Archives for May 2009

Ask Unclutterer: Organizing a shared drive

Reader Nick submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I’m curious what strategies you’ve come across to declutter a group drive, such as in the workplace? Do folks structure their group files by situation, by file type, by projects, or by user? Something else entirely?

The necessary, but always disorganized, shared network drive is unfortunately a staple in many offices. It exists so that there will be a nightly backup of company data and for employees to easily share their information with each other, but that is often where the benefits end. Unless your company has a mandated filing system, people will save data to the shared drive any way they please.

My first piece of advice is to never store files by user name. People resign, get fired, and are promoted too quickly for it to be a valuable structuring method. The same is true for storing data by specific job titles — the Vice President of Marketing might become the Vice President of Corporate Outreach without any change in duties, offices, or staffing.

My advice is to organize by the kind of work your business or organization completes. If you’re at a business with a handful of clients, have folders based on client name and subdivided into projects. If you’re at a business that creates products, have folders based on the product and subdivided into projects relating to those products. If you are a non-profit or a service-based organization, you can probably get by on simply organizing by projects.

A standardized file naming structure can also help: YearMonthDay_project_document.extension or 20090508_Ask_Drives.txt

A naming structure such as this allows you to identify when the file was created (May 8, 2009), what project it relates to (Ask, for Ask Unclutterer), and its topic (Drives).

Honestly, though, what matters most is the search program you have associated with the drive. If you can access the drive with Google Desktop or Copernic Desktop, you should be able to find whatever file you need with these powerful search engines. They are your salvation when the filing system is so far gone that you can barely find the files you added to the drive.

What advice do others who work on shared drives have for Nick? Please let us know your ideas in the comments.

And, thank you, Nick, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column.

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 May 8, 2009 | 17 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Multiple machines

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Antonio’s work-life space:

Having a lot of equipment on your desk isn’t a prescription for disorder, especially in Antonio’s space. This setup includes a MacPro, a MacBook, a MacMini, a Dell Mini 9 (running OS X), two iPhones (one for work, one for personal use), two 23″ Apple Cinema displays, and a Dell UltraSharp. I also spot a cordless phone, an HP printer/scanner/fax machine, a keyboard, a lamp, a cable modem (or maybe it’s a router), and a mouse. But, with all of this equipment, I don’t spot a single piece of clutter. It’s full, but well organized. Thank you, Antonio, for submitting your office for us to see.

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 May 8, 2009 | 13 Comments | Tweet This

DIY note card task board

Today we welcome Brian Kieffer, one of Unclutterer’s amazing programmers, to tell us how he created his extremely useful note card task board.

I’m a big fan of using index cards as organizational tools. They’re cheap, relatively sturdy, and the perfect size for jotting down tasks and notes, among many other uses.

Unless you really like flipping through cards over and over, though, it can be difficult to keep from losing track of everything you have going on your cards. If you’ve searched for a solution to this, you may have encountered Levenger’s excellent Note Card Action Board. But at nearly $40 for a 13″x15.5″ board, they’re pretty pricy.

I made my own in less than 5 minutes for a fraction of the cost using simple parts I picked up on a trip to my local art store. All you need is a board, and several large, heavy-duty rubber bands.

Any sturdy board will work, but the board I chose is the 16″x20″ Studio Panel. It’s essentially a 3/8″ thick piece of masonite with a canvas-like surface, and you can get them in many different sizes. The textured surface of the board provides a little bit of friction to keep the cards secure, and could easily be painted to match the decor of your office. The back of the panel includes pre-drilled holes for hanging on the wall.

Assembly is quick and easy. Just stretch your rubber bands over the board and space them according to the size of the cards you use. And BAM! DIY Note Card Action Board. Then you can use your label maker to mark the different sections of the board for your productivity system.

Posted by Brian on May 7, 2009 | 25 Comments | Tweet This

Dusting tips

In April, a reader posted the following question in an open thread on Lifehacker.com:

How do I handle dust in my apartment? I dust everything and 2 days later it’s back to the same level. Is there some magical something or other out there to help me control the dust? I live in the city on a 2nd story apartment. No one above and only carport below. Help!

There are some really terrific answers to the question in the remainder of the comments. If you struggle with dust, I definitely recommend checking out the conversation.

