Clean Off Your Desk Day January 14, 2013

     
Today is Clean Off Your Desk Day! I'm updating the following post from days gone by.

With a new year beginning, it's a great time to rethink how your desk is functioning. When stacks start accumulating on my desk, it's a clear indication that I need to rethink things. Some good questions to ask:

- Have my responsibilities changed in the last year?

- Are there items that have no home?

- Have some areas increased in importance and others decreased?

- Is my desk area functional and efficient? If not, why?

As I may have shared before, I HATE to file. Consequently, for my few most active areas, I have used attractive open boxes on shelves. I can just drop papers into the boxes and be done! However, I find that I'm not doing this now because I have to stand up and open the cupboard door each time I must file something.

As stupid as this sounds, if you can't do it while sitting at your desk chair, you're more likely to put it off or put it in a stack. Sad, but true.

So, as I have evaluated my desk, I'm going to break down and use some hanging files instead of boxes. I also need the storage space. A box takes up a lot more room than a hanging file.

I've looked at what accumulates on my desk and figured out what I can do to keep that from happening.

And I'm going through my file drawers under my desk to remove files that are no longer active. They will go into a file cabinet in another room.

I'm also creating new files for new areas, as necessary.

My goal is to take a few minutes at the end of the day and take care of anything that needs attention - filing, items that require action, shredding, etc.

Since everything will have a home, my desk shouldn't be the repository of stray items.  

How do you like to keep your desk functional, efficient and neat?


More on similar subjects:
ADD and a Clutter-Free Desk - It's Not Impossible
A very simple filing system for email and paper,
Can Clutter Cause You to Lose Your Job?  

If you need more help organizing your office, treat yourself to Three Steps to Organizing Your Office - it's half off during January! 

10 Ways to Avoid Distraction When Organizing

    
Is one of your goals for 2013 to get more organized? Kristin MacRae has some great insights on staying focused on your organizing task:

 

"Organizing can be overwhelming if you get distracted, and that's very easy to do. Here are 10 tips for keeping distractions at bay.

How many times have you started an organizing project and 3 hours later you found you have made no progress and are in a bigger mess than when you started? Sound like something you have done before? It's all about focusing on the task at hand. Check out these 10 tips to avoid distractions: 

1. Mark your organizing project on your calendar just as you would schedule an appointment. 

2. Try to disconnect yourself from social media. 

3. Try to limit any other distractions, i.e, phone calls, pets, kids, spouse, tv, etc. 

4. Focus. Once you start organizing it is easy to veer off and do other things. 

5. Instead of picking up an item and moving it to another area of the house, keep piles. When you are finished move the piles to other areas. 

6. Try to stay in the area you are working. 

7. Don't spend too much time deciding whether to keep something. If you can't decide, put it aside and move on. Save it until the end. 

8. If you are organizing paper, try not to read full articles or get started in reading magazines. Rip out articles that are important to you and move on. 

9. It's ok to reminisce with sentimental items, but don't let it zap your time. Decide whether to keep or toss and then move on. 

10. Try to limit your project to 3 hours. If it will take you more than 3 hours, schedule a lunch break in between. 

If you organize more than 3 hour straight, you are setting yourself up for burnout and stress. 

Without distractions, your project will take you half the time. You will have finished with more energy. You will be motivated and energized to continue and move forward with the rest of the home or office. Organize! Energize!"   


More on focused organizing:
Teaching Kids How to Sort and Declutter
Got Cabin Fever? Organize Something!
Declutter Any Room in Three Weeks 
 

A Dozen Tips for Staying Clutter Free in 2013

      
One of the top new year's resolutions is to reduce clutter! Here are a few hints I came up with for staying clutter-free in 2013:  

1. Deal with your mail as you bring it in. Sort your mail over a paper recycling container (a box or paper bag will do), a trash can, a shredder, and near the place where you keep bills and mail that must be acted upon. That way, you get rid of most of your mail and put the essentials where they belong. Instant decluttering instead of a stockpile of mail! 

