Clutter Hacks
Less is More
12 Tips for an Organized Desk
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Are you the disorganized type with piles of paper on your desk? Or are you the type who goes for fashion over function?
Well, Smart Computer Softwares Blog has a great post called 12 Tips for an Organized Desk to help you get a handle on your office space.
I especially like this point:
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Favourite Organising Tools #5 - Timers
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I have a special something to help me stay focussed.
This is it - a timer.
It is one of my favourite organising tools for these three reasons:
- it keeps me focussed and on task
- it helps me to work quickly
- it helps me to plan for project work
Did you know that work expands to find the time available for it?
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You Can Get Organized!
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I first talked to "Clara" 3 years ago on the phone. She had heard me on the radio doing an interview on a talk show. She was excited with what she learned on the air and called me almost instantly after the show was over. We talked for 20 minutes and she decided that she could not afford our services.
Never one to give a hard sell, you either are ready to get help or you are not, I told her that we would be around if she decided she needed the help. Three years later she called, "My friend told me that if I had let you come over when we first talked I would not be so frustrated now."
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Do My Stuff
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Outsourcing your work isn't just for busy professionals anymore! Websites like DoMyStuff.com allow 1000s of people to have somebody else do their errands, chores, projects, and other tasks that sometimes clutter up life. Doesn't that sound nice?! Think of the time and energy you could save…
A quick check of DoMyStuff.com shows that there are many different types of requests - anything from building a website to moving a couch to gardening. So if you find that you are too busy to enjoy life, it may be worth hiring some much-needed relief.
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Download Clutter Control Freak Blog's Clutter Hack Widget or Our Custom Toolbar So You Never Miss a Clutter Hack
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Now there are three great ways to be sure you never miss a clutter hack from Clutter Control Freak Blog:
• The Clutter Hack of the Day Widget for your Google Desktop. (Download Google Desktop here first. Then, download the widget here.)
• The Clutter Hack of the Day Widget for your blog. (Download it here.)
• The new Clutter Control Freak Toolbar that lets you access our latest posts and all our features, instantly, from your browser. It's easily customizable, has Google-powered search, and is compatible with Internet Explorer and/or Firefox on Mac and PC. (Download it here.)
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Stop the Junk Mail
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Spring cleaning this year can go beyond just the closets, cupboards and garages and also include our mailboxes. Who knew that Americans receive nearly four tons of junk mail each year and the average consumer can be on thousands of marketing mailing lists at any time? We are flooded with unwanted advertisements, credit card offers and political propaganda, which can bury the mail we are looking for…not to mention create a drain on the environment.
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Recession Proof Your Budget
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The headlines are alarming. February job losses are up, the dollar is weak, and oil prices are above $100 a barrel. Many economists are warning that the U.S. is headed for a recession – or may already be in one. So what should the average American do? The Debt Diva, Clarky Davis of CareOne Credit Counseling, says you can’t control the economy, but there are steps you can take to recession-proof your life.
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An Empty Inbox is Like an Uncluttered Home
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This is a picture of what my inbox usually looks like.
Because I'm being completely open and honest with you, right at the moment, I have 6 in my inbox.
It makes me smile 
to see that lovely uncluttered space.
There are probably about 5 - 7 email habits I have that help to keep my inbox empty.
I'll share just one of the ways with you: Every day I play a game with myself to see how many emails I can delete.
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The De-Cluttering Transformation
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Our recently befriended neighbor across the street is 70 years old and without any family to speak of. For years, she cleaned her own house and did her own shopping without help. It was wearing on her, though. Her age and her weight made it difficult to do things the way she wanted them done. The clutter slowly took over her home, which led to depression. When we first met her a few months ago, she was mired in clutter, sleeping all the time, and barely leaving her house.
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Organise Magazine Clippings
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I'm a bit of an information junkie so I often find myself buying a magazine because one or two headlines caught my eye.
Sound familiar?
I don't like keeping magazines because all you need are about 5 pages (if that) from each magazine and it's a waste of space! Not to mention a waste of time when you have to look through that whole magazine for one article.
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Is Your Laundry Room Organized?
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Unless you are very fortunate (and already very organized), your laundry room is probably like most; small, and one of the last places you think of organizing. But when you think about it, it’s a vital room to keep on top of. Since I have no garage or hall closet, my laundry room is cleaning and storage central for our home. When it’s disorganized, that feeling of chaos spreads to all my other tasks as well.
Here are a few tips for organizing that all-important room:
• Make the most of your walls - Items like a mop and broom rack, an ironing board rack and fold-out laundry hanger will give you the most bang for your buck and make the most of your otherwise unused wall space.
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Stair-Steppin’ for the Environment
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Some people resist taking measures to live a low-impact lifestyle because they’re afraid it will be too hard. They’re not interested in saying goodbye to convenience, splurges and fun to adopt a tough, pioneer-style existence.
I’m here to say, “That isn’t the only choice.”
You don’t have to start out selling your car and turning off your electricity!
This is a process much like climbing stairs. In my mind, I visualize a massive staircase like the one in Chichen itza, Mexico (see picture). It looks overwhelming at first, but as you take it one step at a time you make fast progress. If you climb too fast or if you get winded you can always stop and rest. If you’re climbing with someone else, you might need to pause and wait for them to catch up. Start slowly and keep climbing.
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FREE ebook for You - 100 Surefire Ideas to Organize Your Busy Life
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I got together with 3 awesome business owners and we put together this 40-page book in record time. Nothing like group excitement and accountability to get us moving! I am so proud of how this turned out and I know you're going to LOVE it!
You can get your copy of this gorgeous FREE book at http://organiseyourbusiness.com.
Let me give you just a little hint about what's in there:
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A Salute to William Morris
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“Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
I’m sure when he uttered those words in the mid 1800’s, he had no idea he would be the most quoted man in organizing circles more than a hundred years later. His words cut to the heart of organizing. He simply encouraged others to shift their direction–to move toward simplicity.
Imagine if everyone owned only what was meaningful or useful! They would have more time, more money and less stress; because possessions bring responsibility which requires time and money.
5 Steps to Organise Your Kitchen Counters
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I often get asked, "how do you keep the kitchen counter neat, tidy and organised?"
A kitchen counter can get out of control very quickly because of all the different things happening, like children's papers, meal preparation, cooking, homework, crafting, shopping, etc. Because of this, I don't think you could ever just leave the kitchen and hope it would stay neat and organised! However, here are a couple of tips to help you at least try:
1. Have clearly designated areas for each activity
We have one little corner just as you enter our kitchen where we pack and unpack lunches, sort papers and so on. The rest of my smallish kitchen is for meal preparation and cooking.
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Getting to the Root of Clutter
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You are determined this time. You’re going to organize your home and KEEP it organized. Then, before you realize what’s happened, your home has succumbed to chaos again in just a few short weeks. How many of you find yourselves in this endless cycle? I know I do.
When you really think about it, clutter is so much more than that stack of papers or the clothes you no longer wear. Clutter is the dozens of different distractions you are bombarded with every day. Clutter is ANYTHING that is preventing you from living a simple, beautiful, and harmonious life. Unhealthy relationships and negative beliefs about yourself are forms of emotional clutter that can sap your energy and dampen your spirit.
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Cutting Back On Clutter Calories
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At some point, you’ve probably seen Peter Walsh dishing out his organizing advice on Oprah or on TLC’s Clean Sweep. His latest book is called Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? An Easy Plan for Consuming Less and Living More. Here’s a short description of the book, courtesy of its publisher Simon and Schuster:
“When it comes to clearing clutter, it isn't about the stuff itself; it's about the life you want to live…
Using his expert techniques honed from years as a clutter expert and organizational consultant, Peter demonstrates…how to clean up not just the spaces…but the routines around them…
Peter knows all the pitfalls and in Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?, he gives you the tools (and courage) you need to get over all your excuses, [and] face the issues…”
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Saving Space and Trees
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Tired of storing file boxes full of back tax returns? Store them on discs!
When I filed my taxes online last year, I didn’t have a printer to print out the returns for my records. So I downloaded them as a PDF file onto my computer and later burned them onto a disc.
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8 Signs Your Home is Out of Control — and What to Do About It
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It happens without warning. One day you notice your home has turned into a collage of papers, junk, and stuff – everywhere. You’re not alone. Today more than ever it seems that the flotsam and jetsam of living, like the waves of an ocean, continually beat at our doors, flooding our houses with all manner of stuff until our homes are bulging at the seams. A typical home is now cluttered and dirty to the point of exhaustion. All this accumulation also makes going home or being at home, a cause for dread because we’re overwhelmed by the sheer volume of things surrounding us. Can you relate?
Kathryn Weber has written an incredibly helpful article on Bellaonline.com called 8 Signs Your Home is Out of Control — and What to Do About It.
The eight signs are:
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What to Do With All the Junk
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Now that the holidays are over, we find ourselves buried up to our necks in wrapping paper, cards, packing materials, disposable plates and utensils, and old dry trees. I found some great tips on recycling all the mounds of holiday waste by Sarah Linn at sanluisobispo.com.
• Bags and boxes
Paper gift, grocery and shopping bags go in the blue recycling container supplied by local trash companies.
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Planning For Next Year's Food Clutter
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It's official. I stepped on the scale 2 days ago. Not only do my legs barely squeeze into my jeans and my butt look a mile wide - I have the proof in the pounds, too!
