Archives for June 2010

Assorted links for June 30, 2010

Articles we’ve been reading this week:

  • In the comments to “Programs for reading online content off-line” a number of readers highly recommended Read It Later to the list of Evernote, Instapaper, and ToRead off-line viewers.
  • J.D. Roth of GetRichSlowly.org has a thought-provoking piece on “The Rewards of Frugality and Thrift (or, Why We Scrimp and Save)” that I really enjoyed. It gets to the heart of what I believe is uncluttered spending.
  • The London Times (a site you have to register to read) has an article in today’s issue about the Butter by Nadia dress. The dress is one piece of fabric that can be styled to wear 15 different ways. At the very least, I’m extremely curious!
  • DIYlife has an inspiring post on “10 Uses for Leftover House Paint.”
  • When money got tight, writer Kevin Mims found that uncluttering his home and selling the items at an antiques co-op made for good money. Check out his story “Out With The Old, In With The New Beginnings” on NPR.
  • Reader Megan tipped us off to an article in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education that discusses how to prevent feeling overwhelmed and overloaded by your work. Like so many things in life, you need to “always keep in mind what it is that you want to do, to build, to create in the world, whether that’s through a course, an article, or a new administrative structure.” The article is written for college professors and administrators, but is easily adaptable to any profession.
  • Lifehacker linked to a terrific post on Stepcase Lifehack discussing “How To Stay Organized When Life Throws You a Curveball.” It’s uncomfortable to read about what to do during a crisis, but very important if you’re in the situation.

One last thing, I accidentally switched the post order today and put up the Unitasker Wednesday post as the first one and this post in the 10:30 a.m. spot. I think this is a sign I need more coffee. Check out our 7:30 a.m. piece if you’re looking for today’s Unitasker.

Posted by Erin on Jun 30, 2010 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

2008

2007

Posted by PJ on Jun 30, 2010 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: Pet Highchair

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

This week’s unitasker comes to us from the Los Angeles Times. I would assume that a manufacturer has to know their product is doggone-goofy when the mainstream print media is poking fun at it. Yes? At least a little? Someone at Pet Gear had to have asked, “Are we sure we want to do this?” What would you have said when a co-worker threw out the bone-headed idea for The Pet Gear Clip-On Pet High Chair:

Maybe I’m barking up the wrong tree? For all I know, this pet highchair is fetching in the dough for the Pet Gear company! There might have been high-fives around the conference room and bosses were rolling over for its designer when this puppy was first revealed.

It’s probably a good thing I am not working in the manufacturing industry.

One last thing, the Los Angeles Times recommends checking out this unitasker’s competition — the corresponding photo is priceless.

Posted by Erin on Jun 30, 2010 | 33 Comments | Tweet This

Organizing to foster creativity

Creative personalities have the stereotype of being messy, disorganized people. When, in reality, the incredibly successful creative people of the world are often profoundly organized — they have to be to manage their work and schedules, so they can be ready when inspiration strikes.

Reader Sarah sent us a clip from the Joan Rivers documentary that illustrates one comedian’s method for organizing the jokes of her decades-long career:

Sarah went on to say, “Organization is in part about being prepared for the moment when insight strikes. It’s about creating the conditions for creativity to flourish, so that when you enter into creation mode, your physical world is set up to support you.”

I think of this organized preparation every time I watch the Olympics. The five minute gymnastic routine or the less than 30 second speed-skating race took decades of daily practices, workouts, proper nutrition, sacrifice, and emotional turmoil to make happen. Success doesn’t happen overnight, and it certainly doesn’t happen surrounded by clutter. To be at the top of any profession requires commitment and structure — even for artists.

