Your Life. Organized.

Fall Into Abundance!

2009-11-05T10:51:00-05:00

My friend and colleague Sara Fisher makes a guest appearance here to share some organizing wisdom with my awesome readers.

In Atlanta, we've had an OVER abundance of rain lately! Trees down, flooded basements, leaky roofs. All of this abundant rain causes me to think about paper boxes. Paper boxes and rain…seems like a strange pair, but over the last several weeks as I have been creating abundance for my clients, more than one of them has lost a paper box to the rain.

If you're storing things in cardboard, NOW is the time to make the change to plastic containers. Especially, if shelving is not available to you. Storage containers on the floor should be made of plastic to prevent damage in case of flooding. In addition, bugs LOVE cardboard boxes, which is another reason to make plastic the container to use for storage! And of course don't forget labels!

So now as the leaves begin to change, it's a great time to clear out for a change too. A change to tame stacks of papers, finish summer projects that didn't get done, or liberate closets bulging with clothes. Wishing you the richness of the FALL season, hoping you can FALL into abundance and simple spaces!

~Sara

Quote of the Week: Wealth and Order

2009-11-04T13:14:00-05:00

"Wealthy people tend to be orderly, while those who struggle have lots of messes. Each mess is a lock on the gate that keeps abundance out."

Raymond Aaron
From Double Your Income Doing What You Love

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"Humor Me" Tip #5

2009-11-02T08:16:00-05:00

"Humor Me" Simplicity Tip #5: Schedule An Event 60 to 90 Days Out

Today's HMS Tip is for all you out there who can't commit to taking time off to do something fun, because in your heart of hearts, yo just know your business world will cease to exist if you do! The office will blow up, you'll lose your biggest client, or (horrors!) someone might send you an email and not get an immediate response!

You know who you are. I'm here to tell you COMMIT! You'll never "find" time. But you can MAKE time, simply by choosing to block time on your calendar in advance. Then once it's in there, you just have to work around it like you'd work your schedule around any other work-related meeting or commitment.

So think of something you'd like to do -- a long weekend in the mountains, a whole day downtown at the museum, or just a Tuesday lunch and movie date with your wife and kids. It doesn't matter what you're blocking time to do; it matters that you're blocking out time in advance and committing to it. If something for work comes up for that time slot, you simply work around it by saying you already have an appointment that day. Nobody needs to know what that appointment is, do they? Just try it and let me know how it works out! Come on, humor me!

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Diminishing Returns

2009-10-29T08:40:00-04:00

I'm sitting at home watching an episode of True Life on MTV. This episode is profiling two young women who are addicted to shopping. As an organizing expert, I find it fascinating. I witness these girls indulging their addiction to acquiring new clothing, wigs and accessories while ignoring higher financial priorities such as rent and utility bills, I can't help but think about the cycle of money for a compulsive shopper and how it's always a losing proposition.

Let's do a little math, shall we? (and you KNOW how I feel about math...)

Let's take a look at the cycle of $100 spent on a pair of jeans.

First you earn the money. Depending on what you do for a living, that could mean an hour's work or two days work. Next, you exchange that hundred bucks for the jeans. Then you put them in your closet where they may or may not get worn for an unknown number of years. Flash forward to the end of the life of those jeans. If you wore those jeans a lot and you feel that you got your money's worth of value and enjoyment from them, that's great news and a good use of your money.

IF on the other hand, those jeans spent most of their life hanging quietly in your closet, that's where your financial loss is realized. You spent money on something you barely got any use from and when you and your jeans part ways, you can donate them and recoup nothing, consign them or sell them at a garage sale where you'll get about ten to twenty percent of what you paid for them.

Over-spending on clothing is like pouring money into a magic shrinking machine. You put a hundred dollars in, you get ten dollars back out. The next time you're tempted to spend money on something you don't really need, imagine selling it at a garage sale tomorrow for ten percent of what you paid and see if you still feel as passionately about buying it.

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Quote of the Week: Mastery of Thought

2009-10-28T11:16:00-04:00

"Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don't control what you think, you can't control what you do."

Napoleon Hill
1883-1970, Author of Think and Grow Rich

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My Science Experiment Finally Ends

2009-10-26T09:40:00-04:00

August 20, 2008

During a walk through The Container Store, I happened upon this cute little blue gift bag that had an interesting feel in my hand. I learned from the store associate that it was called a "Treeless Tote", and was made without using any paper.

