Lists Are Your Friends

"I can't remember anything any more," said one of my clients. "None of us can," I told her. And it's true. And that's why lists are so helpful.

Here are some of lists I personally find useful; I'm sure you'll have others of your own.

Read the rest of this post »

Paper, Paper and Still More Paper

If you're ever going to keep up with all the paper in your life, you have to decide on a system and keep tweaking it.

Read more about how to deal with mail clutter and decide if my system will work for you as is, or if you need to make slight adjustments. I'm cool with that!

One of the biggest mistakes people make with organising paper is jumping to the filing instead of eliminating the source.
Read the rest of this post »

The Big O: Under 60 with Monica Ricci

Monica Ricci, Organizing Expert, Motivational Speaker, Author and Founder of Catalyst Organizing Solutions, LLC. is the special guest on the latest episode of The Big O on VickyandJen.com.

"Your time is short and your to-do list is long, so give us an hour and we’ll give you an organized life!" Not really, but use our Under 60 ideas and you will be much closer. Join us for this episode of The Big O: Under 60 where we share lots of projects that can be done in 1, 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes.

Some examples:
Read the rest of this post »

Can't Let Go of Old Baby Clothese? Here's the Solution!

A lot of us have old baby clothes that we just can't bear to part with - a little pink Easter dress or something Grandma gave us when Junior was born…

Fortunately, I was able to narrow it all down to just my favorite few from each of my three kids, which I keep in a zippered bag in a trunk in my living room. But I know several people who just can't seem to do that.

Here are a couple of great ideas for keeping those same memories, in slightly different form:
Read the rest of this post »

The Idea of Having

J.D. over at Get Rich Slowly posted a great article called The Idea of Having. It gives some great insight on some of the reasons we have "stuff". Why so many of us can come to grips with controlling the present and future clutter in our lives, while still struggling with past clutter.

Thanks, J.D.

Simple Ways to Improve the Resale Value of Your Home

With all of the homes on the market it is more important than ever to make sure that your home stands out to potential buyers. Before placing your home on the market consider doing some simple and inexpensive work on your home to really make your home stand out.

Remember that first impressions count!

The exterior of your home is the first thing a potential buyer will see. Make it inviting and it will set a good first impression. Make sure that there is no trash or debris in the yard and that the lawn is mowed and edged and looks well kept.

Make the foliage inviting: trim the hedges and weed and mulch the flower garden. If you do not have a flower bed consider investing in one– an inviting yard makes a great first impression.
Read the rest of this post »

Maintaining Your Decluttered Space

We had a ball over on my other blog with the August Declutter Challenge last month.

Everyone was so motivated and I just knew that if we didn't do something, ANYTHING, to maintain those beautiful decluttered spaces, 80% of participants would fall back to the old ways.
It's nothing against them, or you; it's just a fact of life.
Read the rest of this post »

Ellen’s Penicillin Method of De-Cluttering

This post came from Declutter 101: Strategies To Cut Clutter | Organized Home. This was such a great analogy, I just had to share…

Often, decluttering efforts chase their tails in an endless loop. The home manager declutters the small table in the hallway and moves on. By the following week, a whole new species of clutter has returned to the cleared area.
Read the rest of this post »

Mind Mapping for Organizing

I found the coolest download today - FreeMind!

It's a mind mapping application for your computer that lets you create mind maps and print them out. I'm sure it does a lot of other cool stuff, I just haven't thoroughly explored it yet.

My mind is spinning with all the possible ways to use this!

You CAN Get Your Office Organized

I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by a marketing specialist in Canada.

While we were chatting on the phone, she volunteered to be a guinea pig as I taught her some office organising principles. It worked really well because she and I were both at our desks while we talked on the phone.

We identified her clutter personality
Read the rest of this post »

Organizing Paper Files with P.E.A.C.E.

Paper is one of the biggest issues for most people. We all have far too much of it and it is easy to get yourself buried in it, often causing you to feel like you are literally drowning.
Marlo Nikkila has posted a great piece on her blog, DotComPreneuer, which addresses exactly this. She has spelled out her P.E.A.C.E. plan to cope with the overwhelming paper clutter once and for all:

P = Permission to let go.
E = Evaluate the papers you have.
A = Act on it.
C = Contain & Categorize your papers.
E = Electronic solutions.

If you want all the details, you'll have to check it out – she has some great advice!

Great Tips for Getting Debt Under Control

Tax refunds will be arriving in your mailbox or directly deposited in your bank account before you know it.

An added bonus this year is the government’s economic stimulus disbursement, which can range anywhere from $300 for a single person to $1800 for a family of four (even more for families with additional children, $300 per child). Families across the nation will experience a significant bonus due to their tax refund and stimulus payments this spring.
Read the rest of this post »

10-Minute Clutter Hacks - KITCHEN

Here are some more quick and easy tasks that we can do when we have a spare 10-15 minutes. Or even just during the commercial breaks while watching TV.

Remember you're not going to find big blocks of time to organise a room.

Start using the little bits of time that you DO have.

These are some tasks you can do in the kitchen:
Read the rest of this post »

12 Tips for an Organized Desk

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:
Read the rest of this post »

Reader Hack - Junk mail

Reduce the amount of mail that comes into your home.

