Archives for A Year Ago

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

2009

  • Organizing a party pantry
    I was recently given a copy of the book Simple Stunning Parties at Home by its author Karen Bussen. In the book, Karen suggests organizing a “party pantry” so that “when it’s time to throw a dinner party or a wine and cheese night on the spur of the moment, I look [to it] for design inspiration, and I pull together all the elements I need.” She lives in a small New York City apartment, so her party pantry isn’t large or cluttered. She recommends a “small closet, a cupboard in the kitchen, or an antique hutch — whatever works for you.”
  • DIY everyday camera bag
    How to create a camera bag that will also hold all your equipment.
  • Rethinking the vase for a small space
    I recently learned about the store-flat reusable Vazu vases and instantly thought about our apartment and small-space dwelling readers.

Posted by PJ on Oct 9, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Unitasker Wednesday: Cool Cones
    Is eating store-bought ice cream bringing you down? Well, let Cool Cones turn that around!
  • Exercise and focus
    A neuroscientist at the University of Illinois, Arthur Kramer, in “Ageing, Fitness and Neurocognitive Function” in Nature magazine, reports on another way to improve your ability to focus and brain cognition. The answer: Regularly participating in aerobic exercise.
  • Gorgeous gifts without all the clutter
    Simply using construction paper and a razor blade, a plain brown package is transformed into a beautiful gift.

2009

Posted by PJ on Oct 2, 2011 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Multifunctional children’s furniture
    The multifunctional WeeCANDU Chair can be transformed into a playtable/desk, bedside table, easel, step stool, rocking chair, regular chair, and magazine/book rack.
  • Qualities of a good to-do method
    After years of auditioning the most popular to-do management methods (and a few obscure methods, as well), I’ve found that it’s incredibly obvious which methods are likely to be helpful and which ones are duds. For a method to be good at actually getting me to do my work, it has to have the following components.
  • Ask Unclutterer: Clutter is causing marriage woes
    Reader Jenny is worried her clutter and lack of house-keeping skills is damaging her marriage.

2009

  • Unitasker Wednesday: Even more elaborate butter cutters
    I am 100 percent serious when I say that I don’t understand why someone would prefer to use one of these butter cutting devices instead of a knife.
  • The Stash for organizing the small stuff
    Organizing small things, specifically small things you regularly need at your fingertips, can be frustrating. Most of the pre-made organizing products for small things aren’t very attractive and/or made exclusively for drawers. While searching for a way to organize my son’s bath supplies, I came across an attractive organizing system that is made specifically for small things that sit out on a counter or hang on the wall. The Stash by Boon.
  • Need motivation? Send an invitation
    One of the most fun ways to motivate yourself to unclutter your home and/or office is to invite someone to visit.

2008

Posted by PJ on Sep 25, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • The dimensions of stuff
    In Peter Walsh’s “It’s All Too Much Workbook” he discusses the physical limitations of storage and how to use math to determine how much you can keep and have your home be clutter free.
  • Unitasker Wednesday: 1 lb Fat Model Replica
    I had no idea what 20 lbs of fat looked like — simply looking in the mirror was ineffective — so I jumped online and ordered 20 Fat Replicas, 1 lb each.

2009

  • Combatting backpack clutter
    Reader Lisa, a college student, wrote in to Unclutterer asking if we might be able to help her with her backpack woes.
  • Unitasker Wednesday: Hot Potato
    Now you can buy a music playing, batteries required, painted toy to substitute for nature’s fun: The Hot Potato!

2008

  • Creating a personal strategic plan
    Drafting a personal Strategic Plan can help to keep clutter — especially time and mental clutter — from creeping into your remarkable life.
  • Can a deep freezer save you money on meals?
    The expense of a deep freezer plus the cost of the electrical energy to run it is less than the amount we’re currently wasting when we buy our food in smaller portions.

Posted by PJ on Sep 18, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Getting your child out the door in the morning, on time
    If you have school-age children, you’re well aware that some mornings can be difficult. Even highly organized children have a few mornings each month where there is a melt down and things fall apart. Here are a few tips to help get your children (and you) out the door on time.

