The problem is that finding more about the author, artist, business person, or writer you're interested in can feel like you've been thrown into a roaring sea. Right?
Well no more!
You don't have to scan page after page to find the one you're interested in. Just stop by our archive list at http://thedabblingmum.com/interviews/, click on an area you want to learn more about, then click on the interviewees name... it's that easy!
Marcie Lovett is an author and Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant who coaches residential and business clients on goal setting and use of time. She graduated from the University of Maryland, School of Education, and is a Golden Circle member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO.
Marcie’s mission is to assist clients who want to remove clutter and chaos from their environments, thereby improving the quality of their lives.
What was your path towards publication like?
I have been writing since I was very young. I wrote atrocious poetry and dreadful prose when I was a teenager. As an adult, I tried writing short stories and a novel, but they aren’t very good. I used to say that I thought I had a book in me, but I never envisioned writing nonfiction.
I resisted writing this book for several years, even though clients and participants in my workshops asked for it. I have been in homes that are filled with books that the owners hoped would somehow transform their lives. Just like buying a diet book isn’t going to make you lose weight, I know that my book isn’t going to change lives if the reader doesn’t commit to making changes.
I struggled with wanting to get the information out and knowing I might contribute to book clutter. I had intended to publish it only as an e-book so readers wouldn’t have to find a place to keep it, but I learned that my audience wanted to read a physical book.
Once I made the decision to write the book, I told everyone I was doing it and I started referring to myself as a writer, then I changed my marketing materials to reflect the upcoming book. The truth was, though, that I spent more time researching, thinking and talking about the book than I did writing.
I ran into an acquaintance, at a networking event, and we both mentioned that we were writing books. She asked if I would consider being accountability partners and I agreed right away.
Once I had to report to someone what I did each week, the writing process became an assignment instead of a dreamy fantasy. I set up time to write every day and I noted the other activities, like research, so I realized how I was using my time. I don’t believe I would have finished the book without having this structure.
I looked at all the publishing options and self publishing seemed to be the most cost effective and expedient way to make my book available to the greatest number of people.
Since this was my first publishing experience, I also wanted to have control over all the aspects of the process, including the design, pricing and release date.
What is your biggest obstacle when it comes to pitching yourself as an author and what steps have you taken to overcome that obstacle?
I have never been a great self promoter, although I have been more comfortable marketing my book than my business.
People have responded enthusiastically to the book, even before it was published, which made me more willing to talk about it. I spend a lot of time reading blogs and listening to webinars about marketing. Of course, I could say that I was simply following the steps in the Goal Setting section of my book!
Because I believe so strongly in the book’s message, I am dedicated to getting it out to as many people as I can.
How do you balance your life as an entrepreneur with your duties as a parent or spouse?
I coach people on making choices about how they spend their time, so I feel like I have to model appropriate behavior. Although I work long hours, I don’t allow it to interfere with my personal life. I rarely schedule clients in the evenings or on weekends and my writing and administrative work can be done any time during the day. I have much more freedom now than when I worked in an office.
What is your best advice for getting past writer's block?
Because I attempt to practice what I encourage my clients to do, I created a writing routine.
I schedule time every day to write and I have stuck with it, even when I have nothing to say. Some days the writing comes effortlessly and two hours can fly by, while other days are torturous and all I do is move words around on the page or reformat headings. Whether I have a productive session or not, I sit in front of my computer and make some movement toward meeting my goal.
What was the best writing-related advice you ever received?
Dan Janal of PR Leads told me, “You are not writing the definitive organizing book.”
Once I realized that I didn’t have to include everything I knew and address all of the concerns anyone could have, I was free to finally finish the book. I removed sections that really didn’t fit and set them aside to use in another book.
What do you feel is the single most detrimental thing an entrepreneur could do to destroy his/her career?
You have to pay attention.
There are so many details that need attention, including finances, marketing, administration, customer service and personnel. If you focus on just one thing and neglect the others, you will not be successful.
My suggestion is to have a calendar/planning tool that works for you and write everything down. I recently worked with someone who said she keeps all her customer information in her head. That is not the way to run a successful business.
How did you get started in your line of work?
I experienced three job layoffs in seven years. I had considered working as an organizing consultant even when I was working full time in other jobs, but I was concerned about working on my own. After the third layoff, I realized that it was a good time to open my own company and if I didn’t try, I would always regret not taking the chance.
Before starting my own business, I assisted people in a less formal manner. Because I have always had strong organization skills, people relied on me to help them sort out their cluttered home and work spaces, then create uncomplicated solutions.