2. Reduce the mail coming into your house.

Lifelock gets rid of credit card offers and other solicitations while protecting your identity. There is a fee for this service. 

Catalog choice allows you to opt out of the catalogs of your choice and other solicitations. This is a free service.  

Yellow Pages Goes Green allows you to opt out of both white page and yellow page phone books that are left at your door. Unsubscribe to newspapers and magazines you do not have time to read.  

3. Determine the quantity of art work and school papers you will keep for each child. At the end of each week, cull through their papers and together decide which ones are keepers. Do the same at the end of the month, further reducing the stockpile. You are training your child to be discerning and not to hold on to everything. Send some to relatives or military personnel as a nice way to purge.

4. Have a giveaway box in your home. When you discover outgrown or unused articles, toss them in the box. When it's full, take the box to your favorite charity.

5. Keep a container in your car to hold returnable items - library books, borrowed items, purchases that need to be returned, etc. Even though dry cleaning is not a returnable item, it could be kept in the box, too. You're more likely to return those items while you're out.

   
6. Change clothes near the laundry hamper. Better yet, have five laundry hampers - whites, lights, darks, towels, delicates. When one basket is filled, wash what's in it - no sorting necessary!  

7. Hang or fold clothes as they come out of the dryer. Clothes are unwrinkled and you don't end up with stacks of laundry to fold. I consider laundry clutter - it's constant and can become overwhelming if not taken care of regularly.  

8. Clean up as dishes are used. It takes little effort to put dishes in the dishwasher rather than stack in the sink. Train other family members to do the same - you are not their maid! Divvy up clean-up chores after dinner - floor, counters, putting food away, dishes. Even toddlers can help!

9. Before bedtime, have everyone clean up what they've messed up or pick up what belongs to them. Tomorrow will start on a pleasant, uncluttered note!

10. Have a place for bookbags, briefcases, purses, keys, coats. Train everyone to store these items in the proper location - hooks, a closet, shelves, cubbies - whatever works for you to eliminate the after-school-after-work explosion!

11. Have a container where you place things that people have left around. When we had four teenage foster daughters living in our home, I had a yellow Rubbermaid container in the bottom of our coat closet. 

Our foster daughters were deterred from leaving their stuff around for fear that their precious possessions would be put in the "yellow bucket" with someone's stinky socks! 

I have heard of others who charge the owner a fee to take something out of the container, or require the item to stay in the container for a certain length of time before it was retrievable.  

12. If you find items lying around that do not have homes, create a home for them, so they are not just moved from place to place. 

With a little effort, clutter does not need to reign in your home in 2013!   

More on decluttering:
Clutter and the Brain
Declutter Any Room in 3 Weeks
Quick Decluttering Tips

2013: Align Your Life with Your Design

       
January is a wonderful time to take stock, evaluate, and realign yourself. Do your activities reflect your passions and priorities? Do your work and leisure hours capitalize on your gifts? Are you being intentional about the legacy you want to leave your children and/or future generations? 

Or are you bouncing through life like a pinball – rebounding off other people’s goals and ambitions, unclear about your own missions in life? 

Aligning your life is something you can do once every few years, once a year, or several times a year – depending upon how often your life has significant change or needs significant change. 

 I like to get away to a place where I won’t be disturbed. Sometimes I have gone to a friend’s cabin, or to a hotel, or just isolated myself at home. Sometimes I go alone and other times my husband and I go together. We’ll work separately, but then come together to work on those things we are committed to jointly. 

 If getting away or even carving out a chunk of time isn't a possibility, set aside a few minutes each day. However you do it, how often you do it – the important things is to do it! We don’t want to echo Yogi Berra, “We’re lost, but we’re making great time!” 

During these “rethinking times” I like to look at my passions, my priorities, my gifts and the legacy I want to leave my children and generations to come. I then compare my activities to see if they reflect these things that are most significant in my life. 

I make long-term and short-term goals in various areas of my life and schedule them into my calendar. 

 It is an appropriate time to eliminate activities I am no longer passionate about or that don’t rank high enough on my priority list. It’s also a reality check if I discover I’m expecting myself to cram 30 hours into a 24-hour day! 

The result? I’m intentionally spending my time doing those things that are most significant to me. I’m not at the mercy of others’ agendas. And I’m living in reality. I only have so much time each day. I want to be intentional about the way I spend it! 

An important key to maintaining your priorities: build in time each week to evaluate your schedule, tweak it if necessary, and plan for next week. I like to create a master weekly plan that I can refer to each week when planning my week so I don’t inadvertently leave something out. 

 Life can be busy and hectic, but you are able to experience peace because you are living out your priorities and leaving an intentional legacy! 

 What legacy do you want to leave? 

Make 2013 an intentional year by aligning your life with your design (your unique passions, priorities, gifts, and legacy)!   

More on this subject:  

Each time management book in the 1-2-3...Get Organized series guides you through a step-by-step process of determining your passions, priorities, gifts, and legacy and aligning your schedule and activities accordingly. Some are half-price this month! 

If the thought of doing this alone is overwhelming, join me for some coaching.  

Need it broken down into bite-sized chunks? Maybe Rethinking Your Life in 3 Weeks is for you.

Clearing Out Emotional and Physical Clutter

    
At a time when we're rethinking life, I thought this article by Michelle Aycock would be very helpful and inspiring. Hope you find it useful.

"Most of us feel a need to organize our lives and begin making goals that we would like to accomplish in the new year. In attempting to organize your life, you may find it difficult to let go of things that are no longer useful. I have put together a list of four things that you do not need in your life. It is important to take the time to clear out negative thinking patterns that may be draining your emotional energy or those things in your life that you no longer need. Clearing out not only the physical stuff, but also the emotional junk can leave you feeling refreshed and motivated to reach your goals so that you may begin to enjoy your life.

Here are some things to consider eliminating from your life:

• Negative and emotionally exhausting relationships. Some relationships are emotionally draining, but some are emotionally uplifting. If you are putting a lot of emotional energy into a relationship but still continue to feel emotionally exhausted, you then must ask yourself, “Is this relationship mutually satisfying? Do we support and encourage each other?” If not, then it may be time to move on. Not only ask these questions regarding your intimate relationships, but also friend and family relationships.

• “Someday” thinking. One of the biggest road blocks to having the life you want is being stuck in “someday” thinking. Some day is not a day on your calendar and without some planning it never arrives. Ask yourself, “Why am I putting my life on hold?” Make a list of all the things that you have been wanting to do and goals you would like to achieve. Which is the one that you will most regret not having accomplished in your life? Go down your list one by one and take steps to work toward each and every goal.

• Old ideas and attitudes. Albert Einstein once said, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind set that created it.” Shifting your perceptions is often the key to new opportunities. You are in charge of your own life. It is not your current circumstances that are holding you back, it is the way you are thinking about them. If you sometimes say, “That’s just the way it is,” instead say, “How can I think about this differently?” Just beginning to think about things differently can open up possibilities you hadn’t imagined.

• Piles of stuff laying around. Take inventory of items that simply take up space or collect dust such as clothes you don’t wear, old magazines or old bills that need to be filed. Ask yourself, “Is this something that I truly love or is currently functional in my life? If your answer is no, consider getting rid of it by donating or recycling it. Clutter can not only block us physically but also emotionally.

Take the time to evaluate how each of these four things may be interfering with you enjoying your life. Once you determine what you would like to change in your life, then begin by taking action by actively working to reach those goals. Hopefully the new year will bring more peace and enjoyment to your life."


