Archives for Office Organization
Business cards: Replaceable with Evernote?
We’ve asked online social tools guru Stowe Boyd to help us tackle the subject of business card clutter. Thank you, Stowe, for again sharing your impressive insights with us!
Business cards are essential, but the form factor — and the business practices based on it — are stuck in the 20th century in their form. They take up room, are inherently difficult to organize, and come in all manners of shapes and sizes. At the same time, who has gone to a meeting, a conference, or even a PTA meeting, and not walked away with a dozen or more cards with names, email addresses, phone numbers, titles … information that later on, down the road, you may want or need to use.
If you are like me, you have no time to fool with keying in all this hypothetically useful information, and since I have no assistant just waiting to demonstrate 60 word per minute keyboard skills, the cards simply have been piling up over the past years. [In fact, in my case, I have been amassing cards on both coasts, since I have San Francisco and DC offices.]
I am aware that there may be services that will take this off your hands for a fee, and various applications that theoretically handle scanning and OCR of business cards, automatically putting contacts in your address book. I haven’t tried the former, but if it involves me mailing stuff to India or something, it’s just too much work. I have tried the scanner applications in the past, like Scanr, but I have never gotten anything like the OCR quality that would allow me to rely on them.
Enter The Cell Phone Camera
Not too long ago, I started an experiment. Since I have a five megapixel camera in my cell phone, why couldn’t I simply take pictures of business cards and then throw the cards away? That failed as an experiment, simply because there were still too many intermediate steps:
- Take the pictures.
- Transfer pictures from the cell phone to my Mac.
- Move the business card pictures to an appropriate folder on the Mac, or upload to a web service, like Flickr, and in either case, name the file the name of the person on it.
This is significantly less than the headaches involved with keying in all the data, but still too much work.
Enter Evernote
A few weeks ago, I bumped into a new application called Evernote that is the answer to my business card prayers. Evernote is both a desktop application for the Mac and a hosted website service, where users’ notes and images are synchronized between the two.
Not only does Evernote allow me to organize both text notes and pictures of all sorts of things into folders, it also has very sophisticated OCR capabilities, able to find words on pictures of oddly shaped objects — like pictures of wine bottles. This capability works handily with relatively flat things, like, no surprise, business cards.
I tested it by moving in all the business card images in that I had captured, and found an extremely high capability to find cards based on name, company name, zipcodes, and nearly anything else in the text. There are some glitches, but the success rate is very high.
Here’s my own card, discovered by searching on “stowe”:
The beauty of this approach is its ease. It’s so easy that I actually take pictures of people’s business cards when they hand them to me, and hand them back! After an event — like the recent Web 2.0 conference — I simply move the pictures to my Mac, and then drag any business card images into the Evernote Mac application. If I revert to actually bringing back cards from an event, I can either snap them with my cell phone, or use the Evernote Snapshot tool, which relies on the iSight webcam in my Mac to take pictures. These are not as high quality as I get with my phone, however, and as a result the search capabilities on these images is less reliable. I was recently advised that I could email images from my phone directly to the Evernote application, which I have yet to try.
I have boxes and boxes of business cards stockpiled, and I may never actually work through those. In fact, I recently just tossed several hundred cards that stretch back to the beginning of the Pleistocene. I did fish out a few, and snapped them, but mostly they went into the recycle bin. After all, people change phones and addresses frequently enough that a three-year-old business card is probably at least 50 percent wrong.
Note that I also can use this to take pictures of whatever I find of interest, or of critical importance, on the web. I could use it to take a screenshot of a LinkedIn profile, for example, in lieu of a person’s business card. As another example, today I screenshot a travel itinerary (via Skitch) and dragged it into Evernote, and I brought it back up by searching for ‘oakland’ and ‘friday’. I am also moving my loyalty cards into Evernote — like my Jetblue, KLM, and Expedia Elite cards — so I don’t have to schlep those around with me, either.
Next?
So don’t be too surprised when colleagues begin taking cell snapshots of your business card at the next mixer you attend, and then hand it back to you. They’ve probably gotten wise to Evernote.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Wi-fi printer on sale now
The Brother HL-2170W is now on sale for a very reasonable $99.99. You can get rid of that clutter-inducing USB cord that you currently have attached to your printer. If you are in the market for a new printer, this is a very affordable option that gets rid of cable clutter and streamlines your workspace.
CNET has a pretty decent review of this wireless printer and the Amazon customer reviews are rather positive. For just a penny under $100, you could do a lot worse.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Finding order on your bookshelves
After reading Bringing your bookshelves back to order last week, you’ve hopefully had time to go through your books in your personal collection and clear the clutter. Now that you have enough space for your books, it’s time to take on the task of organizing them on the shelves.
I want to start by recommending that you take inventory of your books. If you value your books enough to keep them, then you should want to replace them if ever your collection is ruined in a disaster. If you wouldn’t want to replace them, then you may want to reconsider keeping them. Additionally, a current inventory allows you to search your whole collection with just a few key strokes on your computer. There are many software programs out there to help you with your inventory. On a PC, you may be interested in trying Readerware for Books ($40). It seems to be the least expensive, most positively reviewed, and it also has a version for Windows-based handheld devices ($50). If you have a Mac system, the two most positively discussed products are Booxter ($50) and Delicious Monster ($40). Neither appear to have the bells and whistles of the Readerware program, but they have much more intuitive interfaces.
With your collection free of clutter and properly inventoried, here are some recommended ways of organizing your books:
- The latest trend is to organize your books by spine color. This method is definitely not for me since it doesn’t provide easy access to finding what I need quickly, but, if you have a home inventory in place, you could enter shelf location and make searching your collection easier.
- I organize my collection using the Library of Congress classification system. I don’t get into the nitty gritty of subclasses, I just follow the broad category groupings. All of my social science books are together on a single shelf, for example.
- If the LoC isn’t for you, the Dewey Decimal groupings may be more your style.
- I’ve also found that organizing most accessed to least accessed works well, especially if you have a lot of shelves that are above shoulder height. Books rarely accessed go up on high shelves, and ones regularly accessed go at eye level or lower. If you have smaller children, reserve the lower shelves for their books.
- Creating your own organization method is always an option, too. If this is the path you choose, I recommend labeling your shelves with Inreda Bookends or sticking a printed label directly on the lip of the shelf. Doing this will help you find your books most efficiently.
Good luck with your book organizing efforts! I’m eager to read in the comments how you’ve decided to organize the books you’ve chosen to keep.
Image from chotda’s collection on flickr.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Simple charging station
Reader Koz sent us a link to this little contraption:
The Driinn Mobile Phone Holder reminds me of the Load Thing we featured on the site last June. This one seems a little smaller, but just as efficient. It also appears that it could be used for other electronic devices of similar size, like a DS Lite or digital camera. And, at $8, it’s not the most expensive solution on the market. Thank you, Koz, for the link!
Popularity: 8% [?]
Five spring organizing activities
Five quick things you can do now that the weather is warmer:
- Take your sweaters and winter coats to the dry cleaner for an end of season cleaning. Then, put them in moth proof storage at the back of your closet.
- Soak scarves, gloves and mittens and then lay them in the sun to dry. Afterward, put them in moth proof storage at the back of your coat closet.
- Check the expiration date on your sunscreen and replace it if it’s past its prime. If you have more than one bottle of sunscreen in your cabinet, line them up by emptiest to fullest and plan on using up the least-full bottles first.
- Check bulletin boards and note centers throughout your home and office and get rid of outdated memos, calendars, and fliers.
- Now is also the perfect time for a sock purge. Also go through your underwear and t-shirt drawers and get rid of any items that have seen better days. Replace as necessary.
