Creating a more linear and organized way of doing business is important for increased health and wealth of your business. Haphazard ways of doing business, going off the cuff, and bumbling through a business plan is a sure fire way to create anxiety and chaos. Don't get me wrong I love the creative "off the wall", spontenaity of the "Ted Turner" type executive, but I think it may impact one from having a smooth sailing lifestyle. The invention of calendars, notebooks, computer programs like excel and going paperless are all good things. Using them may feel mundane and old school yet, they are also what I call target practice. You are doing the tedious to have more time relaxing. You are aiming for your goals with purpose and practicality.
Here are 12 tips to become more linear. Linear Organization is an organized step by step way of doing things. 1. Keep a Calendar in two places. Your smart phone is the best and most accessible calendar. You have access to it at any time, and the calendar also shows up on your desk top. 2. Check the Calendar first thing in the morning, afternoon and then again in the evening. Putting items in a Calendar is the first step, and checking in, regularly, is the essential step for follow through with personal, client and professional events. 3. Email confirmations every day to people and or companies you made appointments with. Include the date, address, time and purpose of meeting. This is a third way to keep track of calendar events. 3. Go as Paperless as Possible. Creating mounds of paper mess slows you down. Only keep paper that is NOT on-line, and that you want to refer to regularly. Newsletter, banking, financial, events are generally on-line, either by going into a website and or in your email. 4. Create Notes in your phone, not on paper. Your notes will always stay in your phone and then transfer to your desktop. No more scrambling for notes. 5. Take pictures, from your smart phone, of important notes, business cards, phone numbers, signs, pictures or any information you want to remember. Then just look at your phone instead of hunting around, frustrated. 6. Keep your desk ordered and neat while you are working. Having a messy desk creates anxiety and then it becomes difficult to focus on your tasks. Even if you pile all the papers into a bin, until you take time to sort through it, in order to have a clear desk. 7. Always schedule your down or play time into your calendar. Just seeing fun events gives you a feeling of reprise and delight. 8. As a business owner go to bank regularly to deposit income. It gives you a sense of achievement. If you are an employee and have automatic deposit still stop by your bank and talk to an expert about investing. 9. Use a timer for projects. Do projects in 25 minute increments with NO interruption and take 5-10 minute breaks in-between the focused 25 minutes. Projects will go faster and faster as you practice this time management technique. 10. Eat Healthy food. Eating a lot of sugar especially around holidays creates a sluggish, irritable worker. Eat vegetables, fruit, protein, and starchy veggies too. Balanced meals with little snacks in-between is great for high energy and focused thoughts. 11. Take walks every 25 minutes of your focused work day, even if it is to the bathroom and or to get water. 12. Drink plenty of water, and more water and more water. Marla Stone, MSW is a Corporate Professional Organizer and Business Consultant in Orange County, California. She works in the United States and Europe helping Businesses grow more Linear. Corporate Office in Irvine, CA. 949-709-7000
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Visiting businesses all over the US and especially Orange County and Southern California has been eye opening and thought provoking. Here are some thoughts about what I have seen as Professional Organizer in big and small businesses.
