Archives for April 2010

Simply-designed outboard DAC improves computer audio quality

Scot Hacker is the author of O’Reilly’s MP3: The Definitive Guide, and writes about music for Stuck Between Stations. By day, he’s a webmaster and trainer for the Knight Digital Media Center at UC Berkeley.

A few weeks ago, during a spell of unusually dry winter weather, I went to unplug a pair of Grado SR-80 headphones from my iMac. A spark of static electricity leapt from my fingers, I heard a brief crackling sound, and then… [silence]. From that moment forward, the headphone/speaker jack on the back of the Mac has refused to work, and only “Internal Speakers” showed up in the System Preferences Sound panel. My trusty work Mac had gone mute.

My only options were either to send the Mac in for repair or switch to USB audio output. I couldn’t afford to be without the Mac, and I was interested in hearing what kind of audio upgrade I’d get by bypassing the Mac’s internal Digital Audio Converter (DAC), so I hit up an audiophile friend for recommendations. I hit the jackpot when he suggested the NuForce μDAC (aka microDAC) — a handsome $99 outboard DAC that’s both minimalist in design and smaller than a pack of smokes.

The unit arrived a few days later, and turned out to be even smaller than expected (around 3″x1″). The two-tone rust and flat-black anodized aluminum casing looked distinguished, and well-crafted; NuForce really put some effort into the aesthetics on this one. The design is simple, with no unnecessary controls. Just a volume knob and a headphone output jack, nothing more.

I was blown away from the moment I plugged it in and enabled it in the Sound prefs Output panel. Digital audio has never sounded better on a computer I’ve owned. But since the original analog jack was fried, I had no way to directly compare the quality of the Mac’s native DAC with the new outboard. Today I sat down at someone else’s work Mac and did some A/B testing.

For the test, I chose two recordings:

(I chose these two because A) I love them and B) I had them on hand at 256kbps AAC, for best possible resolution).

Note: I appreciate great-sounding audio, but I’m far from a hardcore audiophile. For an audio tweak’s perspective on the μDAC, see HeadphoneAddict’s review at head-fi.org.

Just a few minutes into Cowhand, I noticed something I’d never heard before: The sound of the cork linings of the valves of Rollins’ saxophone tapping away as he played. It was subtle, but it had been there in the recording all along – I had just never noticed it. And that’s exactly the point – the differences are subtle, and you may not notice all of them unless you’re listening for them, but they’re present. And that subtlety adds up to an overall experience that’s simply more realistic, more nuanced than what you get with the cheaper DAC built into consumer PCs. It’s all about presence.

Likewise, I found the harmonies in Because fuller, richer, more bodied than they sounded through the Mac’s native DAC. The French horns far more alive and breathy, the harpsichord more twangy. Virtually everything about these two tracks sounded more engaging.

Another thing I noticed: Usually, near the end of a long day writing code, I feel the need to take the headphones off and rest my ears. I didn’t have that sensation today. I can’t say for sure, but I suspect that more natural sound is less fatiguing to the ears (and the brain’s processor).

One caveat: Because there’s no longer an analog sound channel for the computer to manipulate, you’ll lose the ability to control volume or to mute from the Mac’s keyboard. Apparently this is not true of all DACs – the driver for m-audio boxes does allow volume and mute control from the Mac keyboard, so the issue must rest in the generic Mac USB audio driver (the NuForce unit doesn’t come with an installable driver – it’s plug-and-play). In any case, the keboard habit has been ingrained for so many years I don’t even think about it, so retraining myself to adjust audio from the μDAC’s volume knob took some getting used to. However, you can still use the volume control in iTunes itself, and it may be possible to re-map the keyboard’s audio control keys to tweak iTunes’ internal volume directly.

It’s no secret that you can get better sound quality out of almost any computer by routing around the built-in audio chipset. There’s just no way Apple (or Dell, or anyone else) is going to spend more than a few dollars on high-end audio circuitry when most people are perfectly happy with 128kbps MP3s played through cheap-o speakers, and every penny counts in manufacturing bottom lines. But using an outboard DAC for signal conversion can be an expensive proposition, not to mention involving bulky, inelegant, desk-cluttering plastic boxes. The NuForce μDAC gives you high-end computer audio that’s both affordable and elegant.

