Archives for July 2010

Workspace of the Week: Superb sewing suite

This week’s Workspace of the Week is MrsSutton99′s idyllic craft room:

Dear MrsSutton99:

Can I please have your amazing sewing and craft room in my home?

Thank you for your consideration,

Erin at Unclutterer

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 Jul 9, 2010 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

On the Forums: Living in one room, yearbooks, and the e-reader price war

Some great discussions are currently underway on the 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 Jul 8, 2010 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Choosing simple living

An unclutterer is someone who chooses to live without the distractions that get in the way of a remarkable life.

Contrary to what you might assume, the most important word in the definition of an unclutterer isn’t distractions (or what we also call clutter) or even the goal of a remarkable life. The pivotal word in the definition is chooses.

The pursuit of an uncluttered life begins with a choice — you choose to practice simple living. No one can force you to be an unclutterer, and you don’t stumble into a simple life by mistake. Even people who lose all of their possessions in a catastrophe are not unclutterers, as they might choose to fill up their homes and lives again when circumstances permit.

Choosing to live an uncluttered life starts with wanting to get rid of distractions. Once this desire is present, you begin to see your life from this new perspective. When your mindset has changed, your actions will follow. Getting rid of clutter is usually the first outward sign of your choice to be an unclutterer.

From these first steps, you continue to choose to live simply every moment you’re awake. There will come a time when you stop acknowledging this moment-to-moment choice, but you continue to make it (or not make it). Then, when you turn your focus to the things that matter most to you, your reward is the remarkable life you desire.

It all begins with a choice …

Posted by Erin on Jul 8, 2010 | 23 Comments | Tweet This

Unitasker Wednesday: Vegetable and Fruit Savers

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

There must be a large contingency of people in the world who loathe using basic square and round food storage containers because there are an insane amount of products dedicated to very specific food storage needs. Along these lines, I present the Vegetable and Fruit Savers:

I’ll admit that these Savers are really cute, and they seem to be more practical than their seat-belted competitors. However, as luck would have it, my onion would end up being too big for the onion container and I’d have an orange needing storage instead of a lemon or lime. I’ll be sticking with my BPA-free Rubbermaid Easy Find Lid Containers that can be used for any foods, regardless of size, shape, or type. I prefer Easy Find’s high-utility, multi-use, and nested storing to these adorable, but unitasking Vegetable and Fruit Savers.

Thanks to reader Sandy for introducing us to this week’s unitasker product.

Posted by Erin on Jul 7, 2010 | 22 Comments | Tweet This

Mastering recurring responsibilities

In our home, there are responsibilities that have to be completed multiple times each week — and some, each day — to keep clutter from spinning out of control. Laundry and dishes are two of these responsibilities that apply to most homes. We also have to sweep under my son’s high chair, feed pets, prepare meals, clear out the car, water plants, recycle the newspaper, a general pickup around the house, scrub the toilet, and numerous other activities just to maintain our base level of order.

These recurring responsibilities are best handled by setting up routines, and I recommend creating and following a chart of when to complete these responsibilities until these activities become habit. To create a chart:

  1. Make a list of every chore you need to complete and how often. For example: Launder bathroom towels–1x/week. Feed cats–2x/day. Launder bedroom sheets–1x/week. Make lunch–1x/day.
  2. Group any activities together that would be more efficiently done at the same time. For example: Laundering bathroom towels and sheets in the same load. Filling the car with gas and grocery shopping on the same errand run.
  3. On your chart, start by filling in those activities that are time sensitive. For example: Loading the dishwasher or washing dishes will need to be done after dinner.
  4. Once the time-sensitive activities are on the chart, fill in the other activities based on when you have the most time and energy. If you’re exhausted after dinner and just want to relax, you might benefit from putting some of your responsibilities on your chart before you leave for work in the mornings, when you’re more likely to finish the chore.
  5. Keep in mind your social calendar when creating your routine chart. If you tend to spend Friday nights out with friends, don’t schedule activities for Friday nights.
  6. Be realistic. You are not superhuman. Only put on your chart those responsibilities that must be completed to keep your home running smoothly. After a few months of working on and mastering your current list, you then might consider adding more lofty routines to your chart.
  7. Create an incentive structure to reward yourself for following the chart. Have fun and use stickers to track your progress. After 10 days of following the chart, have a nice dinner or take yourself to the movies. Identify the reward on your chart so that you have a reminder of your prize.

