The Clutter Diet Blog

3 Big Lifesaver Ideas for Getting Out of a Jam!

As our definition of what it means to be organized, we teach that you should strive to be N.E.A.T.E.R.:

Not perfect, but...
Effective- doing what works best
Always improving
True to your style
Efficient- not wasting time and energy
Ready for anything- being prepared for life

(NEATER acronym © 2006-2009, Clutter Diet, Inc.)

Yesterday I was so happy that I was "Ready for anything" and prepared. Wouldn't you know, the garage door was temporarily broken, so I was locked out, and I was so glad I had hidden a key for emergencies! They make these metal key boxes that you can stick onto something (photo from Amazon) and also these fake rock things are available (photo also from Amazon). These can be a lifesaver! When I was locked out, the dog and I had mud all over ourselves from our walk and I had a meeting in about an hour. Not sure what I would have done. (Of course, judge for yourself the security risks of hiding your key and don't put it in a super-obvious place like under your doormat.)

 

I also wrote here a while back about having an "Emergency Twenty." This is the practice of always keeping a twenty-dollar bill in a special place in your car. (read that previous post here) I also keep a change purse with a bunch of quarters for downtown parking meters. My Emergency Twenty has gotten me out of many a jam involving lunch money and parking garages.

And of course, we are getting into hurricane season, so those of you on the coastlines need to be prepared in a much bigger way. My family of in-laws is in Puerto Rico, so they are very aware of being prepared with a generator and lots of water. (I went through Hurricane Hortense in 1996 & Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 when we lived there! It was like our whole house was going through a super-scary car wash.) Here's a great site for hurricane preparedness for your convenience.

What else could YOU do today to be more prepared for what life throws at you? Are there things that recur in your life that you could solve and prevent? Our members just got finished updating their First Aid Kits for the summer bug bites and sunburns... Share your own ideas in the comments! (Happy 4th, USA readers!)

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One of These Things is Not Like the Others

Don't you feel sometimes that everything you really needed to know, you learned from Sesame Street? Being kind, sharing, having fun while you learn... You might not have thought about how you were also learning organizing skills. Let's have Cookie Monster refresh our memories in this clip:

For our Kindle readers and others who may not be able to watch the video, here is an easy-to-remember link to it for viewing on YouTube later: http://budurl.com/cookiemonstersong, and here are the transcribed lyrics to this song:

One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?

(Thanks to "Tiny Dancer" who has a Sesame Street lyrics archive here.)

Learning to make sets of things and differentiate how things are alike and different-- that is some basic organizing mojo right there. When you are sorting through your things and then deciding how to store them, you generally want to PUT LIKE THINGS TOGETHER. It really helps.

In bathrooms, we often organize extra supplies by parts of the body, like teeth care, hair care, nail care, skin care, and so on. In kitchens we sort by type and function, like food preparation, lunch making supplies, or baking equipment.

Here are some great ways to think about sorting that you can choose for your projects:

• Color
• Function
• Size
• Type
• Name/Alphabetical
• Chronological
• Priority

You know this. Put it into practice. As Cookie Monster says, "You so smart."

(Thanks to my good friend KJ McCorry for reminding me of this Sesame Street concept and telling me her amazing stories about using it to teach people in Africa.)

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Get Your Ducks in a Row...and Win!

Last week our newsletter subscribers and paid members were the first to know that we're having a gigantic summer contest! Well, it's big for us, anyway.

The "Get Your Ducks in a Row" contest will have one grand prize winner and one second place winner. And everyone who enters gets a copy of our free tips report, "Managing Your Personal Finances!" Here are the specifics:

The Grand Prize is valued at over $500, which is:

• 1 hour on the phone with me, Lorie (can split into two 30-minute sessions if you like)
• $100 to spend in our online store for our books, notepads, Simple Division® Garment Organizers and other good stuff
• An autographed copy of my book
• An Internet Password Organizer® book
• An ANNUAL membership to the Clutter Diet® online coaching program (valued at $120)

A second prize winner will receive a 20-piece set of Rubbermaid's new Easy Find Lids system of food storage containers, along with the "Mate," the new paperback version of the critically acclaimed Internet Password Organizer® password management system.

You can enter this contest by answering my "Tell Me What You Really Think" survey. It's only 11 brief questions about where you need the most help with your disorganization issues. I really want to help you the best I can by offering what you truly need. So tell me all about it!

The survey will close on July 7th at midnight, and we'll draw the winners by random drawing and announce them here and in our July 9th newsletter. (If you don't already get our Thursday "Just a Bite" newsletter, you can subscribe here.) Due to the fact that there are many physical prizes to be shipped, we cannot accommodate international shipping, and the contest is open only to those who can receive packages at a United States address. One entry per person, and it's void where prohibited and all that jazz.

Muchas gracias to our friends at Innovention Lab and Rubbermaid for donating some of the prizes!

So go ahead, click here to enter... and even if you don't win you get our free tips report on Managing Your Personal Finances, with great tips on paying bills the most efficient way and a list of the best supplies for tackling your statements and receipts. Thanks, everybody!

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It's So Totally ME!

We all go through many phases in our lives-- we went through our "terrible twos" when we were little, and we may have times when we are students, newlyweds, young moms, empty nesters, or retirees. We may have career changes that also mark new phases. Hopefully we grow and learn all the time, and we can see that growth when we look back at old photos, old letters, and other souvenirs from the past.

But beyond memorabilia, how about the way our STUFF marks our phases and reflects who we are and who we've been?

My friend was telling me that when she left the corporate world to start her coaching business, it was SO EASY to pitch the books on "shop floor management" and other corporate topics. It was no longer who she wanted to be. It was a reminder of something she had wanted to grow away from. Clearing it out made her space reflect her new business and her new life.

On a personal note, and hopefully not too personal, I recently threw out all of my old pajamas and started replacing them with ones that feel more like me. I had a bunch of cottony, cartoony pajamas for a long time, and I just realized one day that they did not feel like who I am anymore. I am a mature, serious woman and I wanted some mature, serious pajamas! And I feel SO great in them! The old ones were worn out anyway, but the real point was that I wanted to have stuff around me that reflects how I see myself now. They are SO TOTALLY ME!  :)

What does your stuff say about who YOU are right now? Is it mostly reflective of your past, or your glorious present? (I just wrote more about this recently in my observations on the Pixar movie "UP!") If you are pleased with who you are being and becoming, getting rid of the old stuff should make for relatively easy decisions. If you are keeping things that don't express who you are or who you'd like to be, could it be that stuff (and the thoughts they represent) are actually holding you back? Share your thoughts in the comments...

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Finding Balance: What is Your HOME-eostasis?

Homeostasis is a medical term that refers to the tendency of the human body to seek and maintain balance. What is your house’s “HOME-eostasis?” What is that balanced condition of your home to which you would always like to return?

Homeostasis n. [hoh-mee-oh-stay-sis] The tendency of the body to seek and maintain a condition of balance or equilibrium within its internal environment, even when faced with external changes. A simple example of homeostasis is the body's ability to maintain an internal temperature around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, whatever the temperature outside. (definition from The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.)

Your house’s homeostasis results from preventing clutter, reducing the clutter you have to a manageable and acceptable level, and consistently maintaining your home with systems and routines. It's a state of balance and readiness—the kind of feeling you have when you've just straightened up the house for company to come over for dinner. It’s a state of satisfaction, pride, and comfort. Homeostasis is your definition of success!

There might be different levels of homeostasis depending upon the formality of your current needs. If you need to be ready for your boss to visit, or a local dignitary, or even a camera crew, that is certainly the highest level of readiness! Being ready for a dinner party with friends is another level and being ready for a relaxed weekend is yet another.

We are not talking about perfection, as we’ve often emphasized. Homeostasis is a flexible state that adjusts to transitional times and periods of less or more activity in your lives. The definition will change as your family and situations change.

I have my own checklist for the rooms of my house that is my homeostasis, my definition of success. It’s the level at which I feel most comfortable inviting someone over to visit. Your list will be different, because your home and your family are different. This is your ultimate organizing goal: To know what homeostasis means for your home and have the education, motivation and support to easily and confidently achieve it when things get out of balance (as they surely will).

Make your list today-- take 10-15 minutes to go by each room and note what needs to happen to make you feel balanced and ready. An example:  My guest bathroom needs to be clean enough for people to use without my being embarrassed, and have plenty of toilet paper, a fresh hand towel, and soap. Share in the comments any revelations you had while making your list, or just share your thoughts about what a balanced state of readiness means to you.

(This post is partially excerpted from my book, The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life, which contains my personal homeostasis checklist! Click here to read a sample chapter. Available on Amazon.com, at all major bookstores, on our own website, and on the Amazon Kindle.)

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Get Real by Watching a Cartoon...

I don't often write about movies, but last time I did it was about Wall-E, and this time I want to talk about another Pixar movie, the latest one called UP. I have seen it twice, which I also don't often do.

You may have seen from the previews that the curmudgeonly main character, Carl, uses thousands of balloons to carry his entire home through the sky. He's an elderly man who has lost his wife, and I won't spoil the story by telling you much more... but what absolutely grabbed me by the collar was a scene in which Carl quite literally JETTISONS all of his stuff from the house. He pushes every stick of furniture out of the doors and windows, every last bit of his old life...things we have seen him meticulously caring for throughout the movie. The helium in the balloons has dissipated throughout his journey and the house can only hover low near the ground. It's only after he realizes the stuff is actually just ballast and throws it out that his house can fly again. Once the past is pushed out, the house speeds upward and rushes to meet the needs of his new friends and his new life. He becomes nimble and mobile and able to live fully in the present.

