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.

If you need some ideas, here area few that should make the day a little more memorable:

Dinner for two (prepared by you): If you don’t usually cook, do yourself a favor and figure out how to make one dish very well. You can surprise your significant other with a meal he/she never expected.

Movie night: Rent the first movie that you watched together, no matter how bad it was. It will bring back some memories and if it was a really bad film it will probably make you laugh.

Be creative: If you are the creative type, create a collage of photos and mementos or write a poem. If you don’t consider yourself creative, give it a try — you may be surprised at your hidden talent.

Organize: Surprise your loved one by organizing a particular problem area of your home. Try to choose an area that really gets under their skin. 

Tickets: Print out a set of redeemable tickets for back rubs, foot rubs, or chores that your partner usually takes upon themselves. Whatever you can think of can be printed onto these redeemable tickets.

These are just a handful of ideas, feel free to add your own in the comments section.

2008 Unclutterer Gift Giving Guide:

• Focus for the guide
• Useful gifts under $35
• Experience giving
• The ultimate gift
• What we want but can’t yet have
• Don’t let Santa go crazy
• (Humor) Gifts of clutter
• Digital giving

We’re already looking forward to next year’s guide and unearthing even more uncluttered solutions. Happy Holidays!

These are our 2008 digital suggestions:

• If someone in your life has had a GPS unit for more than two years, you could offer to pay to update the maps. This is a gift that you’ll need to give in person (seeing as you’ll need the actual GPS unit to make the update), but still valuable for people who regularly use their GPS. Check the unit’s manufacturer’s website for details.
• A great gift for a busy family might be a subscription to TheScramble. The service sends you grocery lists and then daily recipes so that you don’t have to think twice about what to make for dinner.
• A wordsmith in your life might love the extravagant gift of an Oxford English Dictionary subscription for $295 a year, or $30 a month. (There also is a CD version of the OED for $216, but the reviews of it aren’t very strong.)
• If you have someone in your life who loves spending time online, you might consider purchasing them an Evernote Premium account — this is an especially great idea for someone who already uses and loves the basic Evernote product.
• Photographers in your life might love a subscription to RentGlass.com. It’s a mail order lens rental system — and would work great with a FlickrPro account that we suggested last year.
• A high school student in your life could definitely benefit from a year’s subscription to Questia. I’d recommend it for college students, but most get access to these types of services through their universities.
• A person you know who lives in a city and doesn’t own a car might enjoy a Zipcar membership. I know that having access a few times a year to a car would have made living without one even easier.
• A professional association membership might also be a great idea for someone. Personally, I know that an AvantGuild membership would be a great idea for a journalist.
• Finally, you might consider a subscription to GreenDimes for the person on your list who hates junk mail. Be sure that this person has a computer, though, because a GreenDimes account requires participation to make sure that all junk mail stops coming to a home.

It can be tough to keep the influx of new toys to a minimum. To help all of the parents with children, I’d like to revisit last year’s post about gift giving to youngsters.

Consumables: Last year’s Children’s Museum membership was a great gift for my daughter. A zoo membership can also be a great gift and whomever purchases it can have something to do with the little ones while they enjoy the gift together. If you don’t live in an area with a similar attraction, you may want to plan a trip to a destination and present your child with a “ticket” to be redeemed at a later date for the journey.

Sleep over tickets at the grandparents: This is a gift that will surely be enjoyed by the parents and grandparents, as much as the children. It costs nothing and it lets grandparents spend more time with your grandchild (be sure that grandparents are on board with this idea first, of course). Grandparents also can create some tickets for their grandchild to redeem when sleeping over at their house (cookie making, hiking, etc.). The number of tickets you give is entirely up to you. If your parents don’t live close to you, this is obviously not an option unless you purchase plane tickets instead — which isn’t a bad idea, either, as there are some great ticket prices to be found right now.

Lessons: If your child is old enough that they are showing interest in dancing, drawing, or any other activity, consider paying for these lessons as a gift. Do some research for the area in which you live and check into purchasing lessons for the little one. 

Already own gifts: Reader C.D. suggests that if your children are already adults, consider giving them something you currently own. Think of it like an early inheritance. Share with your child the story behind the object, why it has been important to you, and why you want them to have it.

And finally, a reminder. This is a perfect time to take stock of all the toys your children have. There is undoubtedly a slew of toys that they no longer play with or have outgrown. Gather them up and donate them to a local homeless or battered women’s shelter (be sure to call first to see if they have a need for lightly used toys). Let your children participate in giving the toys to the charity so that they can see first hand how they’re helping others. 

Let us know of even more suggestions in the comments.

Universal power cord
This cord would work with every electrical object. Need to power your laptop, cell phone, television, sewing machine, dryer, iPod, or oven? All you need to do is grab the universal power cord!

The perfect laptop bag
The perfect laptop bag has a pocket for everything you need to carry with you, has a comfortable shoulder strap, is made to last, is professional in appearance, and doesn’t scream I’M CARRYING A LAPTOP FOR YOU TO STEAL. This bag is so perfect that you want to name your pets after it. We have found many bags that come close to meeting these requirements, but none that are perfect.

A magic wand
The magic wand empowers its user to clean and organize his or her home and office by simply waving it near disorder. If it actually existed, I would also want for it to make a pleasant chime when in use.

A full-time cleaning staff
The benefit of having someone clean up after you make a mess was at the top of many Unclutterer readers’ lists. Unfortunately, a full-time cleaning staff comes with a very hefty price tag. A cleaning robot might be more affordable.

Food tracking software
As far as we know, this exact product does not yet exist. The reader who mentioned it said that the software should have a bar scanner that reads use by/expiration information off a product, enters that data into a database, cross-references the food item to recipes in your collection, and then tells you when to use the food. I think this software should also notify you when to preheat your oven and how long any leftovers might be good for using.

What not-yet-invented or completely outrageous organizing gift is at the top of your wishlist? Tell us about it in the comments!

P.S. If you are an inventor/programmer/industrial designer and would like to create any of the items listed above, we would really appreciate your efforts.

Last year, I recommended the Fujitsu ScanSnap (available for the Mac and PC) as the ultimate organizing gift in our guide. A year has passed, and I still believe that it is the best organizing product on the market.

That being said, it wouldn’t be much fun for you to read the same article two years in a row. So, coming in a close second as the ultimate gift is this year’s nomination: The Kindle.

For people who read while traveling and commuting, read more than five books a month, and/or read a major newspaper on a daily basis, the Kindle is a life-changing product. The amount of paper clutter that it has the ability to reduce in your home can be measured in trees and forests, not stacks of paper. Yes, it is expensive (but can be cost effective for daily users over time). Yes, we acknowledge that it is not a perfect gift for everyone (especially people who don’t spend hours a day consuming media in paper form). And, yes, we know that there are competing products on the market that have similar capabilities (but less selection of books and services).

Acknowledging all of these points, we still highly recommend the Kindle as our most decadent clutter-reducing present of the year.

This year we’re adding the gift of your time to the Experience Giving Guide list — and what a beautiful gift it is.

The gift of your time can be to spend an hour, a day, or an evening with the friend or loved one of your choice. You can set up the time for doing activities they enjoy, such as playing video games or taking a walk. Lock away your Blackberry so that you have quality time together without distractions.

Giving time is a good holiday stress reducer, too, because you’ll spend less money. The American Psychological Association names money as the #1 cause of stress over the holidays. With today’s economy, the pressure may be especially apparent this year. You can take yourself off the gift-buying hook by coming up with creative ways to give of your time (which is really giving of yourself).

One great time give-away is to offer a needed service to your gift recipient. Sometimes the things that are second-nature to you are downright hard or impossible for others to do. If it weren’t for my husband, I know that the gas fireplace would still be unusable, but for him it took all of 15 minutes to fix.

You can use your gift of time to help someone address something that would otherwise not get done unless they hired a professional.

What are your skills? Think about what you can do to assist people with time gift packages.

Here are some ideas to get you thinking about how you can offer your time this holiday season:

• Paint a room
• Update a resume
• Plant a garden
• Design a web page
• Prepare a specialty meal
• Take care of children
• Organize a garage
• Fix something that is broken

It can be fun to provide a service and spend time with someone.

In October of last year, I was spending time with my dear friend’s Grandma during her final months of life. I enjoyed talking with her and at the same time I wanted to do something useful. She asked me to help her organize her small closet. As we talked, I held up one sweater after another. Each sweater had a story behind it and she would light up, saying, “Oh, I like that one. Isn’t that a nice burgundy?” While she lay in bed, I folded her to-keep sweaters and placed them in a hanging sweater-holder. The others went into a give-away pile. We both really enjoyed the experience and, with her passing, I hold that simple afternoon of chatting and organizing as a treasure.

If you want to make a gift of time, create your own gift certificate. For my two college-going relatives, I printed out: COUPON — Good for One Afternoon of Washing Machine Usage, Tea, and Conversation. I know they’ll redeem that one. And, we’ll have a chance to catch up with each other.

Who could benefit from your gift of time? What ideas do you have for services you can offer as your gift of time?

• Shredding scissors. If you don’t have the space for a shredder, or are in the market for a non-electric option, these scissors will shred important papers quickly for you.
  
• DYMO LetraTag Plus Labelmaker. Label files, workbench peg boards, and your cat (although we don’t recommend labeling your cat). Identifying where objects reside makes returning objects to that place even easier.
  
• Driinn Mobile Phone Holder. Keep charging cords out of the way and create a permanent home for your cell phone with the Driinn Mobile Phone Holder. We linked to the hot pink version, so be sure to choose a different option if hot pink doesn’t mesh with your decor.
  
• Velcro cable ties. Cables of all kinds can easily be wrangled into an orderly state with these simple ties. Anyone with a computer has a need for these velcro strips.
  

Do you have any small, useful, and inexpensive recommendations to add to our list? Let us know about them in the comments.

We know that the holiday season can be a stressful time for many people, and our hope is to help you keep as much anxiety out of your schedule as possible. Even if you don’t celebrate Hanukkah or Christmas, the holiday season is unavoidable — especially in the United States. Around here, the stores and banks started playing holiday music the day after Halloween … because nothing says, “Merry Christmas,” quite like discount Halloween candy!

Less Stress is our overall theme for the 2008 Unclutterer Gift Giving Guide. If you have specific questions or hopes for this year’s guide, tell us about them in the comments to this post. Happy holidays!

Always consider a consumable rather than adding to his tie collection. If he is a golfer, buy a few rounds of golf for him. Better yet, if you golf too this is a great opportunity for you to spend some time with him and you can cover the greens fees. Maybe go to a course he’s never been to or that you know he loves.

Take him out to the ballgame. What better way to spend a Father’s Day then to take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of the ballpark? Whether it is a Major League Baseball game or a local minor league park there aren’t many more perfect venues to kick back with dad.

Does anyone have any unique gift ideas for Father’s Day? Feel free to share them in the comments.

If you don’t put any thought into what you are giving your significant other, then that probably leaves you scrambling to find something at the last minute. That may lead you to purchasing something like the teddy bear pictured with this post. Convenience stores and gas stations love to display this stuff prominently this time of year. If you would like some ideas on what gift to give, check out our Gift Giving Guide. It was intended for Christmas, but it can still be used for any gift giving occasion.

Keep them all together. If you have gift cards all over the place you’ll end up losing track of them. Keep them in one spot and look through them before you head out shopping.

eBay them. If you received a gift card to a retailer that you don’t particularly like, eBay is a good way to get rid of the card. Rather than being stuck with a card that you will never use, get some value out of it. (The value is usually around 80%)

Don’t buy just because you can. If you have a gift card, don’t make that an excuse to purchase something. If you don’t like Pottery Barn, don’t feel compelled to purchase $100 worth of their merchandise. Again, use eBay to get rid of it. Don’t clutter your home with gift-card guilt purchases.

• Baked goods. Easy to make, inexpensive, fun, consumable.
• Secret Santa. Group members draw names and then buy gifts for only the person whose name has been drawn.
• Homemade, useful, themed gifts. Book club members get homemade bookmarks, co-workers get homemade velcro cord ties to curb cable clutter, etc.
• Group charity. Instead of everyone bringing gifts for each other, the group sponsors a needy family or gives a needed item to a local charity.

The list of ideas is seemingly endless. I’m identifying these ideas just to get your creative juices flowing. You’ll notice that I don’t suggest “white elephant” type gift exchanges because often they produce unwanted clutter. If you don’t want the singing, plastic, wall-mounted fish, it’s pretty likely your friends or co-workers don’t want it either.

Please feel welcome to post additional ideas in the comments!

2007 Unclutterer Gift Giving Guide:

• Focus for the guide
• Charitable giving
• Buying for children
• Ultimate generosity
• Consumable giving
• Experience giving
• Online giving

We’re already looking forward to next year’s guide and unearthing even more uncluttered solutions. Happy Holidays!

