The month of May as the

last month of Spring, has

arrived, and we begin the

inevitable journey into the

long Texas, hot, humid

summer. So, besides

drinking lots of iced liq-

uids, what can be do to

prepare ourselves? Can

we perform a little spring

cleaning for our minds,

bodies, and spirits so

we’re not carrying so

much clutter? Let’s shred

some of that unwanted

and undesired behaviors,

thoughts, and emotional

baggage!

Where do we begin to get-

ting rid of that waste?

And more

importantly, where do we

find the time to throw

away and leave behind

stuff?

There’s your answer: We need to begin with finding

the time. Getting rid of our

time wasters is the first step

to spring cleaning.

Here’s a top ten list of

common time management

mistakes according to Mind

Tools. See if you have the-

se pitfalls to avoid:

1) Failing to Keep a To-Do

List-daily, weekly,

monthly

2) Not Setting Personal

Goals-striving to

achieve the SMART

goals

3) Not Prioritizing-what

really is important/

urgent

4) Failing to Manage Dis-

tractions-office gossip

around the coffee pot

or water cooler.

5) Procrastination-

tomorrow never

comes.

6) Taking on Too Much-

committed to every-

thing

7) Thriving on “Busy”-

similar to procrastina-

tion because no plan-

ning is involved and

only accomplishing

part of task.

8) Multitasking-

succeeding in only 20-

40 percent of the

tasks because of

working on more than

one at a time.

9) Not Taking Breaks-

REST your brain!

10) Ineffectively

Scheduling Tasks-no

follow up.

Our featured article on

Time Management hope-

fully will motivate you to

jump in there do a little

May Spring Cleaning!

Mind, Body, Spirit By Melissa Easley, CPS/CAP

Notable Quotable

“The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

~Stephen Covey

Congratulations

Incoming Aggieland Chapter Officiers:

President: Lea Ann Westmoreland, CAP

President Elect: Mary Ellen Rowan, CAP

Vice President: Lisa Benavides, CPS/CAP

Secretary: Cindy Hurt, CPS

Treasure: Sherry Melton, CPS/CAP

May 2011

Editor: Melissa Easley, CPS/CAP

Mind, Body, Spirti…………………1

Feature Article…………………......2

Events Around Town………….…..3

President’s Message………...…….3

Chapter Events……………..……...4

Good Luck and Well Wishes

To all those who are

completing the certification

exams for your

CPS or CAP

Is your work area awash in piles

of paper, half-finished cans of

soda, stacks of memos, and

mountains of file folders? Even

if you know exactly where to

find everything that you need to

get your job done, a messy

workspace sends a signal that

you’re disorganized and ineffi-

cient and is probably slowing

you down more than you realize.

Not only is it easier than you

might imagine to tidy your

space, but there is a big upside to

having a neat, calm work area.

For instance, you'll no longer

waste time digging through piles

of paperwork to find a crucial

document that you need now.

You'll make a better impression

on colleagues and higher-ups.

And with less distracting clutter,

it will be easier to focus on your

work. As a result, your produc-

tivity will increase dramatically.

Follow these 4 easy steps to a

clutter-free workspace:

1. Remove every-

thing.

Take everything off of your desk

and other cluttered work spaces,

like shelves. (Of course, leave

large items like computers and

printers in place.) Also remove

any papers, calendars, and notes

that are tacked to a bulletin

board or to your walls. Use box-

es, bins, or bags organize your

stuff. Group items in temporary

storage containers:

o Office supplies: Pens, paper

clips, stapler, scotch tape, etc.

o Forms: Letterhead, company

pads, supply requisitions

o Paperwork: to-do list, list of

calls to return, project-related

reports, memos.

o Daily essentials: Calendar, cal-

culator, pen cup, notepads

o Reference materials: Office

manuals, dictionary, price lists,

binders

o Personal items: Photos, work

awards, your child's artwork

2. Clean every sur-

face; review every

piece of paper.