1. Employee clutter Walking through office after office, year after year, the first thing I notice are the boxes on top of file cabinets and hallways, paper piled up on employee desks, bare walls, stained furniture, messy break rooms, broken furniture, electronics, messy utility areas, dated decor, poor lighting and improperly placed furniture, over-utilization of paper, electric usage and way too much coffee and not enough water and nutritious fluids, not to mention old food in the fridge. 2. Poor Communication Even the most educated people, doctors, lawyers, university professors, scientists, ceo's, cfo's, bosses, gate-keepers all using improper language which causes procrastination, unfulfilled goals, unhappy relationships, poor customer care, decreased productivity and efficiency and a sense of drudgery throughout the work processes. I learned all the communication techniques that existed for increased productivity and found they were short term motivators. I created a communication skill out of identifying improper use of language on a massive scale. I created a few changes to our language which magically fix our entire beings to stop procrastination, mistakes, and glitches in our goals and quotas. 3. Robotic and Lifeless Services Customer care and product development suffering from lack of imagination, creativity, humanistic focus, employees and upper management suffering from sleep deprivation, improper nutrition, stifled dress codes, improper usage of breaks, lack of recognition of interpersonal aspects of employee and customer service and satisfaction, under utilized employee assistance services, lack of visitation and usage or over usage of health services. Disconnected communications between departments, and disrespectful and apathetic behaviors amongst employees and towards customers. Tired, grouchy, uncommunicative, resentful employees, long-term challenges unresolved with long meetings and a blah sense of fortitude. It is a lot to take in, as a person and professional that sees clear paths for companies with great challenges. Also, as a solution finder, I realize that introducing, encouraging and most of all enforcing specific basic methods, ideas and thoughts will generate greatness for American and European companies and that a great shift instead of a great divide will occur. Coming from a long background of corporate sales, training and program development, working for Wilson Learning (started by Larry Wilson of the One Minute Salesperson and the beginning of International Corporate Training Programs in the 90's), working as a corporate trainer for 17 years and being a psychotherapist and on the panels of EAP's (employee assistance programs) for 10 years I can see that the changes for company growth, executive excellence and leadership, employee consistency, productivity and efficiency is not a matter of a total overhaul, but yet a few tweeks, a few weeks and a few language and behavioral changes. Working with large and small businesses for many years is very gratifying and the success track of the businesses that have adapted the methods and teachings of www.southocwellness.com have been astounding. Increase in sales, customer and employee satisfaction are just a few of the perks of the learning curve. We offer business productivity tools, increased attendance at work, small business coaching, coaching and mentoring, workshops, seminars, business consulting and corporate wellness programs. Getting better at business is our business. Getting fame and recognition, a healthy stable in-flow of money, long-term customers and employees, better community relationships, notoriety and respect is earned through language not through time. Call 949-709-7000 for a free business consultation and get some free career coaching while your at it. Marla Stone, MSW, Business Coach and Lifestyle Consultant will help you define what you value in life and business so you will move forward to reaching goals, dreams and your ideal lifestyle. While capitalism has brought abundance and material security to modern living, it also causes some individuals to over-collect. In fact, many Americans find their precious possessions are filling their homes, leaving them untidy. They are not necessarily "hoarders", but have too many items for them to keep track of or care for. This clutter inevitably causes people to feel unnecessarily stressed and overwhelmed.
The answer to this common predicament is not sending all your stuff straight to the dump. By classifying and properly organizing your possessions, you can have a tidy, beautiful home that exhibits collections instead of just storing them. Having vast collections is respectable as long as they are sufficiently organized. This task of tidying can be daunting, especially if you're at it alone. I-Deal-Lifestyle professional organizers will help you declutter thoroughly and entirely. No matter how much clutter you have, we will implement an organizational system specifically tailored to your home and possessions. After categorizing every item you own and finding the very best places for them, we will give you the tools and techniques to keep your home in order after we leave. In addition, our expertise in the Chinese art of Feng Shui will revitalize your living spaces and bring you peace of mind. For it is not your possessions that matter, it is the way in which they supplement your life. For professional organization services in Orange County contact Marla Stone (949) 709-7000 "I need to go to the bank." "I need your help." "I need a cup of coffee". Modern language is filled with "I need" statements. In fact, most individuals use this phrase several times per day. But are we describing things we must do? Do our lives unconditionally depend on that diet coke, or did we just want it to stave off the mid-afternoon slump?
What a person actually needs is easily listed on your fingers. Human beings need air, food, water, shelter, sleep, elimination, and sunlight. These seven human necessities are the only things absolutely essential to human survival. When people say they need something separate from this list, they are improperly expressing themselves. Some may dismiss this notion, arguing the phrase has adapted to mean something else - a figure of speech that outgrew its original definition. However, its use could lead to unnoticed, but impactful consequences. People who regularly tell themselves they need inessential things are confusing their subconscious selves. Deep down, everybody knows what they truly need, and that new rug, new phone, and new car don't fit the bill. One may want these things very much, but when they're expressed as a need, the subconscious mind will respond, "No you don't!", preventing the desire from ever reaching fruition. Regularly declaring you need to do something will cause you to not do it at all! Luckily, a simple solution for this language exists. Instead of proclaiming what you need, decide what you want and what you will do to get it. Replacing the phrase "I need" with "I will" will help you follow through with your decisions and do what you truly want to. This approach to needy language is a core principle of I-Deal-Lifestyle's methods of organization. If something is useful, has a purpose, is sentimental, or is simply something you love, it belongs in your home. You don't need any of your possessions, but by identifying what you truly want, you can sensibly decide what you will keep. By employing this decisive language throughout the process of home organization, our clients keep their homes and possessions tidy long after the organizers have left. For professional organization services in Orange County contact Marla Stone (949) 709-7000 You know who you are. You come home tired, hungry, irritable, and want to get that bra and clothes off immediately. You long for comfy, the couch and your fav show. But where does your bra and dirty clothing land? Anywhere convenient of course. Sound familiar. Aaaah but taking that bra off is divine!
