Archives for January 2008
January wrap up
Let’s remember some of the things that made January 2008 a great month at Unclutterer.com.
January’s most popular posts:
Additional highlights:
- On January 6 we celebrated our one-year anniversary!
- Amazing or Awful? had more than 95 comments — our monthly high
- Storing coffee had 30 del.icio.us saves –- our monthly high
- Speaking of del.icio.us, we established a share a link system where you can point us to great stories through their site. Just go to http://del.icio.us, and mark your suggested link “for:unclutterer” (without the quotes).
- If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, you can now have an Unclutterer icon on your phone’s desktop.
- We were discussed on the Encyclopedia Britannica blog. The closest we’ve come to being IN an encyclopedia.
- More than 598 people have joined our Unclutterer flickr group. There are more than 228 photos uploaded to the group, and we look forward to seeing your additions!
Popularity: 15% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 31, 2008 |
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Shootsac organizes your camera lenses for simple transport
I just read a review by Ryan Brenizer over at the Amazon Blog for the Shootsac. The Shootsac is a bag that holds multiple camera lenses for quick and easy access. The Shootsac’s design was created by wedding photographer Jessica Claire. From Ryan Brenizer’s article:
Specifically, she realized that while on a shoot, she almost never had to put her camera away, but she always needed to change lenses — so why not make a bag designed for that task? The ShootSac was born.
This bag is designed for serious photographers and professionals. Most amateurs won’t want to part with upwards of $150 for a bag to hold lenses. But, for those of you out there looking for an uncluttered option for lugging around your lenses, this looks like a well-designed option. More from the review:
Even with the extra lenses, it was more comfortable than my normal bag — the center of gravity is much closer to the body, allowing weight to be better distributed. During a shoot, I usually unhook my bag, put it down, and keep running back and forth. That was never an issue now.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 31, 2008 |
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Unitasker Wednesday: How would you like your eggs?
If your answer to the title question is, “With as much fire power as possible,” I may have found an item for you. Have you ever eaten eggs in the shape of a .45? Well, now is your chance with Gun Egg Fryers, brought to you by the lovely folks at UrbanTrend.
In my quest to find ridiculous unitaskers, I often come across questionable and weird products. The Gun Egg Fryer is very perplexing to me and fits into the questionable category. Does food in the shape of a firearm taste better? Are the Gun Egg Fryers part of some bizarre national trend? Maybe weapon shaped food is the next big thing for 2008.
Can you please pass the bazooka shaped pepper mill?
**Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that manage to find their way into our homes.
Popularity: 13% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 30, 2008 |
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Reader suggestion: Shelf life of spices
After our post on Uncluttering your refrigerator’s crisper, reader Josephine sent us the following information to help with keeping spices uncluttered in the pantry:
Sure, [dried] spices last a long time, but they don’t last forever. Some spice companies have online freshness checkers: Durkee, McCormick (with a sense of humor, to boot!), and Spice Islands (registration required).
It looks like most dried spices maintain their freshness for one to three years. I love on the McCormick site where it says, “If it’s from Baltimore/a tin, it’s at least 15 years old.” Riotous.
Popularity: 16% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 30, 2008 |
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Unclutterer icon for your iPhone or iPod Touch
If you are an owner of an iPhone or an iPod Touch, you can have Unclutterer as a snazzy link right on your main desktop. All you need to do is open the Safari browser to our site, click on the plus sign at the bottom of your window, and then choose “Add To Home Screen.” In 30 seconds or so, the guy vacuuming his face should appear on your desktop for one-click access to Unclutterer.com.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 29, 2008 |
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Foo Fighters’ bassist abhors clutter
When I think of a rock star, I imagine a party-until-dawn lifestyle that isn’t conducive to simple living. Maybe I’ve seen too many lives of excess stories chronicled on VH-1’s Behind the Music? So, it was refreshing for me to read that Foo Fighters’ bassist Nate Mendel buys his music digitally because he “abhors clutter.” From a Houston Chronicle article:
“People are buying fewer CDs every year,” Mendel says. “You don’t want to wait until those sales are finished, before you find a way to run your band.
