What?  You are having trouble staying motivated?  Well, my friend, I promise you are not the only one!  This is around the time people will begin to forget about their New Year’s resolutions and slowly go back to doing what feels comfortable.  Here are a few things to remember that might help keep you motivated and working toward your goals.

Most things in life are a process not a single event.
Often we want things to happen “now;” we want to see results to feel like we are accomplishing something.  Whether you goal is to be more organized or you are trying to be more healthy this year, it will not happen over night.  Try to find motivation in the small things you accomplish each day. 
If your goal is to run a marathon, you aren’t going to go out tomorrow and run all 26 miles.  You will make small goals like running 4 miles without stopping, then 10 miles.  Eventually you will make the 26 miles!  Likewise, if your goal is to keep your closet clean, start with keeping your shoes in order.  When that becomes habit, make your new goal keeping your clothes hung up/folded.  Your closet will be clean before you know it.

“Nothing great has been and Nothing great can be accomplished without passion” - G.W.F. Hegel
I have found that when people enjoy what they are doing they are more likely to keep doing it.  Therefore, if you want to stay motivated, you have to find a way to make what you are doing fun and rewarding. 
If your goal is to be more organized and you have a habit of leaving your keys in a different place every time you return home, pat yourself on the back and make a big deal out of commending yourself when you actually put them in the bowl or on the hook where they belong.  For those of you that are trying to be healthier this year but are not enjoying exercising, you have to find a way to make it fun!  Get some of your favorite music loaded onto an iPod, find a friend to exercise with, or join a class that keeps you motivated.  The more fun you have, the more likely you will stay on track with your goals!

Download the Simplify App to help you track and accomplish your goals!
If you don’t already have it, you need to check out the Simplify app at the Apple store.  Simplify was created by Harmony at Last to help you stay motivated and accomplish your goals.  With daily quotes for motivation and a goal tracker, you have a partner right at your fingertips.

What are your goals for this year?  More importantly, how are you staying motivated?  Let us know on Facebook!

Named for the outrageous profit margins retailers experience during this 24 hour period, the Friday after Thanksgiving is commonly referred to as “Black Friday.” However, with the economy in its current state, it is more important then ever that we realize that Black Friday for the Retailers actually means Red Friday for the consumer.  The term actually stems from the old accounting practice of using Red ink for debts and Black ink for profits.

For those of you planning to brave the crowds (more then 147 million last year), here are a few things to keep in mind while hunting for those once in a lifetime sales and impossible to pass up deals. 

First, have a plan.  If your purpose for shopping is to complete your holiday gift list, make sure you actually make a list, and bring it with you!  Stores make a considerable amount of money on impulse buying.  By making a list of the people you need to buy gifts for and what you plan to buy them, you can combat the urge to splurge and still get the gifts you need without sliding into the Red.  If you are unsure of what you want to get someone come, up with an appropriate amount that you would be willing and able to spend and write it next to their name on your list.

Second, make a budget.  It is easy for shoppers to get carried away in the moment.  After all isn’t that what the entire day is built around?  Some of us may already have our holiday list complete so Friday will be more for the thrill of the hunt.  Regardless of who you are buying for, having a budget can keep you calm while the world around you is whirling with “last chance deals.”  The key to a budget however, is to keep track of your purchases.  If you buy mom the video camera she asked for make sure you write down how much it cost you next to her name (on your gift list).  No matter who you are buying for, you should keep a notebook handy to tally your receipt totals as you go.  This will keep you aware of what you have spent and how much of your budgeted money you have left while a also keeping your bank account in the black.

Third, make sure to ask yourself one very important question before each purchase.  “Do I need this?”  If there is a chance that you are buying something for the thrill of the sale instead of the quality of the item or the fact that you actually need it, rethink your purchase!  Don’t let yourself get so caught up in the moment that you start to impulse buy.  Asking whether you really need something will prevent you from purchasing items you do not need.

