Mind Organization for Moms · Mind Organization for Moms ... Getting Things Done ... write the Next...

By April Perry and The Power of Moms

Mind Organization for MomsLess stress, more joy in motherhood

Mind Organization for MomsLess stress, more joy in motherhood

By April Perry and The Power of Moms

www.powerofmoms.comBased on David Allen’s best-seller, Getting Things Done®

Design and layout by Persnickety Graphic Design • www.PersnicketyGraphics.com

Welcome to Mind Organization for Moms! I’m so glad you’re here, and together, we’re going to bring peace, order, and stress-free productivity to “the chaos that is your mind.”

I’m not an expert at everything, but I do know time management, and Getting Things Done® is the best system available to help you get your papers, projects, and tasks under control. I’m not going to go on and on about that—I’ll simply show you.

I know what you’re going through right now. I’m a mom, too, and for almost 10 years, I felt completely stressed out in my quest for balance. I considered myself to be extremely organized, but between scrambling eggs, removing grass stains, disciplining toddlers, and working haphazardly on too many projects, I don’t think I ever took a good, deep breath. My mind was spinning in fifteen directions at once, and I couldn’t ever slow down enough to enjoy my family (who I love beyond words).

But then I read and implemented the process from David Allen’s book Getting Things Done®, and the change that took place in my life was like magic. As I observed what was happening in my family, I knew I had to fig-ure out a way to put David Allen’s brilliance into a format that would work for the moms of the world.

After hundreds of hours of work, and with permission from The David Allen Company, I now present you with Mind Organization for Moms—the key to a relaxed, productive, joyful motherhood experience (yes, it is pos-sible).

This is how it’s going to work:

(1) Below, you’ll find a brief overview of the entire program, consisting of a simple diagram, an executive summary, and a few lists to get you started. These will provide you with the “big picture,” and then everything after that is detailed support to help you implement the program.

(2) Your job is to read through the program (digging deeper into the parts you’d like clarified—the additional information is marked with vertical blue lines) and then complete the tasks on the checklists. The online version has expandable sections to easily customize the amount of material you’ll be reading. We also have two PDFs for you to print, if you’d like. One PDF is short and sweet, and this one is lengthy, but complete. You choose the format that will work best for you.

I’ve done my best to make this Mind Organization process fun, simple, and life changing. Are you ready to begin?

© The Power of Moms, LLC 2010 4

DIAGRAM AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

We’re going to organize your mind into three sections: a few things will be on your brain pretty much daily, your Weekly Review items will be on your brain only once a week, and a few things will be off your brain, but safely tucked away. I’ve briefly explained each section below to give you the “big pic-ture.” Just read over it, and don’t worry--I’ll give you further explanation later. It’s amazing how clear and “with it” your mind will feel once you’ve gotten the system down!


Center Section of Diagram—Things You Keep On Your Brain: You’ll carry these with you and/or keep them handy throughout the day.

(1) Calendar—paper or digital, record what you have to do that day, or not at all (appointments, a time-sensitive phone call, social engagements...).

(2) Immediate Next Actions—one sheet of paper (or digital file) you keep with you at all times listing tasks you need to do within the week, organized by context:

• Things to do at home • Phone calls • Computer work • Errands • Things to discuss with spouse

(3) Your Email Inbox—kept totally empty, with emails filed into the following categories: • @Immediate Action • @Important Action • @Incubation • @Someday • @Waiting • Your Own Files—“Special Notes to Keep,” “Receipts,” “Kids’ stuff,” etc.

(4) Read/Review Basket—placed in a convenient spot to hold all your magazines, catalogs, grocery ads, PTA newsletters, and other items that do not have a specific deadline or action attached, but which you’d like to review (and possibly use) before you toss.

Left Section of Diagram—Things You Keep On Your Brain Only Once a Week: This is basically two things – your main inbox and a series of folders kept in a small file system (an accordion file or little file box) labeled “Weekly Review.”

(1) Main Inbox—a paper tray you keep right on your desk. Flyers, receipts, bills, and all the papers that you collect throughout the week will be placed here and then reviewed. You’ll also have a folder in your collection of Weekly Review folders labeled “Other Inboxes” where you list all the “landing spots” you need to check regularly (kids’ backpacks, Facebook account, etc.) and corral into your Main Inbox.


(2) Current Projects—a file folder containing three lists of multi-step tasks that you plan to accomplish soon:

• Current Projects for YOU • Current Projects for YOUR FAMILY • Current Projects for things BEYOND (paid work, volunteer jobs, etc.)

(3) Important (not Immediate) Next Actions—this folder contains five context-based lists of tasks you’d like to do within the next few weeks or months (or as soon as it’s convenient).

• Things to do at home • Phone calls • Computer work • Errands • Things to discuss with spouse

(4) Routines and Responsibilities—another folder that keeps track of all the regular things you do each week that don’t really need to go on a calendar. It contains one sheet of paper which has “Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly” across the top and “For YOU, for YOUR FAMILY, and BE-YOND” along the left side. Items on these lists might include daily exercise, weekly library trips, or monthly neighborhood meetings.

(5) Waiting—a folder containing a sheet of paper where you record things you are waiting for others to do before you can move forward on specific tasks (like if you’re waiting to hear back from several of your friends regarding who wants to participate in your Learning Circle).

(6) Goal Review—a fifth folder containing personal lists you want to review weekly: affirmations, hab-its, goals, etc. You wouldn’t write “Be a fun mom” on your calendar or task list, but you could put it in this folder with a list of your other goals.

Right Section—Things that are Off Your Brain: You’ll keep these items on or near your desk.

(1) Current Project Support Material—a set of 10-12 cubbies organized to hold folders, notes, and resources related to projects on your Current Projects List. Each project has its own file folder, and similar projects are grouped together. Here is a possible list of categories:


“For Me” Cubbies • Personal Education (notes from your reading, class registration forms) • Personal Journal or Blog Ideas (no more scribbled notes in random places) • Personal Health and Fitness (gym schedule, diet tracker) • Social Correspondence (letters and invitations that need a response) “For My Family” Cubbies • Finances/Bills • Family Systems (kids’ chore charts, list of family laws and consequences) • Home Management (estimates on repairs, list of trusted contractors) • Children’s School Projects (assignment sheets, printed resources) • Family Activities (coupons, fliers, ideas you’ve jotted down)

“Beyond” Cubbies • Church Volunteer Positions • Community Volunteer Positions • Employment

(2) Tickler File—a small file system containing twelve folders, labeled by month. This holds materials you’ll need on a specific date (invitations, documents for an upcoming trip, tickets to an upcoming event...), and the contents are referenced on your calendar (using a “T” with a circle around it).

(3) Filing Cabinet—holds all papers that are reference-only…things like paid bills, warranties, or re-sources you want to keep that do not need to be reviewed or utilized in the near future.

(4) Future Opportunities—a magazine holder containing two file folders--one titled “Incubation,” with a list inside of ideas you’re still considering (possible vacation, a new business idea) and one labeled “Someday,” with lists inside of things you DO want to accomplish when the time is right (learn to paint, learn Spanish, and go on a family humanitarian service trip).

That’s the whole system! It will take a little time to put all of this together, but once it’s built, you’ll only spend a few minutes per day and maybe a half-hour per week maintaining it. You’re well on your way to a more productive and less-stressful life!


STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS AND CHECKLIST

Here’s a very basic overview including David Allen’s Five-Step Process: Collect things that command our attention, Process what they mean and what to do about them, Organize the results, which we Review as options for what we choose to Do. Detailed instructions for each of these steps are offered later—this is your “big-picture” tracking sheet.

(1) Carve out some time to “build your system” and create a space that is yours.

(2) Print out the M.O.M. Diagram and Summary plus this checklist for reference.

(3) Collect or purchase the necessary office items (see next section).

(4) Identify all your “landing spots” on a list in a folder labeled “Other Inboxes.”

(5) Build your “machine” (specific instructions follow): • Things that are “On the Brain” • Things that are “On the Brain Only Once a Week” • Things that are “Off the Brain”

(6) COLLECT all papers, tasks, and ideas from your physical environment and from your mind into the Main Inbox on your desk (or in a laundry basket, if needed).

(7) PROCESS and ORGANIZE each item in the Main Inbox (from the top down) by asking the follow-ing questions:• Is an action required? If yes, move on. If not, you’ll either put it in the trash, the filing cabinet,

or the Incubation Folder.• Is there a deadline? If yes, take a moment to mark the appropriate date (and/or memory trig-

ger) on your calendar.• Is this a multi-step task or a single-step task? Multi-step tasks are placed on a Current Proj-

ects List (if they’re current) or a Someday List (if they’re not).• What is the Next Action? “What’s the very next visible, physical activity that can move this

project toward closure?” (You’ll write it down once you answer the next question.)• Shall I do this (right now), delegate it, or defer it? Complete all two-minute tasks immediate-

ly, or decide if this is a job for another person or another time. If YOU are going to do this later, write the Next Action on your Immediate or Important list…depending on urgency and context.


• Do I have or need any papers or materials to help me accomplish this task? If yes, file them into the appropriate place: your Current Project Support Materials Cubby, Tickler, Some-day Folder, Waiting Folder, or Read/Review Basket.

• When will I REVIEW this? Just think about this for a second—will you look at it when you check your calendar each day? When the “Tickler symbol” appears on your calendar? When?

• When will I DO this? Make sure you have a clear idea when this is going to happen and that it’s recorded or filed in the appropriate spot. Will it be this week? This month? While you’re on the computer? Being able to “see” the task getting done helps you know you can trust your system.

(8) Process and organize the items in your email inbox.

(9) Commit to checking your calendar and inboxes daily.

(10) Commit to and schedule a regular weekly review (use your Routines list).


ITEMS TO COLLECT AND/OR PURCHASE

You probably already have much of what you need to build your system, but here’s a complete list of everything you’ll want for a fully functioning home office. For photos and details, read the additional information below under “Checklist Item #3.”

• Calendar• Stack of plain paper • File folders (100 is a good start)• Automatic labeler (if you’d like, but you could also just write neatly on your file folders)• Basket for Read/Review materials• Inbox file tray• Two small file systems (stadium files, portable file boxes, or paper-holding trays—large enough to

hold between 6 and 12 folders each)• Set of cubbies (at least 10)• Filing cabinet and/or banker boxes• Magazine holder• Trash can/recycling bins• Desk supplies: pens, scissors, paper clips, stapler, tape, rubber bands, and Post-it notes


KEY POINTS TO A SUCCESSFUL WEEKLY REVIEW

This is what you’re committing to do each week—it’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it basically involves reviewing a series of focused lists.

(1) Fill up your Main Inbox. Make sure you’ve gathered every bit of information from your physical environment and from your head. This also includes looking over your calendar—past and future—to see if you need to follow up on or prepare for something important. Many couples find that it’s very helpful to do at least this part of their weekly review together. Sit down with your calendars, empty your heads of all ideas, problems, goals, etc., and then incorporate the essential items into your week’s plan.

(2) Review your Current Projects Folder. Are all of your Current Projects represented on these lists? Are there any that need to be moved to your Someday Folder?

(3) Identify Your Next Actions. Check off the things you HAVE done, and then identify the next Next Action that goes with each project you’d like to work on this week and add it to the appropriate list (immediate or important, within a specific context).

(4) Look at your Routines and Responsibilities Folder. It’s a great idea to review what regularly needs to be done and make any appropriate adjustments.

(5) Review Your Waiting List. Maybe you need to follow up with someone who has taken FOREVER to get back to you (that would go onto one of your Next Actions Lists).

(6) Review Your Goal Review/Personal Lists. This is a great opportunity to remind yourself what is important to you. It will only take a couple of minutes.

(7) Look through your email folders. This is a good time to file things that may not have been filed during the week and review all the “@” folders – especially the “important” and “immediate” ones – to make sure you’re up-to-date and that date-specific items have been written on your calendar.

(8) Look through your “off the brain” materials for new ideas. This is an opportunity for you to look at your Incubation folder and Someday Folder to see if the things you want to do this week will fit with the things you have to do.


GETTING YOUR MIND ORGANIZED

One of my favorite quotations is this: “The self is not something one finds, it is something one creates” -Thomas Szasz. Mind Organization for Moms is a tool that will help you to “create” yourself—your best self. Beneath all the papers, tasks, phone calls, and errands, is a woman with dreams, and I’m here to help you take care of those dreams and make them into your reality.

Being a mother is a wonderful opportunity, but it isn’t easy. I know that. The fact that you’re here, committed to organizing your life, shows that you care deeply about your family and want to get things in order so you can accomplish needful things while enjoying all life has to offer.

I have no doubt that this is the system you’ve been looking for, whether you’re running a business, working on lots of projects, or simply trying to live “in the moment.” Even though my days are full of the ups and downs inherent with raising four young children, I am a living example of David Allen’s “stress-free productivity.” It has quite literally changed my life, and I want you to know that the opportunity to get organized and finally BREATHE is absolutely available to you.

It does require discipline, work, and creativity, but I know you’re up to it, and I’ll be right by your side the entire time. Don’t feel any pressure to get all of this done at once. I’m going to show you how to do it all at once, but you can move at a pace that’s comfortable to you. If you’d like, you can process the most current items first and then work backwards as your schedule allows. This is your mind we’re organizing, and you are in charge. No stress—I’m just here to help. You’re going to love it.

Why This Matters to YouLike you, I’ve used a variety of organizational techniques throughout my life, but none of them decreased my stress because they allowed too many ideas to escape. I had dozens of lists, but no unified system to get the contents of those lists to actually happen. Who can do 3,000 things at once? Nobody.

A few years ago, I compiled all my lists into a spreadsheet and ended up with a very impressive mass of ideas. It DID feel good to write everything down, but do you know what happened? I never even wanted to OPEN the spreadsheet. It literally made me sick to see so many tasks in one spot.

My shoulders tensed, my stomach churned, and I would beat myself up for being so “behind” on life. How silly is that? I spent every day loving and raising children, and then I would tell myself how “unproductive” I was. Checking off my lists became the way I measured my success, but I had to learn that success comes through your relationships and with who you are becoming in the process of living your life deliberately. Sounds kind of profound, doesn’t it?


Once I learned the Getting Things Done® System, that “sick” feeling went away entirely. I have more on my plate now than ever, but not one ounce of stress related to those tasks (the stress comes in other forms!). Mothers today are stretched in so many different directions, and finding balance between work and family sometimes seems impossible. How is it possible to keep track of dozens of projects and activities without pulling your hair out? I am going to show you.

Within the Mind Organization for Moms program, we’re going to be talking a lot about what to do with papers and tasks, and some of you might be wondering what on earth those things have to do with enjoying your family. I’d like to briefly share my experience with this process and let you know why folders, lists, calendars, and file boxes are central to your sanity...because doesn’t it seem like a weekly spa treatment would do the trick?

In my “pre-Getting Things Done®” life, I never lived in the moment. Half of my brain would pay attention to my family and friends, and the other half would worry about checking my email, making my grocery list, and remembering to sign the field trip permission slips. I spent years of my life in unnecessary agony as I bounced from one checklist to the next--saying things like, “I’m trying really hard not to be stressed” (but even that stressed me out). No matter what I was doing, I always thought there was something else being left undone. Prioritizing tasks didn’t work because my children wouldn’t stay in their “assigned categories,” and even though I worked hard and fast to accomplish as much as I could, I did not enjoy my life.

I have one friend who runs several businesses, yet she tries to devote time each evening to her young children. “I feel sick the whole time I’m with them,” she told me. “There’s this pit in my stomach as I think about all the things I need to do, and it’s really hard for me to enjoy my family.” I could TOTALLY relate.

Once I read Getting Things Done®, however, all of that changed. This brilliant process outlined in the book captured all the “loose ends” that had been making me stressed and put them into a trusted system that could be easily maintained. I thought I was frustrated because of my family. I was dead wrong.

Once I learned how to control the flow of papers, projects, ideas, and communication, something very interesting started to happen in my home. I started to like the people who lived there. I mean REALLY like them.

