The Clutter Diet Blog

How Baking Cookies Relates to Procrastination

Today I got the results of doing the Birkman Assessment with my friends at www.about-u.com ... It is a very interesting profile.  I enjoyed the experience and the information is very useful.  It tells you what you personally need to be fulfilled and less stressed in life, and the results do not change over time--it is very consistently about your ingrained tendencies and needs.  I am going to have my kids take it (ages 12 and 14)-- I wish that I had received this information about myself at that age so I could have made different decisions about my coursework and other choices (although I am happy about where I ended up).

Anyway, something in my report made me think about this concept I have realized over the years.  In computer data processing, there are batch processes and there are continuous processes... stay with me for a second... for example, if a server collects a bunch of e-mails over a few hours and sends them all out at once, that is batching.  But if the server sends out each e-mail right as it comes in, that is continuous processing.  I think that people are like this too. 

I am a Batch Processor.  In general, I like to save up similar things and do them all together at once... it's the assembly line concept. It's efficient, like the reason that we bake 12 cookies at once instead of baking 1 cookie 12 times.

Other people in my life are Continuous Processors-- they don't like to save up stuff and do it all together, they would rather deal with it as it comes.

Both ways of being have their advantages, since Continuous Processors are less likely to procrastinate, for example!  Anyway, it's something to think about!  What style do you have?  Could some things in your life be more efficient or effective doing it the other way?

Lost 864 Pounds Yesterday!

My team member Yvette & I coordinated a large shredding effort for one of our clients yesterday, with a shredding truck there to do it all right on the premises.  Our client lost 864 Clutter-Pounds(sm) in one day!   :) 

If you have never seen a shredder truck, it's really quite a spectacle.  They take a rolling dumpster cart filled with paper and send it up the truck's chute (approximately 250-300 lbs. each load).  There is a camera inside with a monitor that you can watch.  The dumpster bin gets tipped over and shaken by the machinery, and the paper falls down into a whirling collection of ominous blades that would do a Dudley Do-Right villain proud!  The pile of paper looks like a boiling pot of liquid as it jumps and churns around, slowly getting sucked into the blades from underneath.  The monitor can then switch to another view inside the truck, which shows the shredded material that has collected.  It is amazing how big that pile gets.

Even if you don't have a lot of obviously confidential documents like this client, remember that shredding is still extremely important for everyone.  Make sure you destroy anything that could be used to damage your finances, your credit, your reputation, or your privacy.

How many Clutter-Pounds could you lose today??  Our Clutter Diet members track how many "C-Lbs." they have lost each week when they "weigh-in" with their progress on our weekly plan of projects.  They work on their projects with access to direct advice from our team of professional organizers for a very low monthly fee.  We have made professional organizing consulting affordable for anyone!

Our Blog Added to the "Personal Development List"

We are pleased to report that our blog has been added to Priscilla Palmer's Personal Development List by fellow blogger Julie Bonner.  Thank you, Julie!  The Personal Development List is a dynamic list of blogs having to do with "law of attraction, goals, time management, physical fitness, education, motivation, inspiration, and social skills."  The list keeps growing as further people add their own favorites... you can see the most up-to-date list at http://priscillapalmer.com/priscillapalmer/2007/08/21/personal-development-list/

It is quite lengthy... you can click to continue reading and see the entire list for yourself.  Enjoy!

New Clutter Vocabulary Words!

One of my favorite websites for a good laugh is "Wordspy." They capture newly-minted words in the English language and share them, with actual citations of the words' usage in popular media.  Here are a couple of new entries I thought our readers would appreciate:

floordrobe n. A pile of discarded clothes on the floor of a person's room. [Blend of floor and wardrobe.]

carbage n. The garbage that accumulates in some cars, particularly in the back seat. [Blend of car and garbage.]

Here are some more from www.doubletongued.org, another slang site:

Hummer house n. an overly large single-family residence.

Collyer n. a home excessively packed with junk, trash, or belongings. Also Collyer mansion, Collyer house, Collyer apartment. (referring to the Collyer brothers, infamous hoarders)

BlackBerry prayer n. the posture taken by users of the BlackBerry-brand personal digital assistant manufactured by RIM. (or stated another way, an odd new social ritual that sees BlackBerry users discreetly operate their devices at meetings behind cupped hands with heads intently bowed toward its tiny screen.)

"Help! I'm a Hoarder" Show on TLC

My blogger friend Dr. Amie Ragan at Psychology of Clutter just posted about a show on TLC called "Help! I'm a Hoarder." It will air on Wednesday, September 19th, at 8:00 and 11:00PM Eastern.  You can view it in its entirety at the Helping Hoarders website.  I watched it and thought they did a good job of discussing the psychological and cognitive issues behind the problem. 

One thing that stood out to me was when "Melodie," a hoarder who was featured on the show, said it's like not having the ability to get the signal that says you're full and you want to keep eating, only it's stuff that you want to keep collecting.  This woman was facing eviction for violating fire codes and she could barely walk through her apartment.  Another thing that stuck out to me was her repeated use of the phrase "perfectly good." We talk about this all the time-- that the item may be perfectly good, but it doesn't mean it's perfectly good for you to own it and keep it.

I thought I would share my resources again here for those with hoarding or chronic disorganization issues:

• www.nsgcd.org National Study Group for Chronic Disorganization, affiliated with NAPO
• www.childrenofhoarders.com supporting those with family members who have this problem
• www.helpinghoarders.com
• www.squalorsurvivors.com

Let me know what you think about the program.

Being Organized Pays Off for Computer Failures!

