Uncluttered Office with Catherine Avery

It’s a bright, shiny, sparkly new year. You have goals. But do you have plans? You’ll likely need a planner to support you in making those goals happen. Join Catherine as she takes you through the what and why of planner purchasing. You’ll hear the difference between paper and digital and the latest funky hybrid. Not to mention the many different types of planners out there. Catherine explains why not every planner is for everyone and that it’s better to use your planning system if it helps you meet your goals. Happy and successful 2020!  Links: Panda Planner Pro You Are a Badass Zen as F*ck Happiness Blooms From Within Boxclever Press Budget Planner The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll Dotted Grid Notebook and Planner Good Notes Class with Kim Klassen   To learn more about Catherine:   Productivity by Design Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this fourth and final episode of Uncluttered Holidays, Catherine focuses on the POP of the holidays – planning, organization and productivity. Yes, we’re back to work. Fear not for the week between Christmas and New Year’s tends to be the quietest work week of the year. Catherine shares strategies to get a ton done, using her own two digital organizing projects as examples. Happy 2020 everyone!   To learn more about Catherine:   Productivity by Design Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gift giving – it can be complicated, stressful, and unfulfilling.   Did you know that 44% of shoppers rack up more than $1,000 of holiday debt?*   As part of the Uncluttered Holidays series, Catherine tackles keeping a holiday budget without being a Scrooge. First, it’s all about setting the intentions (see Episode 27) for how you want to feel at the holidays. Maybe your holidays are not so much about gift giving but spending time together with your family. Catherine’s family gifts a variety of experiences to reduce the inevitable holiday clutter.   She wraps up the episode with her thoughts on giving to charity, more specifically The Cancer Couch Foundation founded by Rebecca Timlin-Scalera. 100% of donations and event proceeds go to the cause and all donations are matched. Catherine is making a donation in the name of her clients, as the cause is close to her heart. She was diagnosed early stage 1 triple positive September 11, 2015. Catherine is now 4 years cancer free and knows that the greatest gift for a

In this second segment of Uncluttered Holidays, Catherine interviews Maria Yunis. Maria is a break-through coach who specializes in empowering leaders to reclaim the spark in their lives.   Catherine and Maria explored how to create a magical holiday calendar, one that works for you and your family. They agreed that self-care has to be scheduled first, even if that’s taking just a few minutes at the beginning of the day to get centered and intentional. At a time when the calendar is in flux, it’s even more important to keep some routines.   They discussed how different family structures have varying needs at the holiday season, sharing their own personal stories.       Links:   To learn more about Maria: MariaYunis Maria@mariayunis.com   To learn more about Catherine: Productivity by Design Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the first of this month’s series “Uncluttered Holidays”, Catherine talks about the importance of reflection in the month of December whether you’re Christian and believe in the quiet time of Advent or you celebrate in other ways embracing the peace and darkness that comes in the winter.   Catherine busts through the unrealistic expectations of the season and let’s you know that you’re ok even if you aren’t wildly enthusiastic about the holidays. She asks that we give one another space and grace as we navigate this busy time of the year.   She gives a strategy (and handouts) to help you create your intentional and less stressful holiday season. You can reduce that stress by releasing what’s not working for you, whether that’s skipping baking 5 kinds of cookies or limiting your time with the relative who has too much eggnog.   Links:    Uncluttered Office – Week 1   To learn more about Catherine: Productivity by Design Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD Learn m

