Archives for March 2009

RSS feeds: A primer

rss-iconIf you don’t know what an RSS feed is, then this post is for you. RSS is an abbreviation for Really Simple Syndication. It is a useful way for internet users to compile loads of information all in one place.

The advantage of using RSS feeds is that they are updated in real time so you know when a site you regularly visit is updated with new content. If you find yourself visiting the same sites over and over again, you may want to add those sites to your RSS aggregator. An RSS aggregator is an online tool that keeps track of all of the websites that you want to read.

This is how I explained it to my mom, “An RSS feed aggregator is kind of like an email inbox for your favorite websites. When a website you’d like to follow is updated, you receive a notice in your ‘inbox.’”

So how do you go about tracking your favorite sites via RSS feeds? Well, step one is to choose an RSS feed reader. Here are some options:

Google Reader: This is a web based aggregator that is very popular and easy to use. You need a Google user account to access the service, but it’s free. Once you’ve set up your account and added your favorite feeds, you can group your feeds by categories.

NewsGator: This service has options for both Windows (Feed Demon) and Mac (NetNewsWire) and they have a very informative video to get you started.

Ensembli: This is a newer aggregator that claims to work with you and over time learns what interests you. From their site:

The more you read, discard, or even ignore the stories Ensembli finds, the more it’ll be able to locate the stories that you’ll really like. Just to be extra clever, as your tastes change, Ensembli will be able to automagically keep up with you!

Bloglines: Bloglines has a tagline I like, “It’s the same internet minus the clutter.” It is also web based, like Google Reader. You can learn more about Bloglines here.

After you have chosen your aggregator, you can start adding your favorite sites that you’d like to track. You can easily do this by clicking on a site’s feed button. The RSS feed icon is like the orange image in the top of this post. Simply click on a site’s RSS icon and you will then see the feed link in your browser’s address bar. You can then add that link to your aggregator.

Once your aggregator is set up, don’t forget to check it to read all your updates. Just be sure to add Unclutterer’s feed to your list. Or, if you’ve been reading Unclutterer for more than a year, check out our RSS feed without the A Year Ago posts. When you become a savvy RSS feed reader, you might feel comfortable creating customized feeds using Yahoo! Pipes.

Posted by Matt on Mar 10, 2009 | 35 Comments | Tweet This

Spherical minimalist living

Minimalism has reached all-new heights with the Free Spirit Spheres. Instead of finding a small corner of the world to call your own, you can swing from the trees in a ball of wood.

A description of Eryn, one of two sphere options from Free Spirit Spheres:

Made of Sitka spruce, Eryn is 10 ½’ (3.2m) in diameter giving her 1.8 times the volume of Eve [the other sphere model]. A well-appointed interior with galley, table/sitting area, double bed and loft bed, Eryn can sleep three. The loft bed has a weight restriction of 165 pounds. The galley includes a sink, small refrigerator, microwave and dishes.

Eryn has five windows. Two large windows; one next to the bed, the other beside the table, and two small windows; one in the door and one over the galley counter. A large skylight facilitates communing with the forest canopy and the stars. Every window is dished to the same radius as the sphere shell.

Eryn is insulated, plumbed and wired for 20 amps, 120/240 volt AC. She is easily heated with a small electric heater.

A view of the “kitchen” in the Eryn sphere (people included for scale):

A view of the “living room” and front door in the Eryn sphere:

There don’t appear to be any laundry or bathroom facilities in the spheres, so you would need to find additional methods to tackle these vital tasks. Otherwise, I think they look pretty cool. I don’t think I could live in one full time, but they might be perfect for a vacation. What do you think? Could you take up residence in a minimalist sphere?

(Thanks to reader Jessica for bringing the MSN article to our attention.)

Posted by Erin on Mar 9, 2009 | 37 Comments | Tweet This

Can a person clutter up his time by constantly uncluttering?

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was an arrogant and deceitful man who tricked the gods. Displeased at being duped, the gods sentenced him to spend eternity pushing an enormous boulder up a hill. He pushes it most of the way up the hill, then the boulder rolls back down to the bottom of the hill, and he has to do it all over again and again and again and again. Every minute of every day, Sisyphus pushes the boulder up the hill, only to watch it roll back down.

