Organized Diva

Helping Our Friends with Pets

During these days of hard economic times, it should come to mind to help our friends in need with furry family members too. The HSUS Program: "Pets for Life Program: Helping People with their Pets" is one of those great programs that promotes people with pets who need some help in keeping them at home with them while healthy and fed too.

It's so easy to forget that when your friends and neighbors are having a hard time paying their mortgages and other bills, their animals also suffer under the budget cuts. And this is where the more fortunate of us can offer some help by dropping off some extra food, taking the animals to our vets, or even offering to take their dogs along for a walk when we're taking our own pets.

This is also the time when we start to think about getting a new pet of our own. Shelter animals make great pets for anyone, but before you go out and take the big jump, it's important to ask yourself: How do you know when you or your family is ready for a pet or not? Believe me when I say, that there are a lot of things you should take into consideration before bringing any pet into your home.

Primarily, someone needs to be around enough to give the pet of choice the companionship it really deserves. If everyone is so busy with their lives and their 'extra' activities, and the pet is the last project on the to do list, then you shouldn't even consider bringing in any animal, including the small caged ones like hamsters, mice, and birds. All of them are social beings and need the love and attention of their families, whether they are furry or not. If you are not going to be home more hours than not, then you aren't ready for a pet.

Here are some great sites that will help you decide if you are ready for a pet or not:

HSUS: Humane Society of the United States: http://www.hsus.org/

HSUS Pets for Life Program: Helping People with their Pets: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/index.html

ASPCA: American Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer

PETA: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: http://www.peta.org/

Giving Back to Oneself is Giving Back to Your Family

As we've been discussing this month, making an appointment with oneself is very important, but it is also the first appointment we tend to cancel when it comes to finding that extra time for those surprise problems that always pop up.

Well that's got to stop now!!!

And how do we do that?? Importantly, we make sure that our personal appointments are on the family and office calendar with all the other appointments. This legitimizes them not only to the rest of the group, the office, the family, and friends, but primarily also to ones self.

An incentive we've found to get you motivated:
Save 15% on New Day Planner Packages at FranklinCovey.com

    

My Dog Passed Away and I am Coping By Working My Action Lists

It's been the saddest thing to lose this little guy that has been such a huge part of my life from his 10th week to his 15th year of life. He was my companion, my hanger-on, my listener, in other words, my permanent piece of attached velcro. He loved me unconditionally and he thought everything I said and did was important. In return I loved him enormously, filled all his needs, and took care of all his issues. In the end I walked him ever so very slowly. He was old and it took him a long time just to walk down the block. Frequently I would pick him up and walk him from one pee-mail spot to the next, so that he could check out other doggy activities as so many other dog owners would understand this.

Before I turn into a blubbering fool, I want to describe how my organizational system helped me cope with his death. Because I had already identified my actions, I could automatically refocus on something else and not wallow. At this point I could proactively go through my next action lists, busily achieving one thing after the other. After taking care of a few tasks, I would think about my dog and then refocus back on my action lists and vice versa. Using a mapping software (I use a free personal version) I also revisited my visions and goals, functions and commitments. With this new overview of my life, I added and deleted projects and actions.

My point is that if I had not been so pre-organized and not been so actively working on my life plan to begin with, I would have had a much harder time dealing with his sudden and unbelievably sad loss. Not only was I able to take my mind off my grief, but I was able to do it in such a positive way.

I miss you, Oskar.

 

Enjoy Your Personal Time without Guilt

Free time can be difficult to find and enjoy. So many things happen in your life and they invade your personal time. This is true for both the most organized and the least organized person. To succeed in making the most of your personal time, it helps to follow these rules:

Make an Appointment for Your Free Time and Take It Seriously
Schedule an appointment for your free time in your calendar. Then keep this appointment just like you would keep the appointment with your doctor, your boss, or your friends. Treat it as seriously as you would your other appointments.

Make the Appointment about What You Want It to Be
It doesn’t matter what you do or what you don’t do. The point is to spend time enjoying and rejuvenating. Select something you really want to do, even if it is as easy as swinging in a hammock or as strenuous as mountain climbing. Remove Outside Influences Move away from those who could make demands of you, mute the phone, hire a babysitter, or enlist the help of others to take over your responsibilities. Try different ways in which you can make certain you are not interrupted.

Schedule Regular Appointments
One appointment will never be enough. Select regular intervals, such as once a week or once a month. Not only will you have something to look forward to, but you are telling yourself that you really do matter.

Remove All Guilt
The real purpose of an appointment with yourself is to schedule guilt-free moments, reminding yourself that this is vital for your well-being. Announce your schedule to others. If you take it seriously so will everyone else.