Another benefit: If you’ve been considering using a dedicated digital audio file player like an AudioRequest connected to the home stereo, you’ll end up having to migrate and store another copy of your audio library, not to mention add more cabling and componentry to your entertainment center. With something like the NuForce μDAC, you can leave everything on your main computer and just route high-fidelity audio to the stereo.

In any case, the NuForce μDAC is one of the best c-notes I’ve dropped on audio gear over the years. Recommended even if you haven’t fried your analog port.

Posted by Scot on Apr 20, 2010 | 20 Comments | Tweet This

Nine tips for efficiently processing voicemail

Is the phone an integral, but loathsome part of your job? Do you hate playing phone tag with someone who doesn’t explain why they’re trying to reach you? Is the voicemail indicator light continuously ablaze on your desk phone?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, or simply would like to improve the way you process voicemail, check out the following nine tips for efficiently processing voicemail:

  1. Many phone systems have the ability to send voicemail messages to your e-mail. I recommend activating this feature, especially if you are often away from your desk. You can visually identify which messages are your highest priority before listening to any of them. If you receive more than 20 voicemails a day, consider using AwayFind with your e-mail system to push you only the important messages you’re waiting to receive.
  2. Regardless of how you receive your voicemails (audio or e-mail), listen to all of the messages before responding to any of them. Often, a problem someone calls about might get resolved without your help and a second message will be in the system asking you to ignore the initial request.
  3. When checking your voicemails, have your to-do list and calendar open so you can immediately capture action items, telephone numbers, and other important information.
  4. Only check your voicemail on a schedule, same as e-mail. I process my voicemail three times a workday — 10:00 a.m., after lunch, and 30 minutes before I leave the office. Your job might demand you check it more often, but usually once an hour is suffice for even people who highly depend on voicemail.
  5. Before picking up the telephone to return a call, consider that an e-mail might be a better way to respond. If a phone call is the fastest and best way, then, by all means, make the call. However, e-mail leaves a correspondence trail that you can refer to at a point in the future and, if you need to pass information along to more than one person, e-mail is better because you don’t have to make a series of calls.
  6. If you return a call and get someone’s voicemail, start the message by stating your name and your contact information. If the recipient wants to replay the message, he or she won’t have to listen to the entire message to get your contact information. Also, be as explicit as possible in the message so that the person can respond with valuable data. Try your hardest never to leave a message that only says, “Give me a call.”
  7. Before picking up the phone to return a call, jot down the major points you wish to cover in your conversation. This will keep you from forgetting an important point that might force you to make a second or third call later in the day with the forgotten information.
  8. Set a timer when returning calls, especially if you’re chatty. If I don’t set a timer, I can ramble on about nothing for an hour.
  9. Finally, delete all voicemails after you have sufficiently captured the data of the message. If your mailbox is full of old messages, you can’t receive new ones.

What advice would you add to this list? Sound off with your suggestions in the comments.

Posted by Erin on Apr 19, 2010 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

Posted by PJ on Apr 18, 2010 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: Preserving cherished sentimental items

Reader Brittney submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I appreciate being uncluttered. It’s the only way I can stay organized and focused on the tasks I enjoy doing. My greatest obstacle is memory clutter. My family moved all my life. I live far from my loved ones and see them once in 5 to 10 years due to financial restrictions. As a result, I have boxes of family photos, cards, high school and college mementos, childhood drawings, well-worn childhood dolls & toys, yearbooks since middle school, etc. I irrationally keep these things to fill the loneliness I feel with my loved ones scattered around the world. But the memory clutter is suffocating me. How do I minimize this memory clutter without emotionally scarring myself.

I know how to display photos, but what about all of this other stuff? How can I possibly display and store such varied items in a one-bedroom apartment without looking like a junk shop? Help!! Thanks, in advance, for your desperately needed ideas.