What is your goal when providing your services?
My goal is to help people save time and money by teaching them to let go of what they don’t need and find room for what they value.
People call me because they are overwhelmed.
They find that they’re not able to keep up with all of the details of life, whether at home, work, or both. Just about everybody lives with some degree of clutter; however, when clutter keeps you from functioning productively or from enjoying your environment, you feel stress. That stress affects your social or family life and can affect your earnings, as well.
Can you tell us a little bit about your latest book?
Whether it’s caused by things, commitments or thoughts, clutter holds you back. Letting go of it will change your life. The Clutter Book: When You Can't Let Go is meant for people who need guidance and structure to meet their goals of eliminating clutter from their lives.
I firmly, yet sensitively, move readers through what can be very painful experiences. I’m also a cheerleader, encouraging them to take the next step so they can enjoy their successes.
My book comes from a place of acceptance, is written for adults and includes exercises for readers to participate in the process. I teach them process that I hope will make a profound difference in how they see their relationship to things. In addition, I want to inspire them to think about how they live their lives and what they want to change. Most importantly, I encourage readers to enjoy their lives and their choices.
How did you come up with the idea for your book?
Before I committed to writing a book, I read what seems like every existing organizing book to make sure that my message was distinctive.
I admire many of the writers, but they all seemed to be missing something. Some of them are too academic, some don’t offer practical advice, others are written in a comic tone that didn’t appeal to me.
For the past few years, I have been thinking differently about clutter. As a group, organizers tend to promote living with less. I endorse a “simple living” approach and I now recognize that doesn’t work with a lot of people. So the aim of the book is to help people learn to live with what they have. Some people need to be surrounded by stuff, but they also need to live safely and comfortably. This book is for them, too.
What was the most difficult aspect of writing this book?
The most difficult part of the process for me has been the editing.
Although I hired an editor and I reviewed the manuscript several times, there were still errors that got through. Three times over the course of a month I had to submit a proof, wait for it to be printed and shipped, read it and make changes before I was satisfied that it was accurate.
Reading the book as an actual book, not as words on a computer screen, made a huge difference. I took each of the proofs to bed with me, like I would read any other book, and marked them up. I was frustrated that I kept finding things to change, but I think I learned a lot and ended up with a much better book.
Did you have to do any special research for your book?
As this is a nonfiction book, the content needed to reflect current research about human behavior. I did a lot of reading about decision making, procrastination and perfectionism; these are issues my clients struggle with. Readers who are interested in the science behind the approaches in the book will appreciate the knowledge as they make changes.
If you could choose just one thing for your book to accomplish, what would it be?
My wish is that someone who has been struggling with a relationship to things reads this book and finds the strength to change. That change can manifest itself in letting go of relationships that aren’t healthy or behaviors that aren’t productive or stuff that doesn’t add value to his or her life. Letting go doesn’t mean dumping everything you have; it’s about choosing what works for you and discarding the rest.
What’s ahead for your writing?
I'm working on a companion workbook. The Clutter Book contains exercises and checklists; the workbook will allow readers to print full-size copies of the exercises and write all over them, then print more when they want to repeat an exercise. The workbook also includes worksheets that workshop participants have found to be invaluable.
I’m also considering creating more specific books targeted to students, older adults and people with attention challenges. These are groups with significant concerns who would benefit from a book tailored to their needs.
Thanks, Alyice. This was a very enlightening exercise for me! I look forward to reading more interviews on your blog.
I am one of those people that love sappy endings. I also love it when the good guys win, when the underdogs triumph, and when people are reminded that God does indeed exist—even if at times it all feels like hocus pocus. But, I am also one of those people who likes good acting and sadly, there are many Christian films that lack good actors. That, however, is not the case when it comes to Touched By An Angel—regardless of the season you choose to watch.
In Season Four, Volume 2, Tess is still the Supervisor, Monica is still the Case Worker, and Andrew is still the Angel of Death/Case Worker in training, and Rafael comes along to lend a hand as another Case Worker.
I was partial to three episodes: The Trigger, Flights of Angels, and God And Country. But what I’d like to do is tell you about The Trigger because I truly believe it is an episode that should be shared in every classroom across the United States.
In The Trigger, a wife is faced with physical abuse as her husband deals with the demotion he received at work. This episode hit home for me as I grew up around abuse. I used to believe that abuse only happened to lower income families, such as those of us who lived in the ghetto. But as I grew into an adult, I began to see all forms of abuse in all types of circumstances: from verbal to physical to both; from children to spouses to friends; from low income to medium income to those who had lots of money. Abuse knew no boundaries. And those that were abused were either too afraid to speak up, talked themselves into believing it was only a temporary thing, or actually believed it was their fault.