The interesting thing about this little bag is that it was touted as being "photodegradable", which means it's supposed to break down when it's exposed to sunlight. So (much to Christmas Boy's dismay) I hung it on a branch of my Chinese Holly Hedge by my front door, where I could see it daily and monitor its progress.

Not much happened for about ten months, and I wondered if it would ever actually break down. That was a photo of the bag on day one. This is my little bag today, fourteen months later...

About eleven months into my experiment, the bag began to show signs of degradation, and today this is what the little bag looks like. You can see that the bag split open on the front side (the side that was exposed to the elements), there's a layer of dirt, bird excrement, and bug carcasses in the bottom of the bag, but the blue braided cotton handle is still fully intact.

My thought on the Treeless Tote being "photodegradable" is that I guess technically, it's true, based on the bag's present day condition. However, if you're looking to spend your money on "green" products, this one isn't worth it unless you're in the habit of hanging used gift bags outside in the elements for fourteen months or longer.

Many companies tout their products as "biodegradable" or even photodegradable, and the idea is nice, but the problem with these items is that even if they are decomposable, they never get an opportunity to break down.

In order for items to break down, they need to be exposed to sunlight, moisture and oxygen -- the three things that a landfill doesn't allow for. Even things like food, which you'd think would be a biodegradable no-brainer, can take months or even years to break down once it gets buried in a landfill.

The point of my post is that biodegradable or not -- NOTHING really breaks down once it gets into a landfill. If you're trying to be "green", recycle as much as you can, and don't be sucked into spending more money on products that say "biodegradable" because unless you spread your trash out across your back yard for a few years, it isn't breaking down. Bummer.

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Get Noticed!

2009-10-22T10:39:00-04:00

Each day across the globe, 247 billion emails are sent. I know you only send a small portion of them, but shouldn't yours get noticed and be the highest priority in the stack? If you want your emails to be noticed and get a quick response, here are five things you can do to bump up your odds...

1. Use a clear, action-oriented subject line. "Yo home dog!" might be effective and fun when emailing your BFF about what smokin' hot chicks will be at this weekend's tailgate, but in business, you need to be more specific. Use words such as "Action Requested by Friday Nov 13" or "Please review and respond". These subject lines are more likely to get your email opened and acted upon in a timely manner.

2. Use ONLY a subject line. On the topic of subject lines, why not convey a super short message using ONLY a subject line? If you're confirming an appointment, or responding to a yes/no question, just put it in the subject line like this: "CONFIRMING: Chili's Nov 3 @ noon. END" or "Response to blue fabric choice is yes. END" You use the word "END" to signify that's the entire message. It works!

3.Address a single topic. Sometimes it's impossible, but it's best to try to address a single topic per email. This ensures your subject line is accurate and then if your reader is searching later for your email, he'll find it quicker based on the subject line.

4. Use bullet points in the body. Don't you love when you get an email and you open it and it's two or three paragraphs long but you go ahead and read it anyway and then you realize that you're halfway through it and you still don't know the reason the person emailed you and then you have to skim it again to look for the action items and the questions? Whew. Don't be that person. If you MUST address more than one topic per email, make it simple on your reader by using bullet points and short sentences.

5. Pay attention to spelling and grammar. This one should go without saying, but you'd be amazed how many emails I receive with misspellings and horrid grammar. I'm not saying you have to whip out the AP Style Guide, but for Pete's sake if English is your first language, have some pride, people. Know the difference between there, their and they're. Use your and you're properly. Apostrophes show possession or create a contraction -- they aren't for pluralizing. And once and for all, the word "LOSE" only has one O! Listen, I know I sound fussy but in business, clear, professional communication is crucial. It doesn't matter how amazing your ideas, skills, products or services are if you can't communicate intelligently.

Use these five tips to make your emails stand out and get noticed among the sea of other emails, and you'll get the answers and actions you need a lot faster!

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Hee hee hee...

2009-10-21T21:55:06-04:00

I accidentally released this week's Quote of the Week without any text. Ha ha ha ha... I crack myself up. Let's just say it's my interpretation of minimalism. Less is more. You know, all that stuff...

As you were.

Quote of the Week:

2009-10-21T14:05:00-04:00

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Container Store Teams Up With Oprah

2009-10-19T15:50:38-04:00

Oprah and The Container Store have teamed up to offer Oprah's viewers a 20% off coupon for anything in the store. Even the fabulous ELFA closet components! To take advantage of this great deal, just claim your discount coupon, print it out and bring it with you to your nearest Container Store location. Here are a few of my favorite items from The Container Store...