In this special Thanksgiving episode, Catherine interviews Barbara Hemphill founder of the Productive Environment Network and author of ‘Less Clutter More Life’.   Catherine discusses with Barbara about her “Why”, starting Productive Environment Network and how the team has evolved to tackle “emotional clutter”.  It is important to remember that when we deal with clutter to improve our productivity that there is a ripple effect that goes well beyond the office or cubicle.   Catherine wraps up her conversation with a discussion about gratitude, what it means to Barbara and to herself.   Links:    Productive Environment Network   To learn more about Catherine: Productivity by Design Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In part 3 of the NO’vember series, Catherine lays out the hard facts about digital clutter. She gives the 10,000 foot overview on decluttering your digital, so you can free up space and make your life ever so much easier. She shares digital storage options, an app to clear out your inbox, a study on security in your smart phone, and wraps it all up with a social media detox. Links: Digital Hosting Cyber Study Declutter Your Data by Angela Crocker Connect with Catherine at Productivity by Design Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Catherine talks about saying “No”.  Many of us don’t do this often enough, then we have “yes regret”.  We end up worrying and stressing about how we are going to fit it all in and get it done without giving up something. We need to say “Yes” to those things that we are passionate about and bring satisfaction and say “NO” to everything else. Catherine discusses her decision to say “NO” to worry. Worry definitely drains your energy, right? She surrendered and allowed solutions to surface instead. This month Catherine is promoting “NO-vember”, join her as she discusses ways of saying “NO”, so you can make room for the “YES”.   To learn more about Catherine: Productivity by Design  Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you were a child or when your children were small, did you read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to them?     Sometimes we have days that don’t go the way we want them to. Sometimes it can be days or months in a row.  How do we deal with that? Do you throw in the towel immediately? Or do you go to your happy place, take a deep breath, and say your mantra “Everything will be alright”? Or are you somewhere in between?   In today’s go-go-go environment, it is very easy to jump to the first.  That isn’t going to be productive for you in the moment, but no judgement.  You’re perfectly imperfect human.  A year from now, this day probably won’t have made a huge impact on you or your business.    In this podcast, Catherine, shares her terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.  Then walks you through the steps to come through those days relatively unscathed and to help you be more prepared for them in the future.    To learn more about Catherine: Productivity by Design  Facebook Page a

This week Catherine interviews Heather Richmond of HR Administrative Services.  Heather is a Virtual Admin (VA) who participated in the recent EPIC Office Transformation. She is also Catherine’s VA.  During the interview, Catherine and Heather discuss the outcomes of the Transformation in Heather’s office, as well as the overall process.   They also outline the benefits of having a Virtual Admin, especially a Heather! And talk about strategies Heather uses to balance her two businesses. Join us on this podcast to hear about some real outcomes from the EPIC Office Transformation, as well as some insights into how a VA can help move your business forward. To learn more about Catherine: Productivity by Design  Facebook Page and LinkedIn To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD   To learn more about Heather: HR Administrative Services Facebook Page and LinkedIn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we succeed do we really do it on our own?   Successful people have had people in their corner, a team behind them, a mentor, and opportunities. They’ve had a game plan, set goals, kept their focus on the prize, and learned from their failures.   That’s the recipe for success, big and small.   Speaking of success, Katie Settel just had an amazing photography exhibit (un)Forgotten a tribute to her brother. She has chosen to be the voice of those who can’t speak for themselves through her gift of photography. I’d call that success and heart.   We all have our own definition of success. What’s yours? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Catherine speaks about the importance of connection in a disconnected world. And how it has become her mission to help others be more productive, so they have more time in their lives to pursue their dreams. She highlights recent events that show the value of that connectedness. And she explains the cult of busy and offers two strategies to claim back your time. Tune in to find out all of this and the meaning and origin of Sawa Bona.  To learn more about Catherine: Productivity by Design  To connect with Catherine: http://bit.ly/SchedCallPBD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast we look at two more personality types when it comes to work and how we take action.  Are you impulsive or a cliff hanger?   If you are impulsive you might:   Ø Act spontaneously Ø Miss deadlines, letting others down Ø Act in haste - Act first. Think later.   If you are a cliff hanger you might:   Ø Procrastinate Ø Like the adrenaline rush/time pressure helps focus Ø Like a last minute start that can add stress, missed deadlines Ø Underestimate the time tasks take   If you are one of these types or a combination of the two, Catherine is going to discuss in this podcast how you can adjust or modify these traits to be more productive and efficient in your workplace setting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Busy.   Are we really that busy? What are we missing because we are too busy?   Find out why busy is an excuse. And how in doing less you can be more productive. Yes, it’s counterintuitive but it works. Hint - it’s all about setting your intentions. And being present.   Want to learn more beyond the podcast? Join Catherine on the Productivity Seminar: Connection in a Disconnected World: Using Online Tools to Build Offline Relationships.  LINK TO PRODUCTIVITY SEMINAR: https://productivitysummit.org/   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you the big picture or perfectionist type?  Maybe a combination of both?  If you are more of a big-picture type, some of these probably describe you:  Prefer global strategies. Produce multiple ideas. Under-estimate time things take especially detail-oriented tasks. Expect others to be mind-readers and magically understand.  Sound like you?  Maybe you are more of a perfectionist and these characteristics are more like you:  Have to be able to do everything yourself and do it well. Hard time saying no. Worried about others’ approval. Struggle to understand the difference between having high standards and being superman/wonder woman.  Either way, you have a way of doing things that work for you, or does it? In this podcast, Catherine helps you understand these two types of styles. She will give you easy ways to implement strategies to work more efficiently and productive within your own work style.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