A great question, Brittney. Sentimental items are difficult because some of the trinkets are clutter and some aren’t. One thing is for certain, though, keeping and displaying all of it doesn’t work for your space.

Start by sorting through all of your items and tossing out the junk. If you’re anything like me, you’ll find items that you can’t even remember why you’ve kept them. You might not have a lot of these types of things, but it’s best to get rid of the obvious clutter first.

Once the obvious clutter is gone, go through your items a second time. Sort the items into three piles: 1. Can be photographed or scanned and still have the same impact, 2. Definitely want to keep and display on my shelves, 3. Can’t yet decide what I want to do with the item.

For items that landed in the first pile (photographs, memorabilia, drawings, cards, etc.), set up a light box for the non-flat items and take pictures of them. Then, either scan all of your photographs or have a company scan them for you. Once all of the items are digitized, make digital scrapbooks of all of the images.

Next, make room in your space for the items you chose to keep and display on your shelves. Be honest with yourself about what you’re willing to dust and sacrifice space to store. You will likely find a few important pieces are worth displaying and more valuable than having everything out on your shelves. You notice objects more when they’re not in competition with dozens of other objects for your attention. Shadow boxes are a great idea if you don’t want to use shelves for these items. Group like items with like items, and aim for quality, not quantity.

(For advice specifically about yearbooks, check out this post and its comments: “Yearbooks: Worth keeping or clutter?“)

The third pile — those things you don’t yet know how to handle — are always the most difficult to process. I recommend putting them all in a box, writing a date six months from now on the lid and on your calendar, and putting the box on a hard-to-reach shelf in your closet. When the date six months from now rolls around, photograph or scan every item that you didn’t touch a single time over the six-month period. You were able to live without the items for six months, which means you can live without them physically being in your space. An image of the item should be all you need in the future.

Thank you, Brittney, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Good luck to you as you go through this process. Also, check out the comments with more suggestions from our readers.

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 Apr 16, 2010 | 19 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Workbench wonderland

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Bondcliff’s basement workshop:

A close up of the left side of the room, which is described as the “tool side” of the workspace:

Bondcliff describes the right side as the “nerd side” of the workspace:

This is the electronics/ crafts/ computer side of the bench. Everything for the Dremel is in the little organizer with the labels on it … The PC is mostly for reference and to play music from Pandora or my MP3 library.

I must admit that I am in awe of this space. After clearing the clutter from my basement recently, it didn’t look this nice this after I had finished. Click on the images above to go to Flickr to see the detailed notes he has made about each photograph. Thank you, Bondcliff, for such a wonderful addition to our Flickr pool.

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 Apr 16, 2010 | 7 Comments | Tweet This

And the third winner of the Fujitsu ScanSnap giveaway is …

Thank you to EVERYONE (all 6,512 of you!) who are now following @Unclutterer on Twitter and who are participating in our Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 giveaway. Now, let’s get on to the good stuff …

At 10:00 a.m. EDT, the random number generator picked the following number:

1,789

Which means, the winner of this week’s Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 is:

@Ribstbbq

I have direct messaged the winner of the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 and she/he has 24 hours to respond.

Remember, there are still two more giveaways between now and April 22, so you can still sign up to follow @Unclutterer on Twitter. Also, sign up to follow @ScanSnapIT for tips and tricks about reducing your paper clutter. Big thanks continue to go to Fujitsu for doing such a generous giveaway for Unclutterer readers and our Twitter followers.

Is this the first you’ve heard of the giveaway? Learn more.

Posted by Erin on Apr 15, 2010 | 6 Comments | Tweet This

Saying farewell to a family home

I once worked with a woman who has kept every single piece of clothing her children wore from birth until they went off to college — including underwear, torn jeans, stained t-shirts, and socks with failed elastic. The clothing is stored in a room in her basement and it lines the walls on custom designed clothing rods. The items are organized by child and then by size. The room looks like a boutique children’s clothing store, except, of course, the clothes are not for sale.

Whenever I read an article about downsizing, my mind always returns to this woman. I wonder what will happen to the early-1980′s infant sailor suits, the haphazardly created Halloween costumes, and the Bedazzled worn-out Keds when my former co-worker leaves her family home for an apartment in a retirement community. Will she take any of her collection with her? Or, will she try to give it away to her children, a new parent, or a charity?

We all have collections like this — albeit probably smaller — that have meaning to us and possibly no one else. Maybe you’ve kept every fortune cookie fortune that has crossed your path or never parted with your favorite childhood action figures? Whatever it is, you care about it and have made space for it in your home. But, when faced with the possibility of moving to a smaller place, you might decide to let it go.

Unfortunately, the reality is that not everyone gets to decide what makes it into a new place when they downsize. Instead of making the decision for yourself, you might be the person making this decision for someone else, such as an injured or ailing parent. If this is the case, you have to make choices about the things other people value — and this can be extremely difficult.

“Of all the people in human history who ever reached the age of 65, half are alive now.” — Fred Pearce in the article “The shock of the old: Welcome to the elderly age” in the April issue of New Scientist.

If you are preparing to downsize (either yourself or for a family member), keep the following thing in mind:

  • Emotions are strong during this time, even when the move is desired. Take the time to carefully sort through everything. Whomever is downsizing needs to be heavily involved in the process and have time to share stories about the items with others.
  • Snap digital photographs of anything you plan to throw out, donate to charity, give away, or recycle that has an emotional connection for you or your loved one. This might be the one time you want to print the photographs and stick them in an album for easy viewing (especially if an older person who doesn’t have a computer will want to look at the pictures).
  • Consider hiring a senior move manager to help with the process. Having a third party involved who isn’t emotionally tied to the situation can help significantly.
  • Measure the new place and know exactly how much stuff can be moved into it. You may need to go through the “taking with me” pile multiple times to ensure that the right amount of stuff will be transported.
  • If family and friends are interested in some of the personal items in the current home, only let the person or persons who are downsizing decide what pieces go to whom. Try your best not to let the person moving spaces be bullied into decisions. When financially valuable items are involved, you can contact an appraiser to provide information so the best decisions are made for the person downsizing.

Downsizing can be a wonderful experience, especially if emotions are respected throughout the entire process. It can be liberating to rid yourself of the responsibilities of caring for so many possessions — even the objects you spent years collecting and treasuring. Take the time and say farewell appropriately to your family home.

Posted by Erin on Apr 15, 2010 | 28 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: Pineapple slicer

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

I really enjoyed learning in my European History class in high school that most of the medieval torture devices that come to mind when we hear “medieval torture devices” weren’t actually medieval and weren’t ever used to torture anyone. Objects like the iron maiden and chastity belt were created generations later to scare people and lure visitors into museums (quite the disturbing bait and switch con, in my opinion). Whenever I’m in a kitchen supply store, I always think of those creepy devices and imagine what future generations could make up about the pineapple slicer unitasker:

Brain extruder? Intestine shredder? Ear de-waxer?

All of the ideas that pop into my mind are so much more interesting than what the device actually does. If you’ve ever tried to use a pineapple slicer, you know firsthand that it’s an abysmal failure. Pineapple cores are rarely in a straight line, which means this device isn’t effective at pulling out most cores. All the twisting and handling of the pineapple releases so much juice that your counter is a mess and your fruit is dry by the time you’re finished. And, we all know that the hardest part of preparing a pineapple is cutting off it’s skin — which this device doesn’t do. Since you have to use a KNIFE to remove the skin, why not use the same knife to core and cut up the pineapple?

Maybe the pineapple slicer is a torture device after all — torturing people each time they try to use it, clean it, and sacrifice space to store it!

Posted by Erin on Apr 14, 2010 | 49 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

2007

Posted by PJ on Apr 14, 2010 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Organizing the creative mind

Today’s guest post is by Scott Belsky, founder of Behance, oversees The 99% think tank, and is the author of the new book Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming The Obstacles Between Vision & Reality. Thank you, Scott, for joining us today. — Erin

Perhaps you have an idea for a new business, a restaurant you want to open, or a novel you want to write? Or perhaps you have an idea for how to solve a problem at work? Regardless, the sobering reality is that most ideas never happen. While some ideas are killed for good reason, most ideas are abandoned half-baked as a result of obstacles during execution.

