The Clutter Diet Blog

Never Go to Costco on a Scooter

We teach people to think about organizing as more than just "cleaning up"... we want you to think about your house just like you'd think about weight loss: Prevention, Reduction, and Maintenance. With weight loss, you limit your caloric intake and make sure you're eating only healthful foods. With organizing, you want to bring fewer items into the house, and you want to bring in only high-quality items you really need.

People who live in urban, mostly pedestrian areas often have to abide by the rule that they can buy only what they can carry. (Of course, many stores have delivery services, and people do have those little rolling carts for shopping, but you understand what I am basically saying.) Every time I visit a city like this I am reminded about how judicious I become in the store when I know I have to carry it home!

So, that is a great question to ask yourself: "If I had to carry it home with my own two hands, would I still buy it?" You might also ask yourself, "If I had to pay cash for this, would I still buy it?" I was just in San Diego and walked to buy some snacks, and I realized I had only a $20 bill on me. I had to have the cashier take off one item from my receipt because it totaled over $20, and I did NOT miss that item at all. It was an interesting lesson!

My husband once called me to rescue him from Costco. He had driven a scooter there! He got in the store and got carried away with all of the cases of stuff you can buy, checked out, walked out to the parking lot, and then realized-- "DOH!" He did not have a way to bring it home. It was really funny.

We have a great little freebie that you can have when you get our complimentary weekly newsletter-- our Clutter Prevention Wallet Reminder Sleeves. They have on there the five questions you should ask before buying anything! You print them, cut them out, and fold them up. You use them to store your favorite credit or debit cards in your wallet, to be noticed right at the point you can prevent the clutter! Click here to go to our free tips page and get the wallet sleeves, along with our 12-page report, "30 Ways to Find Time to Get Organized." Both are free and so is the newsletter. You can also click here to watch a YouTube video about our wallet sleeves.

What do you do to help prevent clutter from entering your home? Share in the comments!

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We're Back to School... Now What?

Each year there is a lot of focus on getting ready to go back to school... preparations, pre-work. Certainly there are many things that need to get done before you start, such as buying new clothes and shoes and filling out forms. But in my opinion, the first week or two of school actually being in session is where the real stress happens. Here are some tips to help you adjust!

• Get organized with supply purchases. Even if you were given a supplies list in advance, there are usually other requests that get sent home with the kids on the first few days. My advice is to wait if you can, just a day or so, to make sure nothing else is coming, then consolidate your list and go buy the items. Try to go at a low-traffic time of day, like really early in the morning or mid-afternoon, if possible. Don't go right after school/work when everyone else does!
• Organize the incoming papers. You're going to get a LOT of papers coming home the first week or so, many of them excellent references for later. We recommend having a Family Binder where you store these for quick access when you need them. Just punch holes in the papers and you're all set. As examples, here are some papers that are good to keep in the binder:
  • Syllabus information about each class and the policies and expectations (make a copy of it for the binder even if the child needs to keep the original with other class materials)
  • Contact information for the teachers-- phone, e-mail, conference periods
  • Bell schedule for each period (so you will know where your child is at any time of day, handy when you are scheduling dental appointments and the like)
  • Bus route information
  • School nurse info and policies for reporting illnesses to the office
  • Login and password information for school websites and directories
  • Printouts of our Note to School forms-- available on our Free Tips page (left side)
• Make sure your child's homework routines and systems are working. After the first week or two, both you and your child will have a good idea about how much time is going to be required for homework, and you'll be able to sit down with him or her and assure that systems are in place to organize their papers and books in their backpacks. Let your child know what the expectations are for getting homework done-- when and where to do it and what activities need to wait until it's finished.
• Make sure laundry systems are working. As children get older, you can give them more responsibilities for their laundry. Maybe they are able to do some loads on their own, maybe they can put away their folded clothing, and maybe they just need to focus on getting it into the hamper when dirty. When you change these expectations, check in and make sure it's working and their responsibilities are reinforced. You may have a new "wrinkle" in our routine, like having to make sure gym uniforms get washed and returned to school... put some reminders in place to make sure that happens.
• Adjust for lunch preferences. If someone decides the new cafeteria food is yucky, have them make their own sack lunches (or at least participate in making them). You may need to make a trek to the grocery store to find good lunch-making supplies, like smaller containers of favorite foods (warehouse stores like Costco are great for this). Getting organized with this process is really crucial to making mornings go smoothly, and packing the lunch the night before is very helpful. Make sure you have lots of extra ice packs, paper sacks, plastic bags, or whatever supplies you like to use-- and create a rotation menu of 5-10 good solid lunch ideas to keep you from having to make the decision every day of what to pack. (We have a rotation menu for dinner planning on the left side of our Free Tips page on our site--click here.)