I could play soccer in the backyard with my son without worrying about our toilet paper supply. I could sit and talk to my husband without stressing about an email I needed to send. I could actually listen to my children talk about their experiences at school without letting my mind wander to the conference call I needed to do in an hour or the birthday party gift I forgot to pick up. It was amazing.


Here’s what you can expect to happen in your life once you follow this plan to get organized:

Others will trust you more than ever before. Why? Because you’ll do what you say you’re going to do.

You’re going to feel relief. With all your worries carefully managed in a simple system, it will feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders.

You’re going to feel better about yourself. David Allen describes it this way: All your life, you’ve been making promises to yourself, but much of the time, those promises aren’t kept. This system is going to give you victory after victory, and even if no one else knows about it, YOU’LL know you’re a success.

Your family is going to be happier, stronger, more loved...you name it. They’re going to notice this change in you. They’ll see you laughing at their jokes, walking with a little spring in your step, controlling your temper, and creating new, fun ideas for them. You’re also going to have the ability to really “be there” for your family. I can’t think of a stronger way to say this, but the distracted, overwhelmed mother of the past is no longer. If for no other reason, follow this system for the ones you love.

These are the reasons why I have spent hundreds of hours putting this together. I want you to feel on top of the world. I want you to have an organized mind and a happy, relaxed home. It might seem impossible for a simple set of ideas to reshape the way you live your life, but you are about to experience that first-hand.

In a nutshell, this is what you’re going to have by the time you’re done: • Four simple things to keep “On the Brain,” • A Main Inbox and six folders you’ll review weekly so they’ll be “On the Brain Only Once a Week,”

and• Four innovative resources to keep many things safely organized but “Off the Brain.”


CHECKLIST WALK-THROUGH

Let’s Walk Through the Instructions Together, Shall We?

I’ve already provided you with a one-page list of step-by-step instructions incorporating the Five Stages of Mastering Workflow. Now I’ll take you through that checklist, providing plenty of photos and extra details, if you’d like to see them. It might be helpful if you keep your printed-out copy of the checklist by your side as you read these further explanations.

Checklist Item #1: Carve out some time to “build your system” and create a space that is yours.

Your life is unique. Perhaps you are juggling a million things and feeling totally overwhelmed. Maybe you have one baby who sleeps a lot or a couple of children in school, and you have good chunks of time to get things done. Maybe you’d need to get a part-time job, but you feel too frazzled. Whatever your situation, if organization is a priority, you’ve got to find a way to carve out some time and space to make it happen.

You make time for exercise, you make time for vacation…this is no different. Just promise you won’t feel guilty about taking care of yourself, okay? This is an investment in your life and your family.

If you need some ideas on how to find the time and space to “build your system,” read Conquering Time and Space.

Conquering Time and SpaceLet’s Talk About Time

The book, Getting Things Done®, suggests that you set aside two full days of uninterrupted time to get your life in order. If you can get that to happen, bless your heart, but if you’re like me and every other mom I know, the only uninterrupted time you get is when you’re in the shower (and sometimes not even then). So does that mean you have to give up? Not on your life. But you are going to have to be creative.

My recommendation is that you spend 30 - 40 minutes reading through this entire program, and then set aside some focused time to do it…as soon as possible.

It took me about a week to get things organized, but in order to make it happen, I had to give up a few things. I served take-out and cereal for dinner, enforced early bedtimes, didn’t watch any television, cleared my schedule of commitments, and enlisted the help of my husband with


extra household responsibilities. Was it the most fun week of my life? Not so much, but it left me feeling absolutely liberated, and since I started following the Getting Things Done® strategy, I’ve been able to maintain it with hardly any effort. No stress. High productivity. You want an organized life, don’t you?

Moms aren’t wimps, so I know if you say you’ll do this, you will. But you need to decide if organization is something you truly want, and then you need to commit yourself to success. It’s going to take some serious determination, but I will be your cheerleader the whole way through. I KNOW you can do this.

Now Let’s Talk About Space You’ve got to have a desk of some sort that is all your own--in a place where no one will spill their juice or assemble volcanoes on your stuff. If you have a home office, that’s great. If you have a desk in your kitchen, I envy you. If you have a tiny apartment and an even tinier budget, that’ll work! My first desk was a little cardboard table that I tucked into whichever spot was currently available. It was in my bedroom for six months, and then I moved it to a shared office.

Just pick a spot that is going to be yours, clear it off completely, and get ready to create your own haven.

Checklist Item #2: Print out the M.O.M. diagram, and summary, plus the step-by-step instructions/checklist for reference.

If you haven’t done so already, it really is helpful to print these pages and have them in hard copy. I would recommend you tape them up on the wall in front of you until this process becomes more natural (which it will).

Here’s the link again, if you need it: http://powerofmoms.com/files/pdfs/MOM%20Print-outs.pdf

Checklist Item #3: Collect or purchase the necessary office items listed at the beginning of the program.

The great thing about this system is that it can be tailored to meet your exact preferences. You don’t have to do things MY way, but I’ve found that most mothers simply want me to show them how I do it, and then, because they’re smart women, they can figure out what needs to change to meet their specific needs.


CalendarMany women choose to use their phones as their calendars. That is absolutely fine, but I like to use a paper calendar that enables me to see the entire month at a glance. A FranklinCovey Pocket-sized, Daily Planner is my very favorite, hands down.

Stack of plain office paperThis doesn’t have to be anything fancy—just buy a ream of paper, and don’t let anyone color on it or turn it into a fleet of paper airplanes.

File folders (100 is a good start)You can find some pretty cute file folders nowadays. Plain vanilla is all right, but if you want to add a little color or design, that’s part of the fun. Smead has a new “SuperTab” design that gives you more space to label your files. I love that.

Automatic labeler (if you’d like)If you’re not in love with your printing, invest in one of these to help you label each of your file folders. Your children can even help you type, print, and stick the labels to your folders. This becomes an activity they will beg to repeat—giving you an incentive to keep your files up-to-date!


Basket for Read/Review materialsYou need a basket that’s big enough to hold a few magazines, newspapers, flyers, pamphlets, etc, but small enough that it won’t overwhelm you every time you look at it. My small basket visually encourages me to keep up on my reading or toss those things that are no longer relevant.

Inbox file trayEvery office store has simple, inexpensive, plastic trays. Having one main inbox is going to considerably ease your stress. Why I didn’t think of that before, I have no idea.

Two small file systemsThese can be stadium files, portable file boxes, or paper-holding trays that are large enough to hold between 6 and 12 folders each. I use two more plastic trays that stack under my Main Inbox, but I’m seriously considering graduating to stadium files. My husband likes the portable file box because he moves back and forth between three offices. Pick which style works best for you.

Set of cubbies (at least 10)Cubbies come in all sorts of colors, styles, and materials. You can find really inexpensive cardboard ones, high-end “fancy” ones, or a mid-range version like mine (which I assembled myself…and I was quite excited when they actually turned out looking like the photo on the box).


Filing cabinet and/or banker boxesA two- or four-drawer metal filing cabinet is ideal, but if you can’t afford one right now, buy some cardboard banker boxes. They stack, they’re durable, and they’ll work MUCH better than those paper piles.

Magazine holderI love these little holders that can stand up on their own. You can easily move them around, and they don’t take up much desk space. If you want your desk to have an up-scale look, these are sold in all sorts of colors, textures, etc.

Trash can/recycling binsHaving a BIG trashcan near your desk is a very subtle reminder to trash as much as you possibly can. Every time I help a mom go through her stacks of paper, we always end up with tons of trash. You’re going to get in the habit of sending unwanted things to the trash quickly so they won’t clutter up your desk. It’s a great feeling.

Desk supplies Pens, scissors, paper clips, stapler, tape, rubber bands, and Post-it notes


Chances are that you HAVE all these items, but they’re scattered throughout the house. Buy your very own set (“Dollar” stores carry all of these things), and ask your family members to avoid the temptation to steal them away from you.

That wasn’t too bad, was it? Your desk supplies do not have to be expensive in order to be effective. With some careful shopping, you can have everything you need for less than it costs to go to dinner and a movie—and by becoming organized, your financial situation can’t help but improve. This is one of those things that is well worth your time and money.

Checklist Item #4: Identify all your “landing spots” (informal inboxes) on a list in a folder labeled “Other Inboxes,” or “Inboxes.”

Where do papers and information needing your attention “land”? The mailbox? Your email in box? The counter? A spot by the garage door? Your kids’ backpacks? On your phone? Your job right now is to take one of your file folders and label it “Other Inboxes,” and then include a list in there of all those locations. Set this file folder aside for now—we’ll need it for the next step. Once you get the idea as to why I’m asking you to do this, feel free to tailor it to meet your needs, but this is one way that will work.

Each day, as you’re tidying up the house and finishing up your work, you’re going to gather all incoming tasks, ideas, messages, papers, etc. from this list of inboxes and put those that don’t need your immediate attention into your Main Inbox. Items that DO need your immediate attention will be processed as you go (I’ve detailed it in the expanded section below). This Main Inbox is something you’ll be emptying and processing during your Weekly Review.

By having a list of all the places you need to regularly check, you’ll be confident that nothing is left undone. For further help creating this “Inbox” list and understanding how to process your inboxes, read, Identify All Your Inboxes.

Conquering Time and SpaceYour list of inboxes might include the following:• formal or main inbox on your desk• “snail” mailbox• email account(s)• cell phone voicemail• text messaging center• home phone voicemail


• twitter feed• facebook page• kitchen counter• collage of papers on a bulletin board or refrigerator• reminder notes stuffed in your purse• goals stuck to your bathroom mirror• post-it notes on your cabinets

Mothers have more inboxes than anyone because we’re constantly on the move, with people “throwing” things at us all day. While I’m sitting on the couch, my son hands me a weekly report to sign, three math sheets, and one graded reading test. Fast food companies attach flyers to my doorknob, my daughter tapes field trip information to the fridge, and my husband emails me interesting articles. By the end of the day, I can literally have more than 100 pieces of information screaming for attention.

This Getting Things Done® process (occasionally referred to as “GTD®” from this point forward) won’t stop the flow, but you will be able to channel it through specific, consolidated inboxes that you check regularly. Even though you have lots of inboxes (that you’re going to reduce in number as much as possible), you are only going to have one MAIN inbox—it’s like the mother of all the inboxes.

In order to keep my “landing spots”/informal inboxes to a minimum, my family now puts every single thing that they need me to see on the left side of the counter, in one nice, semi-neat pile. I keep my notes and papers there, too. At the end of the day, I briefly look through this pile and pull out any urgent or immediate tasks.

Urgent items are either handled right then (if they take two minutes or less), or they are scheduled on my calendar or Immediate Next Actions List. All the other items that can wait a week (or less) until my next Weekly Review are taken to the Main Inbox on my desk where they will safely wait for me to get to them. No more notes flying around, nothing is stuck to the fridge, and nothing falls through the cracks--everything goes in an authorized spot. You get to be in charge of this, and it will leave you feeling so happy.

Checklist Item #5: Build your “machine”• Things that are “On the Brain”• Things that are “On the Brain Only Once a Week”• Things that are “Off the Brain”

At this point, we’re going to go through each section of the diagram (center, left, then right), and I’ll show you how to create each part of this system in a way that will enable all of them to work together. Read Building the Machine for more on why we’re doing this.


Building the MachineEvery machine in the world has specific, separate components that work together to perform a particular function. This “Mind Organization for Moms Machine” is no different. Our machine’s function is to completely free your mind of stress, and though its parts are primarily lists and folders, they are powerful because they are totally separate from each other. I can’t overemphasize this point: as you build and work with this system, it’s essential that you respect the “hard edges” of each component and let them function the way they were meant to do so.

When I am training mothers to use this system, I’ll often ask questions like, “Where do you keep birthday party invitations, theater tickets, and school forms that need to be filled out?” Every single time, the answer has been, “In my pile.” I can absolutely relate because I had a pile of my own for years, but when you think about it, putting every paper into one single pile is not going to facilitate productivity.

If you took all the components of your computer and lumped them into a big pile, would you even be able to power up? Of course not. Piles bring nothing but paralysis. Mind Organization for Moms is going to help you create a system that you’ll trust...because it works. This is a tried and true method (thanks to our dear friend David Allen), and your happiness as a mother is worth the extra effort.

The good news is that you only have to build this once. After that, it requires a small amount of maintenance to keep it going, but that’s the fun part! Getting Things Done® teaches, “The key ingredients of relaxed control are (1) clearly defined outcomes (projects) and the next actions required to move them toward closure, and (2) reminders placed in a trusted system that is reviewed regularly” (p. 54).

By investing a few hours organizing, you will reap a lifetime of “relaxed control.” Isn’t that a dream come true? The learning curve might initially feel pretty steep, but if you stay with the program and let me walk you through each of the steps, you will be just fine.


YOUR M.O.M. MACHINE

Some of these “machine parts” are simply going to be placed on or near your workspace, and some parts are going to be created by simply labeling lists, folders, and cubbies. We’ll go through this together, starting with the center section of the diagram:

Things that are “On the Brain”

Most of your lists, papers, and materials will be kept at your workspace, but there are a few things you’ll carry with you and/or keep handy throughout the day.A. CalendarB. Immediate Next Actions ListC. Email FoldersD. Read/Review Basket

A. Calendar

Your calendar is where you record things you need to do on a specific day, or not at all. You don’t write things on your calendar that you hope to do—this is a concise, complete tool you can check each day to see if you have anything scheduled or pressing.

About Your CalendarWhen you say, “I have so much to do!” those tasks you’re referring to fall into two different categories: tasks that need to be done on a specific day and tasks that need to be done as soon as you can get to them. The calendar is where you record the things that need to be done on a specific day or not at ALL.

For example, if it’s your Mom’s birthday today, “Call Mom ” will be written on your calendar. If you were to sing “Happy Birthday” to her tomorrow, it wouldn’t work. If you have an appointment with the Pediatrician at 4:00 Friday, you can’t show up at 4:00 Monday and expect to get right in.

Before I write anything on my calendar, I say, “Does this HAVE to be done on this particular day?” If it could be done any day that week (or month), then it goes onto my Next Actions List. This might seem like a little thing, but what’s going to happen is (1) you’re going to start taking your calendar more seriously, and (2) you’re going to get better at prioritizing your daily tasks. Calendar-specific things come first, Next Actions come next.


The type of calendar you use is irrelevant. It can be on a phone, in a paper planner, or with another method that works for you. I use a FranklinCovey pocket-sized planner with a monthly and daily view. Here’s the month-at-a-glance:

This is my daily page:

I divide the tasks I need to do “today or not at all” into one of three categories:

• Quiet Time Tasks (for when no one is talking to me…if you don’t have quiet times right now, you’ve GOT to start. Check The Power of Moms for details.)

• Tasks to do With Children (little things I can do even when I’m in the midst of mothering, like quick phone calls, household tasks, or meal preparation), and

• Errands (When I load the children in the car to go to the library, the park, or the grocery store, I like to accomplish other quick errands at the same time. Grouping your “outside the house” tasks will make a huge difference in your routine).

Here are three guidelines that have been helpful to me:

1. Make sure you HAVE a calendar—remember, your memory cannot replace this anymore if you want to be stress-free and in a position to think big. Please don’t skip this step. The palest ink is stronger than the best memory.


2. Use a calendar that is portable—you’ll want to add commitments to available spots when you’re out and about (but if you absolutely must use a big wall calendar to coordinate your family’s schedules, then carry a little notebook or something with you to keep track of appointments or tasks you create when you’re away from home). There are tons of online options here, as well. Don’t be afraid to do some research to find “the right” calendar for you and your family.

3. Only write on your calendar those things that must be done on a specific day.

I messed this up for years. Would you like to see one of my task lists from 2001?

The way I used to plan created more stress than it relieved because I wrote down everything I WANTED to do each day instead of all the things I HAD to do each day. Notice all the arrows that postpone things to the next day? If one of my children got sick or needed help with homework all afternoon, I’d look at my calendar and think, “Oh, I don’t have time for this! I need to buy strawberries and work on my recipe book and clean out the closet and call the painter.” Did I have to do those things that day? Would the world have stopped if I put them off another day or two? Not at all. I had just set up these impossible expectations for myself by putting too much on my daily task list.