Wipe down every inch of every

work area. Banish coffee cup

rings, grime, and dust. Now, go

through the papers you removed.

Toss duplicates, old memos, and

anything no longer relevant to

your work. Ask yourself if you'll

ever need to refer to a particular

piece of paper again. If the an-

swer is no—let it go. Keep ac-

tion items, current files, and your

to-do list.

3. Replace only the

things that you need

back on, in, or above

your desk.

Find a place for everything in

drawer divider trays, desktop sup-

ply caddies, and vertical files.

Place items you use daily (pens,

pads, calendar, phone call sheets)

within reach. Place things you use

weekly or monthly (reference ma-

terials, supply requisitions) further

away, perhaps on a shelf, but still

easy to get your hands on. Items

you use rarely (extra office sup-

plies, old but important files)

should be stashed in a file cabinet

away from your desk. Place

knickknacks out of the way, on or

above your desk.

4. Clean your desk

each day before leav-

ing for home. Ten minutes before you leave the

office, put everything away, ex-

cept for active projects. When you

return to work the next morning,

you'll feel inspired to new heights

of productivity by your clean, al-

most Zen-like workspace.

You've done it! Your workspace is

now clear, and you're ready to

greet each day with greater enthu-

siasm and productivity.

Page 2

De-Clutter Your Workspace in 4 Quick Steps by ASAPorg.com Staff

PAS SIO N A ND PU RPOS E

Events Around Town

Page 3 PAS SIO N A ND PU RPOS E

Wednesday, May 18 - "A Tour of Brazos Valley Veterans

Memorial and Lynn Stuart Pathway," with GEN Randy House, USA (Ret.); FIELD TRIP to Veterans Park with lunch at the

American Pavilion, carts will be available for transport.

(Luncheon sponsored by Brazos Union Masonic Lodge.)

May 14th-The 2011 Starlight Music Series offers five

nights of FREE musical entertainment throughout May and

June. Families, friends and visitors can load up their picnic

baskets, coolers, blankets and lawn chairs for rockin' enter-

tainment under the stars at the City of College Station's Wolf

Pen Creek Amphitheater.

President’s Message

Thank you for sharing this journey of Passion & Purpose with me over the past year. When I joined IAAP in 2002, certification was my focus. Holding a board position was not something I’d have ever thought of doing. Like most,

public speaking was not a comfortable thing to think about. Through IAAP I have served in most committee positions

and chapter board positions. I also put on one memorable skit with Cindy Hurt at an APD. None of these were in my

comfort zone, but in a supportive environment like IAAP anything is possible.

I have watched many ladies serve as President of IAAP and have learned something from each of them. It is exciting to

watch people blossom through IAAP and try things they wouldn’t have normally done.

Through IAAP, I have met many awesome people and been to exotic locals like Amarillo, La Pine, Reno and New

Orleans (some more glamorous than others.) It didn’t matter where the event was held though, every time you get IAAP people together, you are going to be inspired and lifted up. It doesn’t matter if the napkins are linen or the chicken is

rubber, if you are open to IAAP you will be rewarded with friends and education.

I hope we continue to grow and improve in everything we do, but we can’t lose focus on the true spirit of IAAP. Thank you to everyone who has supported me since we began this journey. I look forward to representing Aggieland in

Houston this weekend and encourage everyone to set a goal of attending a division conference when they can!

Sincerely,

Sheila Dotson CPS/CAP

Chapter Events & IAAP

Page 4 PAS SIO N A ND PU RPOS E

Follow Us:

http://twitter.com/AggielandIAAP http://www.iaap-aggieland.org http://www.facebook.com/aggielandiaap

May 19 - 5:30-7:30 pm

Papa Perez Downtown Bryan

So, You Want To Be a Virtual Assistant? Presented by Sherri Beck, CPS/CAP, Owner of Top Koala T and Linda Dunahoo, CPS/CAP, Owner of Lone Star

Professional Group Management

There will be no charge for the meeting.

You may order from the menu on your own. RSVP by Tuesday, May 17