Posted by Erin on Jun 29, 2010 | 12 Comments | Tweet This

Goodwill launches The Donation Movement

Goodwill Industries launched a new project yesterday called The Donate Movement that encourages people to get rid of unused items in their homes to help their communities and the environment. My friend and professional organizer Lorie Marrero is the spokesperson for the new initiative, and you may have already seen her commercial:

Giving items to charity is often easier when you know what you’re giving away will actually help someone. I really like the widget on The Donate Movement site that shows you exactly how much of an impact your donation will be making:

Anything to encourage the donation of useful items to charity is a great initiative in my book. I hope Goodwill’s new project gets people to evaluate their stuff and make room for what really matters in their lives.

Posted by Erin on Jun 29, 2010 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

Four tips to unclutter your family finances

Today’s guest post is from reader Alban Guillemot who writes in Australia for a personal finance and credit card advice site, creditcardfinder.com.au.

Families come in many shapes and sizes, but most of them have one thing in common — they want financial security. Simply adjusting your perspectives on money and spending and openly talking about your goals as a family can help to ensure successful and uncluttered finances:

  1. Be clear on your goals as a family. Open and honest communication with all family members is important because if one person is not convinced of the family’s financial plan, those plans can be sabotaged by overspending and ignoring the budget.
  2. Avoid social competition. As you make your budget for the extras your family would like, consider why you want what you want. Make sure you are not making spending choices based on what you think someone in your income bracket and your neighborhood should have, but choose extras you want and would enjoy. As soon as you start spending to keep up with your friends and neighbors, you have stopped focusing on your family’s needs and wants
  3. Consider your family before making a purchase. Always keep your family budget in mind before you make a purchase that has not been accommodated for in the budgeted. This also goes back to the previous point about why you are making the purchase — is it a purchase that is good for the whole family? Consider the impact of an impulse off-budget purchase on your family’s savings and goals.
  4. Hold regular family budget meetings. It is not enough to create a family budget, you have to also maintain and monitor it to make sure it is achievable and accurate. This can be done at a regular family meeting, where you also discuss how each member feels about the budget and the spending, and whether they can see room for improvement, or suggest a change of direction.

Discussing finances with your family with honesty and respect is the key to successful family finances, but while discussions are important, you also need to be able to implement the systems to follow through. Once you’ve completed the four tips from above, you’ll find ways to customize each system to your family’s needs and find a way to ensure your family is financially secure now and into the future.

Posted by Alban on Jun 28, 2010 | 9 Comments | Tweet This

Uncluttering: One versus many

In my quest to live an uncluttered life, I’m reminded from time-to-time that convenience and efficiency don’t always coincide with fewer physical objects. An example of this, at least in our home, can be explained with scissors.

In theory, we only need one pair of scissors. We could begrudgingly survive with just one pair, and having seven pair likely seems excessive to a minimalist. However, for the sake of convenience, we have a pair that I use with food in the kitchen, another is in our present wrapping kit, I’ve got one in my clothes closet to cut off stray threads and tags, one in my desk drawer and one in my husband’s desk, a hefty pair in with my gardening supplies, and there is a small pair in the bathroom that is sanitized and stored in our emergency medical kit.

For our family, having fewer than seven pair of scissors would be frustrating. We’d waste time hunting down the one pair of scissors, and there would likely be more than one person needing the scissors at a time.

Another obvious example of this is clothing. Sure, we could get by with just one change of clothes, but it would be extremely inconvenient to have to do laundry every night.

Uncluttering isn’t about having the fewest things, it’s about having the right amount of things for your life. Clutter is any distraction that gets in the way of the life you desire — and sometimes, having too few things can be just as distracting as having too many.

As you are going through the uncluttering process, remember that there isn’t a competition to see who can have the fewest things. The purpose of uncluttering is to right-size your possessions and commitments so that you can focus on what matters to you most.