2009

  • DIY project for transient items
    Reader Dawn tipped us off to a blog post on the website The Red Chair Blog for how to organize “transient” items. This DIY solution can be made with four sturdy cardboard boxes with lids and a narrow set of storage cubes.

Posted by PJ on Sep 14, 2011 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

2009

  • Unitasker Wednesday: Itzbeen
    It’s called the Itzbeen because it is a timer that tracks how long “it has been” since you last fed, changed, or put your child down for a nap. You know, in case your screaming live human infant isn’t a clue that you are neglecting him, or if it isn’t extremely obvious that the breathing lump of flesh next to you is your napping child.

2008

  • GTD: A revolutionary idea in 1888
    David Allen’s GTD system is based on Frank E. Smith’s 1888 patent for an office tickler file. Very little, thankfully, in home and office organization is new or revolutionary.

Posted by PJ on Sep 11, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

2008

Posted by PJ on Sep 7, 2011 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

2009

2008

  • 8-in-1 mini tool
    The SwissTech Micro-Plus features the following eight tools: #1 flat screwdriver, #2 flat screwdriver, #1 phillips screwdriver, #2 phillips screwdriver, precision pliers, wire cutters, wire strippers, and a sheet shear.

Posted by PJ on Sep 4, 2011 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

2009

  • Cut the clutter
    Knowing how to properly use a knife can save you time, money, and space.
  • Downloading digital sheet music
    While at her local Nordstrom’s Department Store, my friend spotted the piano player using a MusicPad Pro for his sheet music. It’s a digital device, much like a Kindle, that can hook to a special music stand or be carted around like a single piece of sheet music.
  • Unitasker Wednesday: Extreme Bug Vacuum
    If only there were clutter vacuums to suck up the absurd bug vacuum!
  • Link week
    My first link of the day is to a book review professional organizer Julie Bestry wrote about “Everything I Know About Perfectionism I Learned from My Breasts.” This book, written by the talented organizer Debbie Jordan Kravitz, has been on my to-read list for months but I haven’t yet reached it in the pile. Julie’s review of Debbie’s book, however, has convinced me to jump it ahead on my list. And, since it persuaded me to read the book, I thought it was a review you might wish to read as well.
  • Alternative uses for colanders
    Not only does knowing how to properly use your kitchen utensils save you time, space, and money, but knowing additional uses for your utensils can have the same effect.

2008

  • Streaming Netflix
    While I’m waiting for the perfect Netflix player to come along Engadget is reporting that LG has a Blu-Ray player that will stream Netflix content.

Posted by PJ on Aug 28, 2011 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

2009

  • To-Do Tattoos
    You can be sure your child makes it wherever he needs to go with everything on his list. It’s novel, and I like when organizing can be fun.

Posted by PJ on Aug 24, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Unitasker Wednesday: The bananarama continues
    We’ve written in the past about the Banana Saver and the Banana Slicer, but did you know you could also get your hands on so many more banana unitaskers?
  • Simplifying packed lunches
    Reader Jon wrote to us asking if we had any tips for preparing lunches at home that he can take to eat at work. He has been spending $100 a week on eating out at restaurants, and is hoping to become someone who brings his lunches to work. Since students are already back in the classroom in many states, and other students are getting ready to go, I thought now would be a great time to discuss the humble brown bag lunch.

2009

2008

Posted by PJ on Aug 21, 2011 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Marketing to Unclutterers-In-Name-Only
    Regardless of if you have read or your opinion of Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray, Love and the recently released movie of the same name, the show Marketplace on National Public Radio had a very poignant piece this Friday about the business, marketing, and branding of simplification and uncluttering.

