It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.

When Burt Bacharach penned the above lyrics, he was, of course, referring to “love sweet love,” but I can think of a few other things that could fit into that category… take time, for example. There aren’t very many people who have never said they couldn’t use a few extra hours in the day, or even an extra day in the week, but no matter what we do, we can’t create more time – we can only learn to make better use of the time we have.

If you’re one of the lucky few who has perfected the art and science of time management, feel free to move on to another blog. On the other hand, if you’re like the rest of us who are always looking for new ways to manage time effectively, I know you’ll be as excited as I am about my special guest for next week.

Rodger Constandse, the owner of GoalsToAction.com and principal developer of the Achieve Planner software system, will be visiting my blog every day from March 15 to 19 to share some of his best time management strategies. What’s even better is that he’s planning to give away one of his products every day during his visit! Some of the available prizes will include Rodger’s Psychology of Procrastination course, his Effective Time Management course, and a copy of his Achieve Planner software.

In case you think I’m going to be slacking off all week, I should let you know that I’ve been assigned the task of picking the prize winners by determining who has made the most valuable comment each day – so come prepared to share your own timely tips, successful strategies, or perplexing problems. Prizes will be awarded every day that five or more comments are made, so be sure to tell others about this great contest.

Thanks to everyone who dropped in, especially those of you who took time to participate in the Trivia Challenge.

Here’s a recap of the questions, along with the correct answers:

1. What is the name of the networking group I run for local virtual assistants?

Golden Horseshoe Virtual Assistants Group – mentioned in A Few More Minutes of Fame and Glory and Happy New Year 2009

2. When did I last attend a POC Conference?

2006 – mentioned in FoVA 2009 in Review

3. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, what is my personality type?

ISTJ – mentioned in Is it Time to Revise YOUR Work Schedule? and How I Became a Virtual Assistant

In the spirit of the Olympics, I’ve decided to award not just one prize, but three.

The gold medal goes to Jacki Hollywood Brown, the first person to answer all the questions correctly. Jacki is eligible to receive a prize of her choice from my Products page. Congratulations, Jacki!

The silver medal goes to Julie Bestry, who also got all the correct answers. Julie is eligible to receive a prize of her choice from my Products page, with a maximum value of $24.95.

The bronze medal goes to Ross Dodwell, who got two out of three answers correct. Ross is eligible to receive a prize of his choice from my Products page, with a maximum value of $9.99.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks again to everyone else who played along.

I’m having another special event here later this month, with even more prizes. Make sure that you get all the details by following me on Twitter, subscribing to my blog by email, or adding it to your RSS reader!

I’m so excited that I decided to have a blog party, and I’m glad you were able to stop by. I hope you brought your own food and drinks though, because that’s one thing I haven’t figured out how to do virtually.

It wouldn’t be much of a party without games, so I’ve decided to have a Trivia Challenge. Below are three questions All About Me (it is my party, after all!). All the answers can be found on my blog fairly easily, so if it’s your first time here, you have just as much chance of winning as people who have known me for years.

The first person to get them all right will receive a prize of their choice from my Products page. You have until Monday morning at 6:00 AM EST to play. The correct answers – and the winner – will be announced here on Monday.

Are you ready to play? Here are the questions:

1. What is the name of the networking group I run for local virtual assistants?

2. When did I last attend a POC Conference?

3. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, what is my personality type?

Have fun!

Don’t worry; it’s not the type of party where you have to dress up or worry about driving home safely. It’s a blog party, and it’s happening right here!

I don’t want to spoil the surprise by telling you all about it now, but there will be a game, with a prize for the winner!

The party will run all weekend, in case you can’t make it on Friday, so please don’t miss it!

I hope you enjoyed today’s picture… as I typed the title of the post, I had this sudden flashback from my childhood. I went to my bookcase and, sure enough, I still have the book! I see that someone else’s name is written in it, so if that person wants it back, she should let me know…

If you haven’t found a system that works well for you, perhaps one of the following resources is just what you need.