You can opt out of catalogs at this site:
Catalogchoice

You can opt out of credit card offers at this site:
Optoutprescreen

To read more visit: Minimalist Finances

Submitted by: The Minimalist

Do My Stuff

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.
Read the rest of this post »

Download Clutter Control Freak Blog's Clutter Hack Widget or Our Custom Toolbar So You Never Miss a Clutter Hack

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.)
Read the rest of this post »

Favourite Organising Tools #2 - Plastic Display Folders

Or as we call them here in South Africa - FLIPFILES

So what are flipfiles?

Handy clear plastic files, neatly bound in book format. Slim and light for easy handling, storage and carrying. Anti-static-allows quick insertion and withdrawal of documents. Will not lift ink from photocopies.
Outer-cover insert replaceable with users own title page.
Read the rest of this post »

Posted March 11 2008, filed under Clutter Hack Links, Clutter Control Products, Organizeit Projects | 5 Comments | Permalink

The Story of Stuff

A friend emailed me a link to the wonderful site
The story of stuff. Annie Leonard did a great job of describing the story of our stuff; from extraction to disposal. I’m an environmentalist and encourage my clients to recycle and make other “green” choices. Her twenty minute movie has raised the bar. Now I want to do even more. Go see it now!

Do You Know How to Reach Your Organising Goals?

I'm hosting a free Skypecast on goal-setting next week. Want to join me?
Topic: 7 things you MUST do to reach your goals

When: Thursday 13 March

Time: 8PM Jhb time/ 1PM EST (New York time)

Duration: 45 mins plus 15 mins Q&A

How: via Skypecast
Read the rest of this post »

What Do You Take In An Emergency?

What is the first thing you will grab from your home if your house floods, catches on fire or comes tumbling down in an earthquake?

Whether your answer is the family photo album or your grandmother’s quilt, most of us wouldn’t even think of our medical and financial records, the very things we would need to rebuild our lives. And yet, who keeps their files in something so compact and portable it can be grabbed in a moment’s notice?

There are also a number of technology solutions for backing up all of your data on flash drives (can’t get more portable than that!) that are quick and practical and can be completed over a weekend. A regularly updated flash drive can be kept with your emergency supplies for a quick departure.
Read the rest of this post »

Organized Medication Disposal

Where or how do you dispose of expired or unneeded OTC (over-the-counter) or prescription drugs?

For awhile we were hearing to flush them or put them down the drain, and while this prevents any mis-use of the drugs, it also has adverse effects on water and the wildlife in it. Sometimes it can even cause unintentional ingestion if the water is re-used. (Check the drug information sheet that came with the prescription to see if it is safe to put down the drain.)
Read the rest of this post »

What’s for Dinner?

The other day I looked in the fridge and found a bunch of miscellaneous ingredients and was trying to decide how to morph them into dinner. I went to my computer and typed in my secret weapon: Allrecipes.com. After typing my ingredients into the search box I was given a bunch of possibilities. This site is made up of a community of cooks that submit recipes and photos. It’s also a forum for comments. Sometimes the comments are pivotal in deciding if it’s the right recipe for our family or if someone else’s additions or corrections sound like a good idea.
Read the rest of this post »

Stair-Steppin’ for the Environment

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.
Read the rest of this post »

FREE ebook for You - 100 Surefire Ideas to Organize Your Busy Life

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:
Read the rest of this post »

5 Steps to Organise Your Kitchen Counters

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.
Read the rest of this post »

Want to Organise Your Home in 2008?

Is your goal for 2008 to get your home organised, once and for all?

You are not alone!
This is one of the top 3 things on most people's wish lists Every Single Year.

What would you say if I told you you could have your home completely organised in just 12 weeks?

You can!!!
I've taken your entire house and broken it down into itsy-bitsy sections so even the most overwhelmed won't get distracted!
Read the rest of this post »

FREE Organizing Tools on the Web

If you are looking for free tools that can help you get organized, there are many options available on the web!

Here are just a few:

Cozi - Designed to assist the modern family on-the-go, this site tracks activities, schedules, and shopping for each family member…and it can be managed on your PC, web browser, or mobile phone! Account sign-up is required.

HassleMe  - A tool which randomly nags you via email about things you know you should be doing. It can be used for individuals or groups of people like families or offices. HassleMe doesn't require an account set-up!  Just input the hassle, how often you want to be hassled, and the email address(es) to send the hassle.
Read the rest of this post »

Why I love Flylady

If you haven't met the Flylady, do yourself a favor and go on over to check her out.

I love Flylady because of these great time management principles:

1. Make it a habit
When you start the Flylady system, you start working with one habit. When that habit is routine, you add another and then another, until your home cleans itself and you have your life back.

2. "You can do anything for 15 minutes"
This is so true and a great technique for procrastinators! After 15 minutes, you can stop if you want or you can choose to continue. Usually once those first 15 minutes are done, you've built up momentum and you want to carry on with the task.
Read the rest of this post »

The Google Desktop Clutter Control Freak Widget is Here!

What’s a widget, you may ask?
A widget is the collective name for buttons, sliders, menu bars, title bars, and all the other paraphernalia that can be installed on your desktop within a frame. You are already using widgets if you have weather reports or headlines on your browser or newspaper homepage.

And now you can now add The Clutter Control Freak Idea Widget to your Google Desktop.

Every day, you'll get a link to Clutter Control Freak's Clutter Hack of the Day: ideas, advice, and news about how to organize your home, office, garden and life.

Here's how to add the Clutter Hack of the Day to your Google Desktop
Read the rest of this post »