I don’t do that anymore. The only tasks that go on my daily calendar are those things that can’t be put off until tomorrow: phone calls that MUST be made, bills that absolutely need to be paid, or work deadlines that need to be met.

Sometimes there are interpersonal things that I’ve decided cannot wait one more second--like sitting down with my daughter who has been stressed out about a school project or talking with my son about a question he asked earlier. Remember--calendars aren’t just there to make you more effective at home and work management. They’re a resource to help you prioritize what is most important in your life. I’m sure your family is at the top of that list.


More Ideas for Calendared Items

We’re going to look briefly at three other types of things you could include on your calendar:

• Events you might want to attend• Triggers for activating projects, and• Decision catalysts

Events you might want to attend: “Things that must be done at specific times” naturally includes commitments devoted to specific time slots, like Parent/Teacher Conferences, your Learning Circle, dates with your children or spouse, sports practices, and birthday parties, but it also includes a few other things like events you might want to attend. What’s the harm of writing those on your calendar? Maybe the circus is in town or a friend has a jewelry party you’d like to visit. If you change your mind, that’s fine, but at least it’s there as an option so you won’t forget.

“Triggers for activating projects” (p.171): If, as you’re going through your pile of stuff, you realize that you would really like to start a journal for each child, but you want to think about it next month when your life is less hectic, then you go to your calendar, find a day you think will be fairly calm, and write, “Plan Journal Project for Children.” See? You just got that idea out of your mind and into a system you can trust. Next month, when you check your calendar on that assigned day, you’ll see your project trigger right there, and you can then spend a few minutes working on it, breaking it into smaller pieces, figuring out your next action, etc. Or, if your life STILL hasn’t slowed down, you can add that journal project to your Someday list and give yourself a break. This idea has taken loads of stress off my mind. It’s brilliant. I wish I had known about this years ago.

Decision Catalysts: Some of us are great at making decisions; others hem and haw over every little thing. Regardless of which category you fall into, there’s bound to be a big decision you need to make that requires some serious “think” time. Let’s say you’re trying to figure out whether to send your child to School A or School B. It’s too much to think about right now, but you’ve done all the necessary research and completed all the required paperwork, so now it’s just a matter of making the choice. Pick a day on your calendar when your decision will be made. You’ll see it as you review your calendar, and you’ll certainly think about it now and then when it comes to mind, but your calendar will provide you with a deadline for that decision--or simply the encouragement to keep thinking about it (if there really is no deadline). It’s another thing out of your brain.

Take some time right now to update your calendar with anything that has popped into your brain as you read the description above. You will love how the stress will begin to melt away.


B. Immediate Next Actions List This is one sheet of paper (or a digital file) you keep

with you at all times. It lists the tasks you need to do within the week, and they’re organized by context. The simplest way to create this is to get out a piece of paper that you will keep with your calendar, and write these five contexts on the left-hand side of the page (allowing space between each header where you will later record your tasks):

• Phone calls • Things to do at home • Computer work • Errands • Things to discuss with spouse

About Your Immediate Next Actions List Throughout this program, we’re going to spend some quality time discussing Next Actions, but for now, I’m going to give you a very brief overview. A Next Action is “the next physical, visible activity that would be required to move [a] situation toward closure” (p. 128). Your Immediate Next Actions List is a sheet of paper that you keep with your calendar (If you want to use your phone for this, that’s up to you, but I’m just going to describe the process as it would work on paper).

“Immediate” means that you need to do these things sometime in the next week or so. Nothing on this list is calendar-specific…or it would be written on your calendar. The reason this list is divided by context is so you can group like tasks together, and when you find yourself within a “context,” you’ll have a very specific list ready for you.

The Immediate Next Actions are often linked to your Current Projects (which will be “On the Brain Once a Week”). I’ll give you one example here. Let’s say one of your Current Projects is to paint a bathroom in your home this month. You have company coming to stay with you, and you want your bathroom to look beautiful.

You ask yourself, “What is the very next physical, visible activity that would be required to get that bathroom painted?” Then you think, “Well, I need to decide which paint color I want.” What “physical, visible activity” will help you make this color choice? How about if you go by the store and pick up some paint color samples? You then go to your Immediate Next Actions List and write “Pick up paint samples from home store” in your errands section.


Once you complete that task, you can either write the next related task on your list or wait until your Weekly Review, when you’ll be looking over your lists of projects. It all depends on how quickly you want/need to get your bathroom painted. See how easy that was? Each day, you’ll work from your calendar and Immediate Next Actions List to move your life forward beautifully.

C. Email Folders

Another thing you’ll keep “On the Brain” is Your Email Inbox. We’ll review how to process and organize your emails in Step 8, but all you have to do right now is create the following folders:

@Immediate Action @Important Action @Incubation @Someday @Waiting

About Your Email FoldersSpecific email folders will help you to know which emails require action, which ones can sit and wait for your attention, and which ones need to be checked occasionally to make sure you’ve received needed responses.

If you don’t know how to make online folders, check your email system’s “help” button, Google “How to Create Email Folders”, or ask a tech-savvy friend to assist you. Within Gmail (my favorite), you click on “Settings” in the top right-hand corner of the page, and then select “Labels/Create New Label.” It’s very simple.

Below is a list of the five folders you’ll be making first. The reason they are each preceded by an @ sign is because your folders are sorted alphabetically, and the @ sign takes the cake. Even if you add 50 more folders in the future as part of your own filing system, these five folders will remain at the top—easily accessible to you.

Here is a screenshot of my Gmail homepage.


As you can see, the inbox is absolutely empty. I keep it that way every day—shuttling incoming emails off to their appropriate spots as the day progresses.

On the left-hand side of the page, you can see my “@” folders.

The top two action folders will be checked regularly—at least every night before I go to bed. Now we’ll walk through some examples of the kinds of emails you’ll find within each label:

1. @ Immediate Action = Emails that need to be returned ASAP: Mom wants to know if you can come to dinner tomorrow night, a friend needs you to write up a quick letter of recommendation that’s due this week, and there’s a crisis at work that needs 30 minutes of your time.

2. @ Important Action = Emails that DO require action but have no deadline: You’ve been invited to donate money to a good cause you definitely want to support, your sister asked you to send her a copy of a photograph she likes, and your friend sent you an interesting article you want to read. You plan to follow through on all of these emails, but the timing isn’t critical, so you defer these until a later time (you’ll be reviewing these folders weekly, so don’t worry that you’ll forget about them).

3. @ Incubation = Emails that do NOT require action but contain information you want to hold for consideration. There’s a great local concert next month that you’re still thinking about, your best friend sent you information about a marathon coming up, and your father-in-law tells you about a book he really likes. You’re not ready to commit to any of these ideas quite yet, but who knows? Maybe you’ll need them in the future. They can incubate until then.

4. @ Someday = Emails that do NOT require action, but you’ve already decided you’d like to act on them at some future point. Your neighbor sends you a link for an online photography class that you know is meant for you (just not right now), you and a friend have email-discussed options for your dream vacation to Italy (which you’re already saving for), and you see that there’s a new program online for learning Italian. You’ve voted a big “yes” to all of these ideas, but you’re only human. No one can do everything they want to do, the moment they want to do it. Someday you’ll get to these ideas. Every good idea has its time.


5. @ Waiting = Emails that represent something or someone you are waiting for. You just received a receipt from eBay (and now you’re waiting for your product), you told your cousin that you’re available for a get-together next Friday (and now he’s checking his schedule), and you’ve just delegated some volunteer assignments to a friend (and you need to be sure you follow up).

You may well need more email folders to file reference-only emails. If you’ll notice in the screenshot above, I have “Mind Organization, Personal, and Travel” below my “@” folders. And actually, this is just one of my Gmail accounts. My primary account has about 40 folders. They make it super simple to locate anything I need. Some of my categories include “Forwards, From Children, Power of Moms Retreats, School Moms, and Updates from Friends.” Customize your folders to accurately reflect your life, and it will be FUN to keep your inbox empty.

D. Read/Review Basket

All you need to do at this point is take that basket you’ve designated for your Read/Review materials, and place it near your workspace so you can fill it as you get organized. Eventually, you’ll move this to a convenient location where you’ll do your “Reading and Reviewing.”

About the Read/Review BasketWhen your brain isn’t occupied with items on your calendar, your immediate Next Actions List, or your email inbox, you’ll have the option of going through your Read/Review basket. Mothers are constantly given things to look over--PTA newsletters, cute stories or interesting articles, magazines, insurance packets, etc.

None of these things have strict deadlines (because deadline-driven items are on your calendar), but you probably want to read the magazines you pay for and look over the letters your children’s teachers send home, right? If it takes more than two minutes to read, put it in your Read/Review Basket, and place that basket in a convenient spot.

I keep mine by the bathtub because my little boys take a bath each night, and I need to sit close by to supervise. Why not spend some of that time reading? If you’re on the go a lot (waiting for sports practices to finish, sitting in long lines at the school pick-up, etc.) you could always take some items from the basket with you. (And just a little warning here...sometimes it can be tempting to use every spare minute to catch up on your tasks, but if there’s a family member


nearby who would like some one-on-one time with you, don’t hesitate to put your child first. The Read/Review File can definitely wait.)

Although you won’t find strict deadlines in this basket, the things you read might spark new, creative ideas. For that purpose, keep a pencil and pad of paper with your Read/Review Basket where you can record those things you want to keep. This sheet of notes would then be placed into your Main Inbox at the end of the day, where you could easily process it into your organizational system.

It’s so nice to have all the Read/Review stuff in one place, where (1) you know you’ll actually read it, (2) it’s accompanied by a pencil and paper that can help you capture the best thoughts you have, and (3) you can implement it into a system you trust. Doesn’t that sound heavenly?

Things that are “On the Brain Only Once a Week”

Each week, you’re going to sit down at your workspace to clean out your Main Inbox and make your organization system “clean, clear, current, and complete.” I’ll explain the details later, but for now, you just need to know how to build it.

Here are the items that you’ll only have to review once a week (you can use the “Key Points to a Successful Weekly Review” that you printed out at the beginning to help you):

A. Main Inbox (and list of all “landing spots”)B. Current Projects C. Important Next ActionsD. Routines and ResponsibilitiesE. WaitingF. Goal Review


A. Main Inbox (and list of all “landing spots”)

Creating your Main Inbox simply means taking one of your plastic paper trays and putting it in an accessible, obvious spot near your workspace.

That was easy, right? And now, before we move on to creating our six folders (B through F, above), you’re going to want to prepare your Weekly Review file system to receive them. This can take any form you want, but I’m just going to spell out one possible way to do it.

Take one of your small file boxes/paper trays/stadium files and label it “Weekly Review.” This will be kept on, under, or near your workspace.

Once you have it ready, we’re going to start filling it up. Everything in this box will be kept safely for you to look at only once a week. The rest of the week, you’ll feel light as a feather.

The first folder you’ll put into this system is the one from the previous step, labeled “Inboxes.” Remember you put that one off to the side? Keep it at the front for easy review—this helps you to know that every “landing spot” is covered.


B. Current Projects

This is a file folder labeled “Current Projects,” and it contains three lists where you’ll record multi-step tasks. Put three pieces of paper in this folder and label them as follows:

• Current Projects for ME • Current Projects for MY FAMILY • Current Projects for things BEYOND (this means “beyond your family and home”…stuff like paid

work or volunteer jobs.

Then place this folder into your Weekly Review File.

More About Current Projects As you organize all your papers and tasks, you’re undoubtedly going to come across items that require more than one action step to complete—like the following:

get your son’s immunizations up-to-date and notify the schoolget that dent in the car fixed and bill the insuranceprint and frame your new family photosFrom this point forward, we will call these multi-step tasks, “projects.” If this is a project you are working on right now, then it’s called a Current Project. This file folder will also include ongoing current projects that you want to keep at the forefront of your mind —things like running a blog, putting out a monthly newsletter for a volunteer organization, de-junking the house a little bit every month, or spending a significant time marketing your photography business.


Again, here are the three lists within this folder:

(1) For Me(2) For My Family(3) Beyond

On each sheet of paper, you record a manageable list of Current Projects that fall under that category. Your Current Projects List does not contain project details or extra information (that will be in your Current Projects Support Materials that we’ll discuss in the “Off the Brain” section). It also does not contain projects you’d like to do someday but realistically won’t be working on in the next month or so. We’ll discuss a bunch of Current Project case studies later, so don’t worry if this still seems a little confusing.

These lists are simply there to review each week so (a) you will be able to update your Important and Immediate Next Actions Lists with the appropriate tasks to move your projects forward, (b) you won’t forget which plates you have spinning, (c) you will know if you’re in a position to take on more projects, and (d) you will know what you are not doing if you suddenly slip into Survival Mode. We’ve ALL been there.

Looking at your Current Project lists makes you feel in control of your life again, and that is a wonderful feeling. It’s also fun to look at your list and say, “Wow, I’ve been doing a lot! I thought I was slacking....” (Because seriously, ladies, one of our main problems is that we don’t give ourselves enough credit for what we are getting done each and every day.)

In one class I taught recently, a mom looked at this project management system and said, “Now I can see how I can actually move forward on the projects that matter to me.” Moments before, she’d told me that she felt “stuck” in her life. She couldn’t seem to get the motivation to do anything, and she said, “I must not be disciplined enough.” I knew her well enough to know that a lack of discipline was not her problem. She simply couldn’t wrap her mind around all her goals…but now she can!

One word of caution here: don’t put an unrealistic amount of projects on these lists. I know there might be seventy-two projects you’d like to call “Current,” but unless you don’t require sleep, you’re going to want to streamline your lists. It’s okay to put a bunch onto your “Someday” list. That doesn’t mean you’re going to forget about them. If necessary, put a trigger on your calendar three months out to remind you about the projects you put on hold. A short, sweet list of meaningful projects won’t leave you feeing paralyzed—it will leave you energized.


C. Important (Not Immediate) Next Actions

This folder also goes within your Weekly Review File, and it contains five context-based lists of tasks you’d like to do within the next few months (or as soon as it’s convenient). Label a folder “Important Next Actions,” and then put five pieces of paper in there with the following labels:

• At home • Phone calls • Computer work • Errands • Things to discuss with spouse

Having these as separate lists is important because you can simply grab the list you need when you need it, and it will give you space to cross off your tasks and add more as they come. Creating this folder and these lists is your first step.

More About Important Next ActionsWhat’s the difference between an Immediate Next Actions List and an Important Next Actions List? We’re going to practice this over and over a little later on, but the gist of it is that some next actions need to be done right away, and some just need to be done when it’s convenient.

As we’re going through your Main Inbox, we’ll discover a variety of Current Projects. Remember that one about painting the bathroom? In that case, the bathroom needed to be painted right away because guests were going to be arriving soon, so we added that paint-sample errand to the Immediate Next Actions List.

Let’s say we also have “Repaint the car” written on the “For My Family” Current Project List, but that can be done any time within the next few months. The first thing we ask ourselves is, “What is my next action?” If we decide our next action is to call our mechanic friend for a good


recommendation on an auto body shop, then we go to our Important Next Actions Folder and write “Call Mechanic Friend” on the Phone Calls page.

These “Important Next Actions” are resources for us whenever we are in one of the specific contexts represented on your five lists. If you’re sitting at your computer, you have a few more minutes to work, and you’ve already finished your computer-related Immediate Next Actions, then you whip out your computer-related Important Next Actions list for a few more tasks to complete. If you have time to run errands one day, but there aren’t any immediate errands on your list, then you go to your “important” list for ideas. Does that make sense?

You might go through months or YEARS where you never get past the immediate/urgent tasks, but that’s okay. You’re doing the best you can, everything that is important to you is recorded, and you will get to the most important things when it’s convenient. An empty-nest mother I know said, “The days are very long when you’re at my stage in life. Don’t try to do too much while you have your children at home.” I think those are wise, wise words, and I have hundreds of lists waiting for those long, less-frantic days that will inevitably come.