I’ve spent the better part of five years studying the struggle to push ideas to fruition. Along the way, I learned that some people and teams are consistently able to defy the odds and make their ideas happen, time and time again. Authors like James Patterson and Chris Anderson; Companies like Google, IDEO, and Disney; and other serial entrepreneurs, restauranteurs, and the list goes on…

While there are a myriad of methods and tips I observed, the force of ORGANIZATION emerged as the most important. I came to believe that organization is, in fact, the greatest competitive advantage in the creative world.

The practicalities of how you organize projects and manage your energy are critical to making ideas happen. Here are a few my observations – and some of the methods I observed:

Reactionary Workflow

We live in a connected world of endless e-mails, texts, tweets, messages on social networks, phone calls, instant messages … the list goes on. Rather than be proactive with our energy, we have become reactive — living at the mercy of the last incoming thing. As a result, we spend all of our energy trying to keep up rather than propelling our ideas forward. Eventually, all of the small inconsequential activity wears us down and we’re liable to jump ship. To avoid reactionary workflow, some people schedule “windows of non-stimulation” in their day. For a 2-3 hour period of time, they minimize their email and all other sources of incoming communication. With this time, they focus on a list of goals – not their regular tasks, but long-term items that require research and deep thought. There are other tricks for how you aggregate messages and reduce “hop time” (the time spent transitioning between sources of communication). But the bottom line is that reactionary workflow is a threat to ingenuity. To combat it, we must focus less on ideas themselves and more on how we manage our energy and ultimately push ideas to completion.

Reduce Bulky Projects To Just Three Primary Elements

Every project in life can ultimately be reduced to just three primary elements: Action Steps, Backburner Items, and References. Action Steps are succinct tasks that start with verbs. They should be kept separate from your notes and sketches. Backburner Items are ideas that come up during a brainstorm or on the run that are not actionable but may someday be. Backburner Items should be collected in a central location and should be revisit periodically through some sort of ritual. One leader I met prints out his list of Backburner Items (kept on a running Word document) on the first Sunday of every month. He grabs the list (and a beer) and then sits down and reviews the entire list. Some items get crossed out as irrelevant, some remain on the list, and some are transformed into Action Steps. The third element of every project is References – the articles, notes, and other stuff that collects around you. It turns out that References are overrated. Rather than spend tons of time organizing your notes, consider keeping a chronological file where all your notes are simply filed chronologically (not by project name or other means). In the age of digital calendars, you can search for any meeting and quickly find the notes taken on that date.

Use Design-Centric Systems To Stay Organized

The color, texture, size, and style of the materials used to capture your tasks (and your notes) are important. People who have successfully developed personal systems for productivity over the years claim that their designs make their projects more appealing (and thus more likely to be managed well). When it comes to productivity, attraction breeds loyalty.

Measure Meetings With Action Steps

Meetings are extremely expensive if you consider the cost of time and interruption. Beware of “Posting Meetings” or meeting just because it’s Monday. Such meetings are often planned for the morning — when you’re most productive — and often end without any Action Steps captured. A meeting that ends without any Action Steps should have been a voice-mail or an e-mail. When you do meet with clients or colleagues, end each meeting with a quick review of captured Action Steps. The exercise takes less than 30 seconds per person. Each person should share what they captured. Doing so will almost always reveal a few Action Steps that were either missed, duplicated, or misunderstood. Stating your Action Steps aloud also breeds a sense of accountability.

