June 2005 Anticrastination Tip Sheet
What's the opposite of Procrastination?
THE ANTICRASTINATION TIP SHEET
An Idea and Tip Sheet to Blast Away the
Procrastination Habit
From Rita Emmett
Author of THE PROCRASTINATOR'S HANDBOOK
& THE PROCRASTINATING CHILD: A Handbook for Adults to Help
Children Stop Putting Things Off &
THE CLUTTER-BUSTING HANDBOOK
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Quote For June:
A journey of ten thousand miles begins with but a single step
–-- anonymous
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Have you been wanting to hear Rita talk in person? Here are two free
opportunities – one if you live in the Chicago area and the other for
those who live anywhere in the world:
CHICAGO AREA:
Rita usually speaks for businesses, so the talks aren't open to the
general public, but here’s a rare opportunity to attend her presentation
and it’s FREE! The talk is CLEAR OUT YOUR CLUTTER: HELP & HOPE FOR PACK
RATS
It's Saturday, June 11, 4 PM at the Printer's Row Book Fair.
The Book Fair itself is on Dearborn (between Congress & Polk), but Rita
will be speaking at: UNIVERSITY CENTER, 525 SOUTH STATE STREET ON THE
THIRD FLOOR.
Afterwards, Rita is doing a book signing. She always arrives early for
those who want a chance to chat with her. There's no charge, books will
be available, and anyone can attend.
IF YOU LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD
Do you know what a teleseminar is?
Well, imagine that you want to hear an author speak at a local college,
and you pay 69 bucks for it, dress up for the lecture, get stuck in
rush-hour traffic on the way there, can’t find a parking space, run two
blocks in the rain to your class, can hardly hear because the PA system
is lame, and then drive home exhausted. Well, that’s NOT at all what a
teleseminar is.
On Wednesday, June 22, Rita will lead a class by telephone on BLAST AWAY
PROCRASTINATION. She’s doing two identical presentations by phone, so
you can select your class with Rita to take place at either 2 PM or 7 PM
Central time (Chicago time) on June 22.
To register, either hit reply on this Tip Sheet, or email Mickey, Rita's
Web genius, at starcademy@aol.com
with your name and email address. When you register, you’ll receive the
phone number to call, and the only cost is your long distance phone call
for one hour.
Then on June 22, in the comfort of your home, dressed in your jammies
and fuzzy-bunny-slippers, you can dial in and hear Rita tell you how to
Blast Away Your Procrastination. Again, this is a free-to-you program.
Another speaker named Linda Brakeall will interview Rita; if you have
any specific questions you want Linda to ask Rita during the
teleseminar, email them to Mickey by the morning of June 22.
If you are new to teleseminars, copy and paste this URL http://ritaemmett.com/faq.htm
into your browser and you’ll read lots of tips, plus frequently asked
questions & answers on the subject.
These teleseminars often cost over $100, so come and join us and have
fun at no charge (except the cost of the phone call)
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Message For June From Rita
Our clutter comes from four goofy habits:
Saving things that we never need or use
Insisting on bringing in things that we never need or use
Never deciding on a place for things to be put
Setting things down instead of putting them where they
belong
So how about trying to incorporate one new habit to counteract clutter
habits? Here are 21 ideas:
- If you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of
it.
- Every day, before turning on your computer,
toss or put away three things on your desk.
- When you buy one thing, get rid of one thing.
(a toy for a toy, a shoe for a shoe)
- Glance over your left shoulder every time you
leave a room. Pick up the clutter you spot and take it with you to
where it belongs.
- Decide now. Clutter is often caused by putting
off decisions.
- Make a place for everything. Make a place for
special papers, and for each child’s school papers. Make a place for
mittens, scarves, hats, boots, and so forth.
- Put everything in its place. Teach your family
to put things where they belong. (One way to teach: “If everything is
where it belongs, you can come with to the mall or you can watch TV.
If not, you can’t.”)
- If you take it out, put it back.
- Ask a “non-clutter friend” to help you sort
through your closet or other clutter. Some people will be overjoyed to
help you de-clutter. All you need from them is help in deciding what
to keep or not keep.
- Take five minutes whenever you can to tackle a
small section of clutter (or do it during the commercials of the first
hour of watching TV).
- Find a person or organization that will love &
cherish your stuff as much as you do. That will make it easier to say
good-bye to things you don’t use or need.
- Decide on one place to put your keys (a hook or
bowl near the door, a certain section of your purse) and cultivate the
simple habit of putting them there always.
- Live simply so that others might simply live.
- When you want to buy something – no matter how
sensational or adorable it is – think if you have a place to put it.
Even if it’s the greatest bargain in the world, don’t buy it if you
don’t have a place for it. What a life changing way to think!
- Always open mail next to a wastebasket. Get BIG
wastebaskets for every place in your home that you need to encourage
tossing or recycling paper, magazines, catalogues, newsletters,
newspapers or other paper clutter.
- Never leave a room empty-handed until the only
things in the room are ones that belong there.
- Never go up or down stairs empty-handed as long
as there is something that should be taken up or down.
- Have company over once in a while so the house
gets cleaned.
- Pay bills, fold laundry, sort through
catalogues & magazines, and so forth during TV commercials or while
visiting on the phone.
- When de-cluttering a room, start at the doorway
& go right or left. Then if you’re interrupted, you can see where you
stopped.
- Don’t de-clutter & clean the same day. You
might keel over, poor thing.
Just making one of these habits a regular part of
your day will impact the amount of clutter in your life.
Happy June!
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interested in receiving short, quick tips once a month to help master
the art of doing it now.
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Rita Emmett - Recovering Procrastinator
Author of The Procrastinator's Handbook:
Mastering the Art of Doing It Now
and
The Procrastinating Child:
A Handbook For Adults
To Help Children Stop Putting Things Off
and
The Clutter-Busting Handbook:
Clean it up, Clear it Up, And Keep Your Life Clutter Free
PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER: Keynotes & Seminars on
"Blast Away Procrastination"; also "Strategies to
Prevent Burnout" and "Generate Fabulous Customer Service"
Email: Rita@RitaEmmett.com
http://www.RitaEmmett.com
Phone: 847-699-9950
So much time, so little to do. Scratch that, reverse it!
--- Willie Wonka