Posted by Erin on Jun 28, 2010 | 46 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

2008

2007

Posted by PJ on Jun 27, 2010 | 3 Comments | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: Closet woes

Reader Sue submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

My bedroom closet is about 6′ deep and 3′ wide. How do I maximize that kind of space. I also have MS. I walk fine and look fine. But I need it to be as convenient as possible to limit fatigue. HELP

Sue, I must admit, you have a strange closet. Six feet deep but only three feet wide is an awkward setup — but all hope is not lost! The first thing to do is to imagine your closet from a new perspective. Visualize it as half of a traditional walk-in closet:

Get rid of any structural elements that are currently in your closet, and replace them with fixtures that take advantage of the length of your space. I recommend installing a storage system that will allow you to move rods and shelves around easily, in case your needs change over time. For example, the Ikea Stolmen system allows you to raise and lower shelves and rods without too much effort:

And, the Elfa closet system sold by the Container Store might also work for you. The drawers of the Elfa system are nice because they’re on ball bearings and pull out and push in easily. Unfortunately, the price tag on the Elfa system is higher.

Good luck to you, and I hope you are able to find a solution that works for your space and needs! Thank you, Sue, 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 Jun 25, 2010 | 25 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Reflected wonder

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Kathleen V’s small space family work center:

I am really impressed with Kathleen V and her family for coming up with such a terrific and organized office solution for their small space. In Kathleen V’s words:

This is our living room art table/homework table/workspace in our small San Francisco home (the view you are seeing is the bay and Marin Headlands). We installed the mirror to get more of that view reflected into the house.

Right now you see table ready for my two kids to do some artwork or homework. We added a glass top to the table to protect the wood, so the kids can go crazy with glue, sharp pencils, whatever!

The drawers on the right are filled with all their supplies. My laptop is tucked just below the ream of paper. The back of the table is finished and has no lower support, so this has also been used as additional seating for 4 for Thanksgiving dinner!

I also liked the second image, which demonstrates how Kathleen V uses the area for her work with the addition of a dining chair:

More from Kathleen:

Here you see the table set up as a workspace (I’m a web developer). I use a comfortable dining room chair that I grab from a few feet away in the next room. The table drawer is actually a keyboard tray, and I use a cordless keyboard and mouse. I’m able to grab some paper from the storage on the right, but otherwise I’m paperless.

Thank you, Kathleen, for sharing your workspace with our Unclutterer community!

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 Jun 25, 2010 | 7 Comments | Tweet This

Less stuff, more adventure

Today’s guest post is from Sean Ogle a location independent writer and entrepreneur who is currently based out of Bangkok, Thailand. Welcome, Sean!

For years I’ve strived to live a simple lifestyle. And, up until four months ago, I had failed miserably at it. I’ve always been a pack rat, and the amount of meaningless stuff I’d acquired would make a pawn shop owner blush.

So how have I chosen to go about uncluttering my life? I quit my job, sold my car, and am working while traveling throughout southeast Asia. Oh, and I’m doing it all with nothing but a backpack the size of one an eighth grader might use.

Yes, it’s a drastic way to go about changing my life, but drastic times call for drastic measures. I wasn’t happy with my job as a financial analyst, and I knew that if I didn’t have my global adventure soon, my obligations would get the better of me. With the help of my trusty North Face Surge, I disposed of everything I owned, except that which I could fit inside my new pack.

I have no affiliation with North Face whatsoever, but I have to tell you, this is one of the most well designed and useful packs I’ve ever used. It’s much more flexible than a traditional laptop case, and has enough room for everything I’d hoped to bring on my six month trip. That’s saying something.

I’ve been on the move for about three months, and it’s incredible how simple my life has become. No longer do I worry about all of the details that seemed to be such a big deal. Does the car have enough gas to make it to work? Did I leave the coffee pot on? Am I going to get that big raise this year? Sure, I have my own set of concerns, as I’m now working for myself on a variety of web-based ventures, but those hold true for any entrepreneur; giving myself the freedom from overwhelming amounts of “stuff” has been well worth it.

I fully understand that this is an extreme way to reduce clutter in your life, and it is certainly not for everyone. However, for those looking to make a change, and perhaps experience a little adventure, living out of a backpack for a short (or long) period of time is the perfect way to figure out what is truly essential in your life.