If you’re looking for even more warmer weather activities, be sure to check out our spring cleaning guide.
Popularity: 9% [?]
Printing to PDF
Reader Matthew sent us the following suggestion:
When you buy something online and the site says “Print this receipt page for your records” print it to the PDF printer instead of paper. You can print it out later if you must, and you have it as a record of your order number or parcel tracking number.
Matthew’s suggestion is terrific especially since you don’t need to have a full version of Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional to print to PDF.
On a Mac, go to File > Print, and then click on the PDF button in the lower left hand corner of the pop-up window. The PDF print software comes installed.
On a PC, download and install CutePDF Writer. The program is free and allows you to print straight to PDF through the print function.
On a Linux box, you’ll want to set up a CUPS open printer installation. And, as is the beauty of open source, it’s also free.
Thank you, Matthew, for your suggestion of another way to keep paper from cluttering up our offices!
Popularity: 8% [?]
Bringing your bookshelves back to order
I love, love, love books. The wikipedia entry for bibliophilia should include a picture of me with my nose in a book. I read between 10 to 20 books a month, and I almost exclusively read non-fiction. If money were no object, I would have a home library complete with rolling ladders, comfy leather chairs, and shelves full of my favorite books.
Money has not yet started to grow on the trees in my yard, so I don’t have the luxury of having a dedicated room for a home library. Until then, I have had to accept that I cannot keep every book I’ve ever read or hope to read. So, how do I decide which books stay and which books go? I follow these simple rules:
- Don’t keep more books than you can fit on available bookshelf space. If a book doesn’t have a safe place to live, you’re not treating it with the respect it deserves.
- Don’t keep books for the sole purpose of impressing other people. This rings true in business offices, too. Unless you’re a British literature professor, there is no reason to have the complete works of Shakespeare on your office bookshelves. Potential clients will wonder why you’re spending your time reading Macbeth instead of focusing on their case.
- Get rid of any book you’ve read, don’t plan on reading or referencing again, is in the public domain, and can be found in its entirety online. That’s right, I’m talking about ditching your Dover copy of The Scarlet Letter.
- If you live near a public library or a used bookstore, try to think of these places as an extension of your personal collection. Also, now that so many libraries have free audio books to download, using the library is in some ways more convenient than a personal collection.
Beyond these rules, I’ve found that books are best evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes, if a book is in bad shape, I’ll recycle it. If I’m on the fence about getting rid of a book, I’ll go online and find out how much it’s selling for on Powell’s — if it’s selling for less than $5, I’ll get rid of it — if it’s selling for more than $15, I will usually hold onto it. I also have found that I have difficulty parting with books that have beautiful bindings, so these books I have to scrutinize more diligently. And, don’t forget to ask yourself these vital questions each time you finish reading a book.
After deciding which books should go, there are many resources available to you. I’ve used or read positive reviews about the following services: Powell’s, my local used bookstore, half.com, PaperBackSwap.com, donating to the local library used book sale, BookMooch.com, BookScouter.com, and donating to charities that want specific types of books (nursing homes, literacy programs, etc.).
Good luck sorting through your books, and stay tuned for next week when I’ll discuss how to organize the books you’ve chosen to keep.
Popularity: 11% [?]
How to organize a business meeting
I used to work for an organization that loved meetings. During the course of an average day, I would spend three to five hours in meetings. There were never agendas, people often read directly from PowerPoint presentations, and half of us in the meetings weren’t really sure why we were there. I often was the person in the room mentally estimating everyone’s salary and wondering how much of the organization’s money was being wasted in comparison to the cost of the issue being discussed. After 10 months, I changed jobs because I couldn’t tolerate all the poorly organized meetings.
Since that time, I have come to the conclusion that there are only three circumstances when a business meeting is really necessary. The first situation is when the law requires it — such as shareholder and board of directors’ meetings. The second situation is when untethered brainstorming needs to take place (I’ll describe these meetings and how to organize them in more detail below). And, finally, the third situation when a meeting is worthwhile is what I call off-site, strategy meetings (again, I’ll discuss these in more detail).