Overall, however, identifying Next Actions has been the single most stress-reducing activity for me. I always wondered why I wasn’t checking more off my lists, and it was because I hadn’t figured out EXACTLY what needed to be done next. The tasks always looked too overwhelming. When I first began reading Getting Things Done®, I had several pressing projects on my mind, and they were driving me crazy. I couldn’t sleep well, I kept procrastinating any work associated with the projects, and I simply wished they would go away.

Then I took the challenge to identify my three most pressing projects and identify the next, specific thing I needed to do to move each one forward. (Go ahead…take that challenge right now.) That was a true “light bulb” moment. Once I could break down my “elephants” into a few manageable bites, my workload seemed doable.

I started sleeping peacefully, I stopped procrastinating, and I actually began moving forward on even more projects. My life has now increased in purpose and meaning and decreased in stress and pressure.

Here’s a little tip for anything you put on your Important Next Actions List: write a corresponding trigger somewhere on your calendar. Here’s why:

When you get thick into “Mommy Mode,” even with an organized system like this, there will be weeks and months when you only look at your “On the Brain” stuff. We’ve been out of town for


three weeks, my children just started school, we had guests last night, my son has some stomach troubles (and needs a diaper change every hour), and I’m on my way out the door to run an errand. There is no way I’ll be attempting any of my “Important” Next Actions this week. I’m too overwhelmed with my immediate workload (so why am I writing Mind Organization for Moms? Because I LOVE you).

What YOU are going to love about Mind Organization for Moms is that the system takes care of you—even when your life feels out of control. Sometimes you don’t want an important opportunity to get away from you just because things got hectic. So on your calendar, one week before the deadline, you write, “How’s that Important Next Action doing?” This reminder is just sitting out there in case you need it.

Can you picture this working in your life? This process will EMPOWER you.

D. Routines and Responsibilities

Label another file folder as “Routines and Responsibilities,” which will also be kept in your Weekly Review File and referenced once each week. This folder only needs one sheet of paper inside to keep track of your regular, non-calendared tasks that you’d like to review each week (You can add more pages and customize this, if needed, but let’s start here).

Turn the paper horizontally, and, at the top, write “Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly.” Then along the left side, write/draw, “For ME, MY FAMILY, and BEYOND.”

More About Your Routines and Responsibilities ListLet’s talk for a minute about how this works. If you want to exercise and drink 8 glasses of water every day, then you write that down where “For Me” and “Daily” meet on the chart. Record your general work responsibilities, your housework routine, home maintenance schedule, family traditions--whatever you want to review but don’t need to write on your calendar.


Children’s sports practices, music lessons, or other day-specific things would not go on this list. They belong on your calendar. However, if YOU are teaching your children piano lessons, and if your schedule is flexible, you could write that on the “Weekly/For Your Family” section.

Moms do a lot of things, but most of our stuff doesn’t need to be on the calendar because it can be done whenever we’d like. I’d like to do my laundry every Tuesday, wash the car every Saturday, get my sons’ haircuts on the fourth Thursday of the month, and iron every Wednesday night while I watch a movie, but I have no idea which specific days are going to work out for me (and to be perfectly honest, I MAYBE iron twice a year). I’d be a stress-case if I put all of those things on my calendar because I guarantee I would be crossing them out, moving them around, and feeling like a failure every time I didn’t follow through.

A Routines and Responsibilities folder will let you write down everything you want to review once a week, and it will establish your general rhythm of productivity, but it won’t stress you out because nothing HAS to be done. You’ll get the essential things done because they’re glaring you in the face (“Mom! I don’t have any clean socks!”), but the optional items will be carefully organized on a list designed to serve YOU.

This one-page Routines and Responsibilities list is one way to do this, but feel free to use your creativity here.

If you have a lot of regular family traditions specific to months of the year, an extremely detailed home and car maintenance schedule you follow, or a family birthday list, you could create a few separate sheets to organize these. They would have the months across the top and activities, tasks, and names (respectively) spelled out below. You decide what makes the most sense for your life—the simpler the better. As a stress-free starter, I’d just make one simple list.

E. Waiting


Pick up another folder and label it “Waiting,” and then inside that folder, label one piece of paper with the same title. This folder goes in your Weekly Review File—you will record things here that you are waiting for others to do before you can move forward on specific tasks.

More About the Waiting FolderUntil I learned about GTD®, I didn’t know I even needed a Waiting Folder, but now I couldn’t live without it. It’s so simple and doesn’t take more than a minute to describe, but it will take another chunk of worries out of your head and into your trusted organizational system.

Basically, if there is a task or project that you cannot do because it is waiting for something else to happen or for somebody else to take action, you write it down on this list within this folder.

I think this is best explained by examples. Let’s say you order a great set of bookshelves, but they arrive to your home cracked beyond repair. You return them to the company, but you need to make sure you get your money back or receive a replacement set. Write it on your Waiting List.

Or...suppose you told your daughter you’d take her out to ice cream if she could memorize a series of quotations you printed out for her. You don’t want to forget that you made that promise, and you might need to remind her to work on her memorization, so you add that to your Waiting List, as well. You’ll check this list quickly each week, but you could also write a “trigger” on your calendar to remind you to follow up with these people.

You could also use this list to keep track of things you’ve loaned to people--like books, clothing, movies, etc. I never loan anything to others unless I’m okay if it’s never returned, but I still like to keep track of the things I value. I don’t use this Waiting List a ton, but I still love it because I never have to wonder if something is left undone. This is not something complicated, but it relieves your mind of excess information.

One little note I’ll make here is that sometimes the actual object or paper can be used as the reminder instead of writing it down on a list. If you’ve got a copy of a receipt for something that you’re waiting to be reimbursed for – put the receipt in the folder. If you and your children wrote out a little script for a puppet show that you’re going to perform at the local library, but you’re waiting for the librarian to tell you which days are available, put the script into your Waiting Folder. You don’t have to write “Puppet Show” on your Waiting List because you have the physical reminder there already. This system isn’t meant to keep you writing and rewriting useless information. If the paper itself is enough to trigger your memory, then use that. If you’d rather file it and keep the Waiting List full and complete, then do that. It’s your list.


F. Goal Review (Personal Lists)

This is the final folder you’ll place in your Weekly Review File. Label it “Goal Review,” and then put a few pieces of paper in there—labeled as desired. More About Your Goal Review Folder is in the supplemental materials, but in my Goal Review folder, I have these three lists:

• Who I Want to Be • Habits • Key Relationships

More About Your Goal Review FolderA Goal Review folder is necessary because all of us have goals and ideas that aren’t tangible projects or tasks, but that still need to be reviewed. Within this folder, you might also have a few checklists and/or creative reminders that you need in order to function at your highest capacity (what to keep in the diaper bag, marriage-strengthening tips, or positive thoughts to keep in your head—to name a few).

If you’re playing the Power of Moms Bloom Game, it’ll become a natural part of each week’s Weekly Review to refer to the items in your Goal Review Folder as you set your Bloom Goals for the week. And your Bloom Self-Assessment (that you do when you start the “game”) will help you realize some long and short-term goals you may want to write down and include in this folder.

If you don’t end up looking at the lists in your goals folder a lot, that’s okay. They don’t have deadlines, and they don’t need to bring pressure to your life, but used even sparingly, these lists will make you a happier woman. Here are descriptions of my lists:

A “Who I Want to Be” List--whenever I think of an attribute I want to develop, I add it to this list. I want to be reliable, punctual, fun, optimistic, etc. How am I going to make sure I become these things if I don’t have them written down in a reliable system? I mean, maybe I’ll just “become”


these things eventually, but because I have them on a list, I am more aware of how my actions today relate to what I want from myself in the future. Also, when I look at this as part of my Weekly Review, I may come up with specific actions I’d like to do that week to help support these attributes – then I’ll put them on my Next Actions list – or set them as a goal within the Bloom Game.

A Habits List--What are all the great habits you want to develop? Do you want to exercise daily, get enough sleep, speak without yelling, get dressed head to toe each morning by a certain time? Write it down on this habits list, and when you’re ready, set it as a goal in the Bloom Game. At The Power of Moms, we’ve created the Bloom Game specifically to make goal-setting easier for you. Lists within a Goal Review folder are great reminders, but Bloom takes it to the next level. You’ll definitely want to give it a try.

A Key Relationships List—This could be where you write down the names of all the people who are important to you. Then you could look over this list each week and ask yourself if you are nurturing the relationships that matter most. The Bloom Goals you set for that week can be based on this list. If you have one son who thinks you’re always on his case, you could set a goal to take him out to lunch one day and let him know how much you love him. Bloom works great with your Next Actions list. We’re doing everything we can to make it simple to become the mom you want to be.

There are tons of possibilities here, and you can use your creativity to make lists that will enhance your life and help you become your best self. If, as you’re organizing all your tasks, thoughts, dreams, and goals, you come across something that doesn’t quite fit in one of the “official” lists, then make your own. Keep them with your other planning materials so you can review them during your planning sessions, and then rest easy, knowing you are actually making progress in your development as a mother and a person.

(For more ideas, there’s a great website my friend started called List Planit that has pre-made lists all set for you! They’ll work really well throughout your system and around your home—I’m thoroughly impressed.)


Things That are “Off the Brain”

This is my favorite section because the following items are there when you need them but don’t take up valuable space in your head:

A. Current Project Support MaterialsB. Tickler FileC. Filing CabinetD. Future Opportunities (Incubation and Someday File

Folders)

You’ll want to keep these items right next to (or on) your workspace so they’re within easy reach. I’ll go through them one by one.

A. Current Project Support Materials

Organizing your support materials is a work in progress. Folders and categories may change as your life changes, so I’ll give you some very basic instructions to set this up.

First, you take the cubby system you purchased, assemble it if necessary, and put it in a handy spot on or near your workspace. Then you’ll want to create temporary labels for now—using sticky notes or something that can easily be replaced down the road. As you further identify your current projects and sort through your papers, you’ll tweak these categories to work for you. At that point, you can use your label maker or create more permanent-looking labels.

As a starter, I would recommend that you label your cubbies as illustrated by the bulleted list below. They’re sub-categories of “For Me,” “For My Family,” and “Beyond.” For examples of what would go in each suggested cubby, see the section below.

(1) Cubbies For Me • Personal Education • Personal Journal or Blog Ideas • Personal Health and Fitness • Social Correspondence

(2) Cubbies For My Family • Finances/Bills • Family Systems • Home Management


• Children’s Projects • Family Activities

(3) Cubbies Beyond • Church Volunteer Position • Community Volunteer Positions • Employment

More About Current Project Support Materials Whenever you’re working on an important project, you’re most likely going to need materials to support that project. Many of these things can be stored electronically, but often, there are physical materials that need a place to reside.

If you’re paying bills, you need your bill statements, a checkbook, and stamps. If you’re a Girl Scout leader, you need a Girl Scout Handbook, meeting agendas, and rosters. If you’re trying to lose weight, you need a place to write your goals, collect healthy eating tips, and map out your exercise program.

I mentioned before that you don’t want to keep project details or materials in your Current Projects Folder (can you imagine what a huge folder that would be?). So where do you keep these items? In a cubby system we’ll call Current Project Support Materials. Here’s a photo of mine (notice it doesn’t have to look “perfect” in order to help your mind feel organized?):

These materials don’t serve as reminders for you to move forward on your projects. You don’t have to think about these materials or worry about them. They’re there to support you and make your work easier. When you sit down at your workspace to spend 20 minutes planning out family traditions (because that was on your “At Home” Important Next Actions List, and you had time for it today), you go to the specified cubby, pull out the folder called “Family Traditions” and get right to work.


There’s no scrambling to find your materials or grumbling because you think you left an important paper somewhere in that family room pile. I recently read a report credited to Newsweek that said the average American spends 55 minutes a day looking for things she knows she owns. You can now spend all these extra minutes snuggling with your children or taking a nap! This system of project-organization will revolutionize the way you get things done in your home.

Let’s take a minute to discuss this cubby system in greater detail. Your cubbies mirror your Current Projects Folder in many ways, but we’re going to organize these a little bit differently. As you can see, your cubby has somewhere around 12 slots, but you could easily be juggling 30 or more Current Projects. Each sub-category (or cubby) can hold one or more folders.

For me, a big project like The Power of Moms, has several sub-projects. I have a cubby just for my Power of Moms materials (top-left), and about 15 project-support folders within that cubby—ranging from writing ideas to marketing brainstorms to notes on how to improve Mind Organization for Moms. Unless you’ve got things filed electronically or in systems of their own, each of your Current Projects will have its own folder within the cubby system of Current Project Support Materials, and we’ll group like projects together.

Here’s that list again:

(1) Cubbies For Me• Personal Education• Personal Journal or Blog Ideas• Personal Health and Fitness• Social Correspondence

(2) Cubbies For My Family• Finances/Bills• Family Systems• Home Management• Children’s Projects• Family Activities

(3) Cubbies Beyond• Church Volunteer Position• Community Volunteer Positions• Employment


Within your Family Systems cubby, you could have one folder called Family Traditions, another called Family Economy, and another called Family Work Schedules (how you’ve divided up home responsibilities). Within your Community Volunteer cubby, you could have one folder for classroom volunteering, one for the Girl Scout troop, and one for the political work you do. Within your Home Management Cubby could be folders titled Bills, Home Improvement Projects, and Home Decor. You’ll need to adjust these categories to fit your own projects—the main goal is that you can locate your support materials the second you need them.

Here’s an example of how my cubby system has helped me: One of my current projects is Family Health and Fitness. I have one page that outlines what I want--a healthy, happy, physically fit family that loves having fun doing active things together.

Then I have several folders containing things like healthy recipes and exercise tips. Each week or so when I am planning my Next Actions, I look at that project (written on my Current Projects For MY FAMILY list) and ask, “What can I do this week to move this project forward?” (Every single project doesn’t have to have a current related Next Action, but if you find that you’re consistently avoiding a particular project, it might be wise to move it onto your Someday List.)

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to replace everything that had “Enriched Flour” with items that are “Whole Grain.” I put on my Immediate Next Actions List to spend an afternoon clearing out the pantry, and then I scheduled an errand to run to the store to purchase replacements.

Before I started using this system, I would have stressed about that project forever and waited until there was absolutely nothing else demanding my time. But since the next actions were so specific and doable, I planned them into my day without even breaking a sweat...though I am trying to break a sweat more often to keep up with my fitness goals!

On a separate note, I’d like to mention that file folders don’t physically fit very well within a cubby system, so I trim the tab off each of my file folders and simply label them on the top right corner.

(Would someone out there please invent a cubby system that is wide enough for file folders…or let me know if one exists?) I could go to a large file box or use several stacking trays to store all my Current Project Support Materials, but I am a BIG fan of the cubby system. I like to be able to see all my folders, handbooks, and papers at a glance. Mentally, it is extremely comforting to know all my dreams are safely tucked away in a system that’s not “out of sight, out of mind.”


At the front of each folder, it’s a good idea to outline your vision for the entire project. There’s more about this in the book (the section about David Allen’s Natural Planning Model), if you’re interested, and we’ll review this as we go through the case studies. As long as you have a cubby system set up with categories that encompass all your Current Projects, you’re golden.

B. Tickler File

A Tickler File is basically a system that allows you to “mail” things to yourself. Just saying the word “Tickler” makes me laugh. Isn’t that a cute word? Your Tickler will reside in one of those small file systems you bought (just like your Weekly Review File), and you’ll want to keep it right next to your workspace…on top of or next to your cubbies would work.

All you need to do here is label 12 file folders with the months of the year, and then place these folders into your small file system—keeping the current month at the front.

More About the Tickler FileA Tickler File takes hard-copy things you need to see or remember--like party invitations, vacation pamphlets you need next June, flyers you need to keep for an upcoming event, or tickets to your favorite musical next month, and puts them into a reliable system that won’t leave you hanging. In GTD®, it’s called a “3-D calendar.” There are more intense/complicated ways to create a tickler, but I’m describing what works for me and what I think will work for 99% of the mothers in the world. Here’s an example of how it works:

If you have printable airline tickets for your trip next month, you make sure the flight is scheduled on your calendar, and then you put the tickets in the appropriate month’s folder, while adding a little note on your calendar to check your Tickler for the tickets (you could make a little “T” with a circle around it as a symbol to remind you when a calendared item has support materials in your Tickler).