Insecurity Work

In the era of Google Analytics and Twitter, we spend too much time obsessing over real-time data. Just a decade ago, we had to wait for weekly and monthly reports for information that is now always available at our finger tips. Whether it is checking your site’s traffic, customer sentiment, or your bank account, these small repetitive actions don’t help you make ideas happen. They just help you feel safe. “Insecurity Work” is stuff that you do that (1) has no intended outcome, (2) does not move the ball forward in any way, and (3) is quick enough that you can do it multiple times a day without realizing — but, nonetheless, puts us at ease. The first step for reducing Insecurity Work is self-awareness. During the research for my new book, I was astonished by the spectrum of self-imposed guidelines and very effective rituals that people use to reduce insecurity work. Insecurity work is yet another workplace phenomenon that can reduce productivity and obstruct great execution.

My book, out this month, Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming The Obstacles Between Vision and Reality chronicles the methods of the creative leaders that have pushed their ideas to fruition (and make our lives interesting as a result). My hope is that the book will prompt more discussion on the mechanics for pushing ideas to fruition.

Posted by Scott on Apr 14, 2010 | 15 Comments | Tweet This

Organizing for medical emergencies

Ten days ago I was in an accident. I fell. Hard.

Since the accident, I’ve been in a wheel chair when I’m out of the house, on crutches around the house, and taking some mighty powerful pain medications. This morning, thankfully, I got permission from my doctor to use a cane and hold my son while standing. No more wheel chair! No more crutches! No more medicines that make focusing difficult!

I’ve learned a great deal these past 10 days about how important it is to be organized. Not having clutter on the floor meant I could easily move around my house with limited mobility. Having a few days of banked content in our system meant that there were articles that could appear on the site when I couldn’t focus long enough to write. Having a meal plan and chore chart helped my husband and me keep our family fed and our house from spiraling out of control. And, having our medical records filed and in an orderly manner meant that we had important information at our fingertips exactly when we needed it.

Now that I’m on the mend, I’ve spent some time reflecting on additional organizing lessons I’ve learned from this experience:

  • Ask for samples when leaving the hospital. By the time I was released from the ER it was after our local pharmacy was closed. The next day when the pharmacy was open, they didn’t have all of the items I needed and we had to wait another day for some of the prescriptions to arrive. We should have asked for samples (especially for the fake skin).
  • Create specialized kits for your First Aid cabinet. I’ve reorganized our medicine chest so that there are zip-top bags with all of the items necessary for types of injuries. There is now a zip-top bag for skin avulsions and burns, another for cuts, one for bruises and bumps, and another for pain relief. When you’re injured, it is much easier to grab one bag with everything in it instead of hunting and pecking through a medicine chest for all of the individual items you might need.
  • As quickly as you can, let people know you will not be meeting deadlines. I thought I was going to be able to work from bed … and then I took a pain pill. Six hours later when I woke up from my first of four naps, I realized I was literally on drugs and work would have to wait. I called and e-mailed everyone I had deadlines with and explained I wasn’t going to meet these expectations. Thankfully, everyone was able to adjust their schedules to accommodate my new time line.

Have you ever been in a serious accident? How did being organized help you to get through the experience? What lessons did you learn and what permanent changes did you make to your life? Share your stories in the comments.

Posted by Erin on Apr 13, 2010 | 51 Comments | Tweet This

Odds and ends for April 13

A couple reminders and articles we wanted to share with our readers.

The reminders:

  • If you’re in New York City, you’re invited to attend the Real Simple 10th Anniversary Celebration this Thursday (April 15). Learn more at RealSimpleRewards.com. I’m scheduled to speak between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. in the “dining room” of Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal.
  • Don’t forget about our drawing Thursday (April 15) at 10:00 a.m. EDT for our third Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 giveaway! Entering to win is simple. All you need to do is follow us on Twitter. If you aren’t already on Twitter, create an account and then follow us @Unclutterer. Also consider following the generous people of ScanSnap @ScanSnapIT.

The articles:

Posted by Erin on Apr 13, 2010 | 4 Comments | Tweet This

Spring cleaning tips from Lifehacker

Last week, Lifehacker jumped on the spring cleaning bandwagon and published a series of posts dedicated to uncluttering in “Lifehacker’s Ultimate Clutter Cleanout“:

All week at Lifehacker we’re putting extra focus on uncluttering your world, ranging from your home, your personal finances, your workspace, your digital world, and more. So sit back, relax, and let the clutter rinse right off.

