I’ve recently discovered the website called Houzz. You may want to check it out Decorate with Intention: Clutter Clearing 101

" title="De-cluttering article on Houzz" target="_blank">here.

1. Is this item something I use regularly?

2. If not, is it something I love?

3. Am I keeping this out of obligation? (Did the person who gave it to me think that it would be something I should cherish and keep forever?)

4. Do I think I should love it?

5. Am I saving this just in case? (most people say yes here but consider what you are giving up today for the POSSIBILITY only of it being used one day in the future.)

6. Do I have multiples of the same things? (if likely, reduce the amount of mulitples)

7. Could something else do the same job? (or if needed in the future, do you have the resources to be able to find something else that would work?)

8. Am I holding onto it to fix one day? (Is it going to be worth the time I spend cleaning/fixing it?)

9. Could I use this space for something else? (Likely something that is currently on the floor or stuffed into a closet elsewhere)

10.  Is is either beautiful, memorable or useful today? (If so, hang on to it for now. You may not feel the same way about it down the road however.)

1. Get off of mailing lists / cut down on magazine subscriptions.

2. Use automatic Bill Pay to save time on paying bills and en- sure bills are paid on time.

3. Stop shopping and start donating. Having less stuff around is a great way to bring order and simplicity.

4. Reduce debt – get rid of all your credit cards except one. 5. Limit the amount of television you watch.

6. Use up what’s in your kitchen pantry, refrigerator and freezer.

7. Use the “1 in 2 out” rule for closets. For every new item, do- nate two.

8. Limit your storage space. The less stuff you have the less you’ll have to take care of, organize, and look at.

9. Disconnect electronically for short periods of time. i.e. television, computer, IM, cell phone. Enjoy the peace, quiet and free time.

10. Clean out your attic, basement or garage. You’ll find things you forgot you had or that you no longer use.

11. Take a look at what’s on your Commitment Plate. Part of a group that’s no longer important to you? Re-think the com- mitment.

courtesy of Smead Organomics.http://www.smead.com/

If you have five minutes on New Years Day, try answering the following 5 questions.  It may help to clarify some feelings towards setting some goals for the new year.

1.  What is your ideal day?  How would you spend it?

2. What is bothering you in your life right now.  Is there a way you think you can fix it?

3. What is your definition of “being organized”.  How are you not fitting into that definition

4. If you had picked a theme for the past year, what would it have been?  (i.e. conquering fear, focus on family…etc). What would the theme for the upcoming year be?

5. If you woke up tomorrow and magically found that you had truly everything you wanted, how would your life be different?

Thank you Lorie Morrerro from clutterdiet.com for providing these great thought provoking questions.

’tis the season when shopping and buying are ramping up. While this is going on, clients are I are ramping up our efforts of unloading the old gifts that were never used. Time and time again, while trying to make room in saturated spaces does a client hold up an object clinging it and say “….but this was given to me by…..” “Have you used it? Do you like it?” I reply.  ”No, not really”  is always the answer.  Off it goes to Goodwill.  So my sentiments are, please don’t buy for merely the sake of giving something.  Give with a true purpose in mind or consider talking with the recipient first – it will reduce your angst as well as the recipients’. And don’t forget, you can always give a consumable.  Something that will be drunk or eaten and while you are at it – give them the gift of time.  Go over and share it with them in person.

Click on the link and take 5 minutes to complete.  Its an helpful exercise to evaluate your values and priorities in life. Food for thought.  http://t.co/QI01hKY0

Leave these items out of your wallet to save yourself a major headache if your purse gets lost or stolen.

We love the motto “be prepared.”But when it comes to the average American’s wallet, there’s such a thing as over-prepared. From the looks of our bulging billfolds, we must be heading out each day to open a new line of credit, fill out a W-2, shop at several department stores, use a few gift cards, return an item or two, and grab a fro-yo at our favourite punch card spot on the way home.

