Author Archives: Yola Angeline

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Yola Angeline is a graduate of a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and currently an international freelancer and blogger.
Books

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Header

Have you always experienced getting stressed out because of seeing your room or office cluttered and disorganized? Well, Marie Kondo’s approach on decluttering might as well work for you. It is mentioned in her NY Times bestseller book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up all the necessary tips on how to get your room, home or workplace well organized that will surely make a positive impact in your life and in your career.

Marie Kondo’s book will provide you a glimpse of how the tidying session will transform your life and yourself especially in terms of productivity. It all comes down to the big question, “Does your stuff spark joy?” In Marie’s point of view, if that particular stuff does not bring happiness to you, you should then dispose of it, sell or donate it. Moreover, her simple strategy which she called KonMari method can really make a difference in your life.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up Physical Cover

How Does the KonMari Method Work?

  • Clean by category and not by rooms. Some people make the mistake of organizing the rooms first, then the living room and so on. Contrary to that belief, Marie Kondo advises that decluttering should be done in order where clothes should be the first because it is less emotionally loaded of one’s things so it is easier to get rid of; then books, papers, mementos (like the cherished photos and love letters) and miscellaneous should come next.
  • Tidy in one fell swoop than tidying little by little. According to Kondo, “Tidy a little a day and you’ll be tidying forever.” Cleaning all at once instead of sorting tasks halfway will suit your mindset better.
  • Ask yourself if that thing still gives you happiness. If that particular thing doesn’t spark joy, it is just fair to give it to someone who needs it or maybe put it in a garage sale or just dispose of it all together.
  • The “Folding” Process. KonMari technique is a total makeover of your things. Marie encourages that it is better to fold clothes and put them in the dresser vertically rather than hang them as it will require lesser space. Socks should be stored beautifully like sushi rolls so they can “rest”. She also recommends that shoeboxes should be used as drawer dividers for folded clothes in the dresser.
  • Don’t let your family members see what you’re doing. Marie recommends that you should not let your family members nearby while you’re decluttering because they might prevent you from getting rid of things so much. They might also get your old things and use it for their own. While this might not be a bad idea, however, those things might not be that useful to them. Furthermore, according to Kondo, it is quite stressful for parents to see what their child is getting rid of. It can also be painful if they see their child disposing the things they gave before such as clothes, toys, and mementos.
  • Do not keep unnecessary things. Don’t ever think that you can’t dispose of worn, frayed shirts because they can still be worn as a sleepwear. In addition, do dispose of books that haven’t had much value to you.
  • Gifts should not be kept if it’s not useful anymore. People usually get sentimental and keep a specific thing given to them as a present rather than disposing or giving it to someone who needs it more in the present. Kondo, on the other hand, encourages people not to be guilty as it already served its purpose. It is time to share it with someone who need it as well.
  • Scan the important documents. Kondo suggests that papers or documents should be scanned rather than piled. This is quite useful if you are working in a cluttered office full of papers and documents stacked. 

Being organized and tidy makes you feel more powerful and in control of your life. Seeing that your things are organized will also make you feel much more comfortable with your life, living in an organized home. Kondo’s teachings are not the usual because of the spiritual practices it presents in the possessions and in the home itself, yet her KonMari Method might as well make a huge difference and can be life-changing.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Author:
Tag: Recommended Books
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
Publication Year: 2014
ASIN: B00KK0PICK
ISBN: 1607747308

This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing.Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate ...

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About the Book

This #1 New York Times best-selling guide to decluttering your home from Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes readers step-by-step through her revolutionary KonMari Method for simplifying, organizing, and storing.

Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled mess of noodles?

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list).

With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

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Books

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life Header

Change is inevitable. It naturally occurs in life wherever you are, whatever you do, whatever your status in life is, whether you are an employee or a businessman. Nevertheless, it depends upon the person how he deals with each change that comes in his way.

In the world, there are four types of people and that is deliberately addressed in the book entitled, Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life written by Dr. Spencer Johnson. It is a phenomenal book with each page containing valuable and meaningful insights for entrepreneurs and employees alike with one simple goal: to find “Cheese”.

CHARACTERSWho Moved My Cheese Cover

The first scene encompasses the story of former classmates gathering around during a high school reunion to talk about their situations in life. Until one of their classmates, Michael, told them about the tale “Who Moved My Cheese?” which is actually the core story of the book.

There are four characters in the tale:

  • SNIFF: a mouse who sniffs out or detects change early so he is able to deal with it;
  • SCURRY: another mouse who scurries into action whenever there is a change. Hand-in-hand with Sniff, they venture out to find new “cheese” whenever they find out that there is a shortage of it;
  • HEM: a little person with almost an exact size of a mouse, but with a complex brain and human emotion who denies and defies change because of his fear that it will lead to something bad; and
  • HAW: another little person like Hem who knows how to laugh at his mistakes and adapt to the change when he sees that it will lead into something better.

The “Cheese”, on the other hand, is a representation of the opportunities or whatever we want to have in our life, such as a successful job, business, relationship, health, money, freedom, achievements, and material things, among others.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The tale focuses on the four characters, Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw, who were on a journey in the maze to find the cheese. Hem and Haw had finally found their stock of cheese in Cheese Station C where they found comfort and ease. They even lived near it and invited friends to the station to boast their triumph. Little did they know that their pile of cheese was being gradually reduced until one day, they got the shock of their lives when they went to Cheese Station C and found nothing.

Meanwhile, following their instincts, Sniff and Scurry never ceased to search for “New Cheese”. Whenever they found a supply of cheese, they monitor it every day to determine shortage.

Back to Hem and Haw, grief and denial followed after the incident. They couldn’t believe that their stock of cheese was gone. They keep on digging the walls of Cheese Station C as they believed that the cheese might just be there somewhere. That was what they did day after day until they became irritable. Haw finally realized the futility of what they’re doing. He learned to laugh at himself and told Hem that maybe it’s time that they search for a new cheese. However, Hem was skeptical and refused to get out of the station and told Haw that he can’t take his chances on the maze anymore and that he is already too old for that.

Haw then ventured out to the maze to look for a new cheese and found that he was happier than he thought he would be – better than the way things were when he was still in Cheese Station C. He was inspired by Sniff and Scurry’s mindset. Along the way, they realized so many things, positive ones, and wrote them on the wall. He found several pieces of chees on the maze and tried to give some to Hem when he came back, but Hem still declined to come with him.

Determined, Haw continued his quest until he finally found Cheese Station N where he found quite a large stock of different kinds of Cheese. He also found Sniff and Scurry at the station. This time, he already knew what to do. He monitored the pile of cheese every single day, recalled the things he learned in life, and reminded himself to always move with the “cheese”. Suddenly, a movement outside the Cheese Station N grew louder and louder. Haw could only hope that it was his friend Hem who realized that he should get out of his comfort zone, face his fears and follow the traces he left on the wall to also move with the cheese.

 

Here are the important points of the core story that are worth contemplating:

  • Take control of your life rather than the other way around.
  • Be patient. People usually start from little things to get ready when there’s a bigger opportunity coming.
  • Embracing change is not dependent on age. No matter how old you are, it is never too late for a change. Instead, open your mind and look on the positive side of things.
  • Face the challenges. Never fear them as they will take you to success. While taking several steps, you will find that the fear reduces and along the way, do not be discouraged to continue.
  • Always monitor your current situation. Always ask yourself: “Did some things change?” Be more alert and always anticipate change.
  • It’s better late to seize opportunities than never doing so.
  • If you feel discouraged, always ask yourself: “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?”
  • When you are fearful, always think that “when you move beyond your fear, you feel free”.
  • Do not scare yourself as it would just make things worse.
  • Reflect and plan the steps that you should do in your life.
  • Always enjoy what you do, no matter how difficult it is.
  • Picture how you would like to see yourself realistically. The more you imagine, the more it becomes real and believable.
  • Think of what you gain instead of what you lose. A change would not lead to something worse, it could lead to something better.
  • Some people are afraid of something new, they still prefer their usual and traditional routine which makes it difficult for them to embrace change which continually and naturally occurs.
  • Taking a new direction will help you generate strength and vigor and you’ll find out that the goal is only part of the challenge.
  • What you are afraid of is not as bad as you thought it is, the fear you build inside is worse than the existing situation.
  • Do not deny the situation that has already taken place.
  • Helping other people is useless when they let fear and inflexibility consume them. Some people are very adamant and refuses to accept the changes.

Following the series of events in the story only proves that the saying, “Try and try until you succeed” as a matter-of-fact, is true after all!

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and in Your Life

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and in Your Life

Author:
Tag: Recommended Books
Publisher: G. P. Putman
Publication Year: 1998
ASIN: B004CR6AM4
ISBN: 0399144463

Who Moved My Cheese? takes the fear and anxiety out of managing the future and shows people a simple way to successfully deal with the changing times, providing them with a method for moving ahead with their work and lives safely and effectively.

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About the Book

With Who Moved My Cheese? Dr. Spencer Johnson realizes the need for finding the language and tools to deal with change–an issue that makes all of us nervous and uncomfortable.
Most people are fearful of change because they don’t believe they have any control over how or when it happens to them. Since change happens either to the individual or by the individual, Spencer Johnson shows us that what matters most is the attitude we have about change.

When the Y2K panic gripped the corporate realm before the new millenium, most work environments finally recognized the urgent need to get their computers and other business systems up to speed and able to deal with unprecedented change. And businesses realized that this was not enough: they needed to help people get ready, too.

Spencer Johnson has created his new book to do just that. The coauthor of the multimillion bestseller The One Minute Manager has written a deceptively simple story with a dramatically important message that can radically alter the way we cope with change. Who Moved My Cheese? allows for common themes to become topics for discussion and individual interpretation.

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Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time Header

For new and aspiring entrepreneurs, effective time management is a great foundation of success. It takes a lot of courage not to procrastinate and to do tasks according to priority and schedule. Procrastination is quite typical, especially for people who work on environment, having a lot of employees or using a lot of devices. In the modern world, there are so many distractions such as the social media platforms, noise, unwanted visitors, phone calls, unimportant emails, and other things which can greatly affect if not kill productivity. Therefore, it is quite vital for entrepreneurs and even workers to read the book entitled, Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time written by Brian Tracy wherein he recommends that in order to be successful, people should eat the biggest and ugliest frog of all.