None of us will ever forget where we were on September 11, 2001. 18 years later, we still need to stop and remember those people whose lives were lost.   Pausing, meditating, taking a walk, gardening, or any quiet activity gives you a chance to reflect. Catherine shares some of the pauses in her life - both chosen and unexpected. You don’t have to be Wonder Woman or Superman all of the time.   Catherine relates her own life stories in this podcast to help us understand how time for reflection and random acts of kindness can not only help your productivity but also enhance your life for the better. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 Gardening and office productivity, how are they related?  Think about it, gardening isn’t a one-time thing where you plant and that is it.  You need to plan before you start,  you need to observe what is working and what is not, you often need to tweak or prune to make your garden more vibrant or more in line with your plan and sometimes it is necessary to move items around in your garden just like you need to do in your business life.  Catherine, your host, will guide you through the garden path that is your office environment to help you weed and dead head things that need to be removed or fertilized so as to make you more productive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What type of worker are you? Do you tend to move from one priority to another, and like to multi-task?  Do you tend to stick with one project at a time and not move on until it is done?  How can you get the best of both worlds?  That is the challenge that Catherine discusses in this podcast.   Listen here for Catherine’s lessons and suggestions to help you to work more productively by managing your priorities no matter what your working style is. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode Catherine, your host discusses why we need to Just Take the Damn Vacation. Vacations help us to relax, clear our brain, and get unplugged.   What do you do when you go on a vacation?  Are you able to just “be”?   If you work for yourself, it is very hard to do a staycation, as your office is always calling you back. You just have to get away and do activities that you love and that bring you joy.  Even if that is sitting in a comfy chair reading a good book that you have been trying to finish for months.    Your brain needs some down time.   Taking time for BEing is super important to productivity.   Listen here for Catherine’s lessons and suggestions to help you to unplug, clear your mind and enjoy your time off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode your host, Catherine, interviews Cena Block, the Productivity Guru™ and founder of Sane Spaces.     Catherine and Cena discuss what it means to be a mompreneur and how to juggle all that comes with it.    Cena provides an overview of the Time and Space Style Inventory™ (TSSI) assessment tool that she created to help business owners determine who they are and which provides their productivity style and offers their best strategies for being successful.   Cena is on a mission to help professional women and entrepreneurs with ADHD who struggle to manage it all, align and live productively balanced. She’s a business consultant, author, trainer and master facilitator. Cena is the founder of SaneSpaces.com and creator of the Time & Space Style Inventory™ (TSSI).   Catherine and Cena go way back. Listen, learn and laugh.   How To Be Organized In Spite Of Yourself by Sunny Schlenger and Roberta Roesch Purchase here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices