Organizing Your Living Room With Purpose
The biggest challenge with organizing a living room is to get clear on its purpose. Unlike a bathroom which has fairly limited purposes, a living room can mean a lot of different things to a [...]
Bungle in the Bundle
Bungle in the Bundle There is a false sense of security that comes from some familiar bundles. More often than not, bundles don’t help you stay organized. One example I have talked about in my [...]
17 Minute File Diet
A couple weeks ago in my May Tip of the Month I recommended transferring your old taxes, old statements, and old tax supporting material from your file cabinet to a more remote location. I said that it should only take 15-20 minutes if you had a user-friendly file system set up. This weekend, I followed my own advise and I’m happy to report that I clocked in at just under 17 minutes.
What’s Your Clutter Trap?
What's Your Clutter Trap? Any cute little basket or bin, desktop “organizer,” or drawer that collects unassigned junk that never escapes is what I call a clutter trap. Got one of those? If you’re like [...]
Hazardous Clutter
I’ve been organizing a lot of garages lately and the question of where to dispose of hazardous waste comes up a lot. Here are some answers for local towns, starting with Greenwich this Saturday. SPRING DATES [...]
May Tip of the Month
The most important annual organizing habit is to PURGE YOUR FILE CABINET AFTER TAX SEASON. You’ve accessed all the tax-supporting material you need for 2009 and yes, you will still want to keep it, but there’s no reason it needs to occupy the valuable real estate of your desk file drawer. Last year’s statements fall under what I call Sleeping Files, files you are keeping just-in-case. I recommend transferring these to 2 inch file jackets inside remote file cabinets or banker boxes (or plastic file boxes in a damp basement).
The End of the Mail Trail
When does mail stop being mail? The second it comes out of your mailbox. That stuff piled up on your dining table is not mail. It’s bills to pay, solicitations to toss, statements to file, magazines to read, and material to review. Each envelope contains paper that requires action. Because those actions are hidden inside those envelopes, one fears the worst, but expose them to the light of day and you realize that your necessary actions are either a. easy or b. unnecessary (for now).
April 2010, The Mattmobile
The "Mattmobile" gets outfitted with company magnets from A-To-Z Signs in Norwalk. Watch out for us!
Tickle Your Memory
Ever wonder what a “tickler file” is? It’s a collection of 43 labeled folders, 31 days and 12 months, that helps you organize time-sensitive documents. It has been around in various formats since the early 20th century, but has probably been most notably covered in David Allen’s 2001 classic, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity. To me the most valuable message from Allen’s book was,
“Out Where I Can See It.”
“Out Where I Can See It” is an understandable need, but the problem is if everything is important, then nothing is important. If the front page of a newspaper appeared solid gray with unbroken text, you probably wouldn’t bother with it. It’s too overwhelming. Not only would it take time to prioritize the most important articles, it would take time just to see them!
All That Litters Is Not Old
Do you like to reduce, to reuse, to recycle, to be organized, DIY solutions, and CATS? Then this is for you! If you are a cat owner who buys litter in those plastic jugs (pictured) [...]
Blueprints To Savings On Flight Check-In
Checking luggage may be unavoidable for longer trips or traveling with children, but you may be surprised just how much you can fit into a carry on suitcase, if you plan your space carefully. It’s [...]