THE GOALEat That Frog Cover

So the goal is to eat the biggest and the ugliest frog first thing in the morning and sure, nothing worse will happen the rest of the day. This is a guide that invokes empowerment, thus optimizes service and performance. The said “biggest and ugliest frog” is the hardest, biggest, and most important task a person needs to do that should be accomplished first before doing the easy ones. Doing the major and most important work motivates and triggers the release of “endorphins”, a morphine-like substance in the brain that will make a person feel more active, creative, positive, and confident. Moreover, self-discipline is one way of accomplishing and resisting the urge to do anything else. Prioritization is, therefore, essential to determine which work should be done first. People usually get overwhelmed with having so many things to do, but there’s not enough time. The said rule is proven to let an individual catch up with tasks and responsibilities yet enjoy a higher quality of life with loved ones at the same time.

THE 21 SUCCESS SECRETS

  1. Set the table. Preparation is the key to achieving goals. In order to do that, Brian determined the great rule for success, that is, “to think on paper”. Goal setting and planning should be clearly written as unwritten goals can lead to mistakes, confusion, and vagueness. These plans should be acted upon immediately without ceasing.
  2. Plan every day in advance. Planning is the strongest tool in increasing productivity and defeating procrastination. During this stage, always remember two things:
    1.   The Six-P Formula: “Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance”
    2.   The 10/90 Rule: This rule states that in every 10% of time spent on planning and organizing
  3. Apply the 80/20 rule to everything. This rule, also called the “Pareto Principle”, is quite helpful in time management wherein 20% of your activities will account for 80% of results.
  4.   Consider the consequences. Predicting the potential consequences of a deed determines the significance of a task, hence enables you to identify your next “frog”. Have a future orientation; think about what you want and how do you want to live your life in the next five, ten, or twenty years and reflect if what you are doing today is coherent to that desired goal. 
  5. Practice creative procrastination. Ascertain which tasks should be procrastinated, delegated or eliminated to free up more time for higher value projects.
  6. Use the ABCDE method, continually. Categorize the tasks according to its importance. The “A” is considered as the most important task that should be done first. “B” is the second most significant, but with milder weight such as answering an email or a phone message. On the other hand, “C” tasks are things which are delightful to do, but do not carry the weight on your work such as social interaction with workmates and personal phone calls. “D” is counted as the things you can delegate to other people, and lastly, “E” is categorized for anything that can be eliminated altogether because they are insignificant.
  7. Focus on key result areas. Determine the key result areas you have in order to do your job successfully. It’s like identifying your strengths and weaknesses to be able to address that weakness and improve yourself.
  8. Apply the Law of Three. Figure out the three most essential tasks and concentrate on them.
  9. Prepare thoroughly before you begin. Prepare your workplace, whether it’s in your home or in an office, because a more organized environment will make you more positive, efficient, and productive.
  10. Take it one oil barrel at a time. Choose one task that you usually procrastinate and make a step on completing it. Do the same for the other projects.
  11. Upgrade your key skills. Never cease learning in order to become more competitive.
  12. Leverage your special talents. Determine the things you are good at and what you enjoy. Focus on them as they are the key to unlocking your full potential.
  13. Identify your key constraints. After doing this, you will be able to take an immediate action and have a positive outcome.
  14. Put the pressure on yourself. Be motivated and work without supervision. Never depend on other people’s push.
  15. Maximize your personal powers. Work during the specific times that you are at your best, the time when your brain is more active and energized.
  16. Motivate yourself into action. Always be optimistic in action, words, and reactions.
  17. Get out of the technological time sinks. Become a master of the technology and not the servant. Control the usage of devices and technology and take time to relax without any interruptions to clear your mind and become calmer.
  18. Slice and dice the task. Cut a big task down using the “salami slice” or the “Swiss cheese” methods. These will make you work on a larger and more complex job that you’ve been procrastinating.
  19. Create large chunks of time. Schedule your work, plan in advance, and consolidate large chunks of time to work on more essential tasks.
  20. Develop a sense of urgency. The faster one works, the more will be accomplished, hence, the higher is the confidence and personal pride.
  21. Handle every single task. Always take action immediately without distraction on the most significant task and never stop until it is 100% completed. Practice these habits and it will surely become a part of you. This is critical to attain goals and of course, success.
Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

Author:
Tag: Recommended Books
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication Year: 2007
ASIN: B001AFF25W
ISBN: 1576754227

The legendary Eat That Frog! (more than 450,000 copies sold and translated into 23 languages) provides the 21 most effective methods for conquering procrastination and accomplishing more. This new edition is revised and updated throughout, and includes brand new information on how to keep technology...

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About the Book
The legendary Eat That Frog! (more than 450,000 copies sold and translated into 23 languages) provides the 21 most effective methods for conquering procrastination and accomplishing more. This new edition is revised and updated throughout, and includes brand new information on how to keep technology from dominating our time.
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Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

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