In Trigger, the wife was abused as a child and honestly believed that she would never allow another man to hurt her the way her father had. In fact, she thought that by purchasing her childhood home, she would be able to put to rest the memories of the past. But when her husband gets demoted due to an accident at work, he feels like less of a man and to make up for the high he got on saving lives, he began to abuse his wife. And no matter how many times she ended up in the hospital, she kept rationalizing it away—he’s just going through a tough time right now, he didn’t mean anything by it, he really loves me, he promised he’d change.
Then one day, the wife’s sister arrives and things change from bad to worse. The sister kills the husband in self defense. The wife lies to the police and puts her sister in jail. It’s up to Monica, Tess, and Andrew to get her to see the error of her ways, to see what really happened the day her husband died, and to stop her son from becoming the next abuser. It truly is an emotional roller-coaster but one every family should watch.
Your Task
Invite your child’s friends over. Invite your child’s Sunday school class over. Invite the parents, too. Make popcorn, oven Smores, and hot cocoa. Then put in a copy of Touched By An Angel, Season Four, Volume 2, Disc 1, Episode 2. After watching Trigger, turn off the DVD and open the room up to discussion. Ask the children what they thought about that episode. Ask them if they know what the various forms of abuse are: verbal, physical, unjust spankings, beatings, etc. Ask them how they would feel if something like that happened to them. Ask them what they would do if someone hurt them and they were really afraid. Then talk to them about the importance of staying safe, of reporting abuse, and about getting away from bad situations and bad people. The only way to end abuse is to educate others. Keeping it quiet solves nothing.
A successful middle-aged chiropractor named Alan divorces his uptight, money-hungry wife, Judith, and is forced to move in with his wealthy bachelor brother, Charlie. In season one, the original idea was for Alan to stay with Charlie for a few months and then move out, but as Judith continued to require more and more money from Alan it became apparent that he couldn’t afford to live on his own—just yet. Though tempted to throw Alan out on several occasions, Charlie agrees to let him stay. As the show progresses, Charlie and Alan set aside childhood issues, learn to forgive—or at least move past—hurtful childhood events, and end up becoming good friends.
Charlie is a male chauvinist who thinks great relationships with the opposite sex consists of one-night stands. He drinks too much, spends money foolishly, and knows just how to manipulate the opposite sex to get what he wants.
Alan is an uptight business owner who never fully understood what it meant to live until he moved in with his brother. Now he struggles between experiencing a carefree lifestyle and being a responsible, yet fun-loving man.
Both men have a fear of women—resulting from a poor relationship with their own mother—and this fear causes them to mishandle their relationships with the opposite sex which results in lots of troubling times.
Jake, Alan’s son, is a naïve, lazy boy with a never-ending appetite who hates school and finds his Uncle Charlie’s lifestyle fascinating.
Rose, is Charlie’s stalker turned friend and babysitter. She’s strangely entertaining and you can’t help find yourself rooting for her as she tries to get Charlie to see the light and marry her.
Berta is Charlie’s housekeeper. She’s crude, obnoxious, and very forthright. She has a working relationship with Charlie that allows her to run the entire household. She’s also the closest thing Charlie has to a “best” friend.
Two And A Half Men takes the saying “dysfunctional” to an entirely new level. And yet, as a woman who enjoys a good laugh and usually dislikes anything with sexual innuendos, I can honestly say that this is the only show of its kind that I’ve ever been able to watch and enjoy. Perhaps it’s because the storylines make fun of some of the most horrific stereotypes while intertwining important life lessons, albeit very subtly. Or perhaps it’s because despite all their best efforts to appear uncaring, the cast finds themselves reaching out and helping one another. Or perhaps, just perhaps, it’s simply because it is funny.
Your Task
This week as you sit down to watch television, put the kids to bed and pop in a copy of Two And A Half Men. Your husband will thank you for it! This is a truly wacky show that shouldn’t be watched with small children—unless you plan on explaining to them why heavy drinking, sleeping around, and sadistic behaviors aren’t the best way to live one’s life.
Marcie Lovett is an author and Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant who coaches residential and business clients on goal setti...
If you're a regular and find these posts entertaining, please check out The Dabbling Mum's shopping portal...the sale of my original art, digital downloads, and cards help pay for the time I devote here. Or order something from the Amazon links on this blog... thanks!
today!
