Archives for December 2009

PDFs and t-shirts: New in the Unclutterer store

After the special bonus to Unclutterer readers ended and we stopped giving away the free copies of the worksheets from Unclutter Your Life in One Week, I started receiving e-mails from people who didn’t participate in the offer asking if they could buy the PDFs. Up until today, we haven’t had any way to sell these materials. We’ve never had Unclutterer products, so we never had an internal Unclutterer store.

I turned to our tech team at Dancing Mammoth and asked if they could setup an online store for us to sell the PDFs. They were up for the task and went to work on the programming. (This was also the point when I asked Simon and Schuster if it was okay to sell them, and they said it was.)

Once the tech team was doing all the heavy lifting, my mind kept returning to a conversation I had last summer with artist Chris Bishop at a party at my friend Kara’s house (Chris did the yellow robot painting in the second picture). Chris and I talked about his insanely popular Barack O’Unicorn t-shirt that he released during the 2008 election. We discussed the body as a canvas and how it constantly transmits messages — I support X candidate, I buy my clothes from X retailer, I listen to X band, I am the type of person who irons my clothes, I have a baby who spits up squash, I don’t follow fashion trends. For good or bad, our clothing says a great deal about us.

With our store on the horizon, I began looking into what it would take to produce Unclutterer t-shirts that convey the positive ideas we promote on the site. If the t-shirt I casually throw on to wear to the neighborhood farmers’ market is going to speak on my behalf, I at least want it to promote something I believe in. Our local silk screen company Reston Shirt came in with a good price for us using quality materials. We ordered the shirts, they produced them, and now we have two t-shirt designs — one with the phrase “Simplicity is revolutionary” and the other “Less is more” — to offer alongside the PDFs in our new store.

I haven’t stopped thinking about items we can offer in the new store. I can see us producing short e-books, calendars, planners, and other useful organizing goods. At this time, however, we’re just offering the PDFs and t-shirts. We’re starting small and seeing how things go.

I want to thank our team at Dancing Mammoth, the fine folks at Reston Shirt, and my friends Kara and David, who were good sports and agreed to be our models (since the t-shirt idea sprung from a conversation at their home, I thought it only appropriate to ask them to join in on the fun). Check out the new internal Unclutterer store and order t-shirts and/or the seven PDF worksheets that accompany Unclutter Your Life in One Week if you need them.

(Note: If you received the PDFs as part of the special bonus, you have the exact product that we’re selling in the store. You don’t need to repurchase the documents. These are available for people who did not participate in the previous offer.)

Posted by Erin on Dec 8, 2009 | 17 Comments | Tweet This

iPhone alarm clocks

My husband and I need a new alarm clock and, after many deliberations, we have decided to go with a unit that works in conjunction with our iPhones. Since the units are all multi-functional (they’re all iPhone chargers, and all but the first include speakers to play music from iTunes at better quality than the phone speaker), I thought I would share with you our finalists.

The Kensington K33458US Nightstand Charging Dock for iPhone and iPod Touch

The Kensington K33458US Nightstand Charging Dock for iPhone and iPod Touch

This is the most basic of all the options. It’s really only a charging dock that helps your iPhone stand on its side. It works with the Kensington Rise and Shine clock and weather app available in the app store. We found it to be a bit overpriced ($20) for just a charger but its design is simple and straightforward.

The Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for iPod/iPhone with LED clock radio

The Philips DC315/37 Speaker System for iPod/iPhone with LED clock radio

It has a futuristic and sleek design, along with a built-in FM tuner and auxiliary input. I specifically like the auxiliary input to use with even more devices. My husband likes the LED screen on this one, but I’d prefer a bolder typeface. It’s $89, which I think is a bit more than I want to spend.

The iHome iP99BR Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Dock for iPod, iPhone

The iHome iP99BR Dual Alarm Clock Radio with Dock for iPod, iPhone

This one looks like a more traditional alarm clock radio than the others, takes up a bit more space than the others, and is a lot more expensive than the others ($139). It comes with a remote for the person on the far-side of the bed. It’s okay, but neither of our favorites.

The Sony ICF-C7IP Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone with hidden sliding dock tray

The Sony ICF-C7IP Clock Radio for iPod and iPhone with hidden sliding dock tray

The dock slides in so that the unit is smaller when the iPhone isn’t attached. It also comes with a remote for the person to use on the far-side of the bed. This is my choice because it’s functional, good quality, reasonably priced ($62), and looks decent without an iPhone in it. You’ll have to guess which unit my husband prefers.

Do you have any of the units mentioned above? Another one we didn’t consider? We still haven’t made our purchase, so tell us about your alarm clock preferences in the comments.

Posted by Erin on Dec 8, 2009 | 59 Comments | Tweet This

Reducing visual clutter in Mail.app

The fabulous Patrick Rhone from Minimal Mac instructs Mac users how to make their e-mail program less cluttered in his guest post today. Thank you, Patrick, for sharing your talents with us!

Take a look at the peacefully minimal Window above. That is Mail.app, the built in e-mail application on Mac OS X. You may not recognize it in that form. By default, it looks like this:

In just a few steps, you too can simplify and de-clutter Mail.app. Here is how:

  1. In Mail.app, under the View menu, select “Hide Mailboxes.” This will hide the folders along the left hand side of the Mail window. Don’t worry about being able to get to those. I’ve got a better way coming up.
  2. Next, also under the View menu, select “Hide Toolbar.” This will hide the icons at the top of the window. Once again, I’ve got a solution for accessing those items, including the Search box, that is faster and will save you hours a week.

    3. These next steps are optional but I endorse them.

  3. Install, Letterbox. This gives you the option to use that widescreen monitor to its fullest extent by placing the preview pane for the messages on the right or left side versus the default which is on the bottom. If you have the screen real estate, why not use it?
  4. Install Mail Act-On. This will allow you to navigate mailboxes, file messages, open folders, set custom actions, and much more — all using your keyboard. Using this, in combination with learning the default keyboard commands, will eliminate the need to keep items number 1 and 2 displayed and save hours each week for heavy email users.

Speaking of keyboard commands, if you want to display the Mailboxes again, Command + Shift + M will bring them right back. Also, if you miss the search box in the Toolbar, Command + Option + F will bring it right back, allow you to perform your search, and hide the toolbar again once done. See, told you I would give you a better way.

Posted by Patrick on Dec 7, 2009 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Chicago book signing and meet and greet

After lots of amazing planning work on the part of my stellar publicist and sales team at Simon and Schuster, my book tour is becoming a reality. The final details on the later stops (LA, NY, KC, DC) are still being ironed out, but I can go ahead and announce the first event since it is confirmed and ready to go:

Chicago

December 28, 2009. 4-7 p.m. The Book Cellar. 4736-38 N. Lincoln Ave.

Technically, this is the first stop on my Unclutter Your Life in One Week book tour. However, I’m thinking about it as a book signing and an Unclutterer meet and greet. Unclutterer team members PJ, Brian, Gary, and I will all be able to make it to this event. You can hang out with us and other Unclutterer readers, grab a drink, have your book signed (if you’re into such things), and enjoy a post-holiday happy hour in Lincoln Square.

Don’t feel that you need to be at the event right at 4:00. I’m not giving a formal presentation of any kind — just getting to know our delightful Unclutterer readers. If you’re in the area, we would love for you to come by and say, “hi!”

Posted by Erin on Dec 7, 2009 | 10 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2008

2007

Posted by PJ on Dec 6, 2009 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: Keeping cardboard boxes?

Reader Douglas submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I had a quick question about boxes. How long do you recommend I hold on to old boxes for things like TVs and computers? I have some big boxes, I’ve kept just in case I have to return the items. I’m not sure if it’s actually necessary for me to keep them though, because they take up a lot of space.

This is one of those questions that I answer so often that I thought I had already used it for an Ask Unclutterer topic. Apparently, I haven’t.

Most electronics purchased from major retailers have a 30 or 45 day maximum return policy for those instances when you simply decide you no longer want the item. This date is always printed on the receipt, which you’ll also want to hold on to if you are seriously considering returning the item. So, for items you think you may not want to keep, it is reasonable to hold onto the box for that amount of time.

In all other circumstances, I only recommend keeping the box IF:

  1. You plan to sell the item in less than three years after its date of purchase, and
  2. The original packaging improves the price of the product when you sell it.