Posted by Sean on Jun 24, 2010 | 30 Comments | Tweet This

Office upgrade: An extraordinary project for Wired magazine

In college, my friend Scott lent me his dog-eared copy of Hackers and said I should read it. I knew my way around the command line, and Scott was trying to convince me to switch majors and join him in the computer science department.

I read the book, was mesmerized by its genius, but decided to stick with journalism. As much as I was fascinated with the people and the ideas in the book, I knew it was because of their stories, not because I wanted to emulate their engineering and programming.

Jump 15 years forward. I was standing in author Steven Levy’s office holding a trash bag and asking him if I could throw away a crumpled business card I’d found at the back of his closet. Turned out, the card belonged to a current executive at a major tech firm, but was from a time when the guy was a nobody at another company. I told myself that if Levy decided to trash the card, I’d slip it into my pocket instead.

He kept the card.

We organized dozens of business cards like the one I found in the closet, tapes of recorded interviews, preview copies of software, baseball memorabilia, hundreds of notepads with names like “Gates” and “Jobs” scrawled on their fronts, research files, files, and more files. While we worked, he told me about how he found Einstein’s brain in Kansas, tracked down Bob Marley and Bruce Springsteen for interviews when he worked for publications in Philadelphia, and explained to me what is really going on with Google in China. I was there to help Levy organize his office for the July issue of Wired magazine, but I felt more like I won a contest to spend a few days with an iconic journalist and author. Although I hadn’t met him before the project started, I felt like we were already good friends because of my connection with his book.

Since the early 1980s, Levy has been reporting on the technology industry in the U.S., and a good portion of that work was in his home office in the Berkshires. We were able to condense, unclutter, and organize more than 15 boxes of files into two elfa rolling file carts. As is pointed out in the article, the portable carts were a must so that “Levy can roll his files with him wherever he goes” to work in his home (when the power goes out in the winter, there is a wood-burning stove in the living room to keep the space warm). We also upgraded all of his equipment — added a second monitor and Fujitsu ScanSnap, installed an automatic digital data backup system, traded up to an APC battery backup power supply, gave him a much-needed paper inbox and task lighting, updated his audio system, and, although you can’t see it, we overhauled his desk drawer and outfitted it with supplies generously donated by the companies of Newell Rubbermaid. It’s difficult to tell from the angle of the photographs, but we hauled two SUV-loads of clutter to the dump and recycling center before the project came to an end.

I encourage you to check out the transformation of Levy’s space, either online or on newsstands. Also, feel welcome to put any questions you might have about the project in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them. I don’t usually speak or write about my work with clients to respect their privacy, but since this one was featured in a national magazine, I feel comfortable sharing a few of the details about the work we did.

Image by Noah Sheldon for Wired.

Posted by Erin on Jun 24, 2010 | 16 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: The can grip

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

Some weeks, I need to write a great amount of exposition about our featured unitasker because some folks might not understand why I believe a product lacks utility. This is not one of those weeks.

Introducing the Can Grip:

Why would I “instantly need to turn a can into a mug”?! Why?! WHY?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYY???!

Thanks to reader Scott for sending us this unitasker suggestion.

Posted by Erin on Jun 23, 2010 | 35 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

2007

Posted by PJ on Jun 23, 2010 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Seven tips for managing the overwhelming to-do list

No matter how much planning, preparation, and winnowing of your schedule you do, there are still times when responsibilities can wreak havoc on your to-do list. Whether at work or at home, there will be days or weeks when a lot of things just have to get done. How you face and perceive these challenges, though, will determine your stress and anxiety levels throughout this process.