Before scheduling any other type of meeting, I think it is best to ask if a meeting is really necessary and the most productive method for conveying information. If it’s well planned and will take less than 15 minutes, a meeting might be an efficient use of everyone’s time. In most cases, though, it’s often better not to have a meeting — especially if that meeting will be disorganized, irrelevant to its attendees, and/or a poor use of resources.
I mentioned the untethered brainstorming meeting above as a good use of meeting time, and I truly believe this is an essential type of meeting for a successful business. If not well organized, these types of meetings can be disastrous. An organized brainstorming meeting, however, can be an amazing gift to a company. To have these meetings, you must first have a team that trusts and respects each other. Without trust and respect, real brainstorming won’t take place and all that will happen is political posturing. Second, you will want to keep attendance at the meeting to 10 people or fewer in most every circumstance. Third, it’s best if the issue to be brainstormed can be e-mailed to everyone 24 hours before the meeting. This gives people time to think about the issue before arriving at the meeting. Next, the meeting should have a three part agenda: 1. Statement of issue to be brainstormed, 2. Brainstorming, and 3. Delegation and statement of future actions and deadlines. Each section should have a set amount of time alloted to it, and a stop watch should be used to stay true to the time commitment. Additionally, it may be helpful to have someone who is not part of the discussion act as a moderator. And, finally, it should go without saying, but the discussion should be lively (maybe even heated) and focus on ideas instead of people. At Unclutterer, our pitch meetings are held in this fashion.
The third meeting type I listed above as an appropriate meeting is the off-site, strategy session. These meetings are best done with teams of 10 or fewer people, and everyone on the team present. An agenda should be circulated at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Each item on the agenda should be focused on over-arching strategies within the organization or team building. Avoid presentations, and instead aim for push-up-your-sleeves type discussions. Again, I recommend a timer and a moderator to help keep attendees focused. I’ve found success in telling everyone to bring nothing but themselves and their favorite coffee mug or Nalgene bottle to the meetings (no laptops, no PDAs, no CrackBerries). A blank notebook and writing implement are then furnished to each attendee at the start of the first session. Exemptions to this rule might be reference materials approved before the meeting that are copied and distributed as supplemental information for a discussion. Finally, it is best to have these meetings marked in stone and set on a regular schedule (every six months or at the start of each quarter or once a year). These meetings are what guide an organization or department and should be treated with that level of respect.
How would your job change if you restructured your meetings to only include these three types of meetings? Can you see how your business might improve its productivity? Do you agree or disagree with my organized meeting suggestions? Any horror stories to share about disorganized meetings? Share your ideas with us in the comments.
Popularity: 8% [?]
How to store your tax returns
Tax Day is just a week from now, and hopefully you followed Matt’s advice and have already mailed in your forms to the government. If you haven’t, well, get to it!
Now is the perfect time to get your filing cabinet ready for your next round of returns. Since you should actually KEEP your tax returns and associated financial documentation, you want to have a systematized method for organizing these papers. Why keep them? First of all, if you ever get audited, you’ll really want them. Secondly, in case of your death, these documents may be needed in the settling of your estate. Whatever the situation, you’ll need these in paper form and not digital scans.
Any returns older than 10 years can be grouped by decade. I’ve been paying income taxes for about 20 years, so I have a 1980s file and a 1990s file. Then, I have 10 working files for the most recent 10-year period. These are labeled “Tax Year 0″ through “Tax Year 9.” Papers for the year 1999 are still in the Tax Year 9 folder, and they will remain there until 2009’s returns are ready for the file. This year’s taxes were filed in the Tax Year 8 folder, and the 1998 files were moved to the 1990s decade file.