Mendel isn’t helping CD sales. He admits that he buys his music digitally because “CDs create clutter, and I abhor clutter.”
Maybe Nate would be interested in our post on eliminating CD clutter.
Here’s another rock star who enjoys simple living.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 29, 2008 |
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Unclutter your online passwords
Keeping track of all the different passwords I have for accessing online content is a bit ridiculous. Just this morning, I had to initiate passwords for three different sites. Yeah, I have auto complete for some of them, but not for the more sensitive sites like my bank account.
If you find that you are a bit overwhelmed by all of the passwords you have and are using a Mac running OS X, you may want to check out 1Password.
1Password keeps track of all web passwords, automates sign-in, guards from identity theft.
If you have the time, I recommend watching the informative video about their service. 1Password delivers the following features that will surely help you in your day-to-day browsing:
- Manage hundreds of passwords with one master key.
- Automatic form filler outclasses the other AutoFill products.
- Prevent phishing criminals from stealing your information.
- OS X Keychain integration provides maximum security.
- Integrated with Safari, OmniWeb, DEVONagent, Firefox, Camino, and Flock.
- Define multiple identities to be used by the form filler.
and many more…
Popularity: 13% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 28, 2008 |
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Cleaning your floors without effort … that is, if you don’t break your neck …
While in Sur la Table last week, I literally ran into a display of cleaning items next to the checkout line. After picking up the items I had gracefully knocked to the floor, I spotted a basket full of house slippers as part of the display:
The Slipper Genies have microfiber, mop-like soles that are supposed to clean your hardwood, tile, and smooth surface floors as you walk around your house. The bottoms come off and can be thrown in the washing machine. In theory, I think they’re a lot of fun.
In practicality, I think they could be a little troublesome. I’d be worried that I would fall and break my neck because of a lack of traction on the soles. In a less dire scenario, I’d worry about making the mistake of walking on carpet or an unknown wet spot and leaving a clump of dust. Also, there’s the fear of unknowingly catching something like a rock in the sole and scratching up my floors.
However, life is full of things to fear that are more probable, and so the Slipper Genies may be worth buying and used wonderfully in your home. It’s definitely a product I would love to hear reviews about in our comments section.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 28, 2008 |
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Amazing or awful?
The Unclutterer staff is speechless, so it’s up to you to decide. Is this craft storage unit amazing or awful? Cast your vote and make your argument in the comments:
Unfolded:
Folded:
Popularity: 15% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 26, 2008 |
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Stop hoarding magazines
My 98-year-old paternal grandmother loves National Geographic magazine. When we helped move her into a one-bedroom apartment in a retirement community a few years ago, I was shocked to discover that she had been saving every issue of the magazine for more than 30 years. The collection (stored in dozens of cardboard boxes in her attic) contained somewhere between 400 and 500 monthly issues and special printings.
I try not to think about how quickly those boxes of magazines could have burned in a house fire and am glad that such an accident never happened.
Unfortunately, all of the time, effort, and space my grandmother sacrificed to keep her collection was superfluous because the last 112 years of National Geographic magazines are now available on 32 CDs. I would prefer that they appear on DVDs, but 32 CDs still take up less shelf space than thousands of the yellow border magazines.
This isn’t the only magazine to undertake such an endeavor. The New Yorker (8 DVDs) and Mad Magazine (1 DVD) are just two of many magazines to publish their decades of collections. And, the digital collections don’t stop with magazines. Marvel Comics has also released many of their publications in complete collections, like Spider-Man (1 DVD), X-Men (1 DVD), Incredible Hulk (1 DVD), Iron Man (1 DVD), Ghost Rider (1 DVD), Fantastic Four (1 DVD), and Captain America (1 DVD).