I'm not here to tell you to stop doing something that brings on such relief, but how to not have what I call perpetual disorganization. So here are some quick tips for keeping the bra and clothing out of sight until you muster the energy and will to put it in the laundry basket. 1. Place baskets where you generally disrobe. Don't put clothes on the floor, bed, couch or chairs!! 2. Have a laundry basket with holes in it so it breathes until you do laundry. 3. Once baskets are full WILL yourself to do the laundry. 4. Pick a day that you will do the laundry, when it is convenient, but timely. 5. Don't put yourself down for chilling out. 6. Have as many baskets around for the places you dump things. 7. Do your laundry regularly or get some help with it if you loathe doing laundry. 8.Relaxation is the key to motivation. We all have habits that are engrained in us from childhood but we can change, by understanding that we do not NEED to do anything except breathe, eat nutrition, drink plenty of water, have shelter, sleep, go to the bathroom and sit in the sun once in awhile. Everything else you either want to do or you will do. As adults we don't have our parents telling us to clean our room anymore. Becoming your own great parent system is important to stay organized. Perpetual disorganization will turn into perpetual organization when you find your will again and realize chores are not needs. Marla Stone is the leading expert in productivity and efficiency for home, and business organization. Follow her on twitter too https://twitter.com/ideal_organizer Language is the key to chronic disorganization. Also not getting your needs fulfilled. Humans do not get enough sleep, breathe, eat, go to the bathroom well. Humans do not get enough sunlight. The only thing we usually have is shelter, but some people don't even have that. The essential things in life that we need are being ignored and replaced with things like too much activity (shopping), polluted air, snacks, laxatives, and social media and television. We also suffer in the shelter department in the way of inadequate beds, disorganized homes, leaky faucets, dangerous neighborhoods, or dressing improperly for the elements.
We have confused needs with wants and wants with needs. To stop the madness and write a list of the things in the "need" category, that you are missing or low on, such as air, improved diet, shelter, hydrating, sleep, sunlight, going to the bathroom regularly and with good outcome (no pun intended.) Then write a list of things that you value in life, for instance, being a great parent, or writing a novel, or peace and quiet. Then write a list of things you absolutely want to do in life before your next birthday. Then write a list of things you absolutely will do, within the next three years. Becoming connected to what you want in life is the first step in becoming organized long-term. Without goals or dreams why bother putting one foot in front of the other, really. Our goals don't have to be lofty, although I do like to go big on goals. I would rather say I'll make $5 million dollars over the next two years than $50K. Go big on goals, as long as you have the abilities to reach big goals then go for it. If you are illiterate and your goal is to write a best selling novel that is a bit of a reach, but if you won a school prize in the poetry contest, that goal is reachable. If you want to be an olympic athlete but you smoke pot, eat improper foods and don't train, then, well, find another goal. The relation between what we need (the seven essential things that keep us alive), what we want in life, and what we will do to get it is the secret to staying on target in life, performance and productivity and efficiency. Speaking to yourself properly and putting "will" back in your language, "will" get you to your ideal lifestyle. Marla Stone is a productivity and efficiency lifestyle coach. She owns a professional organizer business in southern california and travels all over the united states coaching businesses and individuals on how to not only get organized but how to remain organized. As a therapist, who billed insurance, for over 10 years in Private Practice, and now in the present as a Professional Organizer, Life Coach in Orange County, California, the biggest question mark for people always is wondering what healthcare coverage actually covered. The second biggest Huh? is whether you will be fairly reimbursed. The third dilemma about healthcare coverage is how difficult it is to understand the benefits, the parameters and the small print. And last but not least is the cost of the program itself, the co-pays, and deductibles.
Health Insurance is all so confusing and a real maze even for the best minds and the brightest people. Here are some of the ideas and thoughts I have about health care and wellness. I was not on insurance panels after my first couple of years in Private Practice, but I would and could bill into the" out of network" portion of someone's plan. I billed all the biggest plans, Aetna, Cigna, Blue Cross, Blue Shield, PacifiCare, Medicare etc... The first thing I would say to a client is "Do you have Mental Health coverage?" I would always be met with that "Doe in the Headlights" stare and a quick "I'm not sure". I honored my clients, as a practitioner, to look up the benefits for the them, and it was my ethical duty to help them understand their coverage. It made life easier for everyone knowing what was to be paid and what the client would be responsible for. Many doctors today don't care if you get reimbursed, but rather that they are paid in full. Many therapists and health practitioners don't care either if the client's insurance will cover their services, since they make the client pay up front. Most practitioners don't care if the client gets reimbursed, and they rarely advocate for their reimbursements. I thought that was wrong and stupid on the part of the practitioner. I found that when everyone was clear, on the cost and the benefits, the treatment went much smoother and the alliance to treatment much stronger. If a client did not have coverage I offered a sliding scale fee with proof of hardship, so they wouldn't have to pay my full billing fees. Many doctors will do that if asked. It can't hurt to ask if a Physician or therapist will extend a helping hand. When you go to the doctor today the prices of services are like mystery meat, you never know what you are getting yourself into and it could be a big disgusting mess for you financially. You can ask how much for this and how much for that and you may never get an answer until the bill comes in the mail or you’re checking out (no pun intended). This can make life full of stress and eventually you may avoid going for health care treatment just to avoid the unknown cost. THIS IS A BIG MISTAKE! "The most important thing we have in life is our health, and without health there is nothing else!" This is a great quote from my grandmother who lived until 88 with heart disease, a stroke, arthritis and high blood pressure. Why did she have a great quality of life until the end? She loved going to the doctor's office. Why did my grandmother love going to the doctor's office? Because her daughters, my two aunts, drove her there and figured everything out for her. My aunts both highly educated school teachers could read the fine print, find physicians on her panel, negotiate with the practitioners and call the insurance companies when reimbursements didn't show up. So bottom line is you have to be your own advocate and it is time consuming. If you don't have time to advocate for yourself find an advocate or have someone you know, who has free time, to help you get the answers you want to make a good decision about who treats your health. There are doctors out there now who will look up your benefits, but as soon as they get on the "hot tamale train" and are "popular" they start accepting private pay only or they want payment up front prior to billing. It is understandable that they don't take the time to help you; in many cases doctor's reimbursement fees have hit an all-time low. They can barely keep afloat. Most physician/practitioner reimbursements are dictated by Medicare and those rates just keep on going "down town Julie Brown". Another hurdle in understanding your insurance plan coverage is not just to read the fine print but to understand it all. I don't know about you, but I can't read small print anymore even with a magnifying glass, so I usually call the 800 customer service numbers to talk to a representative. If I can understand the foreign dialect then I usually get a good solid answer, but oddly enough many customer services are now in the Philippines and India. I don't know about you, but it is difficult for even an interpreter to understand the dialects. I also find with customer service agents that their true knowledge of your plan is not necessarily succinct with your actual plan. I have asked 4-5 customer service people in one day the same question and come up with 4-5 different explanations. I then realize I must go higher for higher knowledge of the plan, One of my secrets for understanding the insurance plan's worldwide customer service people is that if I cannot understand them, and or their dialect, I call the corporate office and talk to the assistant to the CEO, or the closet person I can find to the CEO. They will be surprised that you are calling them, but you have every right to have a representative that you can understand, and that will break down the services and the coverage for you in a clear and concise manner. If you have trouble locating the CEO's office, look up the plans investor relation's email and write them a note about your troubles, and someone will get back to you, and or look up their annual report and find their corporate number. I love people from all over the planet, but some I just really cannot understand even if I strain. They are either slurring, talking to softly, the dialect is thick and or they do not speak english well, and I don't speak their language at all. Sometimes I realize that the customer service folks are naturally not happy with their job, and or have been trained to be passive aggressive, repeating my questions without giving a clear answer in a ping pong communication style. I end up asking the question in 14 different ways, and all I end up with is an answer that does not pertain to my question. I call this communication style a circular discussion. I start out polite with customer service folks, on most occasions, and when my blood starts to churn I just explain that I cannot understand and that I have to move on. Other times I realize I don't have the correct question and lingo to find out the answers, and with any added language/communication barrier I don't get too far. When this happens do not be afraid to take it to corporate. DON'T GIVE UP. Your health care is too important. You are too important. Your family member is too important. Going to the doctor regularly is an emotionally intelligent thing to do!!! Always remember the person that wrote the insurance policies make it tricky for a reason and that whoever wrote the policy is probably NOT smarter then YOU! Marla Stone, Health Wellness Consultant/Lifestyle Coach/Advocate www.southocwellness.com 949-709-7000 ideallifestyle1@gmail.com My past life as a Social Worker is somewhat far behind me since I stopped practicing in April 2010. I am still an expert consultant on Mental Health Challenges and a Mental Health Advocate.