In theory, you could get by with only decade folders. However, I have found that often when my tax documents are requested that they’re for specific years. In these cases, it has been extremely convenient to just reach in and grab the exact file. These requests tend to happen the most often with documents from the last 10-year period.
Here’s hoping that you get a nicely organized filing cabinet and a big return from the government this year!
Popularity: 10% [?]
Workspace of the Week: Briefcase office
This week’s Workspace of the Week is Chuck_Notorious’ Gig Bag:
I’m not convinced that a soft-sided briefcase is the best solution for electrical equipment, but I really like the inspiration behind Chuck_Notorious’ design. In one bag, Chuck has assembled everything needed for his job, and the bag is where the equipment permanently lives. He’s not pulling things out of the bag, he’s using the bag as is. Genius! If you have a job where travel is an integral aspect of what you do, consider building yourself a gig bag or briefcase office. Make it so you don’t have to pack and unpack everywhere you go. This is efficient and well organized. Great job, Chuck!
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.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Reader question: How to hide a shredder?
Reader Mary sent us the following question:
Any suggestions about ways to disguise a paper shredder? I want it to be handy, in a place near my family “launch pad” on the kitchen counter or the antique washstand near our front door. I’ve wondered about baskets and anything that would camouflage it in the room.
I will wholeheartedly agree, Mary, that paper shredders are not the most attractive products on the market. And, since you’re keeping your shredder where you use it — brilliant! — I can understand why you want to hide it instead of proclaiming to the world LOOK! I HAVE A SHREDDER! RIGHT HERE!!
A nice laundry basket (I’m thinking something like this) might be large enough to hide a shredder. I’d keep the basket’s lid open during use, though, to minimize heat buildup. And, I’d also cut a hole in the back of the basket for the power cord to feed through.
If you’re rolling in dough, you could call the person who designed your kitchen cabinets to come out and build you a custom cabinet. I, however, am not rolling in piles of cash, so this wouldn’t be the option for me.
In my home, we have a bench just inside the front door and we have a small trash can and a small shredder stored underneath it. We know it’s there, but no one else does. Benches often work in homes with antiques (you mentioned the wash basin), so a bench might be something you could add that still works with your decor. Does your wash basin have space inside of it for the shredder? If it’s not a valuable piece, you could cut a hole in the back of it and run the power cable through it. If it’s a valuable piece, please ignore this last suggestion.
I know that Mary would love to get as many suggestions as possible, so please feel welcome to fill the comments with ideas. Keep on shredding!
Popularity: 12% [?]
Unclutter your computer with a Personal Information Manager
Last week, I offered a few suggestions for uncluttering your computer’s file system and organizing the files that you need to keep using simple folder structures. While that setup works for many types of data, you’re still limited in the way that you can search and use the information you gather. If you write, manage creative projects, or spend time gathering and using research, chances are that such limitations have led you to cobble together your own hybrid system of notebooks, computer files, and physical files.
Enter the personal information manager. A personal information manager takes all of the assorted clippings, bookmarks, images and other files, and stores them in one convenient place. Think of it like a binder without the messy hole punchings. There are several very good PIM tools available that will help you stay organized, but they all have a few simple concepts in common.
One Place
You can’t use information if you don’t remember where you put it. A PIM allows you to gather all of your information in one location. When you need to save a clipping from a website, an image, a PDF, or most other information, you save it into your PIM. Many of the available tools make it incredibly easy to save information with just a few clicks. The important thing is that if you go to save or retrieve information, you’re able to go to one place and be reasonably certain that’s where it is or needs to go.