NowDoThis is an online solution that is ideal for people who just don’t like lists. Simply go to the website, click on Edit, and a text box comes up. Type in the things you need to accomplish in the order they should be done, then click Save. All that shows up on your screen now is the first item on your list. Once you’ve completed it, click on Done, and your next task appears. Repeat until you’re finished. It’s that simple! No account to set up or log into; no complicated interface. It doesn’t get much easier than this!

Remember The Milk is a more elaborate online solution which allows the user to enter deadlines, tag tasks with appropriate keywords, and receive reminders by email, Twitter, SMS, or instant messenger, among other really cool features. It can be accessed on a cell phone or other mobile device, making it perfect for busy people on the go.

Maybe you prefer pen and paper, but keep losing those scraps of paper or are bored with plain white notepads. If you need a change but can’t bring yourself to spring for some fancy note paper for yourself, why not download and print a fun “Mom’s Got A Latte Do Today” list from Skip to My Lou, or a “Short Term Memory Loss Device” from Design. Wash. Rinse. Repeat.?

For lots and lots of lists, consider a membership to ListPlanIt, where along with various to-do lists, you’ll find lists for planning every area of your life, including home, business, finance, travel, and much more.

How do YOU keep track of what you need to do?

You can unsubscribe from newsletters and use SpamArrest to eliminate spam, but how do you handle well-intentioned friends who feel compelled to share every single email that puts a smile on their face? For an answer to this question, check out Thanks. No. which offers an interesting, if somewhat passive-aggressive, approach to dealing with people who are addicted to forwarding.

Thanks. No. isn’t really my style, nor will I just delete this type of email automatically. I always like to take at least a quick glance, because you just never know when you’ll come across something that is worth reading and even sharing. For example, take the following passage, which I received not too long ago – I think it will speak to you, no matter what season of life you’re in.

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.

I know that I lived them all… And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams… But, here it is… the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise… How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I remember well… Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like…  But, here it is…

My friends are retired and really getting gray… they move slower and I see an older person now. Lots are in better shape than me… But, I see the great change… Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant… But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day. And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did.

But, at least I know that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last… this I know, that when it’s over… it’s over… Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done… things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done.  It’s all in a lifetime…

So, if you’re not in your winter yet… let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long.

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not.

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life… so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember… and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past.

Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

Live it well — Enjoy today — Do something fun — Be happy — Be thankful.

One of my VIPs is Jacki Hollywood Brown. I met Jacki through Professional Organizers of Canada, and have always been impressed with her initiative and her dedication to the association, particularly her work in bringing value to French-speaking members. She now serves as POC’s Vice-President, in addition to being a busy mom and military wife, and running her organizing business, J-organize. She is also the only professional organizer I know who specializes in equestrian organizing!

I met Marie Mushing of People in Connection shortly after starting my business. After seeing my profile on a Yahoo group for local businesses, she invited me to attend one of her network events. Although neither of us could have known it at the time, that was the start of a great business and personal relationship. We have referred clients and subcontracted work to one another, and frequently get together to share business ideas. She has recently launched a free membership site called PICFIT where we, along with other members, can stay in regular contact and encourage each other to meet our goals to lead healthier lives. Marie actually lives fairly close to me, so I guess she really is in my neighbourhood. J

My third VIP is someone I’ve never met in person, although we have connected on Skype several times. Neil Matthews is a WordPress genius from “over the Pond” that I met on Twitter, and I’ve tapped into his expertise on numerous occasions. He has recently re-launched his WordPress Owners Club, offering support and training to WordPress blog owners who want to learn how to maintain and develop their site like a pro.

Again following Elaine’s example, I will close by asking you: Who are the cool, funny, out of the box, brilliant, expert People in your Neighborhood? If you decide to answer on your own blog, please leave a link in the Comments section!

When you sign up for this free online event, you can receive an amazing number of free resources to help you organize your home, your office, and your time. You don’t have to worry about these resources contributing to your existing clutter, as you can choose the ones that will help with your specific challenges, and most are in digital format, to be read, listened to, or printed out as needed.