I particularly enjoyed Kevin Purdy’s roundup of home design tools in “The Best Design Tools for Improving Your Home” and his “Top 10 Ways to Declutter Your Digital Life, 2010 Edition.” Implementing his tips on creating Gmail filters has already improved the way I process my e-mail.

I was honored to be included in the uncluttering series, and my post “Why You Hold On to Clutter” explores the science of irrationally buying (and keeping) unnecessary objects:

In “The power of touch: An examination of the effect of duration of physical contact on the valuation of objects“, researcher James Wolf reported that the longer a person touches an object, the greater the value assigned to that item. These conclusions were derived from two studies where people attended an auction and were told that they would be bidding on coffee cups. Before bidding on the items, subjects went around a room inspecting the average, nothing-special-about-them, coffee cups that were going to be put up for sale. Observers found that “examining an item for longer periods of time resulted in greater attachment to the item and thus higher valuations.” Meaning that the longer a subject touched and observed a coffee cup during the inspection period, the more likely he was to buy the cup and pay even more for it than its sticker price.

Be sure to check out “Lifehacker’s Ultimate Clutter Cleanout” for more great spring cleaning advice.

Also on the topic of spring cleaning, the May issue of Real Simple is also dedicated to the topic. It is already on newsstands, and some of the articles are online. ‘Tis the season to unclutter!

Posted by Erin on Apr 12, 2010 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Cleaning your home’s gutters

One of my resolutions for the second quarter of 2010 is to “accomplish all 67 tasks on the ‘Spring Cleaning for the Overachiever’ list on pages 189 and 190 of Unclutter Your Life in One Week.” Since I live in a house that doesn’t have exterior gutters, we swept our house’s flat roof instead of tackling list item number four: “Clean leaves and debris out of gutters.” Sweeping a roof is a comparatively easier chore than cleaning gutters, and I have a lot of sympathy for folks who have to climb up on ladders twice a year to de-muck their gutters.

DIYlife.com’s recent article “Spring Maintenance: Clean Gutters and Downspouts” is a wonderful step-by-step guide on how to get the debris out of your gutters so that your home is ready for spring rains. I particularly appreciated the final tip of the article:

It’s not often that you’re up close and personal with your gutters so take this opportunity to inspect them for damage as well. Dents, holes and cracks may have surfaced over the winter months and should be repaired as soon as possible.

In addition to the advice that appears in the article, I would recommend doing this chore on a clear morning. It’s nice to get it out of the way first thing and avoid racing the setting sun to get it finished. This isn’t a chore you want to hurry through and risk your safety.

Posted by Erin on Apr 12, 2010 | 10 Comments | Tweet This

Use Twitter to keep track of new streaming movies from Netflix

Ever since we picked up a Blu-ray player that supports streaming high-definition movies from Netflix to our television, my wife and I have been watching a lot of films we missed in the theater since our baby arrived in August. Paying $8.99 a month for a 1 DVD plan that includes unlimited streaming is far less expensive than ordering on-demand movies from a cable provider, and we like not having to deal with physical media.

Unfortunately, the Netflix website makes it unnecessarily difficult to find out what new movies are available for streaming. To keep track of which films are being released for instant viewing, I follow two Twitter accounts that provide coverage of changes to the selections offered by Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” service:

If something catches my eye, I immediately add it to my queue and then it shows up right in the Netflix menu of my Blu-ray player.

Posted by PJ on Apr 10, 2010 | 12 Comments | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: How long should I keep bills that have been digitally scanned?

Reader Volker submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I have all my papers (bills, documents etc.) digital, so its no physical clutter. But I’m not sure how long to keep digital files like itemized bills, phone bills, electricity bills, etc.?

The answer to this question, unfortunately, can be found in your responses to a few more questions:

  1. How much space do have available on a hard drive?
  2. How often do you reference your paperwork after you have scanned it?
  3. How distracting do you find digital files?