The piece of advice I most agree with is getting rid of carpets. I don’t know what it is about carpets, but they really seem to increase the amount of dust in a place.

Also, check out my article “Dusting in the 21st Century” on RealSimple.com for even more dusting tips.

(pictured is an electrostatic duster)

Posted by Erin on May 7, 2009 | 15 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: Spin the Bottle Game

The Electronic Spin the Bottle Game:

From the product description:

This isn’t your parents’ Spin the Bottle. Back in their day, they actually had to use a gross empty bottle that didn’t spin very well. Borrrring! Electronic Spin the Bottle takes the old party favorite out of the dark ages and into the 21st Century.

I am at a loss for what more to say.

Posted by Erin on May 6, 2009 | 36 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2008

2007

Posted by PJ on May 6, 2009 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

35 luxury notebooks to organize your life

I’m a list keeper. I used to keep lists on stray pieces of paper around my office. Whatever was within reach would get a list on it — backs of envelopes, stray receipts, post-it notes. After I got the iPhone, my random paper list-making decreased significantly. The Notes application and I become fast friends.

However, I’ve once again found myself looking to good ol’ pen and paper to write down some of my ideas. Instead of turning to scraps of paper that will eventually clutter up my desk, I’ve decided to buy a notebook.

In my pursuit of finding the perfect notebook, I have discovered that there is a gigantic market of luxury notebooks out there. I honestly had no concept of how large it is. So, if you’re in the market for a good notebook to keep your ideas in one organized location, these are the brands to explore:

I made my decision about which to buy based on reviews I came across on a couple of notebook blogs. The blog Black Cover has pictures and reviews of some of the little black notebooks. And the website Notebook Stories has reviewed 19 different brands.

Are you a traditional notebook aficionado? Is there a brand or style that didn’t make my list? Please let us know about it in the comments!

Posted by Erin on May 6, 2009 | 55 Comments | Tweet This

Keep your Twitter account clean with the Nest Unclutterer

We love Twitter.

But we don’t like it when a tweetbot follows us just because we mentioned a particular word or brand name. We could protect our updates, but that would just make it more difficult for people we actually know to follow us.

We don’t like tweetspammers who follow so many people that they’re probably just trying to get people to follow them back. You can’t be really listening to what 2000 people have to say.

We don’t like having our friend list filled up with inactive users who never tweet anymore.

These are just a few of the reasons we have created the Nest Unclutterer. It uses Twitter’s excellent API to help you maintain a tidy Twitter account:

  • The Nest Unclutterer protects your privacy from marketers and businesses by blocking followers who are already following a user-specified number of people.
  • It removes followers who have been inactive for a user-specified period of time.
  • It helps create a whitelist of users exempt from any of these rule-based actions.

We hope you like it, and we would appreciate any suggestions for additional features.

Posted by PJ on May 5, 2009 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

Let board games multitask as artwork

People often ask us about board game storage, so we’re always on the lookout for interesting solutions to that particular organizational challenge. We came across these impressive photos of board game storage systems on the BoardGameGeek.com forums.

Forum user Rick’s wife took some of their more visually interesting games (Clue, Axis & Allies, and Forty Niners) and hung them on the wall. The small game pieces are stored in inexpensive shadow-boxes, which are also mounted on the wall. This second photo shows some wooden game boards mounted on the wall beside a dedicated gaming closet:

This approach provides a dedicated “home” for the games while allowing them to also serve as artwork.

Posted by PJ on May 5, 2009 | 24 Comments | Tweet This

Barnes and Noble now selling audio books online

Barnes and Noble has announced that it is jumping into the online audio book market with its launch of Barnes and Noble Audiobooks.

Most of the books are between $10 and $20 per download, and they already have more than 10,000 titles for sale. The new service will compete with Audible, iTunes, and Kindle.

If you’re looking for ways to expand your book collection but without bringing more physical books into your home, be sure to give audio books a try.

(via Publishers Weekly)

Posted by Erin on May 4, 2009 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

What’s in your office?

When you imagine a CEO’s office, you probably think of a wood desk, an ornately framed print of a stale landscape, a couple diplomas on the wall, a bookshelf of leather bound classics, a large window with a decent view, and everything well organized with no clutter anywhere. I could probably create a coffee table book filled with thousands of examples of this exact office.