As I finish my journey of reconstructing my laptop with a new hard drive, I wanted to share with my readers another proactive tool that helped me tremendously.  As one of my friends who knows a lot about data recovery says, a big chunk of time in recovery is just "thinking time," about what you need to install and in what order, etc.

I periodically take a "snapshot" of my computers with Belarc Advisor.  It is a free download you can install that produces a very helpful printed report whenever you like.  It lists all of the hardware, how much memory I have, all of the important technical specs, and all of the software that is installed.  It even lists the license numbers for most of the software.

I have been reinstalling a lot of software, and having a Belarc report really helped me remember what I had.  I also like Belarc for times when you need to upgrade memory or buy other hardware-- you can take the report to the computer store and avoid looking ignorant when they ask you how many megabytes of RAM you have.

I recommend running a Belarc report every quarter or so, or after you have installed a significant number of new programs.  It has been so great!  I hope this helps somebody.  Remember, it's not IF your hard drive is going to fail, it's WHEN...!  Be prepared! (See my previous "hard drive crash" post for 5 important considerations.)

Should You Put Your Home on a Diet?

Since we started the Clutter Diet membership site in November 2006, we have tried to have a lot of fun with the analogy between the personal changes of weight loss and getting organized.  One of our favorite ways to play with this analogy is our members' losing "Clutter-Pounds"(sm). Each week our members "weigh in" with how many bags of trash or boxes of donations they have taken out of the house, and they also get credit for their time spent organizing.

Lifetime Television just asked me to write a quiz for their newly redone website, continuing this theme of Clutter-Pounds.  Click here to take the quiz and find out if you have a "Plump Palace," a "Slender Shelter," or other results, along with some professional advice for your situation.

I have not been writing as much this week as I am still dealing with the loss of my hard drive.  I finally got the replacement part yesterday after some unbelievable wrangling with IBM's customer service.  Now, restoring the data and reinstalling things is taking up a lot of time.  Even if you have everything backed up and you are prepared, a hard drive crash is still an incredible productivity loss.

Let me know how you like the Clutter-Pounds quiz!  Comment here with your results, if you like!

How to Look Like a Model

I have always noticed that builders' model homes simultaneously attract and repel me, like a wax statue that you know is not real and yet you just can't help looking.  They seem so lifelike... yet, there is something missing... oh, yes, it's people!  Actual inhabitants, and their actual stuff. 

Syndicated columnist Marni Jameson just wrote a great article called Model Homes: Just Too Perfect for the Real World, in which she reveals some of the tricks of the trade.  Here are some of the techniques, quoted directly from the article:

• Fresh start. When doing a model, designers begin with a clean slate. They come in at the ground level and specify every single finish and detail in the home - tile, grout, wall colors, flooring, cabinetry - to make sure the whole house coheres. Most of us, on the other hand, simply make do with what's there.
• No baggage. Model designers don't come to the project with favorite pieces of art they've collected or furnishings they're attached to. Instead, they custom order and select art, mats and frames, and every stick of furniture to coordinate with the interior scheme.
• Smoke and mirrors. Model designers order furniture that allows foot traffic to flow, and that makes rooms look larger when necessary.
• Where's the stuff? Because their goal is to let people see the home and its architecture, not the stuff, they allow zero clutter (emphasis mine).
• Storage style. Model master closets feature a monochromatic wardrobe that ties into the master décor, meaning all the outfits go with the bedspread. No one actually buys clothes that way.

So there you have it, the magician's secrets... read the article for more.  We are always telling our Clutter Diet members that perfection is an illusion, and that your home is not going to look like a model home any more than you are going to magically look like Gisele Bundchen.  I hope we can all be realistic and forgiving with ourselves when our homes don't seem to measure up to perfection.

Imperfectly yours,

Sudden Hard Drive Crash!

They say it's not "if" your hard drive will crash, it's "when."  I am living proof that you should be prepared for this at any time!  Today I was working happily on my notebook computer, the new one I just bought in March.  It froze up while I was working, and I thought a simple reboot would fix things.  Upon rebooting, the hard drive was not readable.  I did some diagnostics tests, and sure enough, it was completely gone. 

I have always thought that you would have a little warning when a hard drive was going out-- things would be slower, sluggish, acting strange.  But this was here one second, gone the next! 

I am trying hard not to come unglued about this, so it helps me to note that there are several things to be grateful for about this experience:

1. I am SO GLAD I had everything backed up.  I use Carbonite, which is really inexpensive ($50 per year, unlimited storage) and backs up almost in real time while you are working.  The only data I lost was the newest information I had added to documents I was working on during the crash.  Everything else is all there.  Whew!  I am very impressed with Carbonite. What is your backup status?
2. I still have my old laptop and it works.  I am using it right now.  Do you have a machine accessible for you to use in case of emergencies? 
3. I am now able to take this opportunity to downgrade back to Windows XP.  I was very disappointed with Vista.  My advice is that if you buy a new PC, get one with the power and capability of running Vista, but just get XP loaded on it.  Then someday when Vista is more palatable, you can upgrade to it. 
4. I am still under warranty for the hardware!  I do believe in buying extended warranties for computers.  I was under a year in this case, but I have always been so glad to have 3-year coverage on other machines.  Do you know if your computer is covered?
5. I had all of my passwords preserved in SplashID, which was also backed up.  Also, I had my important Carbonite password written down in a safe place on paper.  Take a moment today to note if all of your passwords and account information would be quickly available to you in this type of situation.  It's a very good idea to have a printout of the most important ones if you use an electronic password keeper.

Take heed, my friends!  This could happen to you!  Are you prepared?