During the segment, I’ll be talking about my book Unclutter Your Life in One Week and dolling out advice on how to be uncluttered and organized for the holidays. Tune in!

Yesterday Eva Zeisel, a Hungarian-born industrial designer known primarily for her elegant and minimalist ceramic designs, turned 103.

I was not at all surprised to hear that yesterday was Ms. Zeisel’s birthday. Even in recent years, it would have been nearly impossible for anyone who follows industrial design to have forgotten that she was still alive and still producing beautiful things.

In her eighties, she began designing furniture, like this coffee table:

Two years ago, when she was 101 years old, she released a new range of dinnerware, cleverly named “One-O-One,” for Royal Stafford. The line is carried by sold by Bloomingdales and it includes some absolutely beautiful pieces like this pitcher:

Happy belated birthday, Ms. Zeisel.

If you order Unclutter Your Life in One Week online before it is officially available tomorrow, I will e-mail you PDF copies of the worksheets in the book as a free, special bonus. Simply fill out the special bonus form to redeem your PDFs. For those of you who have already ordered the book, feel welcome to fill out the form to get your copies. And, if hardcovers aren’t your style, you can also order the Kindle version.

All PDFs will be e-mailed to you tomorrow. The PDFs are copies of worksheets in the book so you don’t have to recreate them on your computer to use them — I’ve done the work for you already.

I have decided to do this promotion on the honor system. I am trusting you and taking your word for it that you ordered the book. And, along those same lines of the honor system, I’m also requesting that no one posts these PDFs online after you receive them. I want to offer something special just for Unclutterer readers, so I hope that you respect my requests.

This is a limited offer and it will disappear tonight from the website.

Thank you to all of you for supporting the book and helping to spread the message about uncluttered living. I truly appreciate it!

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Unrelated Note: The Ad Review Center in Google Adsense is doing a really bad job of suppressing political ads, per our preference. Our sincerest apologies. If you see a political ad on our site today or tomorrow, please know that we have requested they not be there and we do not endorse any political candidates or positions.

Now through December 15 you can cast your vote for your favorite products, services, and organizers in the many categories. Anyone can vote — you don’t need to be a professional organizer — and those of us at Unclutterer would love your support if you think that we’re worthy in the Website category. The winners will be announced in late January at the historic Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. The Los Angeles Organizing Awards are the organizing world’s equivalent of the Oscars or Emmys, and we’re truly honored to be nominated for a 2010 award.

I recommend checking out the nominations in all of the categories, even if you don’t vote for us or vote for any of the options. It’s nice to see a listing of the best of the best in the industry. I learned about the Canadian organizing television show Neat through last year’s voting process and many other great organizing and uncluttering resources that had never made it onto my radar screen.

For example, do you know about the other sites in the “Best Organizing Website or Blog” category? If you’ve never checked them out, I suggest giving them a peek as they are written by some amazing organizers:

The Clutter Diet Blog, written by Lorie Marrero:

Jeri’s Organizing and Decluttering News, written by Jeri Dansky:

LifeOrganizers.com, written by Paul & Valerie Holstein:

Simplify101 Blog/Website, written by Aby & Jay Garvey:

Again, now through December 15 you can cast your vote for your favorite products, services, and organizers in the many categories, and obviously we would truly appreciate your support if you think we’re worthy in the “Best Organizing Website or Blog” category.

I couldn’t stop staring at the books in the box. I was transfixed. I may have even cried a little — okay, more than a little. Writing a book has been at the top of my life’s to-do list since the first time I ever made a life to-do list. And writing this specific book has been a goal since I began my personal uncluttering adventure. Seeing the finished book in print and being able to hold it in my hands was one of the most incredible moments of my life.

Unclutter Your Life in One Week would not be possible without you, Unclutterer.com readers. In fact, you’re the first people thanked in the acknowledgments section of the book. As a sign of my appreciation, I want to offer you all something in return. I wish that I could give you a discount on the book, but the publishers and retailers have a tight lock on that part of the process. So, here is a special bonus that I can give without ruffling any feathers:

If you order Unclutter Your Life in One Week online before it is available in stores November 3, I will e-mail you PDF copies of the worksheets in the book as a free, special bonus. Simply fill out the special bonus form to redeem your PDFs. For those of you who have already ordered the book, feel welcome to fill out the form to get your copies.

All PDFs will be e-mailed to you on November 3. The PDFs are copies of worksheets in the book so that you don’t have to recreate them on your computer to use them — I’ve done the work for you already.

I have decided to do this promotion on the honor system. I am trusting you and taking your word for it that you ordered the book. And, along those same lines of the honor system, I’m also requesting that no one posts these PDFs online after you receive them. I want to offer something special just for Unclutterer readers, so I hope that you respect my requests.

This is a limited offer and it will disappear the night of November 2 from the website.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some of the book’s content on the site, answering your questions about the book (for example: yes, my publisher has assured me that there will be an e-book available for pre-order and yes, it is being translated into French), and letting you know where and when I’ll be talking about and signing copies of the book. Thank you, again, for being such wonderful readers and making all of this possible.

(Thanks also to Tyler Cowan at Marginal Revolution for the special bonus idea.)

The Death, Dying, and Bereavement Guides include six forms to help plan the events after a death: compare funeral/burial/cremation options, information for writing a eulogy, data needed for an obituary and death notices, and flowers and donations thank you note wording suggestions.

This is one of those times when I hope that you never have to use this information from our website.

At 10:00 a.m. ET this morning, I closed the comments and counted up the entries. Then, I headed over to the Random Integer Generator at random.org and entered in the data:

Out popped the following numbers:

94 — Aliya

811 — David

I have contacted the winners and they will be receiving $250 credits in their accounts at Alice.com. (I’m a wee bit envious!!) Congratulations to our winners and thank you to Alice.com for their generosity.

To enter for a chance to win one of the $250 shopping credits, simply leave ONE comment to this post indicating that you want to participate in the drawing. On Thursday, July 2, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. ET, I will enter the number of comments into the Random Integer Generator at random.org and select two random winners. Good luck!

Warning: If you leave a comment to this post that isn’t an entry, I will DELETE it. Nothing personal, I just don’t want to select a winner who isn’t interested in participating in the giveaway.

(Just so you know, I didn’t receive any credits or payment when I tested their service, nor am I receiving any now. Unclutterer readers are the lucky ones!)

Somewhere in every home there’s the bottomless, fascinating, slightly terrifying junk drawer. It’s like a little attic.

Truth be told, I don’t have a junk drawer in my house. I have just two built-in drawers in my entire place, and they’re in the kitchen. One of the drawers holds eating utensils and the other holds food preparation utensils. Which, unfortunately, I believe made me the least fun of the 8 “brave souls” featured in the article.

I’m honored that House Beautiful reporter Shax Riegler still included me in her entertaining article in the May issue. If you missed it while it was on newsstands, check it out online. (I am still giddy that my drawer is pictured next to Karim Rashid’s. I may be his biggest fan.)

Mine:

Karim Rashid’s:

At 10:00 a.m. ET this morning, I closed the comments and counted up the entries. Then, I headed over to the Random Integer Generator at random.org and entered in the data:

Out popped the following number:

#697 — Steven

I have contacted the winner and he will be receiving his prize from FranklinCovey early next week. Congratulations to our winner and thank you to FranklinCovey for their generosity!

As I mentioned yesterday, if you weren’t a winner, be sure to check out the FranklinCovey’s biggest sale of the year that is currently being held. Some items are as much as 70 percent off their regular price. If you need to get your schedule organized, now is a great time to take advantage of their biggest sale of the year.

The briefcase is the Tyson Laptop Bag in black and it retails for $189 (see, I told you they were being generous). Check out the link for specific product details.

To enter for a chance to win one of the briefcases, simply leave ONE comment to this post indicating that you want to participate in the drawing. On Thursday, June 18, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. ET, I will enter the number of comments into the Random Integer Generator at random.org and select one random winner. Good luck!

Also, if you turn out not to be a winner (or even if you are), be sure to check out the FranklinCovey’s biggest sale of the year that is currently being held. Some items are as much as 70 percent off their regular price. If you need to get your schedule organized, now is a great time to get FranklinCovey products for a little less dough.

Warning: If you leave a comment to this post that isn’t an entry, I will DELETE it. Nothing personal, I just don’t want to select a winner who isn’t interested in participating in the giveaway.

Submit photos of clutter catastrophes — whether you own or another worthy candidate’s — and a brief explanation to mailbag@angieslist.com by August 1. We’ll select the most awe-inspiringly hideous office or home and crown a national king or queen of clutter. Whoever “wins” our contest will qualify for a clutter cleanout compliments of a highly rated service company in the Organization-Home and Garage category [on their website]. And we’ll feature the winner in our magazine.

Even if you aren’t a contender to be the king or queen of clutter, you might know someone who could use some help. Pass the word along (kindly, of course) and maybe your friend can win a free makeover!

If you are unfamiliar with Muji, check out some of my favorite goods:

A map handkerchief of New York (talk about a multi-tasker!):

Stackable bathroom storage containers:

Splash proof speakers with amplifier (great for hooking up to my iPod or iPhone):

Bag organizer:

Chronotebook (it’s a day planner):

For three minutes, I talked semi-coherently with news anchor Andrea Roane about clearing clutter from your kitchen pantry. Check it out:

Change your batteries: First you should replace all of your batteries in your home’s smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. You may also want to vacuum the dust that may have collected on the sensors over the past year. If your smoke detector is older than 10 years you should replace it with a new detector (The linked detector has a lithium battery that lasts for 10 years.) Sensors can lose their detection ability after a decade of use. And remember, batteries can be recycled at any Best Buy in the US. 

Clean out your medicine cabinet: This is also a good time to take stock of your medicine cabinet. If you have expired products discard them and make a list of what you need to replace for your next shopping trip. Don’t flush medicines down the toilet or a sink drain. Drop them off at your local pharmacy or hospital to be incinerated with other medical waste.

Prep your yard for spring: For those of us in the colder half of the world, take advantage of the first spring-like day to go through your yard and prep it for a big spring cleaning. Remove late falling leaves, branches, and other miscellaneous debris. It has been a hard winter this year, and I’m really looking forward to this.

Are there other chores that our readers partake in during daylight savings? Tell us about your chores in the comments.

(Image is an AP file photo)

At 10:00 EST this morning, I closed the comments and counted up the entries. Then, I headed over to the Random Integer Generator at random.org and entered in the data:

Out popped the following numbers:

#31 — Ruth M
#186 — Naomi
#406 — Cindy Marsch
#805 — Heidi

And then I realized we had FIVE winners, not four … so back I went to the random number generator, and out popped:

#48 — Brittany

I have contacted the winners and will be sending them their prizes this coming week. Congratulations to our winners and thank you to Clorox and everyone for participating!

If you weren’t a winner, and still want to try the product, you should be able to find Clorox Disinfecting Wipes at your local grocery store.

Since I’m already a user of their product, I asked if instead of sending me a sample to try we could do a giveaway for our readership. Clorox was game, and now I have coupons for five of our readers to win four canisters each of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes (and they’re the new “décor” canisters, too).

To enter for a chance to win four free canisters of disinfecting wipes, simply leave ONE comment to this post indicating that you want to participate in the drawing. On Thursday, March 5, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. EST, I will enter the number of comments into the Random Integer Generator at random.org and select five random winners. Good luck!

Warning: If you leave a comment to this post that isn’t an entry, I will DELETE it. Nothing personal, I just don’t want to select a winner for the wipes who isn’t interested in participating in the giveaway.

Our clutterful light bulbs — our roommates, significant others — may not want to change. But, there is something that we can change, ourselves.

If you’re up for the challenge, what small unclutterer change or efficiency enhancer are you willing to make? If you’re stumped, think about your partner’s pet peeves. Some examples I’ve seen with couples are:

• Dropping a jacket on the floor when arriving home
• Leaving dishes about the house
• Losing keys frequently

These things may not bug you, but we’re talking about our partners here — the things that bother them. As I got to thinking about Valentine’s Day this year, and realizing my husband hates gifts, I thought: how about changing something I do that bothers him? I ran the idea past him and he’s all for it. We decided that I will work on keeping the house better stocked with groceries. I’ll sit down with him and templatize a specific list of items to regularly have on hand (in addition to the staples). It’s the little things that make a difference.

Forming a New Habit

First, it takes 21 days to form a new habit. I like to use 30 day blocks, however, to be sure the habit gets locked in.

Start Small: Pick just one daily, do-able thing that you’ll take on for 30 days. For example, you commit to putting your clothes in the hamper before bed for the next 30 days. Selecting one thing will put all of your focus there, rather than trying to tackle several habits at once.

Be Clear: Be sure that you know clearly whether you’ve accomplished the task or not. For example, is your goal to file paper in your home office for 10 minutes each day or is it to file 1/2 an inch of paper each day? Near dinner time each day, mine will be to check off food items that need to be purchased this week.

Track Progress: Use a calendar, goal-setting software such as Lifetick or create a spreadsheet with 30 boxes to track your progress. A check mark or gold star means you did the task. Leaving the box blank of course means you didn’t do it.

Keep It Visible: Have your document pop up on your screensaver, set reminders in your electronic calendar or place in another visible place, such as on the refrigerator. As you’re forming a new habit, you’ll need prompts.

Be Consistent: When possible, do the task at the same time every day. This will make the action a routine and, in time, you’ll be pulled to complete it automatically. For instance, pop your jacket into the closet right away when you arrive home each day.

Begin: The hardest part is to begin. Pick a start day. Today is a good idea so that you don’t build up resistance to change. And, why wait to surprise your partner with a clean family room or an uncluttered car?

I think creating a productive habit will give you more mileage than your standard Valentine’s Day gifts.

Up for the challenge? What habit do you want to take on for 30 days? Let us know in the comments. And, if you choose to go a more traditional route, check out Matt’s post from last week on uncluttered Valentine’s day gifts.

In late November, I signed a contract with Simon Spotlight Entertainment, an imprint of Simon and Schuster, to write an Unclutterer book. The book is slated to be released this fall and will cover home and office organizing, time management, productivity, clutter clearing, and many additional simple living issues.

The book is currently untitled, does not yet have a cover, and will spend the next two months in editing before I even turn over my first draft to my publisher. However, since things are progressing as they should, I wanted to share with you this happy news.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support and inspiration. If it weren’t for you, our Unclutterer readers, this opportunity never would have arisen. You are sincerely the best readers on the internet.

Also, I want you to know that the book isn’t a reprinting of the website — it’s new content for a new medium. I want it to be useful to new and continued readers alike. That being said, however, it is definitely written in the same spirit as the website. You should expect to laugh and have a good time while reading it, as well as learning a great deal about uncluttering. There also will be an audio version of the book, but I know even fewer details about its production and release.

There shouldn’t be any service interruptions on Unclutterer.com while I finish my work on the book. My proposal writing started more than six months ago and I have been putting in long hours since to ensure that the quality content you’ve come to expect on the site continues.

Thank you, again, and I’m so glad that I can share the news of this adventure with you!

Regardless of Phil’s predictions, today is a good day because it is the halfway point between the shortest day of the year and the spring equinox. This means that it doesn’t really matter what Phil saw, we’re now closer to the end of this winter than the start of it.

Before most people realize that spring is on the horizon, now is a great time to get ahead of the curve and start making appointments for all of your spring cleaning activities. These appointments are usually best to be made for late May or early June:

• Contact the company that services your furnace and set up an appointment to have your furnace professionally inspected.
• Contact the chimney sweep and make an appointment to have your chimney cleaned, your flue inspected, and your vents tested.
• Make an appointment to have your lawn mower serviced and your blades sharpened.
• Schedule to run a test with your home security system provider.
• Inspect your wood floors for damages or scratches and contact someone to wax or refinish your floors if necessary.
• If you use a lawn service, call now to make sure you’re on the summer schedule.

Obviously, you don’t have to take on all of these tasks if you don’t want to. But, if you’re someone who sticks to a tight spring cleaning regimen, now is the time to set your appointments.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Image from the (very tongue-in-cheek) official Groundhog Day website.