I hate the holiday season in the food aspect. OK, no, I lied. I LOVE the holiday season in the food aspect, I hate the holiday season in the weight aspect! When it comes to sweets, I have no self-control. I spend November and December completely enjoying myself, eating whatever I want, whenever I want, and then January through October getting my weight back down.
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Tips to Make Entertaining Fast, Easy and Inexpensive
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Do you have a lot of friends that you owe 'get-togethers' to? Friends that invite you over during the holidays, special friends and acquaintances from clubs or organizations that you belong to or fellow workers that you are close to? Would you like to have them stop over during the holidays, but the thought of all of those people and the separate parties is just too much to think about?
Try this:
Have several or maybe one big OPEN HOUSE. Set a day and the time (say from 1-4 p.m. or 7-11:00p.m.) and send an open invitation to everyone.
What to serve:
Remember this is a 'social' get together that has a lot of talking and chances to meet new people.
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Make Your List and Print it Twice…
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After completing my holiday cards I made two more copies of my freshly updated mailing list. In the past I would look around for return address labels ripped from envelopes, check my address box for scribbled notes or quickly scan last years list trying to remember who moved, died, or had a baby. This took a fair amount of time.
Then I found a faster, less cluttered way of doing things. I made a paper copy of the mailing list and made updates throughout the year. I updated the paper copy with red pen as soon as I learned of a change. That way I was able to make all of the adjustments to the list in one sitting.
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6 Ways to Simplify Your Holiday Decorating
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If you haven't started your holiday decorating already (or even if you have!), here are a few tips to help you simplify the process, reduce stress and get back to experiencing the joys of your holiday decorating traditions!
1. Decorate less! This year, try using only half of your decorations. Spending less time displaying decorations will give you more time to enjoy them. You’ll also have less to put away after the holidays!
2. Don’t add to your decorations, REPLACE them! If you buy a new decoration, let go of an old one.
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Organising Gift-Wrapping Supplies
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I've tried many different storage solutions over the years, half of which left me more frustrated than anything else, until I started using this wastepaper basket.
This has been working for the last 3 years or so and I think it's because it uses vertical space and is easy to maintain.
Bonus tip - I never buy Christmas gift wrap because then I'm stuck with leftovers the whole year. It sits there, torturing me because you know how I like to throw things out.
So I buy coloured craft wrap - it's cheaper and I just add a non-Christmassy coloured ribbon (or raffia) and I use the same paper for birthday and other gifts!
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Living With my Beloved Slobs
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Some days I am completely overwhelmed with the amount of STUFF in my house. And living with a mildly packrat-ish husband and three teens, a lot of it isn’t even mine. Some days I just want to gut my house and start fresh. The thought of trying to organize this craziness makes me want to move. So how do I get everyone to clean up their own clutter and mess without sounding like a perpetual nag? And besides, has nagging ever worked? Has trying to change anyone ever worked? Has it ever helped my relationships? NO!
But there is hope…
There is a school of thought that teaches “To change the world you must start with yourself”. How does this apply to my clutter problem?
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ONE Simple Step and You're Halfway to Your Goals!
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You think I'm exaggerating, don't you?
I'm not!
Before I explain more about the ONE THING, let me give you 3 quick goal-setting success stories:
1. Yvette
Yvette, an admin consultant, approached me at the end of last year and started chatting about her goals. I suggested my how to set and achieve goals e-book which she bought and started working through.
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How to Deal With Mail Clutter
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One of the things people most often ask me is how to deal with all the mail.
I know it's hectic; we go through the same thing. I noticed when we visited Australia that many people have signs on their letter boxes saying "no junk mail".
Aussie readers - do those signs work? I'd love it if that would work in South Africa but somehow, I just don't think so.
I do have some good news - you can take control of your mail with just a few quick and easy steps.
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De-cluttering Children's Toys
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Now is the perfect time to declutter your children’s toys, just before Christmas.
You know how you get overwhelmed with too much stuff? Your kids also get overwhelmed with too many toys.
Your kids have too many toys if…
1. There is not enough space in their rooms to store it. No, the answer is not to move to a bigger house or to buy more containers.
2. They don’t even notice when you remove some toys.
3. They forget the toys they do have because they’re buried so deep.
Now, here’s what I want you to do:
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Prepare for the Holidays Using a Few Organizing Pointers
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As you go about the business of preparing for the holidays, remember a few of the “rules of organizing.” They can be particularly helpful at this time of year.
1) One-in one-out. To keep your home from looking cluttered, put away most of your knick knacks and accessories. Then pull out the decorations. As Robert Browning says, “Less is more.”
2) A place for everything, and everything in its place. Gather all of your holiday decorations in one place. Sort them and decide if they are still important to you.
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