Fourth, do your research.  How will you know if 30% off of that IPod is a good deal if you haven’t looked at what it goes for normally?  If you have made a list, you should have some things in mind.  Spending a little time researching the things you want to buy can save you a lot of money.  Many stores provide prices for items on their websites so there is little effort needed to do a little research.  For instance, if I wanted to get my sister a new camera, I would check its price at Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-mart, and Amazon.  If I’m prepared with a list of comparable prices I am less likely to spend more then I have to in the stores.  To aid in the researching process there are many websites dedicated to helping consumers find good deals.  To preview the sales, try visiting www.bfads.net or www.blackfriday.gottadeal.com

If you can’t find the perfect gift on Friday, stay calm there are more sales.  Many stores extend their sales throughout the weekend to maximize their profits.  And, if you are not one of the 147+ million people who will be hitting the stores on Monday, you can still take part in the savings.  Many retailers cut prices on their products thru their online the Monday after Thanksgiving.  To take advantage of these deals go to www.cybermonday.com or www.bestcyermondaysales.com.

So, cut your coupons, create your itinerary, and fill out your budget.  This year black Friday will happen as it always does for the retailers.  However, this year make sure it doesn’t become “Red Friday” for you.

With Thanksgiving almost here and Christmas looming, I find myself thinking; “I thought I was busy in October!”  With this on my mind, I would like to share an excerpt from Robert Fulghum’s book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.”  I hope it will serve to remind us that no one person is perfect!

“The man next door cleaned his gutters yesterday.  Downspouts too.  He’s done it before.  I saw him last year.  Amazing.  I was forty years old before I even knew that people cleaned gutters and downspouts.  And I haven’t been able to get around to doing it once yet. 
“I live in awe of people who get those jobs done.  The people who live orderly lives.  The ones who always do what needs to be done and do it right.  I know of people who actually balance their checkbooks each month.  I know that’s hardly credible, but I swear it’s so.
“These people also have filing cabinets (not shoe boxes) with neat, up-to-date, relevant files.  They can find things around the house when they need them.  There is order under their sinks, in their closets, and in the trunks of their cars.  They actually change the filter on their furnace once a year.  They put oil and grease on mechanical things.  Their warranties runneth not out.  Not only do their flashlights work, they actually know where the flashlights are!
“When their car was last serviced-they know that too.  The tools in their garage are on the pegboard-right where they are supposed to be.  Their taxes are based on facts, not hunches and prayer.  When they go to sleep at night, their list of Things to Do has a line through every item.  And when they arise in the morning, their bathrobe is right there beside the bed and it is clean and new.  Socks-right there in the drawer, folded into matching pairs.  Yes!  And as they prepare to walk out the door into a new day, they know exactly where their car keys are and are not worried about the state of the car battery or if there is enough gas to get to work.
“There are such people.  Ones who have it all together.  Exmpt from the reign of Chaos and the laws of entropy.  I see them every day all around me.  Calm and easy pillars of society.  They are the people in your high school yearbook you wanted to be.  The ones who made it.
“Well.  I am not one of them.  Out of the frying pan, into the spilt milk is more me.  Most of the time daily life is a lot like an endless chore of chasing chickens in a large pen.  Life is an air-raid drill.  Never mind the details.” -Robert Fulghum

I, for one, would like to meet a person who’s list of Things to Do has a line through every item when they go to bed!  Are you more like Mr. Fulghum, or the fictional super hero he describes? My guess is most of us fall somewhere in between the two. Instead of “never mind the details;” remind yourself during this busy time to “never mind the unimportant details.”  Prioritizing is always the key!

A friend’s husband just took 3 weeks off work.  She works from home so this quite dramatically upset her daily routine.  She felt like she was missing out or guilty if she wasn’t taking advantage of the opportunity to spend as much time as possible with him, but she desperately needed her alone time to get things done.  Not just work things, but grocery shopping, cleaning, and her “me time” are things she is used to doing throughout the week when he is at work. 

At the end of week one she was feeling frustrated.  By the end of week two she was happy to let him go golfing or fishing alone.  She realized that needing her alone time to get things done was OK because he needed his alone time also.  Surprisingly enough, he appreciated that she wanted to go with him fishing and golfing but looked at it as his time to relax. By the end of week three she had learned how to manage getting things done while he was out enjoying his time off and they spent a considerable amount of time doing things together.  Now, she’s not sure she wants him to go back to work. 

We all need alone time.  Whether it’s to sit and read a book or, like my friend, to get all your ”to-do’s” completed, alone time is important to keeping a balance in your life.  So, what about you… do you get enough alone time? 

Randy Pausch in his book The Last Lecture wrote that everyone should be asking themselves this question.  “Are you spending your time on the right things?”  We sometimes get wrapped up in things that seem important but if we took a step back we might realize that our time would be better spent doing something else.  As Mr. Pausch says in his book, “It doesn’t matter how well you polish the underside of the banister.”  I hope you focused on the right things today.

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.- Henry David Thoreau
With Thoreau’s words in mind Julie Cubino and Kevin Grosselfinger, owners of Harmony At Last, set about designing an application for the iPhone and iPod touch. The goal was to help people free themselves from being overworked, overburdened, and overtired and find energy, enthusiasm, and ease instead. We are excited to announce that this application finally launched!

The application has two main features.The first is inspiration and motivation in the areas of: productivity, time management, work/life balance, space organizing, success principles, and simplifying life. The second is the ability to define your personal “Simplify” goals and track progress along the way.

Simplify can be found on the Apple iTunes Store now for only 99¢. It’s in the lifestyle section. You’ll need either an iPhone or iPod touch to make use of the program. (Please note that the link found in this announcement requires that you have the itunes software installed on your computer.)

We’d like to extend special thanks to fellow WBON member, Michelle Hobbs, owner of Blue Sky Creative for the design of the amazing graphics used in this application.

It seems like I have a continuously streaming “to do” list.  One thing gets crossed off; four more get added.  It can be frustrating and deflating when you feel like so much has been done but your “to do” list is still a page long.  So, instead, try making an Accomplished List today.  Keep your “to do” list (I know the cross off can be quite gratifying), but write down each thing you complete on your Accomplished list.  I’d be willing to guess there will be more on your Accomplished List at the end of the day then there are mark offs on your “to do” list. 

“Are These Three Words Ruining Your Life?” Jonathan Mead, a contributor to the Zen Habits blog, asks that very question in a post earlier this week.  It is an insightful article; please take a few minutes to check it out!  http://zenhabits.net/2009/04/are-these-three-words-ruining-your-life/

Do you find that you get easily distracted when trying to complete a task?  You are not alone.  One main reason people tend to get off track when trying to complete a task is because they are treating it just as that… a task.  When we do not find importance or urgency in a task, we tend to get distracted with doing other, more interesting things, (like watching YouTube videos). Everyone has to do things we don’t find desirable or interesting.  Regardless of how we feel about certain projects we still need to find a way to be productive. 

The first step to productively using your time is to clarify what your goal is for the day, hour, or project.  If your goal is to complete a project, how many hours will you plan to work on it?  When you are deciding this, be realistic.  Will you lose interest after 2 hours?  If so, plan to take a break and do something different for a little while.  This could be a short walk, lunch, or working on a separate task. When you come back to the project, you will have more energy. 

Second, make a list.  Having a list of tasks to complete will keep you on track.  Go even further by splitting your list into urgent and important tasks.  Everything you need to get done will be important, but some will be urgent.  If you determine what those tasks are, you will be sure to get them done first.  Crossing completed tasks off your list will allow you to see your progress and help you feel like you are getting closer to completing your goal.  

It’s easy to get lost in the piles of “to do’s” we have for work, home, and family.  Keeping a running list can help you stay focused on what you are doing but also allow you to move right to the next thing after you have completed each task.

“Parents spend an average of 23 percent of their free time outside of work scheduling and coordinating their children’s and family’s schedules.”

Center’d, . Center’d Eases Back-to-School Stress for Parents and Helps Schools Take Advantage of the Internet with New Time-Saving Group Planning Tools. Internal Report 08/20/2008
Statistic by/from Harris Interactive Online Survey of 2010 US Adults, August 2008
http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters/clientnews/2008_centerd.pdf

What about you?  How much of your “free time” is consumed by planning or managing your children’s, spouses, friends, or boss’ extra curricular activities? I know people who would fit into the 23% stated in the article, but I also know people who could make a career out of taking care of others schedules.  These people spend so much time planning things for others they quite often have little time left for themselves. For those of you who have multiple schedules to keep track of, Centerd.com has created some great new tools to keep things organized.  Take a few minutes to read the article (link above) and check out their website.  It is likely to save you time and frustration.