In the study of economics, the “law of diminishing returns” similarly explains that there is a point where increased production will actually create reduced benefits. Imagine that I give you a cookie. You eat the cookie, and it tastes amazing. You love that I gave you a cookie. So, I hand you another and another and another, and you eat them all. By the time I’m handing you a tenth cookie, you don’t want to eat cookies any more. You feel nauseated. The idea of eating another cookie disgusts you. There isn’t anything different about the tenth cookie from the first, except that you passed the point of marginal benefit. Eating cookies is now creating bad responses. You were much happier having eaten just one or two cookies than you were eating ten.

Sisyphus and the economic law of diminishing returns both speak to the question asked in the headline of this post. “Can a person clutter up his time by constantly uncluttering?”

Without a doubt, the answer to that question is “yes.”

When you choose to clear the clutter and organize your home and work lives, you should be doing it so that you can focus on what really matters. Organizing and decluttering are processes that help you to reach more important goals. They are the means, not the end. Whether your goals are to have more quality time with your children or provide better services to your clients or to have a stress-free vacation, being organized helps you do those things more easily and with less anxiety.

There is a point where you can derive the greatest amount of benefit from your decluttering and organizing endeavors. That point will be different for every person, so don’t judge yourself based on others or judge others based on your returns. Find that perfect point for you, where you get the greatest returns from your decluttering and organizing efforts, and embrace and sustain it. Don’t organize for the sake of organizing — organize for the purpose of living of a remarkable life.

Posted by Erin on Mar 9, 2009 | 31 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2008

Posted by PJ on Mar 8, 2009 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

Spring ahead by changing batteries, among other things

daylight-savings-timeI’m still not accustom to Daylight Savings coming so early in March. It took me off guard to find out that in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow is when I need to turn the clocks ahead. In addition to springing forward, daylight savings also is a great opportunity to get a few household chores out of the way.

Change your batteries: First you should replace all of your batteries in your home’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. You may also want to vacuum the dust that may have collected on the sensors over the past year. If your smoke detector is older than 10 years you should replace it with a new detector (The linked detector has a lithium battery that lasts for 10 years.) Sensors can lose their detection ability after a decade of use. And remember, batteries can be recycled at any Best Buy in the US. 

Clean out your medicine cabinet: This is also a good time to take stock of your medicine cabinet. If you have expired products discard them and make a list of what you need to replace for your next shopping trip. Don’t flush medicines down the toilet or a sink drain. Drop them off at your local pharmacy or hospital to be incinerated with other medical waste.

Prep your yard for spring: For those of us in the colder half of the world, take advantage of the first spring-like day to go through your yard and prep it for a big spring cleaning. Remove late falling leaves, branches, and other miscellaneous debris. It has been a hard winter this year, and I’m really looking forward to this.

Are there other chores that our readers partake in during daylight savings? Tell us about your chores in the comments.

(Image is an AP file photo)

Posted by Matt on Mar 7, 2009 | 15 Comments | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: Laundry tips for apartment dwellers

Reader Diane submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I live in an apartment without a washer or dryer in my unit. Unclutterer is rich with laundry advice, but none of it gives specific tips for regular laundromat users. How can I make the process suck less?

In a strange set of circumstances, the next day I received an e-mail from reader Hannah that directly answered Diane’s question. Spooky.

The tips that you guys have given about laundry routines tend to be oriented (understandably) toward home-owners who have whole rooms for their laundry-related paraphernalia. As an apartment-dweller (with roommates), I just wanted to pass along a system that’s been working well for me in terms of the four laundry factors specific to apartment buildings:

  • general lack of space
  • lack of privacy (not being able to leave stuff in the laundry room between washings)
  • having to tramp up and down stairs (often ice-covered), lugging hampers or bags of laundry
  • having to hunt up quarters

The magic thing that has changed my life and enabled me to stop procrastinating about doing my laundry: a “laundry tote!” I’m using a shower caddy (this one happens to be a soft-sided waterproof vinyl bag with pockets, but those square plastic ones would work as well) to hold:

  • various detergents decanted into Gatorade bottles (which hold enough for multiple loads but aren’t as big and heavy)
  • stain remover
  • dryer sheets
  • quarters
  • delicates bags

This way, when I finally get the gumption up to traipse down the stairs with a giant hamper in 2-degree weather, I don’t get bogged down searching for coins and juggling bottles and dryer sheets and my keys. And when I’ve got quarters hanging around, I know where to stash them.