More on rethinking life:
Rethinking Your Life in 3 Weeks
Spring Cleaning Your Relationships
10 Types of Emotional Clutter

Celebrate National Get Organized Month with Half-Priced 1-2-3 ... Get Organized books

   
Through the month of January, all printed 1-2-3 ... Get Organized books are half-price! 

These include:
- Three Steps to Decluttering
- Three Steps to Organizing Your Office
- Three Steps to Organizing Your Kitchen
- Three Steps to Organizing Your Child’s Room
- Three Steps to Time Management for the    Stay-at-Home Mom
- Three Steps to Time Management at the Office
- Three Steps to Clever Cleaning

 These little books were written for the organizationally overwhelmed – one organizing task at a time!

They make great graduation, wedding, and house-warming gifts, so stock up now!

I recently gave a wedding gift to a friend’s daughter that included a large storage bin, two foldable cloth bins, shelf expanders, my Decluttering, Kitchen, and Clever Cleaning books, plus my Hassle Free Dinners flash drive (a year's worth of weekly dinner menus, instructions, and grocery lists). She loved it!!

Happy organizing!  

Merry Christmas!

     
I want to wish you a merry Christmas! We are  so looking forward to having our entire family here. One daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter live here in Bozemen. And our other daughter who lives in Kazakhstan is flying in tonight.

As you can imagine, we're elated! So, to celebrate I'm taking time off from blog writing until after the first of the year. :) 

I hope you are intentional about celebrating Christmas - choosing ways to have a meaningful holiday! Blessing to you!
  

A No-Cost Organizing Solution for Your Pantry

  
I don't know about you, but pantry items that come in bags irritate me. They are hard to store efficiently and attractively.

I recently purchased a bunch of clear plastic containers for one of my clients and have considered buying some for myself. But as I started to recycle similar containers lately, I got to thinking that these would work just as easily. Not quite as attractive as having all the same size and the same-colored lids. But the price is right!


So, I've started repurposing salsa and rice containers for other uses when they are empty. Here's a picture of my beginning project. If I need to keep the information from the bag, I tape it to the container. Perfect for brown sugar, chocolate chips, white rice, and gluten free flours.

I also like using empty canning jars to store things like red hots, cinnamon sticks, and other hard-to-store items.

What creative, no-cost storage ideas do you have?

More on no-cost storage:
Containerizing Your Kitchen
Don't Make the #1 Organizing Mistake
10 Green Organizing Solutions for Crafts

Repurposing My Shoe Organizers in the Pantry

  
Recently I purchased some horizontal shoe organizing shelves for our mud room/laundry room entry from the garage. We always have a bunch of shoes (mostly mine) there in that small space. So I was looking to tidy up the space.

After bringing the shelves home, I decided I'd prefer vertical cubbies to save floor space. I was intending to take the horizontal shelves back, but came up with a problem-solving use for them.

Some of the shelves in my pantry are very far apart. One especially is very inefficient, having a vertical space of 2-3 feet. Voila! Instant usable space! Why didn't I think of this before?

Here's an after picture. I always get so involved in my projects that I forget to take before pictures!

I'm so pleased that the items in my stacks now have their own space!


More on pantry storage:
Bugs in the Pantry?
Organizing the Pantry
Spring Cleaning the Pantry - When to Toss It

Inheriting Stuff - Deal With It Immediately

    
My faither-in-law just moved from assisted living to nursing care in the retirement community in which he lives. As a result, my husband had to go through his two-room apartment and clear it out. He had to make decisions about what to transfer to his dad's new room, what we should keep and what could be let go.

After choosing what would go into the nursing center room and what we would keep, he was able to sell his dad's furniture and TV to some of the nurses who had cared for his dad for years. They weren't allowed to receive gifts, so he sold the items for $1. Whatever they didn't want will be donated.

He had to determine what might be meaningful keepsakes for our family. Whatever didn't fit in his suitcase, he mailed home. We will do a final culling during Christmas when our girls are here to take those things that are meaningful to them. After that, we'll either keep or donate the remaining items.