  1. Maintain perspective. Now is the time to remind yourself of the big picture and of the temporary nature of this stress. Why are you taking on these responsibilities? What is the goal of all your hard work? Looking at the end result reinforces the temporary nature of your current condition.
  2. Don’t lose sight of the details. Be sure every vital to-do item is written on your list and methodically work your way through these items. If an important action is not on your list, you’ll worry about it unnecessarily. Also, remember the KISS principle and get the most important work done first.
  3. Embrace some of the stress. A little bit of stress (what is known as short-term, fight-or-flight stress) can be a good thing, especially if it helps to push you through your work. Use any stress you’re feeling to your advantage to give you a boost of energy to get many items checked off your list.
  4. Take breaks. Research shows that you’ll be more productive if you alternate between mindful and mindless work. You’re more likely to finish all of the items on your list if you take a short break for mindless work for at least five or 10 minutes every hour.
  5. Manage expectations. Regularly check in with the people who are waiting on the completion of your to-do items. The more they know about where you are in the process, the better they can anticipate and plan their to-do lists. How often and how detailed your updates need to be will be determined by the type of responsibilities you have.
  6. Don’t extend the stress. Now is not the time to take on a new project. Schedule appointments to talk about new opportunities for a few days or weeks down the line. You don’t have to say, “no,” you just need to say, “not right now.”
  7. Celebrate. When you’re finished with your massive to-do list, or at least the extremely weighty parts of it, take time to celebrate. You don’t need to go on a vacation (although, vacations are nice), but a reward of some kind is definitely in order. I’m quite fond of a walk to the ice cream shop.

Posted by Erin on Jun 23, 2010 | 5 Comments | Tweet This

Reader uncluttering strategy: Buy back your stuff

Yesterday, in the comment section to “Downsizing after a divorce” reader Clutter Junkie left an amazing strategy for reducing clutter that I wanted to highlight as its own post. From Clutter Junkie:

I’m rubbish at decluttering, but I had a girlfriend help me do my place.

She brought $20 in coins to start me off, and put everything I owned to one side of the room. If I wanted to keep anything, I had to buy it for a dollar (Just one dollar!) at a time. You soon realise that you wouldn’t pay a dollar for that CD in a junk shop — so why are you keeping it? All the money I paid went to charity, the amount of stuff I didn’t want also went to a charity store. It’s amazing how unappealing that old sweater looks when you have to pay for it.

I think this idea would work amazingly well for some situations — helping kids to minimize their toy collections, reducing the number of clothes in a closet, and deciding which sentimental items to keep and which to toss are a few situations that instantly come to my mind. If you have to “buy” your things again, you will certainly be more selective with what you choose to keep.

I also love the idea of the money and the left over items going to charity (assuming they’re in good condition). It’s nice to know that good things can happen as a result of your uncluttering efforts. Thanks, Clutter Junkie, for sharing your uncluttering strategy with us.

Posted by Erin on Jun 22, 2010 | 33 Comments | Tweet This

Will someone be able to use this before I do?

I mentioned last week in “Musings on children’s birthday parties” that my plan was to bake my son a Dinosaur Train cake for his first birthday. Now that the cake has been made, I no longer have a need for the train-shaped cake pans.

A small, sentimental part of me thought I might keep the cake pans. My friend Julie and I even came up with more than 25 things I could do with the pans if I decided to keep them — everything from jello and ice molds to flower pots and bird baths. Since my storage space is very limited in my kitchen cupboard, though, I knew keeping them would be difficult.

Before I made my final decision about what to do with the cake pans, I made a pact with myself to see if someone else I know might need them. I put a message up on Twitter and on Facebook to see if any of my friends could use them. I decided that if someone else needed them before me, I would give them away without hesitation.

Seconds after I posted my message on Twitter, I got a response from my friend Nanette saying that her nephew had an upcoming birthday and she would love to make him a train cake. Tomorrow, the cake pans are going to Nanette and they will make an awesome cake for another little boy.

This uncluttering process has me asking the question, “Will someone be able to use this before I do?” about a number of items in my home. I ended up giving a pair of hand-tooled leather boots to a friend because I realized by the time I can wear tight-fitting shoes again (if ever), the boots won’t be in style. If I give them to her, at least she can wear and enjoy them now. I passed along a tent to a friend who regularly goes camping. And, my painting supplies went to a colleague’s wife who is an artist and will use them well before I “find” the time.