If your favorite magazine isn’t on CD or DVD yet, I still stand by my previous suggestion to scan your favorite articles and file them on your computer using DevonThink, Yojimbo, One Note or a personally created digital filing system.
Popularity: 18% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Workspace of the Week: Black and white class and glass
This week’s Workspace of the Week is Cramerica’s office in white, black, class and glass:
What speaks to me about this office is that the choices of white, black, and glass objects make it so that the work, in this case the computer monitors, are at the center of attention. There isn’t anything visually cluttering up the space or distracting from the work. A person could really think in here. Additionally, with the desk and light both being Ikea pieces, I like knowing that other readers could recreate this design without feeling too hefty of a hit in their pocketbooks.
Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 25, 2008 |
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Gadget ‘gas station’
Anthro, an office furniture company, has a product for sale that appeals to my techie sensibilities. The eNook is a “gas station for your gadgets that has channels for you to plug in and charge all your gear.”
Not only does this look like a fantastic docking station, but could easily be used as a fold-away desk. In its compact state, it sticks out only 7″ from the wall. In my mind, this would be perfect in a studio apartment for a traveling consultant or in a busy family’s kitchen.
Popularity: 18% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 24, 2008 |
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Conquer kid clutter
Having a 20-month old is a bit like taking care of a drunk friend. They don’t really know what they are doing, but they are having fun while they do it. My daughter is getting into the “terrible twos” a bit early, so hopefully they’ll end early.
One thing that seems to get worse as she gets older is the toy accumulation. I’ve mentioned this problem in some prior posts and I must say that my wife and I continue to struggle with it. I’m always on the lookout for new ways of curbing clutter that is kid specific. So, I was pleased to read this article in the Detroit News that had a long list of kid specific clutter tips. Tips such as:
- Divide and conquer:
Big toy boxes make it too easy for toys to get jumbled together. Better: a bin for Legos, another for action figures, another for dollhouse furniture, etc. - Toss the flimsy crayon boxes:
Same goes for the marker and colored-pencil boxes. Instead, put drawing tools into lidded boxes or bins. And don’t bother saving every free crayon you’ve collected from restaurant visits. Teachers say most kids just grab the top two or three anyway. - Craft supplies:
Keep a vinyl tablecloth with the art supplies. It’ll be on hand to protect the table or rug (skip disposable ones: not sturdy enough).
These tips aren’t earth shattering, but they are helpful. The accumulation of toys is the hardest thing to get under control, in my opinion. Forces beyond our control are at work. These forces, mostly Grandma and Grandpa, are unrelenting. Be vigilant in your removal of old and unused toys, and your toy clutter will stay manageable.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 24, 2008 |
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Unitasker Wednesday: Personal microwave
I never thought Sharper Image supplied consumers with practical goods until I came across the iwavecube Personal Microwave. Yes, it is about time we all had our own personal microwaves to carry with us. From Sharper Image:
How incredibly convenient — a personal, portable microwave! Forget all those trips to the kitchen or treks to the cafeteria — now you can reheat coffee right at your desk; or nuke some soup for your brown-bag lunch; or pop some `corn in the entertainment room.
While other suckers are walking all the way to the kitchen to nuke their soup in the microwave, you can hang out in your entertainment room while your soup gets nuked right next to your couch. Add this thing to a mini-fridge and you may never need to venture off to your kitchen again. More from Shaper Image:
Plug it in anyplace that’s handy — work or home office; home gym; family room; nursery; wet bar; dorm room; work bench; pool house, everywhere! The quiet, super-energy-efficient iwavecube measures just 10″ x 10.5″ x 12″ and weighs only 12 lbs. Features a built-in carry handle and view-through door.
The next time I’m rocking my daughter to sleep in the nursery, it will be great to have corn popping right next to us. That will certainly help her nod off to dream land. Less walking and more popping in 2008!