What challenges have you been facing with the new routine? Bedtimes? Morning gridlock? Share in the comments!

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How to Instantly Add 1-2 Hours to Every Day

Today is my 40th birthday and I have been in Maui, Hawaii for a week! It has been so amazing. Yesterday I got up at 3:00AM to drive up to Haleakala National Park (a volcano/mountain) to see the sun rise. It's something lots of people do here-- you are above the clouds at 10,000+ feet and it's unlike any other sunrise you've ever seen. Here is a photo of it from Flickr since I have not been able to upload the photos yet from my own camera (photo by Collin Grady --click it to enlarge).

Getting up early definitely has its rewards...not only for a glorious sunrise like this one, but every day. I have been getting up very early, in the 5 o'clock hour, on and off throughout this past year. It started out of necessity when I was finishing my book (The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life). I simply needed to have more hours in my day and made it happen.

After the book was finished, I took a well-deserved rest from getting up early for a while, and then my Accountability Partners imposed a 5:00AM wakeup time on me when I was trying to finish a different project (meanies!). It was a punishment/consequence at that point for procrastinating... but it soon backfired because I realized I really enjoy it! So now I am getting up early almost every day, and that is WITHOUT an alarm clock. I am excited about the things I get to do when I get up! I get to walk on the trails around my house, do some journaling, catch up on work and projects, and start laundry and get ahead on other things. By the time I would normally have awakened, I have already done several things that I really enjoy and have gotten a huge jump on my day.

Now, understand that I have NEVER been an early bird before! I have made myself into one, and you can too. It has to be ENJOYABLE, that is the key. I cannot tell you how great it feels until you do it yourself. If you think it's drudgery, you'll never do it. I accomplished this by "the Nike method"-- Just Doing It. But there is a blog that has some great tips on getting up early, called HowToWakeUpEarly.com.

We all know what Ben Franklin said: "Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." I can now definitively tell you that he was right. What would make you happily get up early? What things do you wish you had time for but currently don't? Share your thoughts in the comments. TRY IT! It doesn't mean that you have to do it forever, but see how it feels and let us know here. It's a good time to adjust to a new routine with school starting!

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Essentials of Time Management #5: Correct

(Fifth and final installment in a series expanding on my rebellious notions on time management--See previous post "Rebel Without a Clock." Click the bulleted list below for other posts in this series.) 

My opinion of the five essential components of time management:

• CAPTURE
• COMMIT
• CUE
• COMPLETE
• CORRECT

I believe that any system is incomplete without a regular evaluation of how it's working--a feedback loop. I could have concluded the series with 4 "C's" ending in Complete, and it still would have made sense, but making adjustments to your systems is as important as all of the other elements. That is why pencils have erasers!

"Correct" means that on a regular basis you are:

• Paying attention to new methods of Capturing. Is there some new software or a new office supply product that would be helpful to your process?
• Assessing whether your methods are working effectively. Is anything falling through the cracks?
• Asking yourself my favorite lazy-person questions:
  • How can I do this better? 
  • How can I do this faster? 
  • How can I not do this at all? 
• Re-prioritizing your tasks and projects based on changes that have occurred. This may mean ultimately deciding not to do some of the tasks you committed to doing before.

