Years ago, my husband Joe and I stopped in a local cafe for a cup of coffee and a pastry. Everyone inside was neighborly, especially an older gentleman named Lenny with whom we struck up some friendly conversation.

Lenny was a very interesting chap, in his eighties and full of heartwarming stories. As it turned out, he had a lot of influence in our town years ago and was involved in many community activities.

His stories were sweet and innocent, like the story about one day when he was four years old, he was introduced to his baby sister for the first time on the day she was born. The funny thing was, he never even knew his mother was with child for nine months, because parents rarely spoke to children about such things in those days.

He continued to tell us stories about how life was in our town in the early 1900s, one story after another--each one revealed with a sparkle in his eyes.

As we sat there talking, Lenny revealed that he wanted to write a book about his life, but he wasn't quite sure how to go about it. When we told him we write books and courses for a living, he was especially excited and asked, 'Wow, how do you write a book?'

Now, that question initially may sound like a tall order that can't possibly be answered in a few moments of chit-chat. But Joe immediately smiled and said, 'Just write it one chapter at a time.'

Now, this may sound obvious, but in truth it is really profound. And Lenny found it to be an amazing revelation.

You see, for years, Lenny had been writing a book and he didn't even know it!

Every time he remembered something interesting in his life, he immediately jotted that thought down on a sheet of paper, or he recorded that thought into a portable audio recorder. He had hundreds of stories written on scraps of paper.

Lenny wasn't really asking how to 'write' a book. He was already doing that. What he was asking was how to 'organize' a book.

It was a cinch to give Lenny a few simple tips on how he could better organize this project. First of all, we suggested he get himself a set of file folders and label them with chronological references, such as Early Years, Grammar School Years, Teenage Years, etc. Then, we told him to go through his scraps of paper one by one, and begin sorting them into the proper folders.

As far as his audio recordings, he said his son could type those up on his computer. Wonderful! Everything could be typed up as is, saved, printed out, then cut up and placed in the proper folders.

Think about how this scenario applies to your own life. Have you ever had a project that needed to be completed, but it was so enormous that you didn't even know where to start? Or perhaps you have had projects that had bits and pieces completed, but you were too overwhelmed to even think about putting everything together?

Whether you have ten loads of laundry waiting to be washed, a birthday party you're trying to plan for your kid or an inbox full of projects waiting to be completed, don't get overwhelmed by the perceived enormity of it. Take a deep breath, and then think about organizing the project at hand into small chapters--or sections.

For instance, while setting up a birthday party may seem like a ton of work, simply breaking it up into chapters-- or sections-- such as Food, Games and Music--will allow you to stay focused and to work on just that one chapter at a time.

Same goes for your laundry. Don't think about the 10 loads. Think about just one week in your life, with each day being a new chapter. Each chapter each day can start with the words, 'I woke up and tossed a load of laundry in the wash . . .' Maybe it won't be the most exciting story in the world, but before you know it, the laundry will be all caught up.

What about that inbox full of projects? Use the same idea we gave to Lenny about using file folders. Label each file folder a different subject that reflects the types of tasks in your inbox. Then, begin sorting your projects into each folder. Finally, prioritize the folders and begin working on each of them, one by one.

Lenny received direction on how to go about completing his book.

And you have direction on how to go about completing virtually any project in your life--just take it one small chapter at a time.

To fast forward to making your dog's problem behaviors disappear, visit:

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No matter what your dog's problem behavior is, be it jumping, peeing in the house, aggression, pulling on the leash...or whatever, there is ONE SOLUTION that can help STOP this problem now.

The sad fact is, most dog trainers miss this solution entirely. They give you cookie cutting training programs. They use outdated, mean, and unkind dominance techniques. Or worse yet, they have no qualifications to be offering advice. So what's the answer to stopping your dog's behavioral problems? In 5 simple words...

Discovering your dog's hidden intelligence.

Let me explain. More intelligent dogs are better behaved. A more intelligent dog takes commands easier and understands what you need. The good news is, no matter how clever you think your dog is, you can unlock your pet's hidden intelligence quickly and easily.

Don't waste a second longer coping with problem behaviors you don't need to be dealing with. Visit this link to learn more about Brain Training for Dogs:

www.getorganizednow.com/rd-brainy-dog.html

P.S. When you visit the link, you'll also find out how to get Behavior Training for Dogs complimentary. I'll remind you up until the deadline on Friday, September 24, at 11:59 p.m.

___ 1. Do today's task on my September Monthly Organizing Checklist. The September 20 TO DO focuses on being active. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access my September Monthly Organizing Checklist.

___ 2. Write something. Write a letter to a friend, an article for your business, a journal entry for yourself, or use The Book of Myself to write the first sentence in your autobiography.

___ 3. Assess your current storage space. Next time you hear yourself saying you don't have enough space, consider these stats from the National Association of Professional Organizers. Visit GetOrganizedNow.com to access my 'Think you don't have enough space' stats, facts, and figures.

'You don't write a book. You write a sentence and then a paragraph and then a page and then a chapter. Looking at writing 400 plus pages or seventy thousand odd words is incredibly daunting, but if you just focus on the immediate picture - say, 500 words - it's not so overwhelming.' (Rebecca Serle)

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And remember...there's no better time to get organized, than to Get Organized Now!

Warmly,

Maria Gracia
Get Organized Now!
getorganizednow.com

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