I also use a couple of the pockets to hold the extra buttons that come with clothes, patches, elastic, etc.

And, to chime in at the end here, be sure to check out our post “How to use the laundromat to get our laundry routine under control” for a few more ideas.

Thank you, Diane and Hannah, for being a part of our Ask Unclutterer column. A solid question and an informative answer!

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

Posted by Erin on Mar 6, 2009 | 46 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: The bare essentials

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Sybarites’ antique office:

I really enjoy how the modern computer looks elegant against the antique backdrop. I’ll let the owner of the desk give you its details:

This is my primary work station. What more does one need? The desk was found in an antique shop in Calgary. Another disappointed couple was coming into buy it as we were carrying it out.

My MacBook runs closed under the monitor, which doesn’t give access to the DVD on this model, but I hardly use it. A power bar is tucked behind the desk on the window ledge.

You can see how steep our street is out the window. I get a little distracted watching people try to park on it.

He provides even more details about the setup in the comments to the photograph. Thank you, Sybarites, for submitting such an inspiring workspace to our group.

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.

Posted by Erin on Mar 6, 2009 | 11 Comments | Tweet This

And the winners of the disinfecting wipes are …

Thank you to EVERYONE (all 1,017 of you!) who participated in the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes giveaway. We never expected so many entries!! Wow!

At 10:00 EST this morning, I closed the comments and counted up the entries. Then, I headed over to the Random Integer Generator at random.org and entered in the data:

Out popped the following numbers:

#31 — Ruth M
#186 — Naomi
#406 — Cindy Marsch
#805 — Heidi

And then I realized we had FIVE winners, not four … so back I went to the random number generator, and out popped:

#48 — Brittany

I have contacted the winners and will be sending them their prizes this coming week. Congratulations to our winners and thank you to Clorox and everyone for participating!

If you weren’t a winner, and still want to try the product, you should be able to find Clorox Disinfecting Wipes at your local grocery store.

Posted by Erin on Mar 5, 2009 | 10 Comments | Tweet This

Kindle application now on iPhone

Kindle device, the Kindle iPhone application gives you access to digital books sold on Amazon. I’ve been a big fan of Stanza, so I was interested in seeing how the Kindle application compares.

Immediately, I noticed that there were a few advantages to the Kindle app:

  1. With a library of more than 240,000 books, all organized in one central location, the shopping experience is vastly superior with the Kindle app.
  2. If you have a Kindle, you can access a book you purchased for it on your iPhone, and vice versa. The program will even tell you what page you were on in the other system. This feature is called “Whispersync.
  3. One advantage it has over an actual Kindle is that you can see a book’s cover in full color, instead of 13 shades of gray.
  4. You don’t have to carry two electronic devices with you when you go somewhere — put your iPhone in your pocket and leave your Kindle device at home.

Noting these benefits, I think I should also note some of its weaknesses.

  1. To buy a book, you have to go out of the Kindle app and into Safari. Once your book is purchased, you then log out of Amazon on Safari, and log back into the Kindle app. Most other programs don’t require that you leave the application.
  2. The screen is much brighter than other reading applications and may eat away at battery life more quickly (tried to do a timing, but my service kept changing between Edge and 3G, so I’m not certain the power issue was fully the fault of the application). To read many chapters in a book will definitely require turning your iPhone into Airplane Mode to conserve power.
  3. The application wipes out the clock at the top of the screen, which some might think is good, but I found to be annoying. You have to tap the screen to see what time it is.
  4. There isn’t a landscape mode. You have to read the text vertically.

Almost all of the other features in the Kindle app are identical to features in Stanza (font size adjustment, scroll through pages, the application itself is free, etc.). I will definitely use the Kindle app for reading newly released texts and books not yet in the public domain. For classics, though, I’m sticking with Stanza.

And, don’t forget the benefits of audio books and how you can buy them from Audible or even download them for free from your public library. Have you tried the new Kindle app for the iPhone? What are your thoughts?

Posted by Erin on Mar 5, 2009 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: The Bra Dryer

bradryerAll Unitasker Wednesday posts are jokes — we don’t want you to buy these items, we want you to laugh at their ridiculousness. Enjoy!

