What’s on your plate?
Are your to-dos and projects piling up?
Are you getting overwhelmed by the never-ending list?
It might help you to really see what’s on your plate and not have too many projects.
First set your table (dining room table if possible) with six plates.
Put one project or to-do on each plate. (return this, fix that, call the other)
Do just one at a time.
Don’t add another project to the table until a plate is clear. Don’t even bring it in the room.
If you have to move something to the front of the priority line, then take something else off your plate. Now you have limited the number of items you’re doing for the day/week… and you are not overwhelmed by the rest.
I set up a similar system with a client who is a crafter who was always starting new projects, but not finishing them.
We used drawers to hold incomplete craft projects.
We set up a system with 6 drawers.
Each drawer holds one project.
She can only do one project at a time, and doesn’t start another one until finishing one, opening up a drawer.
If you have to move something to the front of the priority line, then take something else off your plate.
Clutter Diet counts clutter calories
I’m pleased as punch to announce I’m joining The Clutter Diet team of virtual organizers online. 
What? You don’t know what The Clutter Diet is???
Well let me tell you how awesome this program is. Some people need help getting organized and want to do it themselves and want support and want some guidance. This online support group is a lot like the Weight Watchers format, but without the meeings (so far).
You join (monthly or yearly).
You receive plans for dropping clutter pounds.
You get professional organizers like me to give you advice, guidance, support, cheers, and anything you need to help you get more organized.
You lose your clutter!
You can do it from anywhere because it is on the internet and in your email.
I interviewed founder Lorie Marrero about how the program works on my other blog – and you can read it [here].
Virtual Organizing has arrived folks. You can do it with this online group and you may be able to find someone who can work with you by phone or a web chat as well.
Virtual organizers don’t actually come to your home or workplace. They talk to you and guide you as you work. You can use pictures or video to communicate your issues to your virtual organizer. An organizer may charge less than their usual fee for this service (but not all do). And it is extremely helpful if you don’t have an organizer who lives close enough to you to make a house-call.
If you’d like to know more about The Clutter Diet, please visit their website here.
– Allison
Stuffed Animals Get Caged
Stuffed animals have always been a big organizing issue in my home. Since my daughter was very little, she never played with dolls, building toys, or even dress up. But what she LOVED and LOVES still is stuffed animals. Any kind. Any size. We have mostly organized them by tossing them into large pop-up bins, under-bed bins and putting the less loved ones up on high shelves.
You an keep them organized in those cheap and simple ways, or invest in some really fun fun fun storage.
This ball of fun is actually a bean-bag chair. But instead of stuffing with beans, you stuff it with your stuffed animals.
Storage + Useful + Cute = FUNctionality! Oval Animal Bag is available from Boon inc.
Another that I love is The Zoo! It’s a little bigger than my house would hold (I need a mini please). This is from Beaverworks.
I still like the inexpensive classic toss-em-in-a-bin style organizers like this basket from Ikea:
But I find this Minifangst from Ikea that hangs from the ceiling is harder for kids to get stuff out.
It works well for the stuffed animals that the children don’t play with much anymore, but don’t want to get rid of.
Ikea Minifangst
You have any favorite ideas for stuffed animals? Leave a comment and a link to a photo if you’ve got one.
Un-Resolutions
This time of year everyone is making resolutions, setting goals, and all that. If you aren’t a resolution lover (like me), you will love this resolution Top 10 list.
Jenny Isenman of the Suburban Jungle Blog gives us her humorous take on New Year Goals.
(If you like this, you’ll want to subscribe to her blog)
10 Resolutions I Can Actually Keep
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This time of year I amuse myself by looking back at last year’s resolutions. Ones I made with the best intentions, like learning an instrument or a foreign language. Last Chanukah I had my husband buy me a guitar. I had all the confidence in the world that by this new year, I would balk at a request to play Stairway To Heaven, saying something dismissive like… “Please, that’s so cliché, but why not?” or “Por favor, es muy cliché, pero porque no? Unfortunately, my guitar collects dust while my Spanish collects rust.
So for this year, I have made some resolutions that are a bit more achievable:
1. Nag More
For 10 years my husband has not picked up a wet towel, washed ketchup off of a dish, changed a light bulb, or remembered trash day without a friendly, “How many times do I have to tell you?” I vow to be relentless in my nagging. I will lay immediate blame using words like always and never. As in, “I always, and you never.” I will play the martyr by saying, “Forget it. I’ll do it myself.” I will amp up the guilt with, “I do everything around here.” Or something unarguable like, “It’s obvious by your refusal to change a light bulb that you don’t love me anymore.” If all goes well, I’ll be nagging him to go to couples therapy by 2010.
2. Gain weight
I will add carbs to my diet with reckless abandon. I will start each meal with a generous helping of bread and rolls onto which I will spread an obnoxious amount of butter. I will stuff food into my mouth with such fervor it will make other eaters uncomfortable to watch. I vow to eat everything a la mode including ice cream.