If more than one person lives in your house, be sure to assign specific actions to each person. Divide the responsibilities equally. Good luck creating your responsibility chart and getting work done around the house!

Posted by Erin on Jul 7, 2010 | 27 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

2008

Posted by PJ on Jul 7, 2010 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

NeighborGoods helps you find specific items to rent or borrow

Borrow or rent equipment, tools, and reusable goods from your neighbors through the new NeighborGoods site. Instead of buying a specialized item, first check to see if you can save your money (and storage space) and get it on loan from a neighbor.

Since the NeighborGoods site is new, there might not be many items yet available in your community. If you’re interested in building up your community, don’t be shy about spreading the word to your friends and neighbors. The more people using the system increases the likelihood that you’ll find what you need.

Posted by Erin on Jul 6, 2010 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

Five simple uncluttering tasks

Returning to the office after a long holiday weekend can be rough and unproductive. Instead of staring off into space for 15 minutes, try these quick uncluttering techniques for your desk:

  1. Return it. Find all of the things in your office that don’t belong to you and go on a walkabout to return the items to your coworkers.
  2. Take it down. Collect all the sticky notes off your monitor and enter their data into a more appropriate and permanent storage location. Check bulletin boards and vertical spaces for out-dated calendars, memos, menus, and phone directories. Recycle or shred these unnecessary materials.
  3. Test it. Gather together all your writing utensils, throw out any pens and markers that don’t work, and sharpen all your pencils.
  4. Dust it. Give your desk and electronics a pass with a dust rag. Work from the top of your office downward so that you’re not brushing dust onto something you’ve already cleaned.
  5. Do it. Complete any task on your to-do list that should take fewer than three minutes to finish. Set a timer for 15 minutes and get five of these tasks done right now.

If you’re still feeling unmotivated after completing these tasks, do some filing. You’ll continue to be productive without having to exert too much mental energy.

I hope your re-entry into the professional world isn’t too difficult after the holiday. Look for more ideas for quick, uncluttering tasks in the comments (or add a few if you have already discovered some easy, yet productive, tasks).

Posted by Erin on Jul 6, 2010 | 14 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

2007

  • Merlin’s war on clutter
    Over on the web’s ‘canonical’ productivity blog, 43 Folders, Merlin Mann has gone decluttering crazy. Inspired by Peter Walsh’s book How to Organize Just About Everything, which he found out about from this humble site, he went into purge mode and nicely cataloged his experience in a a great series of uncluttering posts.
  • Corn on the cob clutter
    Summertime ushers in all sorts of food choices, but over at the Amazon al Dente blog it can bring clutter in the form of the Five Essential Corn Tools post.

Posted by PJ on Jul 5, 2010 | Comments Off | Tweet This

Ask Unclutterer: What to do with diplomas

Reader Kathy submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

What do people do with their diplomas? I have my high school, undergraduate, and graduate diplomas. They’re sitting in my closet because I don’t know what to do with them. I could frame them and put them in my cube, but no one else at work has done that. I wouldn’t enjoy looking at them framed at home, but I could hang them in the house.

Kathy, your question made me laugh because I have no idea how to answer it. All three of my diplomas sit in my office closet in a clear plastic sweater box labeled “THREE EXPENSIVE PIECES OF PAPER.” One is framed, one is in an envelope, and one is rolled up in a mailing tube.

Unless you’re a lawyer, medical doctor, psychologist, or professor, it’s usually socially awkward to hang your diploma in an office environment. That awkwardness increases tenfold if your desk is in a cubical. (Where would you even hang it?) The reality is that your coworkers and bosses want to know if a project is on time, is your work mistake free and sufficient in quality, is the client happy, and is more money coming in than going out — companies care about performance, not about where you went to school. Additionally, hanging diplomas up at home can be weird because you already know you graduated. At least in my experience, closets are the permanent storage location for the majority of diplomas in the world.

I want to open up the comments for suggestions because I sincerely have no good ideas for this one. Where do you store your diplomas? Does anyone frame and hang their high school diploma on the wall? Has anyone shredded theirs and tossed it in the trash? Where is your diploma and why? Do you have any creative solutions for Kathy?

Thank you, Kathy, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Sorry that I couldn’t personally be much help, but my hope is that one or more of our readers will have the perfect solution for your problem.