In my career, presently, as a Professional Organizer at www.i-deal-lifestyle.com I am coming across people with ADD, ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, OCD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizo-Affective Disorder, Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Panic Disorder, Schizophrenia, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Personality Disorders including Narcissism, Borderline, Obsessive Compulsive, Dependent, Paranoid, Schizoid, Schizotypal, Antisocial, Histrionic, Avoidant, Depressive, Passive Aggressive, Self Defeating, Sadistic and with Psychopathy. Mental Health Challenges, Addiction Challenges, and Behavioral Patterns that are causing pain, grief, anger, anxiety or discomfort often can lead a person to think about suicide and or homicide. Suicidal and or Homicidal ideation often takes a leap during the Spring and Summer months. And here is my big reminder at this time of year.... May is the Highest Rate of Suicide of the year. Summer or hotter times of the year are higher for Homicide. Why May for suicide? There are cycles of mood and early May we hit the bottom of our energy cycle. Think of the Bears ending their sleep and hibernation cycle. By Mid to late May we start on an up swing of mood. Why Hotter months for homicide? Frustration grows in heat! Mental Health and Personality Challenges usually are the root of all Suicide and Homicide actions. Personality Challenges, especially, can be hidden challenges that are inflexible behavior patterns but extremely pervasive in people's lives. The ego structure, if fractured or disturbed during childhood, often sets Personality Challenges up, to sneak into our lives, destroying happiness, harmony, good relationships and our sense of well being. With a Personality Disorder it is also difficult to create adaptive coping strategies. Mental Health Challenges are generally bio/psycho/social in nature. It is always highly recommended to seek counseling to get your diagnosis dialed in. All people can also benefit from having a Life Coach. Recently I ran into a person that kept repeating "I'm Not A Bad Person" and "I'm Not A Monster". Very odd statements coming from such a young woman, and symbolic of her feelings about herself and how she thinks she is perceived. Any types of odd or inconsistent behavior or verbal communications should not go un-noticed or un-attended. When you come across family, friends or even strangers who seem or appear odd or disturbed don't turn your back and run. Talk to them if it is safe, talk to their family, or someone who can safely get them to help. Give them the number to the Suicide Hotline and or Mental Health Programs in your area. Our society tends to run for the hills if there is conflict or strange situations. That is partially why we have National Traumas such as the killing of the Kindergarten children a few years ago. We as a society and individuals must stand up and take notice of "Odd" or "Strange" or "Weird" behavior in our fellow citizens. Parents must take their children, with Mental Health Challenges, seriously and get them help. It is your responsibility as a parent to take your child, at any age, even if they are threatening to get evaluated. It means you actually care if they are well, when you attend to their inconsistencies. It is important to respect and take care when intervening in a disturbed individuals plight. We cannot be out there hunting down people and diagnosing, when you are not trained, just because. The best avenue is to always alert the authorities, call Adult Protective and or Child Protective Services or your local Mental Health Clinic when you suspect there is an issue with someone you come across. Never take these situations into your own hands. Suicide risk information can be found at http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-recognizing-signs-of-suicide Suicide hotlines can be found at http://www.suicidehotlines.com No more ignoring the obvious challenging people on this planet. We don't do it as a country with Foreign enemies and we shouldn't do it with individuals within our communities that we notice every day. The homeless for the most part are the most vulnerable for hate crimes so they are the least of our problem when it comes to being responsible for mass killings. The mentally ill such as people with Schizophrenia are 5% less violent then the average person, but when you add non-alliance to treatment and medications, drugs, alcohol and a personality disorder to the mix they can become irrational and a killing machine. When you notice people talking to themselves and acting bizarre you should initiate an immediate phone call to authorities (Police) and Adult Protective Services. The Police and Adult Protective