If you’re meeting with your child’s teacher next week, and you have a list of six questions and a botched test to review with her, place those items in this month’s tickler—and add your “Tickler” symbol to that calendared event, as well.

This month, my tickler file only holds a wedding invitation and a birthday invitation. On my calendar, next to “Wedding at 3:45 p.m. on the 10th,” it has my little Tickler symbol (a “T” in a circle). Then when I need to know the Groom’s name or I want directions to the reception, I open this month’s Tickler, and there it is. It’s out of my mind, but I know it’s where I’m going to look for it, so the stress of “WHERE did I put that thing?” is totally gone.

By linking the Tickler to your calendar, you won’t let anything fall through the cracks. Since you’re going to be checking your calendar every single day, all you need to do is be absolutely sure that everything in your Tickler has been carefully noted on your calendar.

This is a brilliant system that gives you permission to stop hanging things all over your refrigerator. You’ve seen them, and I’ve seen them: refrigerator doors smothered with random papers that need some sort of attention.

What mother can focus on her family during mealtime when she has all these blaring reminders calling out for her attention? I can’t. Now we’ll put them in our Tickler Files.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy setting yours up. It will serve you well.

C. Filing Cabinet

Most people have some sort of a filing system in place, so I won’t spend a ton of time on this, but once you’ve set your filing cabinet (or banker boxes) and your plentiful stack of empty folders somewhere near your workspace, you’re ready to file.

I’ve also included some extra filing ideas in the complete version, specifically for those of you who have children in school and lots of art projects or school papers spilling out of boxes.


More About FilingFirst, I’ll list a few “rules” about filing, and then I’ll give you some ideas for creatively filing school papers, children’s projects, etc. Here are three rules:

(1) Only file things you don’t need to use right now. A filing cabinet is simply for reference. You don’t file away materials that belong with your Current Project Support Materials. You also don’t file things that belong in your “Waiting” folder. The papers you file in your filing cabinet have no current or future associated actions that you can foresee. You are merely keeping these papers for possible reference or for sentimental reasons—things like medical receipts, cards from your children, contracts, birth certificates, and warranties.

(2) File as you go. When you’re going through all the papers from your physical environment and all the tasks from your Mind Sweep, you will definitely have a pile that needs to be filed away…but there’s the secret. Don’t let it become a pile. Each time you pick up a piece of paper that requires no action but needs to be saved for reference, you’re going to put it in a file you’ve already got for the item in question or grab a new or existing file folder from your plentiful stack, label it (with your best handwriting or an electronic labeler), and file that paper away in your filing cabinet.

(3) If you make a “to file” pile, you will probably never file it—unless you make that a Current Project. I’ve got a whole stack of stuff that’s been there for years (because when does “filing” ever sound fun?). We’ve got to make this fast and easy so we can keep up with it. I have just now figured that out. If you DO find yourself with a huge “to file” pile, go to your “For ME” Current Project List, and write, “File the ‘To File’ Pile.” Then on your “At Home Important Next Actions List,” you can write the next step—something like “Spend 20 minutes filing the ‘To File’ Pile.” This is only a temporary solution in case you’re staring at huge stacks of papers. From this point forward, we’ll follow rule #2 together, okay?

(4) Use the trashcan liberally. In today’s world, there really aren’t that many things you really NEED to keep in files. Most utility bills can be tossed (shredding first for safety) as they are often available online and are seldom needed after being paid (plus you usually have a record of how much you’ve paid in your bank statements or check book registers). Many items you may have in your “to file” pile may be easily obtained again by printing them out off your computer or going to a website – so you may decide not to grant file-cabinet space to things that are easily replaceable. Just give a little extra thought to what you file and you may find that you need less file cabinet space than you might have imagined!

I’ve also included some extra filing ideas, specifically for those of you who have children in school and lots of art projects or school papers spilling out of boxes.


Extra Filing IdeasIf everything you did involving paperwork took place within your home office, you’d be in a nice, tidy spot. However, that’s not the case for most mothers. Here are some ideas that might help you organize your papers in a way that fits your lifestyle.

• File all papers relating to a big project in its own filing box. The Power of Moms is a huge project for me, so I won’t intermingle my business papers with my personal filing cabinet. Keeping these files separate also makes it easier to locate them.

• Give each child his or her own banker box to store school papers, large art projects, and memorabilia. We made the rule in our home that each child gets one box every five years. If a box starts to overflow, it’s time to take some pictures of the treasures and create extra space. I LOVE this rule. Some families find that they can photograph the vast majority of their child’s special stuff and keep it all neatly in a computer file. But many boxes of art and school projects per child can become overwhelming for you and for your child who’ll have to take it away with him or her one day!

• If you find that you work out of your car more often than not (while you’re shuttling children to sports practices or Girl Scout meetings), you could take a portable file box with you. My husband keeps his inbox, lists, Waiting folder, and a few other key folders in his portable file, which includes folders labeled, “To Home” and “To Work.” You’ll need to customize your system to match your lifestyle, so don’t be afraid to use your creativity here!

• Create a Filing Extension. I have a large, four-drawer filing cabinet in my office, but I can’t run upstairs to file things as I get them. One thing that has worked for me is to put a couple of filing trays inside my kitchen cupboard with one folder per child, a personal folder for myself, and a business folder. This organizes things that need to be filed into preliminary categories, and when it gets full, I take them upstairs to their more permanent spot.


I also keep a “Temporary Holding File” there—that’s to hold items that I need to keep for 30 days or so before I toss them.

For example, my daughter has a field trip next week, and she gave me her Field Trip Information Form. By the end of next week, I won’t need that anymore, but in case something pops up regarding their field trip between now and then, I need to have that form as a reference. This could also just go into the Tickler, but I like this extra folder for two reasons: (1) I keep this one in my kitchen, where it’s easily accessible, and (2) this folder holds papers that I most likely WON’T need, while the Tickler holds papers that most likely WILL be needed. This is just one of those extra little ideas that might help you out.

• Get a “Sneaky Sorter.” This is a place near your kitchen where you’ll store the papers and art projects that won’t possibly fit inside a cupboard, but may need to be filed. Set up a couple of large baskets for (1) things you’ll definitely keep and (2) things you’ll keep for a while but that you’ll sneak into the garbage if no one seems to care about them after a while. Sneaky, sneaky.


D. Future Opportunities: The Incubation Folder and the Someday Folder

This is a magazine holder containing two file folders--one titled, “Incubation,” with a list inside of ideas you’re still considering, and one labeled “Someday,” with lists inside of things you DO want to accomplish when the time is right. This is where you put your dreams (or possibilities) that don’t quite work into your life right now but that you don’t want to let go of. Isn’t it a great idea to have a special place to keep your dreams safe until you’re ready to pursue them?

The simplest way to make this is to label the two file folders as described above, and then put one piece of paper in each folder with the same titles. Then you’ll place this magazine holder on, near, or under your desk (or you could put them in a cubby if you have an extra one). Remember, everything you put in these folders does not have to go on the list. The document itself can be enough to jog your memory, but you still want a list in there because some ideas don’t have tangible reminders.

More About Future Opportunities (Incubation and Someday Folders)This is the very last component of the system. If it doesn’t seem simple yet, it will. Don’t worry.

One of the most beautiful aspects of Mind Organization for Moms (thanks to David Allen, of course) is that it enables you to track all the incredible things you want to do—and all the incredible things you might want to do.

These two final folders are totally “off the brain.” They do not have deadlines, and you can review them as you’d like—during your Weekly Review or once every five years.

They both help keep your lofty (and not-so-lofty) ambitions safe.


The main difference between the Incubation and Someday folders is that things you have “incubating” have not yet received a “yes” or “no,” while ideas you have in the “Someday” folder have a pretty firm “yes” stamp. I’ll give you some examples below.

(1) The Incubation Folder

One item in my Incubation Folder is a paper listing the names of each of my daughter’s Webkinz™ (remember how the paper itself can be the reminder?). She asked me a few weeks ago if I would please memorize all of them. I didn’t want to turn her down, but I wasn’t ready to accept such a challenge, so I put the list in my Incubation Folder of my Future Opportunities Magazine File box.

Looking at it now, I’m thinking this needs to go into my “Someday” folder or onto my “At Home” Next Actions list. I could also put this in my “Read/Review Basket.” I already know the hippo is Holli and the dragon is Norbert Puff. It’s cute that she wants me to understand her family of stuffed animals. That’s the beauty of the Incubation File—you don’t miss out on great opportunities…unless you CHOOSE to let them pass.

If you are a big coupon user, you probably already have a system for your coupons or special offers. I keep an envelope in the car with ones I want to use, but the Incubation File is different. It’s a great little holding tank for things you’re not sure you want to throw away, but that you aren’t ready to commit to using.

As you’re going through your papers, you’ll definitely come across something that you don’t know how to handle. It won’t have a deadline, so you won’t put it on your calendar. It doesn’t require an action, so you won’t make it into a task or a project, and it isn’t waiting for anything or anyone else to touch it. It’s simply up to you to decide if you want to keep it or toss it.

Where do you put it? Into your Incubation File. If you never look at it again, that’s okay. It wasn’t urgent. But if two months later, you see that you put a flyer for tap dancing lessons in there, and your daughter just asked you yesterday if she could take a dance class, then you can say, “Aha! Perfect.” See how that works? It’s so easy.

(2) The Someday Folder

Each time I surf the Internet, take a class, talk with friends, or flip through a magazine, I get ideas that I REALLY want to do someday. I used to get stressed out every time I got a new idea because it became “something else” I had to think about and “something else” I never


accomplished. I remember tensing up during several seminars and lectures--not wanting to hear any more ideas, but not willing to leave the room for fear I would miss something essential. How silly is that?

I love having a place to keep these ideas, but because I have SO many of them, it helps if I categorize them further. Here are a few categories in my personal Someday Folder. You might want to have one sheet of paper for each one of these bullet points—and then make new sheets as you need them. It’s okay to have tons of ideas in here as long as they’re labeled clearly for when you decide “Someday” is today!

For Me• Books to read• Classes to take• Personal goals to consider

For My Family• Vacations• Fun day trips• Things to buy• Fun crafts and recipes• Movies

Beyond• Businesses to start• Organizations to build• Community volunteer opportunities

You get the idea, right? You could clump everything together on one list, but I think this works much better. I find that items I incubate aren’t that important or as plentiful, so they don’t need sub-categories, but Someday items are CRITICAL. They are my dreams—my hopes that someday I’ll actually have time to do all those exciting things that simply aren’t more important than motherhood.

Because this list is simply a place for all your ideas, it’s fun to make it grow, and what’s even more fun is looking through the list month after month, year after year, and seeing how you’re actually DOING a lot of these things without even thinking about it. Just having the idea written down subconsciously inspires you to do it.


All right—we just walked through every component of this entire machine.

As you look at the diagram from the beginning of this document now it should make a lot more sense and seem much more doable. There will be plenty of case studies in the next sections so you can practice “working” the machine, but if anything is unclear at this point, please go back and reread those parts again. I want you to feel good about what we’ve discussed because now that the machine is built, we’re ready to start gathering your stuff and getting things organized.


BACK TO THE CHECKLIST

Checklist Item #6: Collect all papers, tasks, and ideas from your physical environment and from your mind into the Main Inbox on your desk.

Here is where we start the “Five Stages of Mastering Workflow” that we reviewed at the beginning (Collect, Process, Organize, Review, and Do).

Before you can organize your mind, you need to know what’s in it. This means you need to “corral your stuff” (flyers, receipts, bills, lists, etc.) and empty your mind (things you need to buy, ideas you forgot to record, people you need to call, etc.) into one location. If your mind were a toddler’s car seat, I would say, “Get every Cheerio and fruit snack out from under the lining.”

And where are we going to put all of this loveliness? We’re going to gather everything from your “landing spots” and put it into one Main Inbox on your desk.

Pulling Everything TogetherI can hear what you’re thinking: “There’s no WAY all of my stuff is going to fit into that little paper tray.” No problem. Just pile it up as close as you can. I helped a friend organize her life a while ago, and she had three big laundry baskets full of mail, file folders, coupons, etc. Doesn’t this look fun?

Actually it was quite fun! You’ve got to go into this with that kind of an attitude. Turn on fun music, put a big smile on your face, and say, “I am going to have some serious good times as I get organized.” Come on, let me hear you say it….

“I am going to have some serious good times as I get organized!”


Now don’t you feel more enthusiastic?

Here are a few ideas to think about in advance:

(1) We are NOT gathering office supplies, reference materials, decorations, or equipment—only papers, lists, and items involving tasks or important information.

(2) If you have some items that are too big to fit in your inbox (like 500 Christmas cards that need to be sorted for address collection), just write “Gather addresses from Christmas card box” on a sheet of paper and put that note into your inbox.

(3) If, while you are gathering stuff, you find a referral card for a doctor appointment that you totally forgot to make, don’t stop the collection process to make the appointment. Stick it in the inbox, and it will reappear soon enough. This pile won’t be around for long. No distractions.

So what exactly are we gathering? Every open loop. Everything you have to do, everything you want to keep up on, everything you need to remember. Everything. Some things are going to come from your physical environment, and some things are going to be emptied from your mind onto pieces of paper that will be added to your Main Inbox.

Let’s start with items from your physical environment. You’re going to go through the house and gather up all your piles of papers. Check kitchen counters, drawers, purses, diaper bags, children’s backpacks, electronic lists, and every stack you have hanging out around the house--even if you already know what’s in it. This includes advertisements, book orders, party invitations, soccer schedules, grocery lists, phone messages, and bills. Grab it all and put it in your inbox (unless it’s clearly trash…go ahead and throw it away as long as you can keep your pace).

Then we’ll move onto the part referred to as the “Mind Sweep.” This is where you’re going to completely empty your brain. What are the little things that are nagging you? They might not seem important, but they are taking up space in your mind and holding you back from the stress-relief you deserve. Clean out every “dusty corner” of your brain, and get those thoughts down on paper.

Does a doorway need to be repainted? Are you out of AA batteries? Would you like to set up a book club? Do you need to mail all those thank you cards from your anniversary party? Are you trying to lose weight? Is the pantry driving you nuts? Are your son’s shoes getting too tight for him? Write it down.


David suggests you put each idea onto its own sheet of paper so it’s easy to process. I think that’s a great idea. You’re going to end up with a really big pile of “mind sweepings,” but I promise you that once you’ve sufficiently filled your Main Inbox with all your open loops, you will sleep better, you will enjoy your family more, and you will feel like a million bucks. Don’t let fear stop you here.

Yes, the pile might make you sick to your stomach when you realize what a mental load you’ve been carrying around, but that’s why I’m here—to help you deal with this. You’ve got EVERYTHING to gain and absolutely nothing to lose. If you’re not happy with the results I help you create, just spread everything around your home again and bask in the chaos. I’m kidding. Failure is not an option here. You’ll love the results. I guarantee it.

If you’re having trouble emptying your brain, there’s a great “Trigger List” on p. 114-117 of Getting Things Done® that you can check out, but if you just want a few ideas to get you started, here you go:• Home improvement projects• Journal ideas (cute things the children said or did)• Things you promised your husband you would do• Things you promised your children you would do• Vacations to take• Neighbors to help• Books to read• Websites to visit• Errands to run• Volunteer Opportunities• Social Events• Weddings• Birthdays• Holiday Traditions • Family Educational Ideas• Presents to buy• Emails to send• Handwritten letters to write• Phone calls to make• Sports events to attend• Bills to pay• Bills to appeal• Insurance calls to make• Items to discuss with your husband


• Items to discuss with your children’s school teachers• Appliances to fix or purchase• Light bulbs to change• Classes to take (for you or your children)• Articles or books you want to write• Appointments to make• Character traits you want to develop• Business ideas • Recipes to try• Crafts• Decorating ideas• Friends to tell about The Power of Moms (had to throw that one in there)

This is your chance to get everything out of your mind, so don’t be afraid to dig deep. As new ideas come to you throughout this process, and throughout your life, just write them down and stick them in your inbox.

