Many of us are gearing up for vacations, and air travel in 2009 is very different from even one year ago. Airfares are cheaper, but airlines are making up the cost in other ways (even, reportedly, charging to use the restroom- I am not kidding- read here). It pays to be organized to avoid unnecessary expenses and… Read more »
The Clutter Diet Blog
Austin American-Statesman: Get Your Email Under Control
June 22, 2009 by Sarah Lindner Isn’t e-mail supposed to make work easier? Quit laughing. That’s the idea, of course. But the reality is e-mail often disrupts our day or even consumes great swaths of it. We may never feel like it’s under our control. We got advice from a couple of local experts… Read more »
Easy Work Now, or Hard Work Later?
Which is better? A. Brushing your teeth twice a day, or…B. Brushing your teeth every Saturday 14 times? A. Mowing your lawn each week, or…B. Doing one colossal annual lawn-mowing? If you said "A" for both questions, you've got the right idea. REGULAR MAINTENANCE is the better way to manage things that require constant attention. Take… Read more »
Finding Balance: What is Your HOME-eostasis?
Homeostasis is a medical term that refers to the tendency of the human body to seek and maintain balance. What is your house’s “HOME-eostasis?” What is that balanced condition of your home to which you would always like to return? Homeostasis n. [hoh-mee-oh-stay-sis] The tendency of the body to seek and maintain a condition of… Read more »
The Closet Workout: Ten Essential Maintenance Habits
Last week a magazine editor asked me if there are little habits people can adopt to keep their closets under control. Here's my answer…The Ten Essential Closet Maintenance Habits: Stop and hang things up regularly. Put your shoes away each day. Have a regular “hanger rotation process” back and forth to the utility room. Fold… Read more »
Get Real by Watching a Cartoon…
I don't often write about movies, but last time I did it was about Wall-E, and this time I want to talk about another Pixar movie, the latest one called UP. I have seen it twice, which I also don't often do. You may have seen from the previews that the curmudgeonly main character, Carl,… Read more »
Is Clutter & Chaos Part of Your Masterpiece?
One of my favorite quotes is: "Make each day your masterpiece." (John Wooden) I have this quote printed out on a label and stuck to the top edge of my laptop screen. It keeps me on track throughout the day and inspires me. When I am getting distracted, I ask myself if this activity or… Read more »
A Timer Solution for Old-Timers
Yesterday I had an eye exam, and since I have been having trouble with eyestrain, I was told to take regular "eye breaks" throughout the day. Since I do a lot of close work in front of a computer screen, the idea is that periodically I pause and shift my focus to something far away. Since my… Read more »
Forget Multitasking- Try Simultasking (or, DUOTASKING!)
We've probably all heard about how "multitasking makes you stupid," namely, that trying to make your brain process two things at the same time makes you less effective at both tasks. (Here's a great article on that at the Wall Street Journal work and family blog, The Juggle.) I do understand this, though arguably I think there… Read more »
5 Ways to Make Better & Faster Decisions
This photo was taken at a local grocery store, showing the vast array of choices of salsa that we face here in Austin, Texas. (click photo to enlarge) Sometimes in life we just have WAY TOO MANY CHOICES! In my book I talk about how all disorganization really stems from two things: delayed decisions and actions. (See also previous… Read more »