If you aren’t pressed for space on your hard drive and you aren’t distracted in any way by the digital files, I recommend keeping them. The act of sorting through each one and expending mental energy deciding which documents to save and which ones to delete can clutter up your time. Simply put, they may not be clutter.

However, if you need to free up some room on your hard drive, I’d take the following steps:

  1. Keep all digital copies of bills from the past 13 months. When your new bills arrive, it’s always a good idea to check the new ones against the previous year to see if there are any strange fluctuations.
  2. If the bill was used as a deduction for tax purposes, hold onto it for whatever amount of time your accountant recommends. This time period is usually however long a federal tax agent can go back in time for an audit. Based on the laws in your country, you may actually need these bills in physical form. Again, check with your accountant.
  3. If the bill wasn’t used for a tax deduction, I recommend keeping all annual statements for as long as the account is open.
  4. If you have closed an account, I recommend keeping the statement from the billing institution that says your account was closed in good standing. I actually recommend keeping this in physical form and not in digital form — but if you’ve already scanned it, the digital copy is better than nothing.

Unlike many of our readers, I don’t see digital data as really being clutter. At least for me, it doesn’t distract me from pursuing the life I desire or keep me from focusing on what matters most. I use Google Desktop to easily search my computer for any documents I’m seeking. Honestly, I have files on my computer from 1998 and have no plan to delete them. I also have an onsite backup and an online backup, so if my hard drive fails I won’t lose everything.

Thank you, Volker, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Good luck to you on your digital data project.

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 Apr 9, 2010 | 21 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Efficient laundry area

This week’s Workspace of the Week is KLDesignBuild’s laundry area:

This could very well be the perfect laundry area. There’s a pair of stacked Samsung front loaders, a large counter space to fold clothes, plenty of cabinet space, and a valet rod for clothes hangers within immediate reach of the dryer.

But, the feature that really caught our eyes is the drawer that folds out into an ironing board. Genius!

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 PJ on Apr 9, 2010 | 26 Comments | Tweet This

And the second winner in the Fujitsu ScanSnap giveaway is …

Thank you to EVERYONE (all 5,986 of you!) who are now following @Unclutterer on Twitter and who are participating in our Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 giveaway. Now, let’s get on to the good stuff …

At 10:00 a.m. EDT, the random number generator picked the following number:

1,142

Which means, the winner of this week’s Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 is:

@DavidStith

I have direct messaged the winner of the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 and he has 24 hours to respond.

Remember, there are still two more giveaways between now and April 22, so you can still sign up to follow @Unclutterer on Twitter. Also, sign up to follow @ScanSnapIT for tips and tricks about reducing your paper clutter. Big thanks continue to go to Fujitsu for doing such a generous giveaway for Unclutterer readers and our Twitter followers.

Is this the first you’ve heard of the giveaway? Learn more.

Posted by Erin on Apr 8, 2010 | 4 Comments | Tweet This

Quick reminder for our ScanSnap giveaway

Don’t forget about our drawing today at 10:00 a.m. EDT for our second Fujitsu ScanSnap S1300 giveaway!

Entering to win is simple. All you need to do is follow us on Twitter. If you aren’t already on Twitter, create an account and then follow us @Unclutterer. Last week’s winner already has her new ScanSnap S1300 — you could be next!

While you’re following @Unclutterer, consider also following Fujitsu @ScanSnapIT for scanning tips and news. They are so incredibly generous for doing this giveaway with us in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Good luck!

Posted by Erin on Apr 8, 2010 | Comments Off | Tweet This

New Ikea laptop stand is too sexy for its name

I think the newest laptop workstation from Ikea is far too sexy for its name. I mean, who thought it was a good idea to call something this sleek and modern “Dave?”

The stand is height adjustable and you can close the hull to hide the contents when the workstation is not in use. There is even a recessed shelf and a cable outlet in the back to help wrangle cable clutter. It’s available in both black and white, for a very reasonable $69.99.

Posted by PJ on Apr 8, 2010 | 33 Comments | Tweet This