Subscription services like Consumer Reports, Lexis-Nexis, and a flickr Pro account make great gifts. As opposed to physical subscriptions, these online services keep clutter out of your gift recipient’s home.

A subscription to Audible is a great option for book lovers on your list. Music lovers might enjoy a gift certificate to iTunes. For movie enthusiasts, you might consider Amazon’s Unbox or TiVo-Unbox pre-payments.

In the past, I also would have suggested The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. The New York Times is now free to the public, and rumors are flying about The Wall Street Journal heading that way, too. So, those are off the list.

Flower of the month and fruit of the month clubs are subscriptions that allow you to give something tangible throughout the year, but impermanent additions to a home–and you can order them from the comfort of your home.

When you are trying to keep clutter out of your gift recipients’ homes, consider virtual gift options.

My father golfs a lot and he has his fair share of golf equipment, so this year we are not going to add to his golf clutter. Instead, we are going to give the gift of an experience. The gift could be anything from a gift certificate for his favorite restaurant or a bunch of passes to the local movie theater.

Preferred experiences may vary from person to person. Here is a list of ideas that will not add clutter to their post-holiday lives:

Pampering: Purchase a gift certificate for a facial, massage, pedicure or manicure. Or, go for broke, and get an all inclusive spa treatment package.

Events: Give the gift of the performing arts. Purchase tickets for a play, a concert, or a musical. If the person isn’t into the performing arts they may really enjoy some tickets to a sporting event.

Food: Either go the restaurant gift certificate route or purchase some gourmet food from any number of gourmet food sellers.

Adventures: If the person you are buying for is adventurous, try to set up a river rafting trip or a hiking trip. Consider giving them the unforgettable experience of a skydiving lesson!

Obviously, these suggestions are limited by your budget, but you can be creative and give something that won’t add clutter. Your gift also will supply them with memories to cherish.

Here are some ideas to get you headed in the right direction:

Kitchen idea #1: Ziplock bags, aluminum foil, parchment paper, wax paper, paper towels, sponges, and a silicon oven mitt.

Kitchen idea #2: A collection of quality, fresh spices from a local merchant or a reputable online vendor (like Penzeys).

Garden idea: Bulbs and seeds for flowers or a garden.

Shower idea: The recipient’s favorite shampoo, bath bombs (like the ones at Lush), luffa, scented shower gel, and exfoliating scrub.

Garage idea: Motor oil, windshield wiper fluid, large garbage bags, leather palmed work gloves, and a gift certificate to the local bicycle shop covering the cost of a spring maintenance.

Gifts that can and will be eventually used are terrific ideas for people who enjoy giving gifts that can be touched and opened. Feel welcome to add to this list with your own ideas in the comments section!

Until I purchased it, paper clutter was my biggest thorn in my side. My desk was stacked with piles and piles of papers to be sorted and filed. My filing cabinet was crammed to its breaking point. My office was a complete disaster. The ScanSnap actually changed the way I do work and manage my home office.

If you’re looking to give the ultimate organization gift this holiday season, I strongly recommend considering the Fujitsu ScanSnap (Mac and PC). Also, if you don’t have one, you may think about sneaking it onto your list!

My 19-month-old daughter is getting ready to enjoy her second Christmas. She is the only grandchild between the two sets of grandparents and the spoiling is hard to combat. Both sets of grandparents are raring to go out and buy, buy, buy.

Here are some tips on trying to combat the accumulation of more toys:

Make a list: This year we supplied both sets of grandparents with a list of what our daughter needs. We didn’t really want to resort to this, but it is definitely a necessary evil. We can’t house an endless supply of toys, and there are actually things we need for her.

Consumables for the little ones: To combat the influx of new toys, you might want to include some consumables for your little one’s list. How about a season pass to the local zoo or museum? These are great purchases that grandparents can also enjoy by accompanying their grandchild to such an outing. What about a year’s worth of gymnastics or piano lessons? Be creative.

Prepare old toys for donation: What better time of year to donate old toys that no longer hold your child’s interest than the holiday season? In preparation of the new toys coming in, make a conscience effort to donate all old and gently used toys and books to a local charity. If you child is old enough, have him or her participate in the charitable process.

When shopping for other people’s children, consider ways that you can give in uncluttered ways, too. Toys with small pieces probably aren’t the best choices.

I hope these tips help. Good luck, and happy holidays!