When we lived in Ohio, my parents-in-law moved from an apartment to their assisted living rooms. As a result, we brought many of their keepsakes from that trip, without having the time to sort through them. We found it difficult to find time to go through their things while we were house parents for our teenage foster daughters. Lately, we've been going through these things, and will also ask our girls to look through those things, too, to determine sentimental items they want to keep. We've enjoyed going through letters, cards, pictures, awards, and other memorabilia of their lives.

If there is a way to consolidate memories, do so! My husband and daughter have been scanning pictures and slides. You can hire someone to do the same if you don't have the desire or equipment. You can also transfer VHS tapes to DVDs or flash drives to reduce the volume.

My advice: when you inherit items from your parents, other relatives or friends, deal with them immediately. If at all possible, determine what you want before it comes into your house. Don't bring in anything that you will later want to remove. Sure saves a lot of trouble! Offer family pieces to your children, if they are interested. Are there other relatives, friends, or organizations who may want some of these items? Then take another look to see if you really want to keep what is left.

Dispose of unwanted furniture and household items through donation, an estate sale or selling them on Craig's list, at a consignment store, a newspaper ad, or garage sale.

Don't procrastinate on this! I've talked with clients whose houses have gone from uncluttered to stuffed as they have inherited their relatives' possessions. Be intentional about what you bring into your home!


More on getting rid of stuff:
Virtual Thrift Store Help You Clear Clutter and Benefit Charities, Too
Animal Shelters Accept What Other Charities Can't Use
A Giveaway Party - A Garage Sale Alternative

An Intentional Christmas - Teach Your Child to Give this Holiday Season

     
I loved the following article by Jan Helson, enumerating several ways to provide giving opportunities for your child. Inspiring!

"Does your child enjoy using the computer, your smart phone, or your tablet? These new tools not only provide entertainment, but also opportunities to teach children about giving back and making the world a better place.

Since kids today live in a "wired" world, parents have the chance to expose their children to philanthropy in a very modern way, using innovative tools and games that help connect the world together. Here are five ideas for how you can use these amazing tools to provide your kiddos a personal experience with charity.

1. Connect with news sites online. News stories are a great way to teach your child about different challenges that people encounter in their lives. Selecting a few, you can ask your child what they could do to help. Try to find stories with strong visuals, like videos or pictures, or a connection with an individual person. They will provide a stronger impact and impetus for empathy.

2. Visit charity websites. Here, you can show kids what different types of charities do, and how people can help. For example, you can show how people help at the American Red Cross by donating blood, at Goodwill by donating used clothes, and at a hometown shelter by serving food to people who are hungry.

3. Take advantage of interactive games, web-based games, or game apps that show children how their contributions matter. Check out freerice.com, which donates 10 grains of rice for every correct answer. Or try Wetopia together, a Facebook game where players collect “joy”, which translates into donations for various charities. Or download Raise the Village, an iPhone game similar to Farmville.

4. Find other kids who are working with charities. Real-life examples of kids working around the world to make it a better place are proof that you don’t have to be a grown-up to do good things. The Global Game Changers book app features three real-life kids who have done what they can to make the world a better place!

5. Encourage your child to use their talents and passions to make the world a better place and utilize the Internet to get it done. There are many websites that allow you to start fundraising online for your favorite charity! Participate in a real-world event as a family, but show your kids how you can raise money from friends across the country by using online tools like raceraiser.com, for example, or the site related to your walk/run!

Using these simple ideas, you can show your children how the Internet can spark interest and get them moving toward making the world a better place!"


More on giving:
Helping Your Child Declutter Toys Before Christmas
Organizing Spring Break Days
Donate Your Bikes to Youth Bike-Refurbishing Program

The Very Best Apps and Websites for Holiday Gift List Organization

  
Believe it or not, I'm pretty much finished with my Christmas shopping and wrapping! I'm quite proud of myself and can't remember when I've been so ahead of things! It helps being empty nesters and not being in the middle of getting settled after a move, like we were last year. :)

But if you're still in the throes of Christmas shopping, here's some great advice from Jeana over at CoolMomTech.

