One of the clutter traps we see often in people's homes is reading material… there is this strange guilt hanging over people's heads about all of the things that they "should" read sometime. The reading material that stacks up the quickest is newspapers. Sorry, Lois Lane– the newspapers have gotta go. Here is what my… Read more »
Paper Management
Should You Belong to “Clippers Anonymous?”
Are you compelled to clip articles from magazines and other reading material and save them for later, or share them with your friends and family? Is it becoming a problem? Clipping for yourself: The main question is, do you have an organized system for FINDING the clippings later? If you do not have a reliable… Read more »
Before & After of Good Housekeeping Contest Winner, Part 2
Part TWO of our report on the makeover done for the grand prize winner of the Good Housekeeping contest we had last fall… see Part One here for an overview and before & after photos on the garage portion of the project. Part Two… The Home Office. The winner's office problems had accumulated over time,… Read more »
5 Ways Getting Organized Can Help You Get a Job
Unemployment is high, and if you're competing for jobs out there, being organized can give you an edge. Here's how: Your contacts: Having a good contact management system, whether it's an old-fashioned address book or a searchable system on your computer, means you can find phone numbers and addresses more quickly. The job search process… Read more »
7 Useful Folder Categories You Might Not Be Using
Filing is typically a fairly personal thing, varying because of how people's brains work differently and the fact that people have unique experiences and memories and triggers. There are some standard file folder label names that almost everybody has in their file drawers, like "Bank Statements" or "Medical Insurance," but here are a few practical… Read more »
Shred or Be Sorry: A Cautionary Tale
My sons are working this summer for our city's public works department, and they were helping with an "illegal dumping" incident this week that reminded me of how people need to be careful with their personal information! Apparently a tanning salon has gone out of business, and they dumped a huge bunch of papers and… Read more »
A Checklist for Your Checklists
I just read The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande, mainly because one of my favorite writers, Malcolm Gladwell, so heartily endorsed it. (book photo from author's site) You may know how I am always going on about capturing information… a checklist is one great way to capture important information and… Read more »
Top Ten Tips for Paying Your Bills Efficiently
It's National Pay Your Bills Week (3rd week in February). I think this means we get to eat cupcakes while we are writing checks this week. 🙂 Given the current economic climate, this subject is more important than ever! You really want to get this process down to avoid late fees and other unnecessary expenses… Read more »
Oh, Goody! It’s National Clean Out Your Files Month!
October is National Clean Out Your Files Month. I know, I know… it's so wonderful, but PLEASE, contain yourself! I typically recommend two times of the year to clean out your files. You can either do it now during its "appropriate" month, or you can do it in April right after you have done your… Read more »
My Client Lost 783 Pounds in One Day!
How would you like to lose 783 pounds in one day? My client just did. Do you have multiple boxes of many years' worth of papers in your garage or basement that really should be shredded and discarded, but you have no idea how to approach the project? You probably don't want to sit there… Read more »