Convenient Data Input
A data storage system is worthless if it’s too inconvenient to use for storing data. The idea is to save your clippings, images and other files as you encounter them, whether you’re surfing the web, reading e-mail or creating the data yourself. A good personal information manager makes this a snap. Several of the more popular PIMs include “dropboxes” that sit on your desk top waiting for you to drag content into them, add options to dropdown menus, and take advantage of keystrokes. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
Metatagging
Searching is great, but sometimes it’s easier to work with information if you can group it with other similar information. If you do a lot of research, this is especially critical. Personal Information Managers almost universally support the ability to tag information with metadata. For example, if you were to save a copy of this article, you might assign the tags “uncluttering,” “computer software” and “personal information managers.” Then you can easily search for all other content that you’ve saved with the same tags. Most of the available PIMs include the ability to create folders based on your metatags. This allows you to automatically group data together, allowing you to use it easier.
Available PIMs
Here are a few of the more popular Personal Information Managers for Macs and PCs. Most of these programs have trial versions so you can download them and figure out which one works best for you.
Mac:
- DEVONthink - The most full-featured of the Mac PIMs. Also the priciest if you want the advanced features. Somewhat steep learning curve. But, if you’re willing to spend some time with it, it’ll end up saving you lots of time down the road. The “Pro Office” version of DEVONthink integrates very well with our favorite document scanner, the Fujitsu ScanSnap.
- Yojimbo - My personal favorite. Fast and easy to use, with “smart” folders for grouping tagged content. Doesn’t support all file types, but integrates well with other Mac programs.
- SOHO Notes - Handles most file types, and supports aliases. Truly “One Place.” Very convenient input. Lots of useful features, but like DEVONthink, you’ll need to spend some time with it to really take advantage of what it offers.
- Journler - Targeted toward bloggers and writers. Integrates well with iLife, and, like SOHO Notes, supports pretty much any file type. Integrates with various blogging software.
- Bento Personal Database - This newcomer to the Mac PIM scene has more of a project focus. I haven’t dug deep into it yet, but based on what I’ve seen so far, this one has the best shot at replacing Yojimbo in my workflow.
PC:
- One Note - Excels as a repository for digital notes. Supports drawings and handwriting (which is searchable). Integrates well with other MS Office applications, and Internet Explorer. Limited support for tagging.
- Evernote - Very similar to One Note, and offers a free version, as well as a Linux version. Includes text recognition in files, but lacks integration with MS Office. Also doesn’t support PDF files beyond linking.
Web:
- Google Notebook - Great for gathering text data and bookmarks on the web. Works well with Google Documents, and you can make your notebooks public. Doesn’t support organizing other files, but you can access your notes from anywhere that you can get on the internet.
Popularity: 15% [?]
Environmentally friendly uncluttering — From Planet Green
Jasmin Malik Chua is one of the guiding voices behind the informative and earth-transforming blog Planet Green. I love the site because it provides practical advice about ways to help the environment without being preachy or overly touchy-feely. We thank Jasmin for being a part of our month of sharing, and we hope you take a few minutes to check out her site after reading her motivating words.
If I had a penny for every person I’ve met who has told me “I’ve always wanted to go green,” well, let’s just say that I’d be writing this from the deck of a solar-powered yacht floating on Lake Como, while George Clooney squeezed a couple of organic oranges with his bare, masculine hands to sate my thirst.
You may not always hear it spoken aloud, but one word always dances at the end of that phrase: but. As in, “I’ve always wanted to go green, but.” But what, exactly?
But I have no time.
But I don’t know how to.
But I’m easily overwhelmed.
But I don’t want to appear like a hippie.
But I’m afraid of change.
Just because you’re concerned about the type of world we hand off to our children, however, doesn’t mean you have to live in a yurt in outer Mongolia, strap yourself to a whaling ship, or use yourself as a human shield against bulldozers that mow down old-growth trees. In fact, you’re probably already doing your part to save the planet, even if you don’t know it.
Unclutterers are tree-huggers
A person who abhors clutter — and knows that it saps energy and detracts from the more important things in life — already has the first and most important of the three “R”s down pat. Reducing your personal consumption also reduces the amount of “stuff” you’re contributing to the waste stream. Without all that excess baggage, maybe you won’t need to move into a power-guzzling McMansion to house your worldly goods.