3. Work out less
This will actually take serious effort. The only thing harder would be to shower less. If I need the proverbial cup of sugar, I will drive to my neighbor’s garage and beep until she comes out and hands it to me. I will take elevators in two-story buildings. Lastly, I will drop my membership to the gym and use the money I save to buy more carbs.
4. Forget an old language
This year, not only am I not going to learn a new language, I will let my brain atrophy to forget the one I already know. I will watch endless episodes of Sponge Bob and Chowder. I will stop doing crosswords and speaking in complete sentences. I will break all grammatical rules; I will misplace modifiers, dangle participles, and end sentences in prepositions. I will express my thoughts through that African clicking language, modern dance, and a set of bongos that I will wear around my neck.
5. Stay out of touch
This time of year, I am reminded of the many friends I have let time and space interfere with. I intend to further that distance. I will start by rejecting any new Facebook or social network requests. I will also attach a note that reads “I never liked you in the first place.” I will cuss out and hang up on people who call in hopes of fulfilling their own resolution to rekindle old friendships.
6. Be less patient
I will be aggravated, exasperated, and ready to blow my stack at the slightest misstep. The next time my son wants help with his homework I’ll say, “That’s it! Clearly this whole Elementary Education is not for you. If you don’t know how to spell December by now, you never will…Now go get a job! Oh, and take your sister with you, she sits on the potty way too long.”
7. Hold grudges
This year I will forgive no one. I don’t care if you step on my toe, or pay me the five bucks you owe me, a day after the assigned due date. I vow to hate you forever and never forget how you wronged me.
8. Stress more
I will lose sleep thinking about planning parties, redecorating my house, trying to budget, missing appointments, teacher conferences, and health issues. I will laugh an evil cackle while erasing all the plans from my PDA, and then cry over what I have just done. I will empty our bank account on frivolous investments and watch it dwindle away. Oh, wait…that already happened. Well good, more for me to worry about.
9. Become addicted to something
Smoking, alcoholism and Starbucks are so trite. I’m thinking something unique like nasal spray or hand sanitizer. Or at least something beneficial to my endurance like crack. Look, I already have a shopping addiction, maybe I could offset the bills with a robust gambling problem.
10. Gossip More
I vow to talk about everything you do in the new year. If I see you at the pediatrician for so much as a flu shot, I will tell everyone your child has hand foot mouth, so you can be verbally assaulted when you show up at a birthday party the next day. If you look too skinny, I will assume it’s a divorce or an addiction. If you look too hot, I’ll call it a torrid affair. If you look too young, it’s an addiction to surgical procedures because you’re getting divorced due to a torrid affair. I will start a rumor phone tree and a blog called “WhatYourNeighborsAreReallyUpTo.com.” I may even have a megaphone installed on my “Gossip Mobile,” so I can drive through local parking lots amplifying the skeletons in your closet to all within earshot. Oh, wait… I’ll just write about it in my next column.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thanks Jenny for this fun post!
2009 Word of the Year: “Essentializing”
The recent shift in the U.S. and world economy has had a remarkable effect on the human psyche.
It’s as if we got a re-boot in our thinking and could start fresh like our ancestors.
We have entered the era of essentializing. I thought of that term when I saw the cover of a recent “Real Simple” magazine touting the essentials.
We are now in mode to be realistic about what we NEED vs. what we WANT.
The over-shoppers are having a reality check.
The house-fillers are wondering how they ever got so full.
Even the wealthy aren’t spending money as if it grows on trees any longer.
I dare you all to take a moment and write down the top 25 things in your hierarchy of needs (Beyond the physiological needs, safety needs, and love ) and to pause and notice all the other stuff that fills your life that does more harm than good.
My top 10 things I would hate to live without:
In no particular order
- Nose strips – so I can breathe
- Medicine – I hate feeling sick. I like to treat the symptoms even if virus will go away by itself.
- Sneakers – comfortable shoes
- Photo albums – I like to make them and view them
- Mac computer – to get work done and be creative
- Television – cheapest entertainment around
- The occasional dinner out – for a change of scenery
- Trips to the beach – It’s where I re-energize
- My dog and cat – I like the company of friends who don’t talk back (( That’s my dog Sasha at the beach>>>))
- Enough free time to be creative, do art, write, think
What’s on your list??
About Organizing for Visual People
Lots of people I organize with say they are “visual” and want to have the fun, pretty things out where they can see them and enjoy their space.
Yesterday, working with a client, this became a slight sticking point because the area was utility shelves in her laundry room, which can be seen from the kitchen when the door is open.
Most of the items were kitchen roll-over items for entertaining, such as trays, bowls, casseroles, etc.
Even though the space was working fine, she didn’t like how it looked!
So, when you don’t like it, fix it.
We decided to weed out items she didn’t need and take some lesser used items to a storage area so her utility shelves didn’t look so “busy” and cluttered.
The first thing we did was take everything off so she could visualize the shelves with nothing on them.
Then we only put back up the things that she uses daily or weekly.