1,000 wallets and purses are stolen every two minutes in America. (44 percent of LearnVest readers have had their wallets lost or stolen once, while 8 percent have had theirs stolen twice or more). While it’s smart to be concerned with online security, 76 percent of identity thefts result from the theft of something physical, like a wallet. Additionally, it costs an average of $8,000 to recover from identity theft.

Most police who receive reports of stolen wallets lament the same thing: people carry way too much stuff in their wallets, handing their entire lives over to identity thieves. So before you leave the house, read the list of what not to keep in your wallet, so you can pare down to just the essentials—and protect your finances and identity.

Social Security Card
This is the number one thing to not keep in your wallet. If a thief gets a hold of your Social Security card, he can open credit cards, take out loans, or even buy a car—it makes you very vulnerable to identity theft. There is no need to carry this around as an extra form of ID, and even the U.S. government’s website recommends leaving your card at home in a safe place. Your Social Security number is only nine digits—just memorize it.

Your Cheque book
Chequebooks seem innocent enough, but they have your bank account number, address and possibly imprints of your signature. In the wrong hands, blank checks are easily cashed. If you know you need to write a check that day, rip one out and take it with you, or if you bring your cheque book, take it back out of your bag or wallet at the end of the day. It’s best not to get in the habit of carrying a chequebook around.

Your Passport
You’re at serious risk of identity theft if your passport falls into the wrong hands. While it may seem obvious to some, you’d be surprised at how many stories we hear of people carrying this around as a form of ID in the U.S. If you’re traveling internationally, leave your passport in the hotel safe (carry around a photocopy if you want). Losing your passport in a foreign country is a terrible hassle that involves trips to the embassy, wasted time and sometimes changed travel plans.

Too Much Cash
Try to carry only as much cash as you are willing to lose. You should always have some cash on you in case of an emergency, but you don’t want to feel a huge hit if your wallet is lost or stolen. If you’re on a “cash diet,” carry only what you need for the day. According to a recent poll, over 50 percent of LearnVest readers carry less than $50 of cash with them.

Too Many Credit Cards
Don’t carry every credit card you have: If your wallet is lost or stolen, the thief will have a field day with more cards to rack up (leaving you more headache to deal with). Plus, you won’t have anything to use in the meantime as you take care of getting new cards. Carry only one or two of your main cards, and possibly a backup, and leave the rest in a safe place at home.

Extra tip: Keep photocopies of the fronts and backs of all your cards at home. If your cards are lost or stolen, you won’t have to hunt around for numbers. Also, never close your accounts—ask for your account number to be changed. Closing an account can damage your credit, and you may lose previous reward points, interest rates or credit limits.

A Non-Password Protected Phone
If your cell phone allows you to password protect it—do so! Smart phones may provide instant access to bank accounts, PayPal accounts, medical records and more. A phone with email capability alone could mean access to account numbers or credit card numbers from e-commerce receipts. This way, a thief can wipe your phone’s memory, but he’ll never have access to your valuable information.

Gift Cards/Certificates
Don’t carry these around in the off-chance you’ll pass by the store and decide to use it. If your wallet falls into the hands of a thief, gift cards are the first thing he will use, because they’re just like cash. Leave them at home, unless you know you’re going shopping at that store.

Receipts
Many of us are guilty of this—we use our wallet or bag as a receipt-holder, thinking nothing of it. But receipts can sometimes have credit card information or your signature. Not to mention that you may need some important receipts for returns or warranties, and if your business expense receipts go missing, that can be a big reimbursement hassle. Get in the habit of taking receipts out of your wallet at the end of every day.

Jewelry or USB Devices
If you’re changing jewelry before a night out on the town, you might toss it in the zippered section of your wallet or your bag, and the same thing goes for a USB device after a work meeting. Then you may forget about it for a while—until your bag is stolen, and you have to deal with the heartache of losing your grandma’s earrings along with your cash. It’s just common sense, but make sure to clean out your valuables from your wallet or purse every night.

