By Sharon Lowenheim, CPO®

Organizing Goddess, Inc.

I was out walking my dog this morning, enjoying the beautiful August weather and the interaction with other dog walkers. I felt really happy to be alive. I started thinking about why I was feeling so good today. And then it occurred to me: I wasn’t in a rush.

Most of us spend our time rushing from one activity to another. We cram too much into the spaces. We try to read just one more e-mail or send one more text or make one more phone call before hurtling off to the next appointment. This causes stress, and often we are late because we haven’t left time for the unexpected to occur and slow us down.

I often walk my dog right before I go see a client. I try to leave enough time to take a leisurely walk over our usual path, but I still spend the walk with one eye on my dog and the other on my watch. I’m usually just a little bit on edge by the time we get back.

But this morning, I had nowhere to be for a couple of hours. I could take my time and left him sniff whatever and whoever he wanted to sniff. I went a little out of our way to stay on the shady side of the street, but that was fine. I came back feeling relaxed and satisfied that we had spent some quality time together.

How can you structure your day so that you are not always in a rush? Here are some suggestions:

• Avoid scheduling back-to-back appointments. You may need to put empty blocks into your calendar to signal to others that you are not available for meetings.
• Pack up what you need for your next appointment in advance. Don’t wait until you have one foot out the door to start looking for the stuff you will need.
• Stop what you are doing 10 minutes before you have to leave to go to your next appointment or start your next activity. Take that time to close down what you were doing, take a few deep breaths, and make sure you are fully prepared for what’s next.

Next time you have a relaxed and un-rushed moment, stop and concentrate on how good it feels. Let that feeling motivate you to make some changes so that you can feel that way more often!

About the author:  Sharon Lowenheim, CPO® is the only Certified Professional Organizer® in New York City specializing small spaces. She founded her company, Organizing Goddess, Inc., in 2006. She is also an active NAPO volunteer, is a former President of NAPO-NY, and is currently the Chair of the NAPO Website Committee.