Do I Really Need to Do This?

As I’ve spoken to many mothers about this process, I’ve encountered several smart, “with it” women who say, “I don’t need to write everything down because I have a REALLY good memory.” And they’re right. They do. My sister is one of them. She can remember her third grade teacher’s birthday and every single doctor appointment without writing it down.

But what I told her, and what I’ll tell you, is that even if your memory is incredible, all these details are taking up space that could be used for moving your life forward in a purposeful way and enjoying it more. I’ll stop there because the results you’ll get from implementing this process will speak louder than anything else I could say.

Another benefit to this collection process is that you will clearly be able to see what you have on your plate. Then when you get a call from a friend asking you to do “just one little thing,” you can quite honestly tell her if you have the capacity to do it.

And as you see all the information you’ve been juggling, you’re going to realize that you are truly an amazing lady.

I disassembled my vacuum the other day because it was hardly picking up any dirt. The reason? It was clogged in five different places. I pulled out the gunk, changed the bag, and washed the


filters so I could start fresh the next time I used it. Now when my two-year-old runs inside after rolling in the sandbox, I’m confident that clean-up will be a snap.

Just like my vacuum, we are going to give your mind a fresh start with this process. If you’re anything close to normal, you’ve probably got a lot of stuff in your brain that needs to be cleaned out, and I’ll show you how to keep it organized so you can work at optimum capacity for the rest of your life.

All right, no more dilly-dallying. It’s time to get to work with this collection process. You CAN do this. You WILL love the results. I promise.

Checklist Item #7: Process and organize each item in the Main Inbox (from the top down) by asking the following questions:

If you’ve followed the instructions up to this point, you should have a fairly large (possibly huge) pile of papers waiting to be processed and a “machine” of file folders, lists, cubbies, and paper trays ready to organize that stack of papers. Your two goals in this section are to completely empty your Main Inbox and to learn this process by putting it into action.

This task may seem daunting – but it’ll actually go quite quickly. And you don’t have to do it all at once. Stick with me here and I’ll help you see how it can be very manageable.

More About the ProcessOn your list of step-by-step instructions that you printed at the beginning, there are eight possible questions to ask as you process each item in your pile. That sounds like an abnormally long list, but 99 percent of the time, you will only need to answer 1 or 2 questions, and the rest of the time, you’ll answer several questions in less than 20 seconds.

This is the part that is going to become automatic—though initially it might require a bit of patience. If you’ve ever learned a ballroom dance step, ridden a bicycle, or taken music lessons, you know what I’m talking about. If you’re willing to pay the price to learn the principles of GTD®, you will reap the benefits every day for the rest of your life.

The David Allen Company also wants to make this process easy for you. You can order their flow chart free of charge for a visual description of the entire process. Click here for the standard, simple version (my preference) and here for the full-color, detailed version (it’s pretty, but kind of complicated).


Ground Rules Here’s what you need to know about processing all those papers in your Main Inbox:• Begin with the item on the top of the pile and work your way down one by one, no matter

what. Do NOT scan the pile for things you WANT to process or that are EASY to process. Every single thing is going to be handled. One by one. In order.

• Absolutely nothing goes back into the inbox. It’s a one-way trip out of there (and don’t just pile it up somewhere else).

• Don’t let this overwhelm you. If you get 10 free minutes, process a few items. If you have some energy once the kids are in bed, tackle this hard. It doesn’t have to be done all it once, but it DOES need to be done. And you are the only one who can do this.

Okay, let’s begin! You pick up the very top piece of paper, and you start here (you’ve got a summary of these questions in the material you printed out at the beginning so once you get the hang of it, you can just use that simplified list of questions):

Question #1: Is an action required? If yes, move on. If not, you’ll either put it in the trash, the filing cabinet, or the Incubation Folder.

Action items usually fall into one of two categories: proactive or reactive. Proactive actions include things like goal setting, creating order, and moving forward with projects. Reactive actions include bill-paying, returning phone calls, responding to invitations, etc.

About Non-Action Items Many items in your Main Inbox will not require you to do anything about them, so you can place them in one of three places:A. The TrashB. Your Filing CabinetC. Your Incubation Folder

A. The Trash: Throw away as much as you can, but don’t feel compelled to throw everything away.

B. Your Filing Cabinet: This can include paper and digital files. If, as you’re processing your pile, you find a piece of paper that requires no action, but that you’d like to keep for one reason or another, you’re going to file it away immediately. This might mean adding the paper to an existing folder, labeling a new file folder, or scanning the document to file it electronically on your computer.


C. Your Incubation Folder: Here’s a quick review of what the Incubation Folder is and how it works:• It is described as a Future Opportunity, listed in the “Off the Brain” section.• The Incubation Folder can be found inside a magazine file box, coupled with your Someday

Folder. • Incubated items have zero deadlines associated with them,• They might “graduate” to the Someday Folder or to an action list if you eventually decide to do

something about them, and• They can be brought to your attention during your Weekly Reviews or by writing triggers on

your calendar to remind you to think about them.

Let’s go through three examples:

(1) House for Sale: You find a flyer for a house you think is beautiful and you’ve thought about moving to that neighborhood, but you’re not really house shopping yet. Stick the flyer into your Incubation Folder. If you think you might like to check back in a month to see if your situation has changed and if the house is still available, write a little trigger on your calendar one month from now that says, “Check home listing in Incubation Folder.” Easy?

(2) Receipts: You probably have your own system for filing tax receipts, receipts for major purchases, etc. in your filing cabinet, but what do you do with random receipts that you most likely won’t need but don’t want to throw away? Incubate them. I keep a little envelope in my Incubation Folder, and I’ll stick receipts from basic purchases in there for a month or so. Then as I add new ones to the front of the envelope, I remove old ones from the back.

(3) Interesting Ideas: I heard about a family project called “Seven Days of Nothing,” where you and your family live for seven days as though you were in a third-world country, and then you donate the money you save to orphans in need. Initially, I wasn’t sure if my family could do that without a whole lot of whining, so I wrote “Seven Days of Nothing” in my Incubation Folder. After reviewing it occasionally over the following two months, I decided that I really DO want to try this with my children, so now it’s written inside my “Someday Folder” as a possible family activity.

Remember—incubated items have not yet received a “Yes” or “No” action, and no decision is required. This folder will become a wonderful asset to you.

That’s it. The three places where Non-Action Items can be organized into your “machine.” Non-Action items are fairly simple to process, don’t you think? Now let’s move on to the “Action” Items with Question #2.


Question #2: Is there a deadline? If yes, take a moment to mark the appropriate date (or memory trigger) on your calendar.

Calendar Case StudiesFor this case study, we’re going to look at a few situations where you’ll mark a deadline on your calendar.

A. Event fliers: You get these every week, I’m sure. Let’s say the top piece of paper in your Main Inbox is a flyer for Family Fun Night at the local library. All you have to do is show up. You think you’d probably like to go so you write the date on your calendar—record any extra information you might need (using the Tickler, if necessary, to store the flyer), and then you move on with your life.

B. Project deadlines: You just started up a new home business, and one related project that you wrote down on a piece of paper as part of your “mind sweep” is to start up/design a related blog before the end of the season. This doesn’t have a “hard and fast” deadline, but you want to move forward with this soon, so you set a realistic deadline, note it on your calendar, and then add in a trigger two weeks before that deadline to remind you to get going on the blog--if you haven’t already.

C. Sport or class schedules: Your son wants to play t-ball and keeps asking about it, so you’ve put it on a paper as part of your “mind sweep.” You’ve heard the first practice is August 29th, but the sign-up needs to happen by August 11th. You record both dates on your calendar, and you know you’ll remember to get this set up for your son because you’ll be checking your calendar every day.

This is common sense, right? You’re just using your calendar the way calendars were meant to be used, and then you get rid of as many papers as possible so your attention can be focused on what really matters.

Question #3: Is this a multi-step task or a single-step task? Multi-step tasks are placed on a Current Project List (if they’re current) or a Someday List (if they’re not).

Task ExampleOne of the most frequently asked questions I receive is, “How do you handle multi-step tasks?” Single-step tasks aren’t that big of a deal. You stick them on your Immediate or Important Next Actions List, within the right context (or you leave them in your Someday folder, if you’re not going to worry about them for awhile).


Multi-step tasks are a little trickier, but once you get in the habit of using this system, they won’t cause you the angst you’re currently experiencing. If, as you’re emptying your inbox, you come across a piece of paper that reads, “Get windshield fixed,” you need to take a moment to figure out if that’s something you can do in one single errand. Do you know where to go? Do you need authorization from your car insurance company? Do you need a babysitter because it’s going to take three hours to sit and wait at the repair shop?

For most of us, fixing a windshield requires multiple steps, so we would go to our Current Project List—the one labeled “For My Family,” and we would write “Get windshield fixed.” Now that it’s on this list, we’ll be reviewing it each week, so we don’t have to feel annoyed every time we get in our car and see the big slash through the glass. The project is “is the works.”

After writing it down as a project, we think about the very next action that would need to happen to move the project forward. The Next Action might be something like, “Call the insurance for a list of approved repair shops.” We write that down on our Immediate or Important Next Actions phone call list, and then we toss the piece of paper reminding us of that task.

Here’s the part where everyone seems to get stuck. What do you do once you’ve called the insurance? Do you write the “next” Next Action on your list, or do you wait until your Weekly Review to identify the next step in completing this project? My answer is that you do whatever will work with your schedule.

If you’re in a hurry to get this task done, then go ahead and write the next step down on your Immediate Next Action list. If you have guests in town or a school play that week, and you have better things to think about than how your windshield looks, then just wait until your next Weekly Review. As long as your multi-step task is on your Current Project List, and as long as you’re committed to your Weekly Review, you don’t have to stress. Does that make sense?

Question #4: What is the Next Action? “What’s the very next visible, physical activity that can move this situation toward closure?” Sometimes it’s just a single-step like, “Call the elementary school to order the DVD of Kindergarten Graduation.” Sometimes your Next Action is part of the larger job of project planning.

Current Project Case StudiesThis really is the heart of the entire system. If you can learn to take a project, identify the Next Action, and then continue that process until your project is complete, you will feel like a new woman. This is where the stress starts to melt away.


I’ve found that most of my stress comes when I have a zillion things on my mind that need my attention, and then my children just seem like they’re “in the way.” I don’t feel that way anymore. I’m still crazy and frazzled sometimes (because that’s just life with children), but this ability to handle projects helps me to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I can enjoy my children along the way.

We’re going to walk through how to handle children’s school projects, event planning, signing up for extra-curricular activities, and belated gift giving. The principles we’re discussing in each of these cases will work equally well for projects within a paid job or a home business. I’m just focusing on the “mom” side of things here because there are TONS of business examples within the actual book, Getting Things Done®. Sound good?

(1) Children’s School Projects: Today is Monday, and your six-year-old son has to make a poster about Killer Whales. It’s due two weeks from Friday, and he gave you the assignment sheet because he doesn’t know where to start. You smile, give him a hug, and say, “We’re going to have a great time learning about Killer Whales! I’m so excited!” (Trust me, you’ll feel this way once you get this system working for you.)

For this first case study, I’m going to walk through each step of the Five-Step Process. We’re doing all five of these steps with every single action-oriented item in your inbox, but I don’t think you need me to spell it out every single time. That just makes this program REALLY long, and I’m trying to keep it brief. Okay, here we go:

a. Collect this task by putting that assignment sheet into your Main Inbox. You don’t have to do anything about it today because it’s not due for almost three weeks.

b. Process this during your Weekly Review. Is this single-step or multi-step? Definitely multi-step, so it’s going to be a Current Project. Does it have a deadline? Yes, so it’s a calendar-specific item you’ll record in the next step. Now you need to figure out your Next Action. What do you have to do FIRST? Do you have any poster board on hand? Do you need ink for your printer? Do you need to set aside 20 minutes to show your son how to collect information on Wikipedia? What is the very next, specific thing you need to do?

Let’s say you need to set aside 20 minutes to research online with your son. You can’t do or delegate it right now, so you defer it. Is it Immediate or Important? You pick Immediate because you know how slowly first graders accomplish projects, and you need to at least start early if you’re going to be finished in time for the deadline.


c. Organize this project by first going to your Current Projects Folder, taking out the paper that says “For My Family,” and writing “Killer Whale Project for (Son).” Then go to your calendar and record the due-date there, just so you’ll be sure to get it in on time. Next, you add “Review Killer Whales on Wikipedia for 20 Minutes with (Son)” to your Immediate Next Actions list under the “Computer Work” context. Finally, you need a place to store this assignment.

You have a cubby called “Children’s Projects” within your Current Project Support Materials, so you go to that cubby, and you take out a folder you have labeled with your son’s name, and you file the Killer Whale assignment paper in that file folder. You don’t have to reference that folder on your Immediate Next Actions List (where you recorded the research task) because you know your system well, and you know that whenever you need school project information, it’s in the “Children’s Projects” cubby.

d. Review this research task each morning when you read your Immediate Next Actions, and when you are at the computer (and your son is around). You’ll review the entire project during your Weekly Review when you are looking through all your Current Project Lists and future calendared dates. For this Killer Whale project, you will probably have completed the first “Next Action” by the time you sit down to do your Weekly Review. When do you put the next Next Action into your system? You could either record your second action immediately after you finish the first, or you could wait until your Weekly Review.

Let’s suppose that as soon as you and your child researched for 20 minutes and printed a variety of photos and facts, you decided that the Next Action would be to go to the store to buy poster board and glue. You would go right to your Immediate Next Actions List under the context “Errands,” and write, “Buy blue poster board and glue for Killer Whale project.” Then, when you do your Weekly Review, you look at that project on your Family Project List, and you think, “I already identified my Next Action for that…I don’t need to worry about that anymore.” This project has now been easily managed (do you know how many parents stress over things like this? I know I did).

e. Do this project when you are in the right context. When you’re doing shared tasks with your children, they obviously need to be with you. I have a “With Children” section of my daily calendar where I record things that can or need to be done when we’re all together (piano lessons, folding laundry, and working on school projects are three such tasks). When my children get home from school, we have a snack together, they hand me all their papers (which I sort and streamline into my Main Inbox), and then I look at my calendar to see if there are any child-friendly items “that must be done today or not at all.” Then I go to my Immediate Next Actions List and see if there are any tasks on there that we can do together. It is that


type of a context that allows me to say, “Hey buddy, let’s work on your Killer Whale project for a half hour, okay?”

(2) Planning Events: For this one, I’m just going to walk you through the basics. Let’s say you want to host an event for your business sales team or throw a baby shower for your sister. You can’t wake up one morning and simply have an incredible event. You need to handle these like you would any other project. Let’s talk more about the baby shower example.

This is a multi-step task, it does have a deadline (somewhere before the baby’s birth, right?), and the Next Action is to call your sister to set a date for the event, discuss her registry, find out what she’d like to do at the baby shower, and get a guest list from her. This isn’t a two-minute call, and you won’t delegate it, but you will defer it—anytime this week would be great.

You’re going to write “Sister’s Baby Shower” on your “For My Family” Current Project List, note your sister’s due date on your calendar, and go to your Immediate Next Actions List and write, “Call sister to discuss initial baby shower plans” under the Phone Call context. Finally, you know you’ll need a folder for this in your cubby, so you get out a new file folder (trim it to fit…sorry about that), label it “Baby Shower,” and stick it into your “Family Activities” cubby.

Once the event is scheduled, you’ll add that date to your calendar, along with any important related deadlines, and then it will feel like the baby shower is throwing itself!

(3) Signing Up for Extracurricular Activities…in this case, yours! You’ve been dreaming about finishing your degree, and there’s a class you’d love to take at a local university—the course catalog showed up in the mail today. How are you going to make this happen?

The catalog sits in your Main Inbox for a few days until you sit down for your Weekly Review. When you finally pull it out, you start going through the list of questions in your mind. This is a multi-step task, so it’ll go on your Current Projects List. It does have a deadline because registration closes the first day of school. What’s the Next Action? At first, you think it’s to get online to sign up for the course, but you’re not sure if someone can babysit your children while you attend. You decide that your Next Action is to call your mom to see if she can babysit her grandchildren on Tuesdays from 4 to 5:30.

You decide you can do that now because your mom will understand that you need to get off the phone in two minutes. You call your mom quickly, find out that the Thursday class would work better for her, and then you say “Thank you! You’re wonderful!” and get off the phone, promising to call your mom back as soon as you have time to talk.


You then add “College Course” to your “Current Projects – For Me” List. You’ll also note on your calendar when registration closes (and school starts). You already called your mom, so what’s next? Now you need to get online, set up a profile, and register for the class.

That will take awhile, and you have a whole month (these classes never fill up in your area), so you go to your Important Next Actions Folder, take out your “Computer Work” List, and add “Register for College Class.”

You know you’ll have a lot of paperwork for this class eventually, so you get out a new file folder, trim it, label it as “College Class 203” (or whatever), stick the course catalog in there, and put it into your Personal Education Cubby. If you think you’ll forget where that catalog is, make a little note on your task list to remind you.

Now you’re all set! During your Weekly Review, you’ll see this project, and you’ll work toward accomplishing it as soon as you can.

(4) Gift-Giving: You have a stack of 23 wedding invitations sitting on your desk, waiting for gifts or acknowledgement to be sent. This stack has been growing steadily for two years, and you have become “numb” to it. You don’t even know where to start, but you can’t throw these away. You LOVE these people! Where do you start?

Let’s go through our standard questions. This is a multi-step task, so it goes on a Current Projects List (Beyond). There is no deadline at this point. It’s either late or later…won’t make a difference. What is your Next Action? You might want to give the same gift to several people to make this easier. Where will you need to be in order to make this decision? Out at the store? Online? Sitting in your kitchen thinking? You decide the Next Action is to search online for a gift that’s easily shipped.

Is this Immediate or Important? We’ll say it’s Important. You’ve got a hectic week, and if no one has started crying because you didn’t send him or her a present, they’ll be able to last a few more weeks. You can’t do it right now because it takes more than two minutes, and you can’t delegate it, so you defer it—write it on your Important Next Actions List under the computer context.

You’ll also start a new folder titled “Wedding/Birthday Gifts” within your cubby system—inside the “Social/Correspondence” cubby. All 23 of the wedding announcements or party invitations will go into this folder. If they don’t fit, you can set them on a shelf or somewhere nearby, but be sure to reference it on your Current Project List.


See how this just became manageable? There’s no reason to procrastinate these types of tasks anymore.

Question #5: Shall I do this, delegate it, or defer it? This is where you will complete all two-minute tasks immediately or decide that this is a job for another person or another time. If YOU are going to do this later, write the Next Action on your Immediate or Important list…depending on urgency and context. If someone else is going to be doing this, you record the task of delegating onto one of your Next Actions lists, and then add a note to your Waiting list once it’s been delegated.

Do/Delegate/DeferI love these three options of doing, delegating, or deferring. They give us options. I know tons of mothers who think they have to “do” everything right away before they forget. I’ve been there. I see laundry in the dryer, so I take it out and try to put it away immediately, but on my way to the bedroom, I see a letter that needs to be mailed right away. I set the laundry down, mail the letter, and then notice that the porch is a MESS and must be swept before anyone sees it. I start sweeping the porch but then see a note my friend left under the doormat, so I drop the broom and run in to call her, but by the phone is a can of play dough that doesn’t have a lid, so I run to find the lid before it dries out. Sound familiar? Now I think of the three Ds and explore my options.

a. Do it. Remember the two-minute rule? If the task will take two minutes or less, do it right now. (Be strict with that rule. Four- or five-minute tasks don’t fit here…just the two-minute tasks.) How much time have you spent writing and re-writing tasks on your list that only take two minutes to do? Don’t do that to yourself anymore. Even if it’s not critical, get it off your plate. Now, if it’s after 9 p.m., and one of your “two-minute tasks” is to make a phone call, that’s clearly not going to work. Just add it to your Immediate or Important Next Actions Phone Call List.

b. Delegate it. If you are not the best person to get this specific thing done, then give the assignment to someone else. My bathrooms need serious help right now, but I have three very capable children who do a great job. I’m going to delegate this task this afternoon. If you can delegate the task in two minutes, do it. If you need to write up a long email or make a phone call, add this to one of your Next Actions lists—depending on if it’s “immediate” or “important.” Once you DO delegate something, you might want to add it to your Waiting List. That way, you’ll be sure to check up on it within a week.

c. Defer it. If the task cannot be done in two minutes, you need to organize when and how to do it...using your Next Actions Lists, Current Projects Lists, etc.


Question #6: Will I need any papers or materials to help me accomplish this task? If yes, file them into the appropriate place: most likely your Current Project Support Materials Cubby or Tickler.

About Support MaterialsThis is one of the best benefits of your Mind Organization—support materials will be kept safely, in predictable places. A bunch of action items from your inbox will be stowed in your Read/Review Basket, Waiting Folder, or Someday Folder, but most of those are not related to your current tasks or calendar items.

If one of your action items is to donate supplies to the homeless shelter, and if you have a list of items they’ve specifically requested, you need a place to put that list so it’s available when you need it. You have a cubby called “Community Volunteer Positions,” so you put that list of items for the shelter in that cubby. If it’s just one piece of paper, you don’t need a folder for it (unless you like to have everything in folders). Just be sure to note, by your task, where that list is located.

Asking yourself this question about support materials will also help you appropriately stock your Tickler. Whenever you write something on your calendar, think about that event for a second, and see if there are any papers, coupons, cards, etc. that need to go with you to that event.

I was helping a friend organize her office, and she found a card for her brother that her friend asked her to deliver. It contained a substantial amount of money that this person was donating to her brother’s cause. She said, “What do I do with this? I need to take it to my brother when I go to see him next Tuesday.”

She could have put it out in the car, set it on her kitchen counter, or put it in an “Out” box, but those places don’t guarantee her brother will actually get the card. Instead, we put it in that month’s Tickler file, and then made a note on her calendar to check the Tickler before she went to visit her brother. As an extra reminder, we also created an alert on her phone the night before to pack this card for her trip. You can make this as simple or as complicated as you’d like. My preference is to put in as many “fail safes” as possible, so nothing can slip through the cracks.

Question #7: When will I review this? Just think about this for a second—what will help you remember this? Will you look at it when you check your calendar each day? When the “Tickler symbol” appears on your calendar? When you do your Weekly Review? This is a great visualization exercise that helps you to see your success.


Question #8: When will I do this? Make sure you have a clear idea when this is going to happen. Will it be this week—because it’s on this week’s calendar or your Immediate Next Actions List? This month—because you’ve set up a trigger on your calendar or because you know you’ll see the task during your Weekly Review? Someday—because it’s in the “Someday” Folder? Will you be at home, running errands, or on the computer? Being able to “see” the task getting done will help your mind know that you can trust your system.

Along with being able to see yourself accomplishing the task is knowing HOW you will decide what to do in each moment. The GTD® system has something called “The Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment.”

We all have discretionary time every day – time while the baby naps, time when the kids are in bed, time when everyone’s playing nicely, time while we’re waiting for a child at a piano lesson. As moms, we sometimes know when these bits of time will be available – but sometimes we have no control over when these snippets of time will pop up. One of the most wonderful things about your new system is that you’ll always have context-based lists of useful and necessary things handy and you can use those lists to fill all your discretionary time with things you truly want and need to do rather than just doing what may come to mind in the moment or wasting time and feeling frustrated with yourself later.

Now remember, you’re a mom and balancing the needs of a family while simultaneously moving forward on your tasks and goals is a SKILL. Don’t feel bad if you’re not always as productive as you would like to be. You’re going to get very good at moving your tasks forward in a way that works for you and your family, but everything starts with baby steps. You, of all people, know that. The material in the following expandable section will help you hone this skill.

The Four-Criteria Model for Choosing Actions in the Moment

The ideas presented here are very basic, but they will help you use your free moments wisely. As mothers, we often have short bursts of discretionary time throughout the day, but there’s seldom enough time to delve into a huge project before someone screams, “My elbow is bleeding!” Then, by the end of the day, when the house is totally quiet, all you want to do is flop in front of the TV or read some blogs and try to forget how chaotic your life is. This model will give you a new way to look at how you accomplish your tasks. It involves getting in the habit of considering these questions:

(1) Context - Where ARE you, and what can you do while you’re there? Are you at the computer, working in the kitchen, running errands? Then work on the tasks that absolutely need to be done in that context. If something is baking in the oven while the children are playing happily, you’ve got some “at home” time to use. Maybe you want to use that time to play with your children or call a friend. Maybe


you have a drawer you could clean out. You look at your “At Home” Action Lists, and there are tons of pre-planned ideas waiting for you – just pick something that sounds appealing and do it.

I hire a mother’s helper occasionally to play with my children while I work up in my office. As I’m writing this section, for example, I hear them having a dance party downstairs while I am typing. I’m not going to spend this office time making phone calls because I can do those while I fold laundry later this afternoon. Instead, I work on the projects that need my complete focus and can best be done in my office. So I’m sticking with the things on my “At the Computer” list and powering through all that I can for the next hour.

(2) Time - Do tasks that fit within the time you have available. This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s not always as intuitive as it looks. If you have to do a school pickup in 12 minutes, don’t start a task that will take 20 minutes. It’s just going to leave you feeling angry. When you realize you have some time to get something done, look at your Next Actions list for a task that fits within your realistic time frame. If all the “context” tasks will take too long, then look around for something else that you can check off your list. My friend Saren keeps a list of routine 10- and 20- minute tasks close at hand so she can say, “I’ve got 10 minutes, and that’s all it takes for me to do a quick-clean on a bathroom. I’ll go tackle one right now.”

The key is to put this list together in advance because otherwise you’ll end up checking Facebook for the 10th time that day or flipping on the television or filling your life with other fluff that won’t leave you feeling satisfied when you reflect on what you’ve accomplished. It IS all right (and recommended) to have “fun” 10-minute tasks on your list or in your head like, “Tickle my children,” “Read a chapter aloud with the kids,” or “Sing songs around the piano.” I want you to have the resources to take advantage of windows of time, but I also want you to be present with your family and enjoy the time you get to spend together. This, like everything else, requires balance.

(3) Energy Available - Some days, especially when you’ve been up three times in the night, you aren’t going to have a ton of energy. You’re not a loser. You’re just tired. On those days, do whatever tasks match the energy you have to give them. Give yourself a manicure, visit websites you’ve been hearing about, or put aside most of your tasks and let your kids pick what they want you to do with them – just go with the flow for a little while.

Typically, I find that my energy peaks at 8 am (right after breakfast) and 7 pm (when my toddler goes to bed), so I plan my high-energy jobs for those time slots. When I’m feeling drained in the afternoon, I put my feet up and look through my Read/Review materials. I love this idea because it enables me to work with the natural energy rhythms of motherhood.


I used to say, “The next thing on my task list is to organize the deep freezer, so I guess I better do it, even though I’m exhausted. I don’t like my life.” Why did I do that to myself? When I made that task list the day before, I had no idea how I’d be feeling when it finally came time to follow through with my plans. Now your plans will let YOU take the lead.

(4) Priority - I think this one is my favorite because it encourages me to do what matters most. If you have 30 minutes before you go to the library, there are dozens of things you can do with that time. How do you choose? You identify what is most important. For me, generally, family-focused needs come first (I’m not perfect at this, but I’m trying). However, on some days, I need to prioritize my own needs.

As long as I’m taking care of myself and not trying to draw water from an empty well, I look to my husband and children to see if there’s something I can do to strengthen our relationships. It feels great.

There are also times, though, when you need to spend that time on something you simply can’t (or shouldn’t) procrastinate. This piece of advice alone has helped me shed the self-applied label of “procrastinator.” If there’s an uncomfortable phone call that needs to be made or a valuable opportunity that’s about to pass, I do it as soon as I get the chance. It’s tempting to spend our time on things that are easy and within our comfort zones, but choosing what we do is not about taking the easy way out. It’s about doing what needs to be done.

There are also several little tricks you can implement into your system to help you keep your priorities for the day in mind. Sometimes you don’t need to write things down on a list…you can simply incorporate reminders into your life. Whenever my mom needs to take ice cream (or something refrigerated) with her to a gathering, she puts her car keys in the freezer—hers don’t have the remote-access battery, though. Watch out for that. You can remember to exercise by dressing in exercise clothes first thing in the morning. You can place music you want to learn on the piano, keep a stack of books you want to read by the bathtub, or hang reminder lists in strategic places.

All these lists and resources are there to serve you; you are not a servant to them. Other than your date-specific tasks, your schedule is now your own. Resources to “make your dreams come true” are at your fingertips, but YOU are truly the master of your fate. There’s zero pressure to get any of this done.

Are you feeling good about that part? Are you comfortable with the fact that your lists don’t own you? Are you willing to USE your lists to help you move toward your goals?

If the answers to those questions are all “Yes,” then let’s move on.


Checklist Item #8 (We’re done with the “Questions” now…on to the “Checklist”): Process and organize the items in your Email Inbox.

Does your email inbox resemble a never-ending list littered with stars and arrows, eliciting gasps of, “Did I ever get back to that person?” I’m going to show you how to keep your inbox empty AND functional. It’s fabulous. You most likely have hundreds of emails that you’re keeping around for one reason or another, but when you have a few quiet minutes to work on the computer, you don’t know where to start. You quite likely feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information that’s staring you in the face. Here are two secrets that will make handling emails a pleasure (once you’ve got your email box all cleaned out…we’ll do that together in a minute).

First, if you can respond to an email and archive (or delete) it in less than two minutes, do it. Two-minute emails are not worth the time it takes to file them, review them, worry about them, etc. This is the same two-minute rule that’s related to paperwork, phone calls, and deskwork.

Second, keep your inbox absolutely empty, and work from your “Action” lists each day.

If you’ve already built your system, you’re going to have the following folders sitting on the left-hand side of your email inbox:• @Immediate Action• @Important Action• @Incubation• @Someday• @Waiting• Your Own Files—“Special Notes to Keep,” “Receipts,” etc.

Your job is to process all the emails in your email inbox the exact same way you processed the papers in your physical, Main Inbox on your desk. You’re going to start from the top, place each email in the appropriate folder (or trash bin) and organize any related tasks. Then you work from your Immediate Action list first.

I’ve got a few tips and ideas spelled out in the long version, if you’re interested. If you do the majority of your correspondence over email, this will make a huge difference in your life.


Organizing EmailsIf I were to sit down with you at your computer, this is what we would do:

(A) We’d create the five “@” folders and then work down from the top of your inbox (you may have already created these folders as part of “building your machine”).

(B) We would most likely find a few emails that needed to be replied to right away...those would go into your @Immediate Action folder, and you would promise to check it that night before you went to bed.

(C) We would come across hundreds of emails from the same sender—whether it’s your favorite shoe store, a political action committee, or a relative who sends a few “Forwards” each day. Those can either be deleted in one fell swoop (if your email provider allows that) or sorted into their own folder on the left. This is a good time to unsubscribe from some lists (but keep your Power of Moms emails coming, okay?).

With Gmail, I can even set up a filter (under Settings) that sends every single email from my favorite clothing store directly to its folder—totally skipping my inbox. The more you can automate this sorting, the better. Tons of my emails skip my inbox and file themselves, and then when I’m looking for a coupon to buy that jacket I saw in the store window, I go to that email file folder and find the most recent ad. Learn to use your filters. You will thank yourself time and time again.

(D) Once we file the essential emails into your @Immediate Action, @Action, and @Waiting folders, and once we delete or file hundreds of ads, notifications, etc., we’re going to be left with a bunch of other emails that belong in @Someday, @Incubation, or one of your personalized folders. Do you have to go through all 25,000 emails before your mind can be organized? Only if you want to.

My suggestion is to take every other remaining email from your inbox and put them into a folder labeled “To Sort.” That way, they’re out of sight, but they’re available if you ever need them (chances are you probably never will). Most email systems have a search function, anyway, so you don’t need to worry about losing them (Just FYI, Gmail’s search function seems to be by far the best).

That was pretty simple, wasn’t it? Doing this initial sorting does take some effort, but once you’ve created your folders and filters and emptied your inbox, your ongoing job, in relation to emails, includes the following:


(1) Keep your inbox empty.

(2) Check your @Immediate Action and @Action as often as your workload requires (Because I run a website, I check mine several times each day).

(3) Review all your key email folders during your Weekly Review to see if there’s anything specific you’re waiting for, needing to act upon, etc.

Now sometimes, your email work will extend out onto your physical lists or calendar. Right now, I have thirty emails in my @Immediate Action folder that can only be managed while I’m at my desk with my calendar, lists, and support materials.

Some of them contain calendar dates, and some require calendar “triggers.” A few emails need me to print and physically mail documents or receipts. Some necessitate a phone call. Some need to be discussed with my husband. As I sort these, I record all necessary actions on my lists, and then I delete or file the email for reference when the task is complete.

Doesn’t an empty inbox sound heavenly? You’re well on your way.

Checklist Item #9: Commit to checking your calendar and inboxes daily.

Are you interested in getting organized, or are you committed to it?

I’m not sure who the author is, but I love this quotation: “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.”

The GTD® process works, but only if you work with it. You don’t have to complete every task on every list, you don’t have to have a perfectly clean office, and you don’t have to move forward on all your hopes and dreams right this minute, but you DO have to regularly check your calendar and inboxes. Why? Because the minute you stop checking, your brain will subconsciously try to “regain control” of the situation, and you will find yourself overwhelmed, grumpy, frazzled, and frustrated again.

Each morning (or the night before), you’ll want to check your calendar to see if you have anything scheduled. As the day progresses, you’ll look at your Immediate Next Actions List when you find yourself in one of those five contexts (making phone calls, working around the house, working at the computer, running errands, or discussing things with your spouse). If you’ve completed all those


Immediate Next Actions, remember you’ve got your other lists of Important Next Actions, if you’d like to tackle a few more tasks.

Throughout the day, you’ll also have information channeled to you through your designated inboxes. You’ll check your voicemail, your email, your kitchen counter, your mailbox, and any other places listed in the “Inbox” folder in your Weekly Review File Box. Some of these items will be processed as they come in. Items that can wait a few days are put into the Main Inbox on your desk, and they’ll wait there until your Weekly Review. If you’d like to see how I handle a typical stack of papers when my children get out of school, I’ve put an example together for you:

How I Handle a Typical Pile of PapersOne afternoon, I decided to photograph my paper-sorting process, and I just knew you would be excited to see it! Once my three school children empty their backpacks, the kitchen counter looks like this:

The first thing I do is photograph the items that are too bulky to keep…in this case, the spider.


Next, I put any art projects my children really want to keep into my “Sneaky Sorter.” This one below was really special to my daughter, so I put it in the bottom basket…meaning I will most likely transfer it to her “5-10 Years Old” banker box.

Third on the list is the graded paperwork. I look over each test and worksheet to be sure my children understand their lessons, I talk to my children about some of it, and then I ask them if any of these are important (usually they say no…except one child who wants to keep EVERYTHING). All of these items went into the trash that day. Sometimes they go into the top basket of the “Sneaky Sorter,” and I quietly slip them into the trash later. I can’t save every single worksheet. Sorry, children!

The next item is regarding photo opportunities for the upcoming Daddy-Daughter Dance. This will be referenced on my calendar and put into my Tickler File for the month of the dance.


I put the above flier and the remaining papers into a pile that will go into my main inbox as soon as I get upstairs.

Everything in this pile will go into Read/Review, Incubation, Someday, Tickler, or onto my calendar, and it will take about three minutes to get them all processed and put away. Investing 5-10 minutes each afternoon processing my papers has literally eliminated my paper-stress. When my children walk in the door, I give them hugs and a snack, and then I ask them to empty out their backpacks for me. Simple. Happy. Brilliant.

Checklist Item #10: Commit to a regular Weekly Review.

I was originally going to call this final commitment, “Keep Up with this System so You Will Never Again Feel Sick to Your Stomach When You Think About All the Things You Aren’t Doing,” but that’s kind of a long title. Nevertheless, that really is the key to all of this. The reason you feel stressed is because of everything you aren’t doing--not because of what you actually are doing. Think about your most recent stressful day. Was it stressful because of the places you went and the pace you kept? (Maybe.) Or was it mostly stressful because you had 500 things on your mind that you never accomplished? (Probably.)

Do I Have to Review Every Week?Being organized doesn’t mean that you have to spend the rest of your life buried in your planner or accessing information on your phone. The basic rule here is that you need to review your system as often as your workload requires. If you are balancing a huge load of emails, phone calls, responsibilities, and relationships, you’ll probably want to develop a tight bond with your calendar and lists to a thorough Weekly Review.


When I have a lot going on, I’ll sometimes do a “Weekly Review” three times a week—just to clear out my inbox, get a handle on my projects, and update all my Next Actions. Spending 20 minutes on a review like this has the power to help me stop feeling grumpy…try it next time you start snapping at everyone around you.

If your life is pretty relaxed right now, with nothing much on the calendar, then you can check your system as you please – but I really recommend spending at least 15 minutes or so every week looking things over, re-assessing where you are on things and setting goals for the week. It really works best if your Weekly Review is calendared and protected – and if it ends up being shorter sometimes, longer other times, that’s OK.

Bear in mind that in a world where you are called “Mom,” your work is process-oriented, not product-oriented. You don’t have third-quarter reviews or investors to impress, so you can decide what kind of a review system works with the pace of your family. If, on your normal review night, your 15-year-old wants to talk about a boy she likes at school, by all means, TALK! Your review can wait until tomorrow. But don’t put it off too long!

Even though this Weekly Review can be flexible, you’ll probably want to choose a regular time to do it (You would place this on a list in your Routines and Responsibilities folder, right?). Many people love to do this on Sunday afternoons or evenings. Monday evenings work best for me because the children are in bed, I’ve just had a day to “catch up” from the weekend, and I’m in a good frame of mind to plan out my next week.

You’ll use the printed “Weekly Review” list from the first part of this program to help guide your Weekly Reviews until it all becomes second nature. Following are some further points to help you make your Weekly Review effective.

What are the Key Points to a Successful Weekly Review?(1) Fill up your Main Inbox. Look at your list of inboxes (you keep that list in your Weekly Review File Box) and make sure you’ve gathered every bit of information from your physical environment and from your head. Look at your calendar from the past few days, check your calendar for what’s coming up, and make sure that everything you need to address has been gathered to this one spot.

(2) Review your Current Projects Folder. Your Current Project Lists were made for exactly this type of thing. They are simply a reference to make sure you’re aware of your most current obligations or goals. Are all of your Current Projects represented on these lists? Are there


any that need to be moved to your Someday Folder? When these lists start getting long, I take some time to whittle them down to the bare essentials. Don’t stress yourself out here. You are incredible, but you’re still human.

(3) Identify Your Next Actions. Check off the things you HAVE done, and then identify the Next Action that goes with each calendar item or project you’d like to work on this week. You don’t have to have a Next Action determined for each project. If your lists are getting cluttered, wait until next week to identify all the Next Actions you could do. Assign these Next Actions to your “Immediate” or “Important” lists, and make absolutely sure that each next action is specific enough that you won’t be tempted to procrastinate.

As you looked at your calendar in Step 1, you may have noticed some big events that require Next Actions. You may need to get a babysitter so you can make it to that dentist appointment or add an item to your grocery list so you’ll have what you need for the dessert you promised to bring to a baby shower. You want to be confident that your Next Actions lists are current and complete.

(4) Look at your Routines and Responsibilities Folder. These are not calendared items, and most likely you’re keeping up with your routines automatically, but it won’t hurt to review what needs to be done. Reviewing this list will jog your memory, and you might end up adding some important items to your calendar or Next Actions Lists.

(5) Review Your Waiting List. I only check mine once a month or so because I’m typically not waiting for that many urgent things. Your life might be different, but it never hurts to at least glance at each list—maybe you need to follow up with someone who has taken FOREVER to get back to you (that would go onto one of your Next Actions Lists).

(6) Review Your Goal Review/Personal Lists. This is a great opportunity to remind yourself what is important to you. It will only take a couple of minutes.

(7) Look through your email folders. This is a good time to review all the “@” folders you made and make sure you’re up-to-date.

(8) Look through your “off the brain” materials for new ideas. This one is really fun. If your week isn’t all that overwhelming, open up your Someday and Incubation Folders or explore your cubbies and brainstorm new ways to make your projects sing. This is an opportunity for you to see if the things you want to do this week will fit with the things you have to do. You might move a project from the Someday Folder to the Current Projects Folder. Who knows?


One of my favorite pieces of advice from David Allen is, “Be Creative and Courageous.” Take a moment to dream BIG and write those crazy, impossible ideas somewhere on your lists. You could just stash them into the “Someday” Folder, or you could get really risky and put one or two on your Current Projects List. One of MY creative, courageous ideas is to meet with David Allen in person and publish a book called Getting Things Done for Moms. Wouldn’t that be fun?

There you go! Eight little steps, that if done regularly, will keep you organized, productive, stress-free, and happy for as long as you choose to be that way. Your life gives you enough to worry about without adding paperwork and tasks into the mix. This small investment to become clean, clear, current, and complete is more than worth the time it requires.


FURTHER IDEAS

Now that you’ve gone through all ten steps of this process, I’d like to introduce you to two more quick ideas that will strengthen your love for GTD®--the Deep Thinking Review and Planning Projects Within Your Family (using the Natural Planning Model).

Deep Thinking ReviewOccasionally you’re going to want to do some sort of “Deep Thinking Review.” Maybe this is something scheduled yearly on your Routines and Responsibilities List, or maybe it’s just something you do when it feels right, but every so often, you want to look at the “bigger picture” of your life. David Allen describes it as “The Six-Level Model for Reviewing Your Work” (p. 51-53).

As you start to think deeply, you’re broadening your perspective. We could also call this a “Higher Thinking Review.” If you were in an airplane 50,000 feet above the earth, you would have a much broader view than if you were on the runway. Here is how various altitudes relate to the view of your life:

• 50,000 + feet = Life• 40,000 + feet = Three- to five-year vision• 30,000 + feet = One- to two-year goals• 20,000 + feet = Areas of Responsibility• 10,000 + feet = Current Projects• Runway = Current Actions

You’ll be asking yourself questions from “What am I doing today?” to “Why do I exist?” You could ask yourself, “What do I want to have accomplished by the time I’m 80?” or “In five years, do I still want to be doing things the way I’m doing them?” This critical thinking is going to shape your life from this point forward.

When my husband and I sit down together to make plans, we ask ourselves questions regarding educational goals, career goals, and family goals. These conversations are our “defining moments.” My friend and her husband do a “Five-Facet Review” each Sunday night, where they discuss the spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and mental aspects of each of their children’s lives. As we reason and discuss that which is most important, we grow.


The main thing that makes human beings different from other animals is our ability to reflect. No other creature can sit down and think about him or herself. This Deep Thinking Review is a chance for each of us to DO something with this ability—and thereby change our lives for the better.

Planning Projects Within Your FamilyMr. Allen has spent countless hours, I’m sure, outlining a very simple way to plan successful projects (see p. 56). He calls this the Natural Planning Model. I thought it would be helpful to walk you through the five steps he identified, in relation to one possible project – defining and scheduling family traditions (this is just an example--you can use this process in all of your projects, whether their home- or office-related).

• Defining purpose and principles• Outcome visioning• Brainstorming• Organizing• Identifying Next Actions

(1) Defining purpose and principles

Why do you want great family traditions? Do you want your children to feel more connected to the family, as a whole? Do you want your family life to be more fun? Are you looking to create meaning in your family interactions? Determining your purposes will help you to be perfectly clear on what you are doing. Does each child REALLY need a huge birthday party that takes two months to plan and costs $500? Are there traditions that are simple and meaningful and inexpensive that you’d like to add? What have you heard that others do and want to adopt? Everything you do needs to be in line with your purpose.

(2) Outcome visioning

Before you move forward on refining and creating your family traditions, take a few moments to envision how this will strengthen your family. You’re creating the blueprint for your success. Can you see the family gathered around the piano singing songs? Can you picture everyone wearing matching t-shirts or playing their favorite games every Sunday night? We spend so much time thinking about everything we’re NOT. How about spending some time creating what we want our families to BE?


(3) Brainstorming

Capture all your great ideas on a mind map (see p. 71 of the book for more details on this). Go for quantity—there are no rules here. It would be great to involve your whole family in this brainstorming session. Let your children tell you what sounds fun to THEM! Their ideas might be simpler, less expensive, and more meaningful than the ones you came up with.

(4) Organizing

Once you’ve sufficiently brainstormed, organize the ideas into

• Components—what needs to happen,• Priorities—which ones are most important and• Sequences—in what order? (p. 74)

(5) Identifying Next Actions

Having your ideas on paper is a GREAT start, but now you need “a physical activity that would begin to make it a reality.” (p.58). Perhaps your family has identified family traditions based on holidays and birthdays. You could look on your calendar to see which event is next, and then identify what needs to be done to make that event wonderful. If the 4th of July is next month, and you decided you want to participate in the local parade with decorated bicycles, your Next Action might be “Register for the Community Parade” or “Purchase Red, White, and Blue Streamers.”

As you’re planning your projects, you might want to keep this idea in mind: “A project is sufficiently planned for implementation when every next-action step has been decided on every front that can actually be moved on without some other component’s having to be completed first” (p.76). It might feel backwards--like writing the paper and then making the outline (see p.61), but when you base your decisions on this natural planning model, you are headed toward success from the start.


CONCLUSION

Let’s close by reviewing how this Mind Organization is going to change your life.

• This new system is going to allow others to trust you more than ever before. Why? Because you “receive, process, and organize in an airtight manner the exchanges and agreements” that others have with you. They know you’ll do what you say you’re going to do (p.225).

• You’re going to feel relief. That panicked feeling you get when you wake up in the morning and wonder, “Did I forget to __________?” will be gone. And what is one of the best benefits of this relief? You will be able to dance and sing and enjoy your life with your family without having it soured by your stress. That’s my FAVORITE part. It seems like every voice in the world is telling you that you need to move faster. You “need” to be plugged in at every moment to some feed, some stream, some broadcast. You know what? You don’t. Case in point: On Twitter, David Allen has almost 1.4 million followers (August of 2010), and guess how many he follows? 70. He doesn’t get himself all caught up in the world. He dreams big, lives smart, and people follow him. He has even inspired a mother of four young children to stay up until 1 a.m. every night trying to translate his system into “Mom-Speak.” I don’t doubt that each of us has this same type of power within our own specific interests and skills.

• You’re going to feel better about yourself. All your life, you’ve been making promises to yourself. “I will read to my child every night.” or “I will finish my degree.” Or “I will run my home business more effectively.” But you know what? Most of us end up breaking promise after promise. It might not directly affect anyone else, but when we break promises to ourselves, we wonder why we’re so incompetent, and we see ourselves as women who can’t do anything right. This system is going to give you victory after victory, and even if no one else knows about it, YOU’LL know you’re a success.’’

• Your family is going to be happier, stronger, more loved...you name it. They’re going to notice this change in you. They’ll see you laughing at their jokes, walking with a little spring in your step, controlling your temper, and creating new ideas and fun for them. You’re also going to have the ability to really “be there” for them as your mind won’t be cluttered with your “to do” list anymore. I can’t think of a stronger way to say this, but the distracted, overwhelmed mother of the past is no longer. If for no other reason, follow this system for them.


Congratulations! You are on your way to Getting Things Done®. It’s been a pleasure to be with you. I’m going to close with the words of one “Mind Organization” mom who said it best: “Please enjoy this program and pass it along to your Mom friends so we can all be inspired and organized! Then, look out world!” I couldn’t agree more. You are about to change the world.

April Perry www.powerofmoms.com

GTD® and Getting Things Done® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company. Mind Organization for

Moms is my personal interpretation of David Allen’s work and not affiliated the David Allen Company.

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