"Yes, it's that time to start thinking about ways to organize your gift lists. The holidays will be here before we know it. Luckily, these days. there are really a lot of tech resources out there for managing the holiday shopping process, both to keep track of gifts you want to buy for others, and to keep a list of things you have your eye on (hint, hint).

We've culled through a ton of holiday shopping tech to find some the best mobile apps and online resources to make your holiday shopping just a little easier. And hey, anything that minimizes having to return things after the holidays is holly jolly in my book. -Jeana

ON YOUR SMARTPHONE

iWishfor

This handy app (above) keeps a running list of things you want for yourself and compiles the wants of friends and family. The catch is that you have to invite people to the app in order for them to be able to contribute to your lists. Once you have people in your network, they can easily add whatever they want to make it easier for you to know exactly what they want. There's also a supercool barcode scanner within the app that lets you scan your items directly onto the list. (Free, iOS)

Free Christmas List
Keep track of gifts for Mom, Dad, the cousins, the uncles, the kids and anyone else on your list with this handy app. You can separate lists by person and even keep a running budget of how much you have spent and how much you have left, for each recipient--great for those of us who sometimes go a little nutty on the stockings stuffers. This version is free, but the Pro version is ad-free and adds an option to password protect your list from spying eyes. (Free, Android)

Springpad

More than just a gift organization app, Springpad (a recent sponsor, who we totally love) is more like a personal digital assistant that lets you organize thoughts, lists, images, links, and more into "notebooks." For these purposes, you could have a "Gifts for Me" notebook, "Gifts for Mom," "Cookie Recipe Ideas for the Teachers" and so on--and they can even be made private which is a huge bonus. The visual layout is just pretty to look at and because each spring allows you to link to multiple items, links, media, coupon sites and more, the functionality goes way beyond holiday shopping. It's on the web, too and you can choose to share or not share whatever you wish. In fact, check out our editor Liz's array of awesome notebooks for inspiration!

[Presents for Sophie notebook by AllisonMorris]

ONLINE

Pinterest

We just covered Pinterest's new secret boards and of course, holidays gifts are the perfect reason to take advantage of this new feature. One drawback as opposed to a similar service like Springpad is that you're only limited to three boards that can be kept shrouded in secrecy. But if you're already spending time on the site, this could be a great way to add to whatever you've already collected and find ideas from other boards. Check out the Cool Mom Picks Cool Toys Pinterest Board for some fun inspiration!

WantWorthy

If you're going to be doing some shopping online, it only makes sense that you look for a few items for yourself, right? After all, you'd be doing everyone else a huge favor by picking out exactly what you want. And whatever you want online can be housed in one place with WantWorthy. Using a little "Want" button that you drag onto your browser toolbar, you can instantly create a list of items that are good for any gift-giving occasion at all.

Google Docs

Admittedly Google Spreadsheet is definitely not the sexiest option, but it certainly gets the job done. You can use this simple template to keep track of everyone's gifts and even share with family and friends who you want input from. This could be helpful for group gift options too where everyone can contribute their thoughts on ideas and budget. Since Google Docs is in the cloud, you (and other gifters) can always get to it without anyone needing to have an app or smartphone.

Amazon Wishlist

I'm on Amazon at least once a week and have started taking better advantage of its comprehensive Wishlist feature. With EVERYTHING available through Amazon, it's a perfect way to create lists for yourself and others, plus being able to purchase them directly. You can share these lists and just keep them going year-round, adding to them whenever you come across something that's list-worthy. I love that I can keep the lists and buy from the lists in the same place for the ultimate in convenience."

Jeana was certainly thorough, wasn't she?