Is your stuff weighing you down? Maybe it is. It does take bravery to face it. Your memories might be really painful. You might have to admit that you never succeeded at that business, or that marriage, or that you miss a special person so much it physically hurts just to think about it.

But as much bravery as it takes to face the past, it takes just as much or more to face the future too. If you got rid of the stuff that is crammed into your closets, your garage, your spare room, your office, or your bedroom, would you LOSE YOUR EXCUSES of why you're not living the life you want to live right now? Think about it. I am being tough on you guys this week, but I'm keeping it real... Are you afraid that getting rid of the clutter in your life is the first action toward a new life that is scary and uncertain? Even if the past is painful, at least it's familiar. Your new future is the great unknown. You can look at it as a adventure like Carl, or you can let that fear keep you stagnant and never grow beyond your current state.

This is why we say our clients and members that take action and follow our program are some of the bravest people we know.

IS THIS RESONATING? Let me know in the comments. I really loved this movie on so many levels, and I would love to hear your thoughts too. (photo from Pixar's UP movie site)

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Is Clutter & Chaos Part of Your Masterpiece?

One of my favorite quotes is:

"Make each day your masterpiece." (John Wooden)

I have this quote printed out on a label and stuck to the top edge of my laptop screen. It keeps me on track throughout the day and inspires me. When I am getting distracted, I ask myself if this activity or this thinking is part of creating my masterpiece. When the answer is no, I adjust and do better.

What does a masterpiece day look like for you? Mine includes good sleep, getting up relatively early, fresh food, exercise, time with family and friends, focusing on my top priorities, writing, journaling, Tweeting, reading, and laughing. (Also Dagoba Xocolatl dark chocolate with chilies and cocoa nibs.) It does NOT include wasted time or sweating the small stuff.

But more than that-- what does a masterpiece LIFE look like for you? Does your masterpiece include clutter, chaos, procrastination, indecision, and distraction? Are you waiting on other people to do things for you, to rescue you, to give you the answers? Are you grabbing the brush, putting your own hands into the clay, putting down the bold strokes that are required?

The most powerful thing about this quote is the idea that we CREATE our days and we CREATE our lives. We have choice in every moment--even if we don't always have full control of our circumstances, we choose how we react to them. So if clutter and chaos are part of your life and are standing in the way of creating your masterpiece, know that you have the power to paint with a different brush, carve off an unnecessary chunk of the clay, or even ball up the paper and start over.

What is your definition of a masterpiece day? What is holding you back? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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5 Ways to Make Better & Faster Decisions

This photo was taken at a local grocery store, showing the vast array of choices of salsa that we face here in Austin, Texas. (click photo to enlarge) Sometimes in life we just have WAY TOO MANY CHOICES! In my book I talk about how all disorganization really stems from two things: delayed decisions and actions. (See also previous post, "You Should Probably Be Decisive, I Think") Let's talk about how we can make better and faster decisions to help get rid of the clutter. Here are some guidelines:

• First, take ownership. Someone needs to make the decisions-- is it you? If not, could it be you? Issues have a way of lingering when nobody takes ownership of the problem. Even something as fun as deciding where to go on vacation never gets resolved when each party thinks the other person is going to decide. Time slips away and before you know it, flights are sold out. You can still decide together and ultimately agree, but someone has to take ownership to make steps toward getting the information and following through.
• Set a deadline. Commit to making the decisions. We are not joking when we tell people to throw a party to help themselves get organized! Something about the idea of people coming over to visit really motivates you to get busy on your organizing projects. It's a great way to set an artificial deadline. You may have a real one, like an upcoming move or the birth of a baby. Use the pressure to your advantage!
• Narrow your choices. Having too many choices can be paralyzing, like facing the salsa aisle. Dr. Barry Schwartz wrote a whole book about this called The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less.
  • Maybe if you're deciding where to go on vacation, you could narrow your choices by saying you'll only travel within this hemisphere. If it's salsa, you could narrow it down to only green (verde) sauces,or just mild ones (if you're a wimp). 
  • When organizing lots of paper, you can quickly get through a pile of items by giving yourself only three choices:  Action, Reference, or Trash.  (spells the word ART) You need to do something with it, you need to keep it to refer to later, or you need to throw it away. These three choices make the piles disappear faster than "drilling down" to all of the possibilities those pieces of paper represent.  
  • When deciding about physical items, stick to "Keep, Toss, or Donate" as a way of staying focused. You could also say, "Yes, No, or Maybe" or whatever works for you, sorting them into piles as you go. (If you have a "Maybe" pile--make sure you go back to it and decide yes or no once you see what remains.) You could also narrow your choices by declaring that anything in the room you do not actively USE or truly LOVE will go. 
• Be a "satisficer" not a "maximizer." Schwartz's book talks about the work of 1950s psychologist Herbert Simon, who identified these two types of decision-makers. A maximizer is someone who perfectionistically needs to be assured that every decision they make is the best possible, causing them to review every possible alternative. Maximizers worry that there is always something better around the corner. Satisficers are people who, once they have found a decent option that meets their criteria and standards, move forward without worrying about whether there is something better.
• Make "policies" to make the decisions easier. If you set rules for yourself, they become the guiding force to make choices for you. You may decide, for example, that you will donate or discard any clothing that you have not worn in one year. You may also decide that if you have magazines older than 3 months you will recycle them without reading them. Further, you might even set a rule that magazines stacked up over a certain number of months mean that you will unsubscribe to that publication.