In #2 of our series, "Commit," we talked about David Allen's concept of the Weekly Review. It's a great time to not only process your new information, but also to evaluate your systems and circumstances as described above.

As I said in my original "Rebel without a Clock" post, I believe is that time management is very personal and unique, and people may need to change their time management systems periodically because they get bored or their circumstances are different. One size does NOT fit all. Don't be afraid to Correct and try something new until it works just right for your brain and your style! What have you done to Correct your systems to make them work better for you? Share in the comments!

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Organize Your Way to Better Relationships

I just returned from attending a conference, and I am reminded that building and maintaining relationships takes organizing skills too! I asked three of my friends who are experts in networking to give us some tips on how they organize their way to better relationships.

Getting organized before a meeting:

Steve Harper is the author of The Ripple Effect: Maximizing The Power of Relationships For Your Life and Business (second edition releases October 2009). Prior to meeting a person one-on-one, he does his homework. Here are some of his favorite preparation questions:

• Who is this person?
• What is this person all about?
• Why is this person important to me?
• What ways I can add value to this person?

Taking a few minutes to organize your thoughts means you'll be prepared for the meeting and shows that you care.

I would also add that I have a mental checklist of things I bring with me to a meeting: business cards and other marketing materials, my Blackberry or other calendar, and a notepad and pen. Sometimes I also bring a small token gift of one of my books or products.

Staying organized during the meeting:

Steve tries to guide the conversation with these points:

• What's the latest? What's going on?
• What are the challenges you are currently facing? How can I help you with those?
• What are any actions we both should take after the meeting?

I like taking notes during a meeting using my Blackberry to send myself an email for action items, or using Evernote for reference information. I also like using Jott with my phone to get a transcribed email sent to me with any further thoughts that occur to me on the drive home.

Organizing after a meeting:

Patti DeNucci is a business connections expert and writer, currently working on a book and putting out some great content on her DeNotations blog. Patti and Steve both will tell you that a good contact management system is crucial to managing your relationships. I am personally a big fan of CardScan, a business card scanner that allows you to easily grab the valuable information from that stack of business cards you have been building up in your desk drawer.

Patti adds, “When you bring business cards home from an event, go through them and cull out the ones from people with whom you really connected. Out of a stack of twenty you may only have two or three and that's okay. Follow up with those first. Don't be afraid to toss out or store cards from people who just didn't impress or resonate with you. My belief is if you're meant to know or do business with them, they'll show up again.”

“Along similar lines, databases need a good decluttering from time to time. I go through mine a few times a year to: a) remove people I've not seen or heard from in more than two years, b) re- categorize those I've gotten to know better, or c) update changing information.”

My third networking expert friend, Thom Singer, is the author of The ABCs of Networking and many other great books. He reminds us that a contact management system loses some of its significance if you don't also have a good follow-up system. You'll want to make sure you take action on those items you discussed during your meetings with people. You can use your calendar, task list, and even a more sophisticated system like ACT! or Salesforce.com to move your relationships further down the path.

I've linked each of my friends' names to their Twitter accounts here so you can follow them for more great networking tips and thoughts. What are your favorite organizing systems for staying connected? Share in the comments!

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Essentials of Time Management #4: Complete!

(Fourth in a series expanding on my rebellious notions on time management--See previous post "Rebel Without a Clock." Click the bulleted list below for other posts in this series.) 

My opinion of the five essential components of time management:

• CAPTURE
• COMMIT
• CUE
• COMPLETE
• CORRECT

So now you've Captured your information, you've Committed to doing it by making an appointment on your calendar or putting it on your task list, and you've been reminded to do it by your brilliant system of Cues. All you have now is to DO THE WORK--Complete the task. That's not so hard, right?