How does one dry a bra? Do you hang it up on a line, toss it into a clothes dryer, or do you lay it flat on a towel? Whichever way you dry your bra, it is second (or third, or fourth) best to the Bra Dryer.

Unfortunately, this incredibly helpful product is still in the development stage: 

Bra Dryer is a simple device which is based on the presumption that the best way to dry bras without ruining their fabric, wiring and padding is to dry them on a shape which resembles female breasts. That’s why Bra Dryer is shaped like a female torso.

A very gentle infrared (IR) heat source helps evaporate moisture from the bra fabric while silent fans inside the appliance help remove this moisture.

In short, Bra Dryer will do this:

  1. Dry bras faster
  2. Preserve bra shape
  3. Free your time

… instead of doing this:

  1. Damaging bras (as in conventional dryers)
  2. Taking too long to dry (when you air dry it)
  3. Taking your time (when your dry it with a blow dryer)

One size doesn’t fit all…

That’s why Bra Dryer will come in different breast and chest size variations which you will be able to mix and match. Breast pieces made of silicon rubber are detachable and will come for bra sizes from B to DD. The torso part will come for size couples e.g. 30-32, 34-36 and so on.

PS…

…and no, Bra Dryer is not going to come with an integrated iPod dock or randomly flashing lights.

The 21st century solution to the age old problem of soggy bras is almost here. They are still looking for investors, so feel welcome to send them money. The more you send, the faster this product will hit the Sky Mall catalog. I will say that I was disappointed to read that it won’t come with an integrated iPod dock. Sigh.

Posted by Matt on Mar 4, 2009 | 43 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2008

Posted by PJ on Mar 4, 2009 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

Make time for organizing work

“Organizing my office is a low priority, I have more important things to do with my time.”

“I don’t have time to organize my office.”

“I just have too much to do to stop and organize my office.”

I bet you’ve heard or said something similar to these statements at least once — maybe more. I know that there have been times in my life when these phrases came across my lips.

Reality may be, however, that the process of organizing your office can actually improve your productivity and also make you a more creative worker (not the results, which also can be beneficial, but simply the process). A few years ago, researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that alternating between mindful work (work that requires intense thought and focus) and mindless work (routine activities that require very little processing power) enhances your efficiency and creativity. Their findings were discussed in the article “Enhancing Creativity Through ‘Mindless’ Work” in the July-August 2006 issue of the journal Organization Science.

The text of the study specifically named organizing processes that count as mindless work:

… performing simple manufacturing line tasks (e.g., filling supply bins), making photocopies, simple cleaning chores (e.g., cleaning laboratory equipment), performing simple maintenance tasks, sorting or collating tasks, and simple service tasks (e.g., unpacking and stocking supplies).

The research concludes:

Such mindless tasks, introduced into otherwise chronically overenriched work, may provide critical opportunities for reflection and reinvigoration.

Changing your focus to simple organizing tasks gives your brain time to mull over more taxing ideas in a relaxed state and gives you energy to propel you to your next round of difficult work.

As you set up your workday tomorrow, try alternating mindful tasks and mindless tasks and see if it improves your overall productivity and creativity. When you get to the points in your schedule when you’re ready for mindless tasks, file or sort through papers, refill your office supplies, and dust off your monitor. Taking the time to organize will give your mind the opportunity to reflect and re-energize, so that you can be a better worker.

Posted by Erin on Mar 4, 2009 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Clorox disinfecting wipes giveaway

The Clorox bleach company recently contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in trying their Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. My cats have a nasty habit of kicking litter out of their litter box, so I’ve been using Clorox wipes to clean up their kicked-up mess for years. I don’t use the wipes in any other location of my home, but in the litter box space they are essential. I’ve tried other products, and none of them are as convenient or work as well at keeping bacteria at bay.

Since I’m already a user of their product, I asked if instead of sending me a sample to try we could do a giveaway for our readership. Clorox was game, and now I have coupons for five of our readers to win four canisters each of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes (and they’re the new “décor” canisters, too).

To enter for a chance to win four free canisters of disinfecting wipes, simply leave ONE comment to this post indicating that you want to participate in the drawing. On Thursday, March 5, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EST, I will enter the number of comments into the Random Integer Generator at random.org and select five random winners. Good luck!