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 Jul 2, 2010 | 184 Comments | Tweet This

Workspace of the Week: Home base

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Double|B’s work surface wonderland:

In sharp contrast to last week’s small, living room office, this week we have a large, full-room space. The storage in this room is incredible, and the work surface of the desk makes me swoon. I appreciate the uncluttered Ikea shelf above the desk, the printer on wheels, and the combination of open and closed storage on the Billy bookcases. I believe, this is also the first office on our site to feature the iPad — and I really like its vertical storage case. Thank you, Double|B, for submitting your great workspace 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 Jul 2, 2010 | 8 Comments | Tweet This

If it’s not important to you, don’t consume it

Trent Hamm at TheSimpleDollar.com on Saturday reviewed the classic book Voluntary Simplicity. When I read the book seven or eight years ago, I interpreted the focus of the book to be about reducing one’s impact on the environment. However, Trent points out in his review that there is a larger theme beyond responsible environmental behavior that speaks to the heart of simple, uncluttered living:

“… you don’t have to overconsume in areas that aren’t important to your life. If you don’t watch television, don’t buy a television or have a cable box. If it’s nice outside, don’t run your air conditioner. If you’re not into clothing, wear clothing until it’s actually worn out — and then even consider mending it. In other words, if it’s not all that important to you, don’t consume [it].”

It is so easy to buy, acquire, and own things that aren’t important to us simply out of habit or because other people have these things. If you don’t want the responsibilities of home ownership, rent. If you aren’t looking forward to an episode of Wipeout, turn off the television. Stop consuming for the sake of consuming, and buy and spend time on only those things that you need and matter to you.

The phrase, “If it’s not important to you, don’t consume it,” is now hanging on the bulletin board next to my monitor. I think it’s as important of an uncluttering phrase as “a place for everything and everything in its place.”

Posted by Erin on Jul 1, 2010 | 17 Comments | Tweet This

Finish it! Erin’s third set of 2010 resolutions

First things first — How is it July already? Honestly, I am flabbergasted that my calendar doesn’t say April. Time is definitely playing a trick on me this year.

Even though I am in denial about it being July, another three months have passed and my second set of 2010 resolutions have come to a close. Today begins my third set of resolutions for the year.

My second quarter resolutions to plant and tend to an herb and vegetable garden, take a knife skills class, and go rock climbing were all achieved. However, completing all 67 tasks on the “Spring Cleaning for the Overachiever” list from Unclutter Your Life in One Week are not finished — I have 13 more projects left to do. And, I’ve got three more rooms to sort through for my minimizing project.

I was obviously much more interested in learning how to climb up the side of a mountain than I was to take on my kitchen cabinets. Which, if you knew me in the world beyond your computer screen, would actually surprise you. I’m quite terrified of heights and am still shocked that I went through with the rock climbing lessons. (Even more so since I spent most of April and part of May in a wheelchair and on crutches.) My only explanation is that I was greatly motivated by Christopher McDougall’s book Born To Run and his amazing stories about the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico.

Okay, that is enough about the old, let’s talk about the new.

My resolutions for the third quarter of 2010:

  • Identify all of my unfinished projects.
  • Finish ALL of my unfinished projects.
  • Take on no new projects until all old projects are finished. (This one might be impossible, but I’m going to give it my best.)

These resolutions do not apply to on-going projects (such as my life), but tangible projects I’ve started and never finished. There are dozens upon dozens of these in my home right now — I need to sew a band around the edge of the quilt I made for my son, finish my second quarter uncluttering and spring cleaning tasks, my next book proposal is written but not edited, I recently discovered a box of photographs that were never digitally scanned, and many more projects similar to this stand in limbo.

I have so many unfinished projects right now that I sincerely don’t know if three months is enough time to accomplish all of them. What is worse is that I have so many unfinished things that I’m going to have to walk through my house and make a list to get an idea of all I have to do. Now is when all the energy I worked on obtaining during the first quarter of 2010 is going to be put to use. Wish me luck!

How are you doing with your 2010 resolutions? Even if you don’t keep resolutions, could you spend the next three months finishing all of the unfinished projects in your life? If so, join me on my adventure. My goal is to head into the fourth quarter of 2010 with more energy and less stress.

Posted by Erin on Jul 1, 2010 | 24 Comments | Tweet This