For example, I sell my laptops on eBay when I upgrade to a newer model. After tracking laptop sales on eBay for many months, I found that people will pay a little more for the product if it still has its original packaging. So, I keep my laptop boxes to ship them in to the new owner. Granted, the boxes that laptops come in are relatively small and, since I only have one computer at a time, our storage space isn’t overrun with cardboard boxes.

If your situation does not meet both of the qualifying statements above, then you should recycle the boxes immediately or right after the 30 or 45 day return deadline. Keeping lots of cardboard in the house is an awful fire risk and it wastes a significant amount of storage space. There is also no need to keep the packaging because if the product is a lemon or has some other manufacturing defect, you don’t need the original packaging to return it. Additionally, if you move, you can wrap your electronics in towels or bubble wrap surrounded by packing peanuts and put them into traditional cardboard boxes.

Thank you, Douglas, 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 Dec 4, 2009 | 71 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Defining an open office

This week’s Workspace of the Week is 037′s damask dream:

The reason I chose this week’s workspace is because it does such an amazing job at establishing a sense of personal space in a sea of open offices. Anyone who has ever worked in an open office knows that personal items have a way of disappearing or migrating to other desks. In open offices, you also often feel like you can’t express yourself in a way that still deems you as being professional. This office, however, by simply using a red damask fabric, solves the problems I just mentioned and many others.

From 037′s image descriptions:

The fabric is ordered from eBay (just search Red Damask), and is glued with Super 77 Adhesive to a giant 42″ x 18″ mouse pad rubber I bought from Canal Rubber in NYC. The mouse pad is so huge I don’t need to worry about moving my hands off a mouse pad anymore!

I then scanned and traced the fabric pattern in Illustrator and created a PNG file for wallpaper.

Even the Chumby received a makeover with a pattern from Make Fun Studios.

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 Dec 4, 2009 | 7 Comments | Tweet This

2009 Gift Giving Guide: Gifts the Unclutterers are giving

In our eighth installment of Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide we’re discussing gifts the Unclutterer team members are giving this holiday season.

Brian: Now that our extended family is growing, we’ve agreed to limit the family gift exchanges to kids and grandparents only. We would go crazy if we had to find gifts for each sibling, spouse of sibling, nieces, nephews, and grandparents. We uncluttered out shopping list this year.

Matt: I’m baking and cooking many of the gifts I’m giving this year because I don’t feel like contributing any extra clutter to people’s lives. If you can eat it, it won’t be around long. Also, since we live in an RV full time, it’s difficult to find places to store gifts until we give them.

PJ: I’m giving movie passes this year to many people in my family. We’re a family that loves to go to the movies. One lucky person on my gift list is also getting a Roku digital video player. It minimizes the need to buy DVDs and works with Neflix and Amazon on Demand. It’s for someone who doesn’t want or have cable.

Erin: I called everyone and asked what they needed, which means that they’re all getting practical gifts this year. My shopping list is full of things like long underwear, rechargeable batteries, and motor oil. It’s not very exciting, but useful is very welcome in this economy.

Gary: I’m giving and asking for small things this year; stuff that doesn’t take up a lot of space.

What uncluttered gifts are you giving this year? Let us know about your shopping lists in the comments.

Posted by Erin on Dec 3, 2009 | 43 Comments | Tweet This

An author’s minimalist home of the future

In 1952, Popular Mechanics magazine ran an article about science fiction author Robert Heinlein‘s then-new 1,150-square-foot minimalist home. Titled “A House To Make Life Easy,” the article written by Thomas E. Stimson, Jr., explores the “house that’s called extreme today but may become conventional before the 20th century has run its course.”

More than half a century later, it’s interesting to look back on this article and see which of the futuristic ideas caught on and which ones didn’t. One of the more interesting items that didn’t become a mainstream feature in American homes is the “commuting” table on page 66:

The “commuting” table allows you to set the table in the kitchen and then push it through the wall into the bookshelf-lined dining area. As full-time housekeepers were becoming more rare in the 1950s, I’m sure this was seen as a luxury for Heinlein’s wife. Nowadays, most new homes simply have open kitchen and dining floor plans where no walls exist between the two areas.

Check out the article (be sure to catch the jump from page 69 to 228, and then again to page 230) and learn about Heinlein’s minimalist home that supposedly only took “about an hour” to clean. Then, come back here and tell us your thoughts on this house that was supposed to make life easy.