Warning: If you leave a comment to this post that isn’t an entry, I will DELETE it. Nothing personal, I just don’t want to select a winner for the wipes who isn’t interested in participating in the giveaway.

Posted by Erin on Mar 3, 2009 | 1,016 Comments | Tweet This

Xerox pushing services that eliminate machines and cut paper use

According to the Wall Street Journal article “Xerox Tries to Go Beyond Copiers” (subscription required), Xerox is pushing consulting services that show clients how they can save money by eliminating unnecessary machines and cutting down on paper use. From the article:

For decades, Xerox and others built their businesses by pushing companies to buy more office machines and supplying pricey ink and toner. But increasingly these vendors are now advising big customers to reduce their number of machines and find ways to cut printing costs.

[continuing ...]

Xerox, Hewlett-Packard Co. and others say they are seeing strong demand for consulting services that show companies how to eliminate desktop printers and force workers to share multifunction devices that copy, print and fax. The vendors say such moves can reduce printing costs up to 30%.

According to research by Xerox, companies spend between 3 and 4 percent of their revenues on producing documents. With the downturn in the economy and the increased profile of being “green,” companies are very interested in becoming more paper savvy. More from the article:

The services push comes as office copiers, fax machines and printers have merged into multifunction devices that are linked to corporate computer networks. Although these devices often cost $10,000 to $20,000, vendors install them when they manage a company’s printing because compared with desktop devices, they are more efficient, break down less and can use cheaper supplies.

Last month, Procter & Gamble Co. agreed to turn over to Xerox its vast fleet of printers and copiers in a multi-year contract valued at more than $100 million. Filippo Passerini, P&G’s chief information officer, says the decision is expected to cut paper usage 40% and costs 20% to 25%. He declined to disclose dollar figures.

Unclutterer is all for a paperless workplace. We have written about this subject in the past and we’ve offered tips on cutting down on your personal paper output.

Could your office survive without paper?

Posted by Matt on Mar 3, 2009 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

A supplement to a child’s book collection

Books are an important developmental tool for children. My daughter has quite a collection so far and I’m sure the collection will continue to expand. It is always advisable to keep the collection under control. There is no reason to hold onto some of the lower level books when your child loses interest in them as she grows. Try to give the books to friends or donate them whenever possible.

My wife and I recently discovered the website One More Story. It is a great way to supplement your child’s book collection while increasing her reading comprehension and basic computing skills. The site has the equivalent of books on tape with highlighted words. The site also includes illustrations, sound effects, and music with certain stories. A demonstration is available for preview. 

onemorestory

One More Story currently has over 50 children’s books available. A year-long subscription costs $44, which is less than $4 per month. My wife and I didn’t hesitate to subscribe and we have enjoyed using this site with our daughter. Instead of packing up a handful of books when we travel, we simply log on to One More Story and have access to their library from any computer with internet access.

Posted by Matt on Mar 2, 2009 | 21 Comments | Tweet This

Scheduling a 20 minute meeting with yourself

Gina Trapani, former editor of Lifehacker who now runs the inspiring and informative website Smarterware.org, has compiled a list of strategies for the Harvard Business blog on “How to Mitigate the Urgent to Focus on the Important.” She discusses how if a concerted effort isn’t made to set aside time for big-picture items in your day that they easily can be pushed aside by sudden requests and demands.

To realign your work day, she offers three concrete plans of action. My favorite:

Set up a weekly 20-minute meeting with yourself. Put it on your calendar, and don’t book over it — treat it with the same respect you’d treat a meeting with your boss. If you don’t have an office door or you work in an open area that’s constantly busy, book a conference room for your meeting. Go there to be alone. Bring your project list, to-do list, and calendar, and spend the time reviewing what you finished that past week, and what you want to get done the following week. This is a great time to choose your daily three important tasks. Productivity author David Allen refers to this as the “weekly review,” and it’s one of the most effective ways to be mindful about how you’re spending your time.

Do you make time on your schedule for focused planning on big-picture projects, free of interruptions? What would you need to do to schedule a 20-minute meeting with yourself? How could it impact your work?

Posted by Erin on Mar 2, 2009 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2008

Posted by PJ on Mar 1, 2009 | 1 Comment | Tweet This