Then we put back up the things she uses monthly.
We did some arranging and re-arranging as we went along.
Now the things she uses only rarely (about 30%) we made a space for in her basement storage room. Her Christmas items, Easter platters, and odds and ends were on the way out so that the shelves looked more attractive.
We also found several items she didn’t use at all and she was ready to give them to charity (even a gift from her son).
All this took less than an hour.
So what space are you living with even though you don’t like how it looks?
Try removing 30% of the items and see if it looks less cluttery.
Send me a photo if you do!
– Allison
Re-Gifting Rules for the Season
As a professional organizer, and rampant de-clutterer, I asked my followers on Twitter and facebook friends about re-gifting to see if people are all in agreement these days.
Our opinions are about the same – re-gifting is a great way to get things to the right person and declutter at the same time.
My Re-gifting Rules:
1. It’s ok to re-gift if the recipient would really like it.
2. It’s not ok to re-gift anything used
3. Mark your gifts you might re-gift with the name of the person who gave them to you so you don’t mistakenly give them back or to friends or at same event.
4. Make fun of re-gifting by having a re-gifting party where you can only bring something you got and isn’t right for you for whatever reason.
5. Never re-gift fruit cake
6. Never re-gift a partially used gift-card.
7. Repackage whenever possible (new wrapping) or you might leave an old card in by accident.
—
Twitter replies about re-gifting
Love to regift BUT some have to go to a worthy cause especially from my dear sister in law
I so agree with ur views on regifting something that hasn’t been used &was not right for U but is “just right” for ur friend
—
Facebook replies:
So, regifting researcher . . . If someone gets, say a 2.5 lb can of gormet peanuts from a printer, but that someone doesn’t eat nuts . . . is it in good taste to regift it to her client who is The Professional Organizer? 
Depends on the gift – if it is something that you will never use and you give it to someone who can use the item, then I think it is a great idea.
Regifting.. there is nothing wrong with it as long as the person will like, enjoy or appreciate.
Agreed. In the spirit of recycling (and giving) – anything given to the right person for the right reason is OK. I think we should remove the stigma of used items completely, it was artificially drilled into us by retailers. I have a ton of Lincoln Logs and other such things that my kids have grown out of and can easily pass on to several … Read Moregenerations.
I say – consider it the “green” thing to do. Maybe we can start a “Green Christmas Revolution.” By the way – you’re all getting socks with holes in them.
Depends on the motivation. If it’s truly a matter of having a great gift around that you just aren’t going to use but is perfect for somebody else, it can work. But if you’re secretly trying to justify not spending money on somebody you don’t like much by re-gifting, that’s bad karma!
Hmmm, I haven’t re-gifted, but I have donated several things I would never want or use to a charitiable thrift store nearby. (People, please don’t give crap just to say you did something…know your friends and give them something appropriate.) But, if I did get something great but thought another friend could make better use of it, I think I would happily pass it on. (No passing on the dreaded fruitcake, and the like, though.)
Alternate to Filing
Filing is a great way to store paper. But let’s just face the fact that Righties often take issue with it.
1. if you don’t do it regularly you get a pile.
so
2. why not just pile in the first place
and
3. I know where things are in my piles so why should I put things in a drawer or box because then I won’t know where they are anymore.
There are some handy alternatives for those who don’t want to file because it is m
ore work or suffer from OOSOOM (out of sight, out of mind).
My favorite is using stacking trays because you can get lots of them and at least have categorized stacks. The same principles apply as in filing, but you will need broader categories so that you don’t have 137 or more trays.
These fun colored trays are from See Jane Work
Begin with the action trays: To Do, To Go, To File, To Pay and Someday
That can be one stack.
2nd Stack will be home papers: House, Finances, Insurance, Health, Personal
This only works well if you’re willing to cut the crap and just save the minimum amount of stuff.
If you are an info-holic, you gotta pick another route because you’ll end up with too many trays to manage.
Other handy bins, buckets and trays:
coupons to use
receipts to keep/file/toss later
schedules
The people at Pendaflex did a bunch of research and found that there are a ton of people who actually prefer piling to filing and they created some great products to make your piling more workable.
My favorite is the Pilesmart files .
You can see into them and lay them across your desk with just the tab showing or the whole thing showing.
There are a variety of these with write-on tabs on the side or bottom.
The files also make it easy to take your action items on the go.
Lots of people will tell you all kinds of rules about managing paper, but there is only one rule
Find out what works for your style.
Do what works for you
And make it work!
Color Me Organized is even more colorful
Coming up with ideas is difficult for so many people.
Not for us creatives!
Ideas come bubbling up all the time for me.
I had so many more activity and how-to ideas that I had to update the activity-play-book for the clutter-challenged.
I’ve uploaded the newest version on lulu.com (she said relieved – as if going through childbirth.)
Take a sneak peek here:
http://www.lulu.com/content/4653870
Here’s a page that didn’t go in the book.
It is part of the Color-Me-Organized workshop.
– Allison