Thanks to reader Robert R. for leading us to the article.

Posted by Erin on Dec 3, 2009 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

On the Forums: realistic to-do lists, jewelry display, and kitchen essentials

Some great new discussions are underway on the new Unclutterer Forums:

Be sure to check it out and add your thoughts to the mix. Remember, you can start your own thread (which our system calls a “topic”) by clicking the “Add New” link under Latest Discussions on the Forum homepage.

If you use an RSS reader to follow your favorite blogs, you can easily keep track of what’s going on in our new forums. Add the feed for latest topics or all the latest posts. You can even follow specific topics using the RSS link just below each topic’s title, or create an RSS feed of your own by adding topics as favorites.

Posted by PJ on Dec 2, 2009 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: USB Pet Rock

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

The wonderful people at ThinkGeek.com have brought us what can only be described as THE most amazing unitasker ever found. Not only does it waste energy and use up one of your USB ports, but it also does absolutely nothing! The USB Pet Rock:

This unitasker (or should we say non-tasker?) is pure genius. The best part of it all might even be the catalog text promoting the item:

Simply plug the USB cable into a free port and let the fun begin. The USB Pet Rock will instantly begin to work its magic. People will stop by and ask you what your USB Pet Rock does. Each time, you can make up a new story; for no matter what you say, it will be greater than the truth – because these USB Pet Rocks don’t do a dang thing. Except make you smile. And confuse your friends and coworkers, which will make you smile even more. So, get your USB Pet Rock today, and help make us rich tomorrow.

It actually says that it doesn’t do “a dang thing” and is only to help make the company “rich.” Oh, I am insanely curious to know how many of these ThinkGeek has already sold.

Posted by Erin on Dec 2, 2009 | 34 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2008

  • November 2008 wrap up
    These are the things that made November 2008 a great month at Unclutterer.
  • Bedroom storage
    Excess storage in the bedroom can lead to expanding one’s wardrobe beyond what is needed.
  • Too many flower vases
    Over the years, my wife and I have received a fair amount of mail ordered flowers and with every order there is always a small glass vase included.
  • Unusual storage spaces
    In our home, we use our cookie jar to store garlic, onions, and potatoes.

2007

Posted by PJ on Dec 2, 2009 | Comments Off | Tweet This

2009 Gift Giving Guide: Gifts for kids

In our seventh installment of Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide we’re discussing gifts for children.

I’m coming to find that creating a Guide for kids is more difficult than expected. The things we want for our son now are very different than the things he’ll want when he can pen his own letter to Santa Claus. My husband and I want practical things for him that will help us cover the expenses of raising a child — diapers, a new crib, and baby gates. By the time he’s in elementary school, however, I’m sure that he’ll want toys, gadgets, and even more toys! I can’t even fathom what will be on his list when he’s in high school.

So, instead of breaking it down by age, I’m just going to give an over-arching theme and one or two examples that might work with the category. Parents with jr. high and high school children should feel more than welcome to add ideas to the comments section as I feel that I’m not doing this age group much justice in my themes.

  • Experiences. We’ve written about these types of gifts in the past, but they’re certainly worth mentioning again. Zoo memberships, movie passes, event tickets, etc., are great gifts for the giver and receiver to both enjoy. If Aunt Jane buys a pool pass for little Billy, then the two of them can swim together on summer afternoons — or go to the zoo together or see movies or whatever the experience.
  • Gifts with storage solutions. I’ve become a big fan of gifts that come with storage or gifts that are storage. Toy bins with a new toy, video game storage console with a new game, a puzzle rack with a new puzzle, or a block set with a block box, like the one below, are examples that would work for younger kids.
    Melissa & Doug 60-Piece Standard Unit Blocks
  • Vacations. Technically, this is a subset of Experiences, but I thought it warranted its own line item. Growing up, I took a vacation each summer with my grandmother. I’ll never forget riding the train with her across the country or going on road trips to crazy roadside attractions. My cousins also have fond memories of flying to see her and spending two weeks playing on the farm without their parents. Showing children the world can be a rewarding experience for everyone.
  • What the child wants. Sneaking a peak at a child’s letter to Santa Claus before it is sent in the mail can be a good way to learn what a child plans to play with in the next few months. It’s not clutter if the object is used and loved.
  • Hints from mom and dad. If parents have created wishlists for their children (especially new parents with young children), it’s extremely kind to buy from that list. Great thought and care usually go into creating these lists, and buying from them can help the parents to provide for their child. It’s not very creative, but it is incredibly generous. If mom and dad are running on such little sleep that they can’t find the energy to create a list, pick up the phone and ask.