More on organizing for shopping:

Organizing Your Online  Shopping
Organize Your Christmas Shopping with New Gifts HD iPad App
An Online Tool to Consolidate Wishlists

Organizing the College Application Process

    
College applications are looming! Filling out all those college applications can be very complicated and time consuming. Maura Kastberg wrote a terrific piece on organizing to make the process a little smoother....

"All the dates we have to remember in life can get overwhelming. I come from a big Irish Catholic family and I have five sisters and one brother. Remembering their birthdays, and their children's and spouses birthdays is nearly impossible if it weren't for my old-fashioned paper calendar. As I turn each month over in a glance I can see how many cards I need to buy for that month.

I also have a larger one in my office. It's the only way I can keep track of the meetings and pending commitments looming. Why am I telling you all this? Well, a high school senior needs a calendar at this time of the year. There are so many deadlines to keep track of. The typical student applies to three to five colleges they each have two deadlines one for admissions applications and another one for financial aid applications. Then there are state financial aid program deadlines. Illinois advises students to apply as soon after January 1st as possible. Connecticut has a priority deadline of February 15th.

If you miss the deadline you miss out on that opportunity. Most state financial aid programs are initially applied for by submitting the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Students should have their FAFSA completed as early as possible but certainly no later than their earliest deadline be that from the college or their state program.

The first step to organizing this work is to know what paperwork is required. Keep track of which admissions applications require which pieces, is an essay required, do they want recommendations if so how many, if SAT or ACT test scores are required what deadlines are associated with those. Have a sheet that lists each schools requirement then mark the deadlines on your calendar.

Next know what the financial aid requirements are, all schools will want the FAFSA but some will also require the CSS Profile form and some will have their own financial aid forms that need to be completed. Once you know what the colleges require mark the deadlines on your calendar. Finally look up your state financial aid deadline and mark that on the calendar.

The admissions applications should be sent in early enough to meet the deadline but not too early. The FAFSA should be submitted prior to whatever the earliest deadline is. You probably will not have your taxes completed but you should submit your application using an estimate so your deadlines are met then update the information once you and your parents have completed their taxes.

Finally, keep a copy of everything you submit and the date you submitted it. This will help you later if some piece of your application gets lost or is incomplete. There are many dates to keep track of, but using a calendar to lay it out and plan from can go a long way towards making things a little easier."


More on organizing for college:
USA Today: Staying Organized and Sane During the College Application Process
Organizing College Applications
Three Steps to Time Management for the College Student

Clutter Lessons We Can Learn from Woodpeckers

    
I came across Wendy Langhans' amusing and educational article about woodpeckers and their organizing habits. I think we could learn a lot from them. Enjoy! :)

"It’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately:  what is the difference between storing useful stuff and acumulating clutter?

Perhaps there’s something to be learned from the behavior of Acorn Woodpeckers.



Last Saturday, on a hike at East Canyon, I noticed an Acorn Woodpecker flying overhead.  As I looked about, I noticed a “granary tree”, a dead tree trunk drilled with hundreds of acorn-sized holes.  Some of the holes already had acorns in them, but there were plenty of empty spaces.  I suspect the woodpecker was heading back to gather more acorns from the oaks on the other side of the canyon.

There are 22 species of woodpeckers in North America.  Acorn Woodpeckers are unique among woodpecker species because of their cooperative social behavior.  They live together in family groups of up to 15 birds.

During the spring and summer, Acorn woodpeckers feed mainly on insects.  But in the fall, they work together in family groups to gather and store enough acorns to last throughout the winter.  Sometimes they use a tree, sometimes a telephone pole...



and sometimes...



(Photo courtesy Ron Kraus)

...they choose whatever is handy, like this broken bulletin board at Walker Ranch.

Both Acorn woodpeckers and humans store stuff.  According to the Self Storage Association, 'One in 10 US households currently rent a self storage unit”.  There “is 7.3 sq.ft. of self storage space for every man, woman and child in the nation'.

