I’m usually the kind of person who doesn’t need a whole bunch of help with things. Or at least that’s how I see myself. I’m a self-starter and a self-motivator who can learn and do anything. Or so I like to think…

The truth is that there are many times when I need help and because I’m the way I am I often don’t know when, or how, to ask. I bet there are all kinds of people out there who feel the same way. We’ve all been in over our heads at one time or another and it’s no big deal to call out for a little help now and again. In fact, by asking for help when it’s needed, we can make our lives easier and help out those around us.

This last weekend I did a bit of research and found quite a bit (ok a ton) of information on the topic. Turns out that asking for help is harder than I thought!

Public speaking can be very stressful. I know that whenever I get up in front of a crowd I go through a panic moment. It takes a lot of discipline, practice and preparation to put on a good presentation and even knowing what you need to know can be hard.

A year or so ago I wrote on the subject of first time speaking. Since that time I’ve been able to use many of those tips as well as some new tricks to help get myself ready for speaking engagements. I also had a chance to spend time with a speaking coach which helped more than I’d have ever guessed.

Now when I’m speaking, while not 100% comfortable, I do feel much better and I’m able to not only make it more fun for me, I think I pass along that good feeling a bit more to my audience. I’ve got several good tips, tricks and resources that will hopefully help some of you. These things should help whether you’re speaking at a large conference, giving a small internal presentation to you coworkers or classmates or giving a sales pitch. They’re pretty universal.

Just a quick reminder to make sure you regularly back your essential files up. This goes double for those of you who are highly organized.

You can also file this under: “Learning From My Mistakes.”

I recently lost (beyond recovery) a whole bunch of important personal project files. See, since I’ve been into GTD I’ve been really organized, which is great — except when you accidently delete your “current-projects” folder which contains all those neatly organized files. I had thought it was backed up, but I was wrong. Well, not 100% wrong, but it hadn’t been backed up for quite awhile and I lost some important files and hours of work.

Since we’ve been on the topic of cleaning this week, let’s talk laundry! I was thinking that laundry is a pretty good example of how an organization system can work…or fail miserably.

I’ve been asked a few times if I’ve got any tips on getting (and keeping) organized. I’m a pretty organized person, but by no means am I organized enough to say I’m a master. So, while I don’t really have a whole lot of specific tips ready to share on organization I can tell you how to never lose another sock!

I’ve been using this method for awhile now and so far I’ve only lost socks I wanted to lose.

Keeping my clothing organized is key. Trust me, there is a connection between never losing a sock and getting organized. Hopefully an obvious one, but even if you can’t see it, at least you’ll know where your socks are.

I used to be really messy. I used to also be really stressed out all the time.

I’ve found that as I’ve gotten older, wiser and more organized, I really developed a real appreciation for “clean and orderly.” Why? Well, it all boils down to less stress. I find that when I come home from work and my place is messy, instead of wanting to sit back, grab a beer, a book and relax, I find I feel compelled to take care of things.

I really like to have my place be nice and tidy. Not spotless by any means, but not distracting. This means no dirty dishes in the sink or on counters. No piles of anything and no clothes left out in the open. All of these things remind me of things I need to do and intrude on what should be a space and time for me to relax.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot, as I’ve recently gained a new roomate; my fiancee, Staci. She’s pretty clean, but quite a bit less organzied and we’re in a space that is simply too small. (Especially with all the wedding gifts starting to come in — argh.) It really brings to light some things I was taking for granted while living alone and it’s made me go back and think creativley about how I keep my spaces clean and organized.

One of the hardest things to deal with after taking some time off from work is getting yourself back on track.

Hopefully you’re refreshed, feeling creative and ready to rock! But it’s probably also true that you’re buried under a mountain of e-mail, have lots of calls to return and, if you’ve just spent a weekend in Vegas, you feel like you’ve been run over by a cement truck.

What’s worse is that any good habits you had before you left are in jeopardy of being broken if you can’t get back on track quickly.

Well, as a veteran of many a few days off, and luckily a few longer vacations as well, I do have a few tips that could help make your next transition back to reality an easier one.