Please add your ideas to the comments. Also, don’t forget to check out our Unclutterer’s 2009 Holiday Gift Giving Guide Index Page for a listing of all the articles as we publish them.

Posted by Erin on Dec 2, 2009 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

Rent a dress for that next holiday party

Instead of buying an expensive gown that you’re only going to wear once to a wedding, formal holiday party, or some other black-tie affair, consider renting a dress through RentTheRunway.com. Best of all, after you send it back, your closet remains clutter free.

It’s the female equivalent of a tuxedo rental shop, which is a much-needed segment in the market in my opinion. And, for a percentage of what you would pay to buy the dress, you have the convenience of not having to deal with future cleaning, storage, or the garment going out of style.

From the website:

1. LOVE
Browse through our array of A-list designers and find a dress you love. Or two!

2. WEAR
Schedule a delivery date and your dress will appear on your doorstep, in two different sizes. Just to be safe.

3. RETURN
Put your dress in our handy pre-paid package and drop in the nearest mailbox. We take care of the dry cleaning!

My only hesitation with the program is the cleanliness aspect, and RentTheRunway answers this explicitly:

All RTR dresses will ship to you directly from the cleaners, without any handling in between. We’ve partnered with a premier dress specialist in NYC—Slate Dry Cleaner—and developed a process that ensures stringent quality control. We’ll only ship dresses that receive a 100% fresh seal of approval. Slate Dry Cleaner is an expert in eco-friendly, luxury dry cleaning. Their environmentally safe process certifies that every garment is thoroughly cleaned and cared for, maintaining the impeccable quality of the garment while being kind to the environment (not to mention to your health!). Our packaging is also specially designed to fully protect the dresses during shipment.

Learn more about the program in the Frequently Asked Questions section of RentTheRunway.com.

Posted by Erin on Dec 1, 2009 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

2009 Gift Giving Guide: The Six O’Clock Scramble

If you subscribe to Real Simple magazine, you can find five holiday stress-busting tips from me in the December issue. (You can also find the same tips online.) One of these tips was unfortunately truncated to save space in the print version, and so I’ve decided to highlight what was cut with an entry in our 2009 Guide.

The fourth tip, “Give gifts you don’t need to wrap and/or ship. Try zoo and museum memberships, items from Etsy.com, spa or credit-card gift cards, or dance lessons,” should have included, “and a subscription to The Six O’Clock Scramble” at the end of it.

I have a subscription to TheScramble.com, which is an enhanced online companion to the cookbook The Six O’Clock Scramble, and I love it. Once a week, founder Aviva Goldfarb e-mails a weekly meal plan to give healthy ideas for what to make for dinner. The meal plan includes recipes, a grocery shopping list, tips, nutritional information, and a nice note from Aviva. Subscribers don’t have to stress out about what to make for dinner, because the heavy lifting is already done for you. Also, if you don’t love one of the recipes, you can customize the meal plan to meet your needs. I’m a big fan, and I especially like that the recipes are focused on what is in season and plentiful at our market (at least for us in the US).

Because I’m so indebted to Aviva for keeping me sane at mealtime, I contacted her to see if she would be interested in offering a special subscription rate to Unclutterer readers. She was game and is now offering the following:

Between now and December 31, you get a special offer for subscriptions for yourself or people on your holiday gift list: You’ll get $4 off of all 6 month subscriptions (now just $25.50) and $8 off of 12 month subscriptions (regular price $54.50, now just $46.50). What’s more, The Scramble subscriptions always have free shipping and are the perfect “green” gift. Simply use the promotional code UNC09 upon checkout.

If you or anyone you know struggles to figure out what is for dinner, a Scramble subscription might be a welcome gift this holiday season.

Posted by Erin on Dec 1, 2009 | 8 Comments | Tweet This