Posted by PJ on Aug 17, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

2009

2008

Posted by PJ on Aug 14, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Unitasker Wednesday: The Daddle
    Oh, Daddle, you are one of the most special and strangely inappropriate unitaskers I have encountered.
  • Bringing clutter into the light
    Is there clutter hiding in your basement, attic, or garage? Is it at the back of a closet, under the kitchen sink, or in your medicine chest? What is the situation under your bed, in the linen closet, and in the drawers of your entertainment center?
  • Ask Unclutterer: What should I do with old awards?
    In sorting old memorabilia, I have found my large collection of award ribbons from the many fairs and shows that I competed in as a youth. There are some that I plan to keep that really meant a lot to me. But I literally have a large Sterilite container full of these. Do you have any suggestions on a nice way for me to store these or some sort of way to use them? I hate to just throw them out.

2009

2008

Posted by PJ on Aug 7, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Many paths can lead to the same, remarkable goal
    I’m not much of an environmentalist — I’ve never tried to save the whales, or even just one whale — but simple living advocates and proponents of waste reduction often find themselves in the same professional circles. I thought Colin Beavan’s words in No Impact Man might have something to inspire me in the work I do, and I was correct.

2009

  • Weekend Project: Your closet floors
    To be able to vacuum and/or sweep the floors of my closets, I have to pull out storage containers and crawl on my hands and knees to reach back into some of the corners. Inevitably, I find something that I didn’t remember was there and I end up clearing a bit of clutter out of my home.

Posted by PJ on Aug 3, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Nest 8 saves space in the kitchen
    Joseph Joseph’s Nest 8 collection of nesting kitchen items is a fantastic way to save space in your cupboards.
  • Uncluttered collecting
    Being an unclutterer doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t have collections — but it does mean taking an active role in ensuring your collection doesn’t become clutter.
  • Ask Unclutterer: I’m organized but my workplace isn’t
    I’ve heard about some companies doing a 2x a year “office clean-up” day — I don’t know if my office will go for it, but I’m interested in hearing if others have experience with this method.

2009

  • Unitasker Wednesday: Frozen Food Safety Monitor
    So, in addition to having rotten food, you also have a monitor to tell you that your food is rotten — how about that!
  • Do it now
    I try to hold true to the two-minute “Do it now” policy at work, and an extended five-minute “Do it now” policy at home.

2008

Posted by PJ on Aug 1, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2009

Posted by PJ on Jul 27, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Excerpt: Six tips for organizing your time spent on the telephone
    Since most of us spend time at work dealing with facts and data, the phone should be taking a backseat to other forms of communication. That being said, it’s impossible to avoid the phone in the workplace. And there are times when picking up the phone is the best way to handle a situation. The following are suggestions for how to use the phone in an organized way during those times when you need to rely on it.
  • Assorted links for July 22, 2010
    Interesting products and articles related to uncluttering and organizing.
  • Ask Unclutterer: Best methods for recycling?
    I recycle almost everything. In passing magazines along to a charity, is it much more likely they will end up in a landfill?

2009

2008

Posted by PJ on Jul 24, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Making Mondays — and your week — more productive
    Mondays are opportunities to start new habits and the day to begin a productive path for the week. While others grumble about Mondays, I try to think of them like the first day of school or the first day of a new job. The possibilities for success, fulfillment, creativity, and all the reasons you do what you do are open for you to experience.
  • Blog to watch: UN v2.0
    Alec Farmer, a graduate student in Glasgow, Scotland, is spending a year living in a micro-structure and is blogging about his experience on the new UN v2.0 site. The UN in the blog title is an abbreviation for urban nomad, and it aptly describes Farmer’s interesting project in small-space living.

Posted by PJ on Jul 13, 2011 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

A year ago on Unclutterer

2010

  • Unitasker Wednesday: Pet Highchair
    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.
  • Finish it! Erin’s third set of 2010 resolutions
    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.
  • If it’s not important to you, don’t consume it
    When I read the book Voluntary Simplicity seven or eight years ago, I interpreted the focus of the book to be about reducing one’s impact on the environment. However, Trent Hamm of TheSimpleDollar.com points out in his review of the book that there is a larger theme beyond responsible environmental behavior that speaks to the heart of simple, uncluttered living.
  • Ask Unclutterer: What to do with diplomas
    Reader Kathy asks: “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.”

2008

Posted by PJ on Jul 3, 2011 | Comments Off | Tweet This