In addition to Organized Assistant’s Personal Medical Organizer which normally sells for $14.95, here are a just a few of the free gifts you can receive:

Organize Your Office:

• How Productive Is Your Business/Non-Profit? - Self-Assessment provided by Stephanie Calahan of Calahan Solutions, Inc., who organized The Great Organizing Give Away
• Make Your Office Work Better – Report provided by Alaia Williams of One Organized Life
• 112 Tips to Organize Your Workday - Booklet provided by Sue McMillin of With Time To Spare

Organize Your Time:

• Time in Motion Action Planner – E-book provided by Allen Davis of Productivity Engineer
• 10 Easy Ways to Liberate Time Report - Report provided by Susan Lannis of ORGANIZATION Plus! Inc.
• Top 5 Organizing Mistakes – Report provided by Marcie Lovett of Organized by Marcie

Organize Your Home:

• The “Simplify Your Life” Collection - Free e-books and audio classes with ADD-Friendly Strategies that Work for EVERYONE, provided by Ariane Benefit of Lotus Bridge, LLC
• Clutter Code 6 step Organizing System Starter pack – E-book and worksheets provided by Elaine Shannon of Organizing Connection
• How to Set Up a Command Center – Guide provided by Tracy Molendi of Simply Organized & Staged

I’m going to grab a few resources myself! I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’m very excited to be a part of it.

Many professional organizers are offering free consultations, so be sure to sign up for The Great Organizing Give Away for access to the above gifts and much, much more.

This month marks my three-year anniversary of working with Sharon Graham, president and principal consultant at Graham Management Group, founder and executive director of Career Professionals of Canada, and author of Best Canadian Resumes. Sharon’s reputation for excellence and innovation, as well as ethics and integrity in the Canadian labour market, has made her a leader in the careers industry, and it truly is a privilege to be a member of her team.

I am especially proud to announce that Sharon has been named as a recipient of the 2010 Stu Conger Award for Leadership in Career Counselling and Career Development. The Canadian Career Development Foundation (CCDF) presents this award each year to individuals nominated by their peers for leadership contributions to the field, and it was no surprise to me that Sharon was chosen for this honour.

Here is just one example of the type of initiative for which Sharon has developed a reputation.

Most entrepreneurs recognize the importance of gaining a thorough understanding of their target market, and Sharon being no exception, is currently conducting an online survey for six-figure Canadians. However, instead of using the information for her own purposes, she will be making the data she collects available to every qualified person who completes the survey, to help them learn about the most effective ways for six-figure professionals to find jobs, along with current information about six-figure compensation strategies.

If you know Sharon, please join me in congratulating her on this exciting achievement! If you don’t, and you’re part of the Canadian careers industry or a six-figure professional, I highly recommend that you get to know her by reading her blog or following her on Twitter.

For starters, it covered too many areas of my life, including business, leisure, and health. Looking at all that at one time was just too overwhelming. Furthermore, because the document was in front of me all the time, I just didn’t see it anymore. I knew it was there and what it was, but instead of motivating me, it made me feel guilty that I wasn’t doing what I set out to do, or annoyed about things that were outside my control.

I realized what was wrong with my approach when I read 2010: The Year of Baby Steps which recommends, among other strategies, setting one resolution per month, instead of trying to change everything all at once. Although I wasn’t necessarily attempting to achieve all my goals at one time, I wasn’t focusing on any of them, so it’s not surprising I didn’t achieve what I had envisioned.

After being inspired by the 31 Days of Self-Care Blog, I decided I would start this year by doing something everyday aside from work and TV/DVD viewing, even if it’s just to get out and walk around the block, or to look for healthy recipes to try. It may not be much, but I think it’s a good starting point, and I know I will benefit. I’m not going to be blogging about my daily progress, because I really don’t think it will interest anyone but myself, but I am making notes in one of the spaces in the weekly planner I ordered from momAgenda.

One of the online tools I’m using to support my efforts to leading a healthier lifestyle is a free membership site website called PICFIT.ca. If you’re looking to lose weight or make other healthy lifestyle changes this year, or if you’re a health professional who would like to get some free exposure by supporting others, you should check it out too!

By the way, my daily something isn’t always health-related, though it often turns out that way. It can be as simple as doing my nails, or as fun as going out for lunch with my dad and my sister. It’s mostly about remembering that there’s more to life than work and watching movies. Don’t get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoy both activities. If I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t have to make a point of doing something else! I just don’t want to look back one day and sing this song: