The first event: Chicago, Friday, April 9, from 12-7 pm at Union Station’s Great Hall.

The second event: New York City, Thursday, April 15, from 12-7 pm at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall.

Each party will feature: “15-minute workshops led by experts on fashion, beauty, fitness, cooking, and more. Performances by Broadway’s hottest shows every hour in New York. Special commissioned performance by the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. Mini manicures. Food tastings. Gift bags and more.”

At the New York event, I will be presenting a 15-minute workshop on the topic “time saving tips.” I will repeat the same presentation four times from 4-5 pm. According to the current schedule, I will be in the Dining Room of Vanderbilt Hall for these presentations. (The Real Simple website currently says that I’m presenting in Chicago, which is an error. I’ll definitely be in New York.) I will also be attending the Client Lunch from 12-2 pm on the same day (catered by Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur — yum!), and be available to answer questions, sign books, etc.

Again, both events are free and open to the public. The lineup of speakers is amazing, and I’m honored to be participating. If you are unable to attend, you can follow along through the related Facebook group and through the Twitter hashtag #RS10 and @Real_Simple account.

For the most part, I’ve kept to the resolutions I created. Unfortunately, I had to take six weeks off from the gym and withdraw from the race I planned to run in April because I kicked a rocking chair and significantly injured my foot. I’m just now getting back into a modified gym routine and can wear regular shoes again.

One of the highlights of my first-quarter resolutions was discovering new recipes for my healthy meal plan. One of the things I did was add the Canyon Ranch Cooks cookbook to my collection. With it, I have successfully made and enjoyed dozens of new recipes. During the doldrums of winter, it was nice to keep mealtime interesting and nutritious. Additionally, simply having more energy has been a wonderful thing.

The theme for my second-quarter resolutions is “Embark on new adventures.” Now that I have the much needed energy I was craving, I’m excited about putting it to use. The following are the resolutions I’ve set for April, May, and June:

• Plant and tend to an herb and vegetable garden.
• Take a knife skills class.
• Go rock climbing.
• Accomplish all 67 tasks on the “Spring Cleaning for the Overachiever” list on pages 189 and 190 of Unclutter Your Life in One Week.
• Go through my entire home and office and play the uncluttering game I’m moving overseas! (Just to be clear, I’m NOT moving overseas, I’m simply playing the game.) Essentially, take on a full-home minimizing project.

To help me achieve these resolutions, I’m going to reference the post “Creating a plan to achieve your 2010 resolutions.” I’m also going to keep up with all of my first-quarter resolutions to maintain the energy levels necessary to help me with these second-quarter goals.

What are your resolutions for April, May, and June? How are your resolutions progressing for 2010? Share your resolution stories in the comments.

This Super Simple Month idea came to me last Thursday after I returned from my second of two trips to New York in four days. I was exhausted, and the idea of getting in the car and driving to Richmond the next day made me incredibly anxious. When I woke up Friday morning with a fever, I picked up the phone and cancelled my third trip for the week. I had hit my limit. Out of 31 days in January, I had been home fewer than 20.

I realized that if I am to achieve my first quarter New Year’s Resolution of gaining more energy that I had to make some serious changes. I’ve been doing great with my resolutions to eat well, exercise, and get eight to nine hours a night of sleep — but these resolutions haven’t been enough. I still don’t have the energy levels I’d like. (I do wonder, however, how awful I would have felt at the end of January had I not kept on track with these things!)

Have you ever declared a Super Simple Month for yourself or something similar? What rules did you impose to keep your schedule low-key? Was it a success? Do you wish you would have done anything differently? Three days into Super Simple Month and I have to admit that I’m really loving it. I’m sure that by the time March begins I’ll be interested in adding more activities back into my schedule, but, for now, a calm February is exactly what I need.

Anyone in the world can submit questions (please do!) and follow along with the discussion. There is an editor who chooses the questions from those submitted and sends the selected ones to me, and then I type as quickly as I can to enter a response. I’m really looking forward to answering your questions — I expect it to be a lot of fun.

And, if you can’t stay around for the whole hour to watch the chat unfold, you can read the transcript of the chat afterward.

On Monday, I appeared in The Globe and Mail article “Four ways to free yourself from a cluttered inbox.” Check it out for tips to help get your e-mail under control.

Thank you, to all of our readers, for making the past three years so incredible. We look forward to the next year of Unclutterer!

On Tuesday, I appeared on WGN Midday News in Chicago and doled out some quick uncluttering advice. Enjoy the clip, and best wishes for your weekend of recovery.

We’ve heard from a number of people associated with the show that the second season is going to talk more about treatment options and look more closely at the psychological aspects of the disorder than was the case in season one. I truly hope this is accurate because I believe the hoarders on the show deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. I’m not saying that they weren’t in season one — I know from first-hand accounts that they were given excellent help behind the scenes during the filming of the episodes — but what translated onto the screen didn’t always reflect the entire process. I’m looking forward to tonight’s episode and seeing how the changes are implemented.

After the episode airs, feel welcome to jump onto our Unclutterer Forums and talk about it in our second season Hoarders thread. If you don’t get A&E, check out the official Hoarders website in a couple days where they will post the full episode online.

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!

—
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):