For better or worse, most CEO’s offices send the message: “I am in charge, and I get work done.”

Forbes recently profiled the offices of 10 CEOs in the article “What CEOs Love To Keep In Their Offices.” The article discusses the not-so-obvious things that some big-wigs keep in their spaces. But, I have to be honest, none of the items they mention are really that far off the regular path — a dry erase board, a dart board, an executive bathroom.

CEO offices are consistent because they are, in many ways, the face of the company. Consumers and employees alike judge CEOs based on the image they present. If a CEOs office is full of clutter and chaotic, then it sends the message that the company is cluttered and chaotic. So, the CEO of a company will always have an office that looks like the one I described in the first paragraph.

Can you take a few cues from the CEOs? I’m not advocating that you retrofit your cubicle with wood laminate and bad artwork, but can you keep your office clutter free? Can you project to your co-workers and clients that you are efficient and productive and able to handle all the work that comes your way? Does your office say that you’re organized and ready to lead?

Posted by Erin on May 4, 2009 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2008

2007

Posted by PJ on May 3, 2009 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Bluetooth keyboard with integrated trackpad eliminates wires and multiple devices

During a recent visit to Chicago, I took some time to setup a Home Theater PC for my parents, which they now use to watch Blu-ray movies and television programs streamed over the web.

Unfortunately, the effective range of their old wireless keyboard and mouse was just shy of the distance between the PC and the sofa. It was also somewhat frustrating to have to use the optical mouse either on the upholstry or a on a knee. A better solution was clearly warranted.

I was very pleased to eventually find the Logitech Cordless Mediaboard Pro. It has an integrated trackpad, so the mouse problem was eliminated. Bluetooth connectivity gives the device a range of about 30 feet, which now lets them use it from anywhere in the room.

Although this keyboard is marketed for the PlayStation 3, it works just fine with a Mac or a PC.

In addition to being a cable-free solution, it’s also better looking than most Bluetooth keyboards.

Posted by PJ on May 2, 2009 | 17 Comments | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: Can contacts be recycled?

Reader Judy submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I have old unused contact lenses. Can they be recycled in any way? Or should they just be thrown away?

Unused, still packaged contact lenses aren’t able to be donated to charity in the same way you might donate clothes to Goodwill or a car to the Salvation Army. Nor can they be taken to your local recycling center. If they aren’t past their expiration date, you can return them to your eye doctor. Your eye doctor will probably then send them back to the supplier, who will either recycle the materials or dispose of them based on their standard procedures. Your eye doctor may even refund your money … but don’t count on it. If you order your contact lenses online and not through your doctor’s office, it will be more hassle (and environmentally damaging) to send them back to the online company.

Contact lenses that have passed their expiration date and used lenses need to be disposed of according to their manufacturer’s instructions. If you no longer have the external packaging material, hop onto the company website to learn this information.

The plastic containers your contact lenses came in are easily recyclable, however. Just make sure that your local recycling facility works with the type of plastic numbered on the container before dropping them off at the recycling center.

Since we’re talking about prescription eyewear, I wanted to mention the Lions Club eyeglasses recycling program. If you don’t have a local Lions Club, you can mail your old glasses to:

Lions Clubs International Headquarters
Attention: Receiving Department
300 W. 22nd Street
Oak Brook, IL 60523, USA

Thank you, Judy, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column.

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 May 1, 2009 | 15 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Magnificent music

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Sephtakular’s recording studio:

Anyone who owns an instrument knows that music equipment is difficult to organize. Okay, maybe if you own a harmonica it’s not too difficult, but for guitar players and keyboardists, it’s not the easiest of tasks. I liked Sephtakular’s entry because I have rarely seen a music room this well organized. The vinyl record storage is Ikea Expedit, and in the picture’s comments it says there is another Expedit unit just out of frame on the left. The desk is an Office Depot $100 find modded to fit the numerous electronic components. I spot two guitars, two keyboards, a couple mixers, and no wires — amazing! Thank you, Sephtakular for the submission.

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 May 1, 2009 | 7 Comments | Tweet This