But when does storing useful stuff become accumulating clutter? Here are three lessons I learned from Acorn Woodpeckers:

1)  Woodpeckers store acorns for a season; humans store stuff for an indeterminate period of time, perhaps even a lifetime.

2)  Woodpecker storage is focused.  They collect acorns.  Human storage is often unfocused.  We collect socks, jewelry, postcards, you-name-it.

But perhaps the most important lesson I learned is this:

3)  Woodpeckers store acorns to feed better; humans store stuff to feel better."


More on our clutter:
The Scientific Reason for Clutter
Yale Study: Why Letting Go Is Literally Painful
Disheartening Findings from a UCLA Study on Clutter and the Middle Class

Need Christmas Cash? How to Sell Your Old Phones, Equipment and Gadgets.

  

It's a hassle to get rid of old office equipment and gadgets, isn't it? Stephanie Vozzal's article provides all you need to cash in on your unused or outdated items:

"Got a few thousand dollars lying around? If your office is similar to the average U.S. household, you just might. A survey by eBay and Nielsen Customized Research found most of us have 50 unused items around their home that, if sold, could bring in $3,100.

The printer you replaced, the cell phone you upgraded and the book you never read -- it’s time to convert that clutter into cash.

Here are several items just waiting to be turned in for money, and how to cash in.

Cell Phones and Electronic Gadgets

According to the latest e-waste study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 141 million cell phones and mobile devices are replaced each year and only 8% are recycled.

Donna Smallin Kuper, organizing expert and author of How to De-clutter and Make Money Now (CreateSpace, 2012) says the majority ends up in drawers, 'because most people don’t know what to do with their old phones when they get new ones.'

In her book, she lists websites that pay cash for cell phones and other electronics. To sell an old phone, a good place to start is SellCell.com, a price comparison site that gets quotes from multiple buyers. Smallin Kuper also recommends Gazelle.com, a popular site that pays cash for select cell phones as well as iPads, iPods and Macbooks. According to its website, the company has purchased more than a million items, with the average device fetching $125.

Another good site is NextWorth.com, which has one of the most extensive buyback lists. This company will purchase your cell phone, laptop, camera, tablet, e-reader, GPS, television, video game console and even your calculator.

When it comes to selling electronics, digital lifestyle expert Carley Knobloch says timing is everything.

'As soon as I got the iPhone 5, I sold my iPhone 4' she says. 'I knew it was worth more at that moment than it ever would be.'

Knobloch, founder of Digitwirl.com, recommends selling electronics as soon as you upgrade or decide you don’t need it. And to help with resale value, she suggests taking good care of your gadgets, using a case when possible and skipping the custom engraving.

Books

Most entrepreneurs have a shelf full of books on the latest business trends. Turn them into quick cash by selling to a site that buys books. Start at BookScouter.com, a price comparison site with a database of more than 20 vendors.

Powells is one of the most popular book selling sites. And SellBackBooks.com is a good market for textbooks. Smallin Kuper says she likes this site because of its Android app that lets you scan the ISBN.

Office Equipment and Furnishings

If you have an iPhone, sell office furnishings using the Yardsale iPhone app. Knobloch likes the app because it lets buyers search specific neighborhoods. Other good sites for selling large furnishings include Craigslist.org and Kijiji.com, both of which offer free online classified ads.

Empty Ink Cartridges

Finally, get cash for ink and toner cartridges. TonerBuyer.com buys empty, partially used and new cartridges. Or return empty cartridges to an office supply store, such as Staples or Office Max, and get store credit of $2 per cartridge.

'In our economy, everybody’s looking to make a little extra money,' says Knobloch. 'Cleaning out the clutter and making extra cash in the process is a great way to do it.'"

More on selling your clutter:
Apps to Help Get Rid of Your Clutter
Helping Your Kids Turn Their Clutter into  Cash
Decluttering Your Electronics