Services ARE responsible to come out and assess the situation. If they do not, call again and again until they realize that is their job. You can also always report a non response from Police to a supervisor or your City Council Members. The most responsible for making phone calls are Parents, Family Members, Teachers, Mental Health Practitioners, Medical Practitioners, but alerts from any citizen when things are just not correct is always a great idea. Stopping crazy behavior before it becomes harmful and deadly is the smart thing we can all take responsibility for. Please pass this article onto everyone you know and post it on your Facebook page. We must act together to stop mass killings across our great and wonderful country. Marla Stone, MSW, Professional Organizer, Life and Business Coach, Author, Public Speaker www.southocwellness.com www.i-deal-lifestyle.com Having a system created for a more linear and organized way of doing business is essential for increased health and wealth of your business. Haphazard ways of doing business, going off the cuff, and bumbling through a business plan is a sure fire way to create anxiety and chaos. Don't get me wrong I love the creative "off the wall", spontenaity of the "Ted Turner" type executive, but I think it may impact one from having a smooth sailing lifestyle. The invention of calendars, notebooks, computer programs like excel and going paperless are all good things. Using them may feel mundane and old school yet, they are also what I call target practice. You are doing the tedious to have more time relaxing. You are aiming for your goals with purpose and practicality.
Here are 12 tips to become more linear. Linear Organization is an organized step by step way of doing things. 1. Keep a Calendar in two places. Your smart phone is the best and most accessible calendar. You have access to it at any time, and the calendar also shows up on your desk top. 2. Check the Calendar first thing in the morning, afternoon and then again in the evening. Putting items in a Calendar is the first step, and checking in, regularly, is the essential step for follow through with personal, client and professional events. 3. Email confirmations every day to people and or companies you made appointments with. Include the date, address, time and purpose of meeting. This is a third way to keep track of calendar events. 3. Go as Paperless as Possible. Creating mounds of paper mess slows you down. Only keep paper that is NOT on-line, and that you want to refer to regularly. Newsletter, banking, financial, events are generally on-line, either by going into a website and or in your email. 4. Create Notes in your phone, not on paper. Your notes will always stay in your phone and then transfer to your desktop. No more scrambling for notes. 5. Take pictures, from your smart phone, of important notes, business cards, phone numbers, signs, pictures or any information you want to remember. Then just look at your phone instead of hunting around, frustrated. 6. Keep your desk ordered and neat while you are working. Having a messy desk creates anxiety and then it becomes difficult to focus on your tasks. Even if you pile all the papers into a bin, until you take time to sort through it, in order to have a clear desk. 7. Always schedule your down or play time into your calendar. Just seeing fun events gives you a feeling of reprise and delight. 8. As a business owner go to bank regularly to deposit income. It gives you a sense of achievement. If you are an employee and have automatic deposit still stop by your bank and talk to an expert about investing. 9. Use a timer for projects. Do projects in 25 minute increments with NO interruption and take 5-10 minute breaks in-between the focused 25 minutes. Projects will go faster and faster as you practice this time management technique. 10. Eat Healthy food. Eating a lot of sugar especially around holidays creates a sluggish, irritable worker. Eat vegetables, fruit, protein, and starchy veggies too. Balanced meals with little snacks in-between is great for high energy and focused thoughts. 11. Take walks every 25 minutes of your focused work day, even if it is to the bathroom and or to get water. 12. Drink plenty of water, and more water and more water. Marla Stone, MSW is a Corporate Professional Organizer and Business Consultant in Orange County, California. She works in the United States and Europe helping Businesses grow more Linear. Corporate Office in Irvine, CA. 949-709-7000 |
Here, you will find an array of blog articles about living an ideal lifestyle and how to improve corporate business strategies.Marla is known as the Declutter Your Strategy™ expert. Marla earned her BA in Psychology and a Master's in Social Work. Stone is the founder of |