Organizing idea for June: 
 Put your hands up, and step away from your phone!
I just want to say right now:  some of you are going to hate this tip. You know who you are -- you may even pride yourself on the fact that your clients know they can reach you whenever they need you. And I completely agree that there are times when it's appropriate to be completely reachable, like when you're closing a big deal, or waiting to hear news from a loved one in the hospital.
However, I assert that we've let ourselves become too reachable, too often. When we're pulled from call to call, or message to message, we lose the ability to steer our own day. We become like a plastic bag in a wind storm, blowing this way and that. Even worse, when we answer while we're with others, we send the signal to our children, partners, and friends that they are not as important as that call that just came in. And I won't even talk about taking your Blackberry on your summer vacation - you get my drift!   If it's time for you to go on an availability reduction plan, try weaning yourself, instead of going cold turkey. If you can't completely turn off the device, at least screen, rather than automatically answering the call or reading the message. And when you do take the night, weekend, or even a Friday afternoon off, change your outgoing message or email auto responder to let people know when you will be available.
The goal as I see it is twofold:  to deepen your awareness that the world will go on without your being on 24-hour duty, and, that once you stop being so available all the time, you'll be more relaxed, at ease, and proactive, instead of reactive.

Karen Ussery, Organizing Specialist, Speaker and Author As seen on HGTV's Mission: Organization       www.organizedforsuccess.com