OXO Pop Canisters
These just totally rock. There's no two ways about it. Airtight, easy to use with just one hand, attractive, durable, and crystal clear, you can't go wrong with these babies! Love 'em!

Expand-A-Drawer Dividers
These are great for creating division in silverware, utility, bathroom drawers. Keeps your small items organized and shrinks or expands to fit your drawer.

Turntables
These are some of my favorite tools of all time. I use them with clients in kitchen cabinets, refrigerators, beneath the bathroom sink, and even on top of an office desk.

ELFA
The ELFA system is a fabulous solution for adding storage in closets, pantries, basments, garages, or any other place you need wall storage and organization. Modular and simple to install, I've never seen a better closet system.

If you don't have a Container Store near you where you can shop for your organizing needs, you can also shop online and still get the discount by using the coupon code savenow when you check out.

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A Simple Way To Tame T-Shirt Clutter

2009-10-15T09:44:00-04:00

Six drum and bugle corps t-shirts. That's the extent of my sentimental t-shirt collection. What's yours? Concerts? College? Sports teams? It doesn't really matter where they came from, what matters is how many you have. If you have more than a handful and they're just packed away in a box someplace, consider preserving them in a little different way.

In my quest to find new resources for uncluttering, I just discovered this cool service that will take your old shirts and turn them into quilts! You can even send them your old sentimental baby clothes and they'll turn them into a quilt too!

Check out the quilt photos to see what the finished product looks like and maybe you'll be inspired to give yourself or someone else a special gift of t-shirts this year!

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Quote of the Week: Regret

2009-10-14T13:47:00-04:00

"Regret for time wasted can become a power for good in the time that remains, if we will only stop the waste and the idle, useless regretting."

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Collage-Like Search Engine Competes With Google

2009-10-12T09:29:00-04:00

Wanna know what cyberspace is saying about you? It's easy to find out in just a few seconds at Spezify. Use quotes around your search term to narrow your results and check out the additional suggested terms in the black bar at the top of your results page if you want to narrow even further.

Spezify responds to your search terms and aggregates all kinds of media -- Twitter posts, images from Flickr, ads from Ebay, and many other sources into a collage-like results page.

Give it a try yourself and let me know how you feel about it in comparison to your current favorite search engine.

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What's In Your Rotation?

2009-10-08T08:57:00-04:00

This blog post republished with written permission from Unclutterer.com. Read the original post here.

There are two types of things in our lives -- consumable goods and what I call hard goods. Consumable goods are things we buy, use, and re-buy to sustain our lives. Hard goods are items we buy with the intention of keeping them long term. There are some important differences between consumables and hard goods. First, the obvious is that consumables get used up and need to be re-acquired. Second, it makes sense to purchase consumables in quantity because of their consumable nature, provided you have ample space to store them. But most importantly, hard goods live in our homes until we choose to move them along, while consumable items need to be balanced and in motion and if they're not, you've got trouble. Trouble in the form of overspending, crowded storage spaces, mystery inventory and expired products which equals MORE wasted money.

To avoid these perils, evaluate your consumable inventory regularly. This means keeping on top of three primary areas: The fridge, the pantry and your toiletries stash.

1. Clean out the refrigerator weekly (the night before trash goes out to the curb).

2. Keep informed about what's in your pantry and don't buy things you already have.

3. Only keep a few extra toiletries on hand at any given time.

There you have it... three simple ways to make sure your consumables get consumed in a way that doesn't crowd your life, waste money, or waste food.

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Quote of the Week: The Mirror

2009-10-07T13:43:00-04:00

"Once you believe that answers and resources can show up in your life, they will: The universe works to mirror your beliefs. It will prove you right every time."

Peggy McColl

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CAGE MATCH! Stuff VS Relationships

2009-10-05T10:16:00-04:00

This post republished with permission from Unclutterer. View the original post here.

On a recent episode of A&E's Hoarders a key concept was brought to light by my dear friend and hoarding expert Dorothy Breininger. The important concept is stuff versus relationships. It's so sad to see these folks choosing their stuff over the people in their lives. To those of us watching at home it makes no sense. So what are the reasons?

In my industry, I often see people who have a history of choosing stuff over people. It's not just hoarders who do it, either. People often choose the comfort of stuff over relationships because relationships can be scary. People can reject you. People are sometimes critical and judgmental. People can be mean, insensitive and heartless. People can leave you, abandon you and disappoint you. But your stuff never will.