Most of us in North America have both the blessing and the curse of too many choices. The most important thing to keep in mind is whether the choices we make bring us closer or further away from our goals. What decisions can you make today? Share your thoughts in the comments. And your favorite salsa.

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The Cure for Procrastination-- Seriously

Why am I up at 5:00 every morning lately? I have two mean friends who are making me do that. I have to e-mail them to prove that I am up and working. I am trying to finish one of those "very important but not urgent" projects that has been lingering for a while, and I have to keep getting up at 5:00 until this project is done.

My "mean friends" are actually my Accountability Partners. I have been working with Susan since 2001, and we have since been thrilled to also include Audrey in our weekly calls with each other. The three of us each take our portion of the hour-long call to go over what we got done from last week, what's going on in general, and what we want to get done the next week.

Having to answer to someone else is VERY powerfully motivating. You cannot hide! In our Clutter Diet online coaching program we encourage our members to pair up with each other to provide this accountability (in our program we actually call them Motivation Partners because it's a little less scary-sounding).  :)  There are many organizing goals that can be accomplished this way. It's a combination of providing deadlines and visibility to your progress that is simply one of the most effective cures for procrastination I have ever witnessed!

In my calls with Susan and Audrey, for each thing we commit to doing we can choose to give ourselves either a consequence or a reward. Right now I am getting this 5 AM consequence because I was not able to stop procrastinating on my project... and I know it works because that is how I wrote my book last year! Sometimes we give ourselves rewards like massages or getting to go to a special event, as an incentive instead of a consequence.

Today I will leave you with this thought from the American Society of Training and Development...the probability of completing a goal is:

• 10% if you hear an idea
• 25% if you consciously decide to adopt it
• 40% if you decide when you will do it
• 50% if you plan how you will do it
• 65% if you commit to someone else you will do it
• 95% if you have a specific accountability appointment with the person to whom you committed.

SO...be accountable to me here in the comments. Let me know when you've chosen YOUR Motivation Partner and when you're going to talk!

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Learn How to Bee More Organized

I am a huge fan of TED Talks, which are amazing speeches by some of the brightest and best minds in the world on widely varying topics. I listen to them as a podcast when exercising or working around the house--incredibly enriching! I just listened to Deborah Gordon talking about ants and how they know what tasks to perform in the colony, and it reminded me of one of my earliest inspirations about organization-- another social insect, honeybees.

When I was growing up we actually raised bees for a little while. I think we had two hives when I was about ten or eleven years old. I read the giant ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture book cover-to-cover, and I would get in there all geared up and use the cedar smoker to calm them down before we opened up the hives. I have never been stung by a bee in my life and am not afraid of them. I find these creatures industrious, inspiring, and simply lovely.

Here are some organizing lessons from the bees (just a few of many):

1. They have a place for everything and everything in its place, with excellent, efficient storage. The honeycomb they intuitively build is a marvel of engineering and stores honey and pollen and incubates eggs.
2. Bees have systems and routines! And they work together to keep those systems going every day. They do not wait around and procrastinate their work.
3. Bees bring home only as much as they can carry. They have pollen baskets on their legs that help collect pollen and bring it back to the hive. They do not have Hummers that they can load up at the "Costco of flowers" and bring home excessive amounts of stuff they don't need. They also know exactly what they are shopping for and don't deviate from their lists.  :)
4. Bees think ahead. They put away extra honey for when they need it, and they anticipate the seasons and do what is necessary to prepare for each time of the year.

Bees and other social insects are truly the epitome of an organized society. They all have very clear jobs to do and they simply do them. Imagine what we can all do if we put our minds to it and focused the way the bees do.

Do you love bees too? Are you inspired by other animal behavior in your life and work? Share your thoughts in the comments!  (Photo here from Flickr by Peter Shanks)

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