November 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, and
THE CLUTTER-BUSTING HANDBOOK
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Tip For The Month
Want to start off 2006 with less clutter? Begin
now to cultivate a "3-a-day" habit. Every day, from now till Jan 1,
"process" 3 pieces of clutter - put it where it belongs, toss it out,
return it or do what you need to do with it. Keep going back to the same
area of clutter to select the next 3 pieces. Your clutter
accumulated one item at a time. Getting rid of 3 every day will begin
the de-cluttering process.
Then, whenever you can (maybe once a week?), devote one hour to the
clutter in that one place. When that clutter is gone, go to the next
cluttered spot.
You will be amazed at how getting rid of clutter from just one small
area will leave you feeling lighter and clearer thinking.
Let me know how you do.
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Update On Melissa
Many of you have asked for an update on my friend
Melissa who I wrote about when she, her husband and 23-month-old twins
evacuated from New Orleans to Houston when Hurricane Katrina hit.
Life seems to be a bit better for the poor people stranded in the
Convention Center, but it got worse for the people like Melissa who had
jobs and cars, and evacuated when they were told to.
As you may have guessed, Melissa & her husband, Koy, had to pack up the
twins (who celebrated their second birthday last week) and evacuate
Houston when the next hurricane hit.
Their house is unlivable and they have lost everything, so they stay
with whoever they can, and their businesses in New Orleans have been
flooded and looted. No help from insurance yet.
But most important, their little girl, Bella, was scheduled to have
brain surgery in New Orleans two days after Katrina devastated the city.
So they have started over with the medical process, and spent many days
with Houston doctors having Bella and her twin brother, Max, tested.
Then while Koy worked trying to get their businesses up and running,
Melissa, accompanied by the twins, consulted with doctors in Dallas,
Boston and Philadelphia testing and evaluating Bella.
She will have brain surgery on Nov. 1 at Medical City Hospital in
Dallas. Bella will need at least 3 weeks for recovery, and during that
time Melissa and family will stay in a hotel next to the hospital
because they don't know a soul in Dallas. They will stay in a suite to
accommodate family members who will take turns coming to help watch the
little guy while his sister recovers.
No, the hotel doesn't give them a discount, but this weekend, some
friends in Houston are having a fund raiser for many of the evacuees who
aren't poor enough (even though they've lost everything) to receive
government money, including Melissa's family.
Melissa asks for prayers - for Bella to have a successful and speedy
recovery, and for Melissa, whose mind is worn out from making life
threatening decisions. She says she feels like Humpty Dumpty and needs
to "put her mind back together again".
And she needs a nap.
And she needs courage because she dreads, dreads, dreads the moment
she'll hand over her baby to the medical team who will saw her skull
open.
But most of all she needs prayers and positive thoughts sent her way.
UPDATE: As we're sending off this Tip Sheet, Melissa called. Bella has
tonsillitis and surgery has been postponed for 3 weeks. This is the
second time Melissa has been psyched up for her baby's surgery and it's
been postponed. She is in shock and cannot believe this is happening.
Now they pack up their 3 weeks worth of stuff and find a place to stay.
Their story is a reminder that many of the evacuees of Katrina still
don't have homes or jobs to return to.
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