If you’ve launched your own personal blood feud against junk mail, you’re helping save some of the 100 million trees that are felled to produce the 100 billion pieces of junk mail that Americans receive every year, as well as the equivalent of 3.7 million cars in global-warming carbon emissions.
Getting your paper clutter under control by viewing and paying your bills online isn’t insignificant either. If all U.S. households swore off paper bills, the reduction in paper would save 16.5 million trees a year.
Here are some other ways you can unclutter your life, while giving the environment a fighting chance to support life on earth:
- Get your money’s worth. By choosing quality over quantity, as well as longevity over novelty, we’ll not only be able to spend more for something that is better-constructed and long-lived, but our purchasing habits will also have less of an impact on the environment.
- Live virtually. Avoid creating something in meatspace if you have a digital option available. You can upload files instead of burning them to discs for distribution, for instance, or use tree-free online faxing. With electronic signatures, you can even send contracts through the digital ether, without having to print a thing.
- Be Zen. As previous guest poster Zen Habits wisely preaches, less is more. To live minimally means being satisfied with just meeting your essential needs — everything else is just “stuff.” In other words, simplify, simplify, simplify.
- Just say no. While this mantra applies to accumulating items we want but don’t need, it’s the little things that we need to be aware of, as well. Most of us ask for a printed confirmation, almost by rote, for example, when we withdraw money from an ATM, or purchase a ticket from a subway machine. More often than not, the receipt vanishes into the folds of our already-overstuffed wallets. Multiply that by 8 billion, which is how many ATM transactions happen each year in America, and that’s a lot of unnecessary waste. Review your ATM transaction at your bank’s Web site, instead.
- Get rid of it. Taking inventory of your possessions, and culling what you don’t need by selling or donating those various odds and ends, means that someone else gets to make use of something that was only collecting dust at your home. And, because the recipient of your preloved goods purchased used, no new resources were expended to create something entirely new.
How has uncluttering and green living intersected in your daily living? Feel free to expound in the comments below.
Popularity: 13% [?]
Bringing in a pro: What professional organizers really want you to know
I want to start by saying that we are on the verge of launching the Real Simple widget on our site so that we won’t have to write these notifications as separate posts any longer. Look for it to go live tomorrow or Thursday. The amazing community manager at Real Simple set up a personal RSS feed for my writing, which makes the programming a breeze now. Three cheers for Melissa! And, three cheers for the awesome programmers at Unclutterer who are creating the widget. Woo hoo!
Today on Real Simple is an insider’s look at hiring a professional organizer. I had the joy of interviewing some power houses in the professional organizing community for this piece, and was blown away by their advice. It is very educational and I recommend you give it a look:
Should You Hire a Professional Organizer?
photo: Tara Striano
Popularity: 13% [?]
Living while at work: Organizing kitchen utensils in your desk drawer
I’ve always kept plastic forks and spoons in my desk, along with napkins and ground pepper, for those frequent times I need them. Whether it be yogurt from home or a bland soup from a restaurant, I always wind up having a need for some kitchen basics while I’m at work. I’m not someone who lives at work, but I do live while at work.
My problem was that I didn’t think it was very sanitary to toss some random kitchen utensils in a junk drawer of my desk. It also wasn’t very efficient because I always had to dig through the drawer to find what I needed. So I took a trip to The Container Store to find a solution.
I found these modular interlocking kitchen drawer organizers and put them to use the next day. I bought four of the same size - for knives, forks, soup spoons, and regular spoons - and snapped them together. They fit perfectly in my drawer. I even had room for napkins and a roll of paper towels.
I prefer the modular interlocking organizers because desk drawers all vary in size, and moving desks is common in office spaces. Being at work doesn’t mean that you stop living, and a drawer set aside for kitchen items isn’t a poor use of space — especially if its organized.
Popularity: 8% [?]
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