**Unitasker Wednesday posts humorously poke fun at the single-use items that manage to find their way into our homes.
Popularity: 12% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 23, 2008 |
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Free pass to return or re-gift presents
Gift giving is an art. Some people have an amazing talent at picking out the perfect something. I, however, am not blessed with such a skill. Every now and again I’ll hit one out of the park, but those occasions are rare. I think that it’s my disdain for crowded shopping centers that fuels my ineptitude.
Regardless of the reason, my gifts are often received with a strange facial expression and the question, “What is it?” I’ll never forget the gift I got for my sister-in-law that drew the response, “This is such an interesting … uh … watering can?” It was a purse.
When I give a gift, I want the gift to be exactly what the recipient wants. I want it to be loved. I also want the gift to not end up as clutter or to cause stress. To avoid giving the imperfect gift or to cause stress, I’ve decided to follow David Seah’s suggestion in his post “Print Your Own ‘Re-Gift Receipts’” and create my own re-gift receipts to accompany my future gifts.
I’m not going to write mine up exactly like he has, but the principle is the same: a guilt-free return policy. It seems to be such a nice way to let people know that you will in no way be offended if they decide to return your gift.
Be sure to check out Seah’s template at the bottom of the post to save yourself time creating your re-gift receipts.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 23, 2008 |
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Share your links with Unclutterer
Do you have an idea for a unitasker? Have you stumbled across an interesting article you think we should read? Share it with us!
Bookmark your suggestion through http://del.icio.us, and mark it “for:unclutterer” (without the quotes). We regularly check our del.icio.us pages, so we’ll see your ideas when we’re there.
Our appreciation goes out to Leo Babauta at Zen Habits for this valuable suggestion.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 22, 2008 |
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Keep your tax documents organized
When it comes to clutter, the federal government has all of us beat. The tax code alone is over 60,000 pages and continues to grow by leaps and bounds. I’m not going to even begin to tell you how to do your taxes. There are professionals who, fortunately for us and unfortunately for them, dedicate their lives to filing taxes.
If you are single and have little to report on your taxes other than a W-2, you can easily use e-File. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury. If you’re not in that category, you can purchase a program like Turbo Tax, in hard copy or by download, and take the time to do them yourself. Personally, I prefer to use an accountant.
Your tax documents currently should be trickling in from your employers and investments. My wife and I put our tax documents into a marked file folder with a checklist of everything we expect to receive. (Each of our W-2s, our home mortgage interest document, savings interest, etc.) Once we receive all of our documents, we makes photocopies of all of them. The photocopies can be a life saver, the way they were for us a couple years ago when our car was stolen with our tax documents inside of it.
These are just a few tips that may make your tax preparation a little less hectic. Try and get everything in order in a timely manner, and you may just get through another tax season with a little less anxiety.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 22, 2008 |
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How many salad dressings are enough?
Not to pick on my mom or my mother-in-law, but they both have an odd habit of collecting salad dressing in their refrigerators. The salad dressings may start out neatly lined up on the refrigerator’s door, but they somehow end up in the back of the main shelves never to see the light of day before they become expired. With a quick inventory of my refrigerator, I count two dressings. That is reasonable. If you’d like the choice of six to ten dressings, go to a restaurant. Stocking your fridge full of dressing is overkill.
It doesn’t take a lot of time to take inventory of your food supply. You may be a bit embarrassed when you find out how much you actually have in you fridge, but there is an easy way to curb your inventory. Stop buying more dressing. (Heck, make your own.) Before you head to the grocery store take stock of what you need and make a list. If you have more than one dressing per household occupant, then you most likely don’t need any more. So when you head out to buy groceries skip the salad dressing aisle unless you need more Ranch, of course.
