Last weekend my husband strapped two ladders together to reach the vaulted ceiling of our family room.

His mission, that he chose to accept, was to replace our hideous inherited pendant light fixtures with sparkling fresh can lights. For the most part, John has the proper tools to get the job done.

Pliers, wire strippers, screw drivers, a hole saw, and a volt-meter.

Plus rope to tie those ladders together.

We are also putting in a wood floor. Although we considered going DIY for that too, we’ve got help. Which is important because each phase of the project requires unique tools.

There are special knives to slice the carpet, a metal bar to pry the tack strips from the edges without damaging the baseboards, and saws for cutting angles in the new planks of wood. Then come sanders, brushes, and fans to finish it off.

We’re halfway through the project and the room is already transformed.

Because: Tools.

To stay in action, to keep any project moving forward, you need the right tools. When John had to strap those ladders together it caused a lot of delay, confusion, and stress -- according to my Garmin heart rate monitor.

Not to mention blowing our chances to have an OSHA certified household.

To work smart you’ve got to be strategic. And strategy has its own set of tools. They are surprisingly simple.

Simple is rarely easy. But with a lifetime of study, you too can master simple :)

When we’re overwhelmed we’re not thinking strategically. We freeze. We miss the obvious patterns. We say screw it, and scarf down a bag of chips. A party sized bag of chips.

Creativity can be overwhelming. The women I work with have ideas for days. Storms of creativity. Cyclones of ambition. What they sometimes need is a tidy container to hold all that brilliance.

Good news: There’s a tool for that!

Many, actually.

Ready to level up to the right tools? I can help.