OK, it is hard. Let's be honest. Your reminder cued you to take action and you just don't wanna. Most of us do procrastinate! This step is where motivation really comes into play. Here are the key factors that compel people to take action and GET IT DONE:

1. It's absolutely necessary. If you don't do it, something will explode or someone will suffer. Customers won't get their orders, for example, or kids won't be able to attend school. Completing these tasks is not as difficult because your motivation is very high.
2. It's tugging at you--as Covey would say, urgent but not important. For example, some salesperson continues to call you repeatedly and you call back to get it over with, or your child has asked you ten times.
3. You're internally motivated. The task is not terribly urgent, but you have a strong reason to complete the task that is meaningful to you. You personally value the outcome because it aligns with who you are and who you want to become. For example, you like walking through the living room and seeing things clean, so you stop and pick things up now to enjoy that result later. You like being healthy so you take time to pack your lunch with healthful food instead of eating at a drive-through. 
4. You're externally motivated. The task is difficult to do or to make time for doing, but you are accountable to someone or something else. Often this means deadlines, consequences, and/or rewards. Maybe what works for you is an Accountability Partner (which is the CURE for procrastination, in my opinion- read more about that by clicking here), an evaluation from your manager, or a big bonus you'll receive.

To Complete your actions, you need a WHY. What is your WHY today for the tasks you have on your plate? Could you use a boost from an external source? Tell us in the comments what works for you!

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Trade in Your Clutter for CASH!

Wouldn't it be great if you could turn your clutter into some good old-fashioned green cash? According to an eBay/Nielsen survey, the average American household has about $3000 worth of valuable items waiting to be cashed in! 

Of course you can sell pretty much anything on eBay, but Ladies Home Journal's August 2009 issue has a great article on what items fetch the most cash. Here's the scoop, according to LHJ:

• Used name-brand kids' clothing: All of those designer labels that your kids have outgrown will command a great price on eBay! At least your "investment" kind of holds its value this way.
• Vintage children's books: Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books taking up some shelf space? Someone would love to take those off your hands.
• Kitchen equipment: Kitchen Aid stand mixers and other high-quality, small kitchen appliances are valuable to the eBay community. That is great news, as I have seen many a kitchen with too many gadgets they don't use! My favorite example of a superfluous kitchen gadget? A "Hello Kitty" waffle maker. Yes, really.
• Exercise equipment: Your treadmill no longer needs to burden itself holding up your clothing before it gets washed or hung in your closet! Let it go to a good home where someone will appreciate its true gifts.
• American Girl dolls: I don't have girls, so I missed out on this whole phenomenon. But if your daughters are older now and not sentimental about keeping these, someone would love to have them instead, so cash in!
• Used china: Evidently the strategy is to sell these by the piece, so that people can replace individual pieces in their collections, vs. selling the set as one lot together.
• Bridal gear: Great bridesmaids' dresses apparently sell very well, which makes sense given that they are only worn once and nobody likes to have them taking up closet space. This article specifically mentioned that J. Crew has bridesmaid dresses that really hold their value.
• Electronics: Many people don't like to be the "early adopters" and try out the latest stuff-- they are happy to let you do that first and then use your stuff when you move on to the next latest thing.
• Rock & roll memorabilia: Got some cool concert t-shirts from back in the day? They might be worth something!

If you don't have time or know-how to sell items on eBay, you can also try Craigslist.org which is a little more straightforward. You can also hire a savvy neighborhood teenager to do the listing and selling for you-- this is a great way for them to use those natural tech-skills and make a little pocket money too. You can tell them they get a percentage of what they sell, and you can consult with them on the specifics of the item description to help them out. (UPDATE: Commenter Lynne makes the excellent point that you need to trust the person helping you with your login information, etc. so that is important to note. Do take care to make sure you are working with someone you know well. I have done this successfully as have some of my clients, but as always, take care!)

What a deal-- lose some Clutter-Pounds(SM) from your home and get PAID too! Share your success stories in the comments!

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