Stuff is secure. Stuff is a safe haven to emotionally invest in, because your stuff will never hurt you, leave you, reject or disappoint you.

Until it chokes the life out of you.

I've been abandoned, hurt, betrayed, insulted, criticized, judged, made fun of, and rejected. We've all experienced those things. But when you have a choice, which you always do, I want you to choose people. Choose love. Choose friendship. Choose your life.

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Are You Shopping For Chaos?

2009-10-01T08:54:00-04:00

This blog post republished with written permission by Unclutterer.com. Original post here.

Ahhh the siren song of the mall. Doesn't it feel nice at the mall? Isn't it pretty in the mall? Doesn't the mall smell all yummy and delicious, thanks to Auntie Anne's Pretzels and Cinnabon? Doesn't being at the mall just make you wanna get a Starbucks latte and go buy stuff? AAAARGGGHH STOP IT! That's what got you in trouble in the first place, dangit!

If your clutter issues stem chiefly from shopping, here are a few helpful tips to change that reality so you can conquer your clutter once and for all.

1. Be aware of how you feel. If you use shopping, and specifically BUYING to alter your mood, notice it! If buying something new gives you an emotional high that temporarily takes you away from your troubles, makes you feel safe, worthy, loved, or gives you some other rush, it's important to be aware of it. Once you're aware of why you're buying, you can take other steps to make yourself feel better besides buying. I would recommend a few sessions with a counselor, a hypnotist, or therapist to get to the root of your buying.

2. Imagine yourself at home. When you're OUT of your cluttered home and inside the gorgeous four walls of Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel, it's easy to forget how stressed your home makes you. Again, that's the idea. They WANT you to forget about your house and just open your wallet. And listen, when you really need something, great. Go buy it! But before you do, vividly imagine yourself back at your house with your new "thing". Where in your already cluttered home will your new thing live? Who will clean it? How much space will it consume? What will it give you back? How long will it be valuable? Asking yourself these questions will help you make better buying decisions.

3. Calculate the TIME cost. If money isn't a motivator for you, and unnecessary spending doesn't inspire you to reduce your shopping, think of how much TIME your new "thing" will cost you. Let's say you make $20 per hour, and your new "thing" costs $100. In time currency, your new thing will cost you FIVE HOURS of your life. Thinking of new purchases in this way will help you decide if you REALLY need it or if you just want it to make yourself feel better.

The next time you're out shopping, try these simple tips and see if it doesn't help shift your shopping mindset so you can make better, more powerful choices and reduce the clutter in your life.

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Quote of the Week: The Ultimate Freedom

2009-09-30T10:37:00-04:00

"Our ultimate freedom is the right and power to decide how anybody or anything outside ourselves will affect us."

Steven Covey
Author, Productivity Guru, Speaker

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Last Day To Win!

2009-09-28T12:23:58-04:00

This is my mom in August of 1965, taking me to my baptism. Five years ago she passed away and I would give anything to hear her voice again. After her death, I called her house, hoping to hear her voice on the answering machine's outgoing message, only to be greeted by a computerized voice saying nobody was home.

Imagine opening a beautiful photo box, jewelry box or keepsake box and instead of the tinkle of music, you hear a collection of heartfelt voice messages that you can listen to over and over again for years to come. That's the power of the VoiceQuilt and my BFFs Vicky and Jen are giving away a FREE VoiceQuilt keepsake box! BUT, tomorrow (Tuesday 9/29) is the last day you can enter to win. Click here to submit your name in the contest and you might win the best gift ever to give to the person you love most.

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What Does The Internet Know About YOU?

2009-09-28T10:13:00-04:00

Organization and simplicity touches so many parts of life, including technology. In today's increasingly Big Brotheresque climate, it's smart to be concerned with your privacy and your personal information. To that end, check out this article on MakeUseOf.com that explains how your web browsing history is available to any website you visit, unless you take specific precautions. To check to see if you've been tracked, simply visit www.WhatDoesTheInternetKnowAboutYou.com. Once you're there, it will show you what it knows!

The simplest way to protect yourself is to use Firefox and set your privacy preferences to NOT keep web history. You can do this in Firefox by going to TOOLS, then OPTIONS, then PRIVACY

Then do one of two things:

1. Check the box that says "Automatically start Firefox in private browsing mode".

2. Check the box that says "Remember my browsing history for" and insert the number ZERO in the field.

That should do it. And guess what the Internet knows about ME? NUTHIN'! Woot!

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