This question is best asked of things you’re storing and using extremely infrequently. Check your long-term storage spaces and see if there are things others might be able to use before you do. If so, consider getting these things out of your home and into the arms of someone who could actually use them with regularity.

Posted by Erin on Jun 22, 2010 | 35 Comments | Tweet This

Moleskine notebooks for Kindles

Moleskine has introduced a great new product for Kindle owners — the Moleskine Kindle Cover with Reporter-Style Notebook:

I like it because it’s a terrific theft deterrent. While a Kindle is enticing to would-be thieves, a scribbled-in journal holds much less appeal. Since its exterior is identical to that of a regular Moleskine notebook, it doesn’t call attention to itself the way other Kindle covers do:

My guess is that the Moleskine company will go on to create similar products like this one for the Apple iPad and maybe the Nook and Sony Ebook Reader. At least, I hope they do. Electronic book readers are fantastic ways to reduce clutter on bookshelves. I also recommend audio books to anyone looking for ways to reduce the number of books taking up shelf space in your home.

Until Moleskine comes out with other book-reader notebooks, check out this hack for creating your own and other cool things to do with a Moleskine notebook, via Treehugger.

Posted by Erin on Jun 21, 2010 | 24 Comments | Tweet This

Downsizing after a divorce

Today we welcome Erin Ellia, a writer in transit, as a guest post author. She will be blogging her move discussed in this post at TheHouseAndI.blogspot.com.

I’m preparing for a move — a big one. I’m leaving my husband and our three-bedroom Boston-area house to sublet a furnished room in a Times Square apartment by myself. The soon-to-be-ex and I are trying to do this as amicably as possible, but I have to admit I laughed when he asked if I’d thought about what I might want to take with me. Honestly, the first thought that popped into my head was, “Well, I suppose they sell toothbrushes in New York…”

See, the soon-to-be ex is an inveterate clutterer, and I am emphatically not. It’s been a constant battle through the years. But no matter how Spartan an attitude I’ve always taken toward my stuff, I know it’s not realistic to move to New York without so much as a toothbrush. Is it? No. I’m 40 years old and every thing I’ve ever owned is in this house — there’s got to be something in it I want to keep.

Besides, I’m only renting the furnished room until I get my bearings in a new city. I really will need just a suitcase and toothbrush in the beginning, but soon enough I imagine I’ll be wanting things like furniture. I plan to winnow my half of our bulging houseful down to a minimal, manageable amount, to store in my father’s basement for the time being, until I find the quaint little rent-stabilized divorce-pad of my dreams.

It so happens I’ve done this for two households so far this year. In February, I helped an elderly friend move to assisted living, and last month I cleaned out my mother’s house (she passed away last fall). The way I see it: if I could manage the emotions of both of those fraught situations and still maintain focus on the task at hand, then I should have no problem making rational decisions about jeans that don’t fit anymore, or the broken bunny-rabbit mug I’ve been holding onto since the seventh grade. It’s all about perspective — I’m starting my life over; I’m happy to wriggle away from stuff like snakeskin.

Here’s my strategy:

  1. Approach my pile as if it belongs to someone else, as if I’ve never seen that broken mug.
  2. Keep only things I can realistically use in a small apartment — a lamp, a chair, maybe a trash can. If there are duplicates, I’ll take just my best or favorite one.
  3. Pack a single box each of decorative doodads, kitchen gear, and silly sentimental objects.
  4. The rest of the items I plan to sell. Books and CDs are (mostly) easy to replace, or a good excuse to finally get an iPod and a Kindle. And, I need to remember there’s not much chance my divorce-pad will actually be rent-stabilized.

I might just keep the broken bunny-rabbit mug, though, as it has been with me for 28 years — exactly twice as long as my (ex-)husband.

Posted by ErinEllia on Jun 21, 2010 | 27 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

2008

2007

Posted by PJ on Jun 21, 2010 | Comments Off | Tweet This