens, pencils, and highlighters, and file folder just in case) as our mascot.

My personal problems aside, I recommend this book if you are a fellow potential member of OBAA or if you actually just need help organizing. It deals with time management, work, productivity, and some good habits to incorporate whether you are the CEO of a corporation or a household, or both.

A couple of my favorite concepts from the book:

• The Veggie Principle: A veggie is a task, activity, or project that is good for you (work or personal) but that you have a hard time "eating," as Zeigler puts it. The Veggie Principle is simple: eat your veggies first. "The fastest way to improve productivity," Zeigler says, "is to start each day with a veggie and actually try to get two accomplished before lunch."
• Friday Planning: Zeigler recommends taking half an hour or so every Friday afternoon to review your week, note what you accomplished and what you didn't get to, figure out why (if you're unsure), put together a "Master List" for the upcoming week, jot in your appointments and scheduled events, and wrap up any loose ends. I've taken to doing this, usually on Sunday rather than Friday, and I enjoy having a larger view of what the last week was like and what the coming week needs to be like.

Tip: Eat a veggie. Then have dessert.