organizing

Organizing Advice From Tio Sancho

There was a TV ad that ran in 1983 for Tio Sancho Tacos, in which Tio himself boldly declares that his tacos “don’t fall apart, so they taste great.” A schlubby guy from off camera says, “I don’t see the connection.” Tio invites the schlub over to try his (inferior) brand taco on camera while Tio tries his (superior) taco. They each take a bite and the schlub’s taco explodes all over his shirt. He tastes nothing. Tio smugly asks “How is yours?” The schlub answers “I don’t know. It fell apart.” Tio gloats, “Really? Mine is delicious.” So what does this 31 year old taco commercial have to do with organizing?

2014-05-07T07:18:44-04:00May 7th, 2014|Home page, Systems|

A New Theory on Tossing Old Clutter

There are a lot of reasons for why it is hard to toss our excess stuff, that I have discussed in this blog. For example, there’s clutter from the past that holds sentimental value and there’s clutter for the future that we might need “someday.” Today, however, I want to share a new theory on why we keep clutter, that I don’t believe has ever been addressed before. I call it the check register theory. Here it is.

2024-09-18T14:37:19-04:00March 31st, 2014|Clutter Control, Home page|

Organizing Social Media For Action

A while back I wrote a guest post on my friend, Brian Bish’s blog about organizing social media. Most of what I addressed was how Brian got my social media more organized through Hootsuite. This was great for establishing a manageable, weekly foundation, but I discovered I wasn’t good at the next and most important step: social interaction. Again, I needed a simple, manageable plan, so I had Brian return this morning to help me with one. What struck me is how much his advice for effective social media is the same as the advice I give for staying organized. Here are some examples.

2024-09-03T02:48:07-04:00March 24th, 2014|Home page, Systems|

Organizing Fairy Dust

In my last blog post, I gave some examples of the science of organizing. I explained that what we do is not magic, it’s science. This time, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the magical ideas I have encountered over the years about organizing and professional organizers. I call these ideas organizing fairy dust.

2024-09-11T13:22:29-04:00March 10th, 2014|Clutter Control, Home page, Systems|

Thinking Inside the Box

Thinking outside the box, of course, means thinking creatively outside of conventional constraints. I’d like to make a case for thinking inside the box. I’m not referring to a conceptual box, but an actual physical box. To be creative, you definitely want to think outside the conceptual box, but, to get organized, let’s get back to the box.

2024-09-04T02:24:18-04:00February 24th, 2014|Clutter Control, Home page|

“I’m Too Creative To Be Organized!”

There are a lot of legitimate mental barriers to being organized, but being creative is not one of them. Sorry, I’m not buying it. Why do I say this? I say this because I’m creative. In fact, I am more naturally creative than I am organized. I’m not bragging. Put a spreadsheet in front of me and I’m an idiot. Back to creativity.

2014-02-18T07:19:45-05:00February 18th, 2014|Clutter Control, Home page|

“You Wouldn’t Believe How Much I Have Already Thrown Out!”

I’m in my tenth year as a professional organizer and clients have told me this statement more than any other. You wouldn't believe how many times people have told me, “You wouldn't believe how much I have already thrown out!” First, I would. Second, it’s roughly the equivalent of a smoker telling me, “you wouldn’t believe how many times I quit smoking.” It’s irrelevant. Unless you analyze the reasons for the bad habit and develop a realistic plan for maintaining a good one, the bad habit will most likely return. Here are 7 tips to make your next decluttering efforts really count.

2023-10-21T01:49:15-04:00February 3rd, 2014|Clutter Control, Home page, Paper Management|

The Organizing Odd Couple

The opposite of out of sight, out of mind is in sight and in mind, but that’s often seen as a bad thing for organizing. If all your floors and surfaces are covered in clutter, it’s overwhelming and stressful, but the exact opposite is not a good thing either. Good organizing is about striking the right balance between what is hidden and what is seen.

2013-09-16T16:59:17-04:00September 16th, 2013|Home page, Systems|

The Shocking Truth About Getting Organized

To get organized effectively, the focus should not be on getting rid of stuff, but on what's being kept. Really. That focus needs to be on what you are keeping, why you are keeping, how much you are keeping, and where is all going to be kept?

2023-10-21T02:02:22-04:00August 27th, 2013|Clutter Control, Home page, Systems|
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