I guess taking aim at salad dressings isn’t fair. I’m sure there are any number of groceries that can be over purchased in this country in over abundance. The main thing to take from this post is to make a shopping list when heading to the grocery store. Making a list and sticking to it will help curb your appetite for more food.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Posted by Matt on Jan 21, 2008 |
27 Comments
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Book review: One Year to an Organized Life
When Regina Leeds’ publicist contacted me about doing a review of One Year to an Organized Life, I hesitated. I knew that an advanced copy of Peter Walsh’s new book was already in the mail to me to review for the site, and I didn’t want to be overwhelmed with books in such a short period of time. Leeds is a master of home and office organization, however, so I ended up agreeing to read the book.
In hindsight, I’m very glad I decided to read it.
Leeds knows home organization. She has been a professional organizer for more than 20 years, and this book is the most realistic book on organization I have encountered. She is methodical in her presentation, and her book touches on every aspect of a person’s home. The book is broken into 52 weeks of organization activities, grouped into monthly themes (kitchen is January, bedroom is February, etc.), and is based on the idea that sustaining organization doesn’t happen overnight.
That being said, I’m not certain this book is for everyone. She includes monthly touchy-feely personal affirmations that were a bit much for my taste. Additionally, I don’t agree with the need for journaling and creating a “dream board” collage to envision organization goals. The majority of the book, though, is grounded and full of practical advice. Plus, I’m certain there are many readers who will benefit from the journaling and collage making.
Here are my thoughts, in no particular order, on the book:
- I fear that people may not pick up the book because the title suggests a year-long commitment to getting your life organized. For people already overwhelmed by stuff in their life, the title may seem overwhelming. This perception is a shame because the book can be used as a resource even if the yearly program isn’t followed. Also, her year-long method is exactly how not to be overwhelmed by the process.
- I like that she makes suggestions for activities that can become chores for children. Her advice is good for helping to teach children how to be responsible for their belongings and to the family.
- There is a terrific resource section at the end of the book. I am already researching more about these organizations.
- The month of May has too many rooms/areas assigned to it (attic, basement, garage, guest room, and laundry room) for the average reader. In my experience, these spaces are often the most cluttered areas of a home. If following her system, I would make this a two-month theme.
- Many of her tips include options for people who rent their homes, which is rare in home organization books. I was glad to see the inclusion of this advice.
- She acknowledges a lack of caring as a reason for disorganization. Many self-help authors attribute disorganization only to jarring life events, time management problems, etc., and overlook a simple lack of caring as a possible cause. Not only does she say that a general lack of caring can be a cause, she offers advice on how to overcome it.
- Her advice is filled with concrete examples that show how different people may interpret the same information. The real-world strategies will appeal greatly to pragmatic readers.
My favorite piece of advice comes in the first section of the book. In this dialog, she frankly discusses reasons why you shouldn’t hold onto random items just because you inherited them from someone who has passed away. This piece of writing is also a good sample of her advice-wielding style:
“Consider tossing grandma’s ancient potato peeler. If she were alive today, she’d have a new one. She’d also wonder what the heck was wrong with you for saving that rusty old antique.”
If you’re in the market for a comprehensive, concrete, methodical guide to home organization, Leeds’ book One Year to an Organized Life is an excellent place to start.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 21, 2008 |
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Wall-mounting flat screen televisions without the need for a wall or a stand
Along the lines of last week’s post praising the “no wall-mounting necessary” versatility of the new Elfa Freestanding system, I want to discuss similar systems for flat screen televisions.
The first one I found was at Crate and Barrel, which they call the Loop Media Center (pictured) for $600:
“Install your flat screen TV on our clever plasma panel rather than drilling into your walls. Four recessed cubbies along each side hide up to 48 DVDs.”
Target has a similar Platinum Entertainment Center model for a hundred less than the Loop in a blonde veneer.
And, for $1,200 (ouch!), Pottery Barn has the Caleb Flat-Panel TV Stand.
If you’re interested in mounting your flat screen television without the use of a wall or a television stand, then hopefully these options will get your search headed in the right direction.
Popularity: 14% [?]
Posted by Erin on Jan 19, 2008 |
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