Baby Photo
Now that you’ve made room in your wallet, there’s one thing to put in: a baby photo. According to a study done in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2009, wallets with photos are more likely to be returned than wallets without photos, and a photo of a baby takes the lead—88 percent of wallets with baby photos were returned, compared to 53 percent for puppy photos, 48 percent for happy family photos and 28 percent for photos of an elderly couple.

Reprinted from Real Simple™ Online Edition

Here are a few suggestions to consider when scheduling appointments and activities in your planner. Start off the year right by scheduling your goal-related activities, as well as appointments, directly into your planner. “To do” lists will prevent you from for- getting all the things you have to do, but they will do nothing to further their completion. To be effective, you must schedule time to actually get the work done. The reason that New Years resolutions usually go right in one year and out the other, is that people commit them to memory, but not to paper. What gets scheduled usually gets done. What gets postponed usually gets abandoned.

• Place deadlines on all appointments and meetings. If you call an open-ended meeting, how can the attendees schedule the balance of their day?

• Make appointments back to back. If you have an appointment to see some- one from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m., and someone else asks to see you at 10 a.m., see if they can make it earlier at 9:45 a.m. This will add strength to the first appointment’s deadline.

• If the appointment is with yourself, to work on a task, schedule a definite time period, say 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., but in this case, don’t back it up with another appointment This will allow you to continue with your task if you’re on a roll. It also allows space to handle emergencies. • Always schedule tasks to be completed ahead of the deadline date. If a project is due Friday, if possible, schedule it to be completed by Wednesday. This allows for any unseen problems, emergencies or the possibility of missing the deadline through illness.

• When scheduling time for a task, always allow more time than you think that portion of the job will take. This will provide time to accommodate those interruptions that invariably occur when engrossed in a task.

• If you have many tasks to be scheduled in a week, always schedule the priori- ties nearer to the beginning of the week. Time is less available as the week passes.

• Schedule the important tasks during your prime time, when your mental energy is at its peak. For most people, this is in the morning.

• Don’t over schedule. Try not to block off any more than 50 percent of your week in advance. Leave plenty of free spaces to accommodate priorities that emerge during the week.

• There is no limit as to how far in advance you can schedule; but blocking off time for priorities only a week or two in advance is usually sufficient. People rarely ask for appointments beyond a week or two in advance. Major activities can be blocked off years in advance.

• If you’re serious about getting things done, schedule the time in ink rather than in pencil. Pencil cries out that it’s only tentative, and you’re more likely to change it. It may be messier to make changes to ink, but it’s better to be a messy doer than a neat procrastinator.

• Don’t limit your scheduling to business-related activities. Evenings and weekends are fair game. Make commitments in your personal life by scheduling time for family, friends, and yourself.

(reprinted from Harold Taylor Time Management)

Turn 3 Ring Binders into Ultimate Small Stuff Storage.

Do you have a working area without sufficient drawers?

Do the drawers you do have end up being junk collectors of little things that you feel compelled to keep?

Are you a visual person that forgets about things if they are out of sight?

Here is a way of keeping smaller working items accessible and orderly. Hardcover durable BINDERS will stay upright on a desk or shelf (with the help of bookends). But instead of filling them with sheets of paper, you select of variety of storage pouches to hold all your small things. These inserts are readily found at office and art supply stores. The varieties are many: they are available are for CDs, business cards, photos, and sports cards. Some are accordion files and have zippered and velcro pockets. So use them to keep small things that you have around your working area such as: Electronic cables Paper clips Post it notes Elastic bands data USBs Coupons Batteries Connectors Event Tickets Gift cards The advantage of this method is that each little item has a home of its own and won’t be hidden underneath other things where you have to dig through drawers and boxes. This solution works for hobbyists, craftspeople and tinkerers as well. If you like making things, you probably have hundreds or even thousands of little parts – nuts, bolts, screws, beads…

This is one of the cheapest, most compact, flexible, portable, and simple ways of storing them. Finally, depending on your collection and number of binders, the final step of organizing is to always to LABEL the binders on the outside spine and front. A clue to what is the inside is critical and serves the purpose of finding things fast and easily.