A colleague and I had just left our morning network group and were walking to our cars. As she walked, Ann was digging in her handbag struggling to find the key to her car. “This always happens,” she said, frustration mounting as she continued to dig – ultimately placing the bag on the hood in order to finally succeed.
“Really?” I asked. “Unfortunately,” she replied sheepishly. I smiled because a few years ago, I was having the same experience. I had purchased a beautiful brown handbag that was a perfect fit for my Macbook and still had room for everything else I wanted to carry.
As a mother, I often taught my children a principle I called “price per wear.” In other words, if you were buying something that you would use frequently, like a handbag, it was perfectly appropriate to pay more for that than you would for a dress you might only wear a few times.
With that in mind, I had spent a significant amount of money on that brown leather handbag -- only to discover that I repeatedly experienced major frustration trying to find what I wanted in it because there were so many pockets – and I couldn’t remember what I had put where.
I was ready to put it in the “Donations” box, feeling sad that I had made such a disappointing purchase. Then suddenly I thought of something! SUPER GLUE!
In a few minutes, I grabbed the Super Glue out of the laundry room, and ran a thin line of glue over three of the pockets. I quickly and easily solved the problem of having too many pockets! I’m still using that bag today.
Isn’t it amazing what a big difference a little thing can make? “Price per wear” is important to me, and donating the bag after only a few uses would have been highly disappointing. Instead, I smile to myself every time I use the handbag, and have fun sharing the story often with other women who have the same problem!
Is there something in your life that frequently causes you frustration, but you’ve failed to do anything about it? You might be pleasantly surprised to learn that there is a simple solution. If you can’t figure it out by yourself, don’t hesitate to ask for ideas from people you trust. Unfortunately, we often fail to ask for help either because we don’t even think of it – or we’re too embarrassed to ask. Don’t be.
Asking for help is a sign of wisdom – and an opportunity to make someone else feel valuable.
Do you need help creating a Productive Environment™--an intentional setting where you can accomplish your work and enjoy your life? If so, complete our Productive Environment Scorecard™ so we can identify areas where we may be able to help! - productiveenvironmentscore.com
In 1978, Barbara took out a $7 ad in a New York City newspaper to advertise her professional organizer business. For 20 years, she focused her business on organizing paper and physical clutter for home offices and organizations. Then the Internet Age came about, and she utilized her principles and expertise to help clients with digital clutter.
Over the past 40+ years Barbara has helped 1000's of companies, and became an icon and top expert in the industry. She has been featured on national media platforms such as Good Morning America, The Today Show and CNN Nightly News. She has also been showcased in publications including USA Today, New York Times, Fast Company, Reader’s Digest, Real Simple and Guideposts.
Barbara and her team teach business owners a 9-step system to go from overwhelmed to optimized. Step 1 is a free Assessment that can be found at https://productiveenvironment.com/pe-gameplan