Looking at a drawer full of cell-phone-osauruses and mismatched
charging cords?  Many people wait 3-5 years before they get rid of
their techno-equipment and are surprised to find that it has not
only lost its value, but they must now pay to dispose of it
correctly.  New online resources take the guesswork out of
assigning value to these items and make it easy to put them into
the hands of someone who can use them.  Postponing this decision
will cost you money!

Gazelle
Gazelle is an easy-to-use website for selling and recycling your
reusable electronics. A cool pricing guide offers the latest
information on the best established sales price for all kinds of
digital gadgetry: cell phones, cameras, ipods, GPS systems. It also
suggests ways to recycle.

My Boneyard
This is a great site for tips and information on the responsible
buying, repairing and recycling of digital equipment. You will find
yourself rethinking the whole lifespan of your products!  It is
also a good resource for local collections with links to many
organizations.

Digitaltips
Another great resource for exploring your consumer electronics
options. An Energy Calculator allows you to calculate your energy
consumption and offers waste-saving options. Learn more about
reusing and recycling and earning cash on used products.

Buymytronics
This site is a veritable eBay for all your electronic equipment
with the goal being to make some cash while keeping electronics out
of the landfills. Register, type in the model number of the product
and follow the easy steps to sell a wide range of electronics and
get cash back. The site hopes to start accepting laptop computers
soon too.

With the heavy snowfall came a real organizing buzz– the snow just keeps coming and people just keep finding order!

I am so surprised how many people have commented to me that they were getting organized while they were stuck at home. I thought it might be interesting to explore some reasons why that might be happening. Here are a few I came up with, and PLEASE feel free to comment on a few more!

• It creates time available to organize. Our regular agenda shifts and our normal routine moves to the back burner
• It provides chunks of time that are required for bigger projects
• There is time to clear the decks of the little things
• Nothing is competing with organizing
• Organizing gives us a sense of accomplishment and it’s a way to not feel stuck

Here are some tips for organizing when you are stuck at home:

• Organize your tax information and be ready now so you can enjoy that spring weather in April!
• Pull out those photographs and spread them out on the dining room table and start sorting!
• Delete all those emails that are clogging your inbox and get rid of files you will never use.
• Clean out that recipe box, you may find the perfect cozy treat.
• Update your calendar with birthdays and anniversaries.
• Update your address list and card lists so you are ahead of the game next holiday season.
• Go through your medicine cabinet to clear out expired medications.
• Clean out and update your music on itunes.

The new A&E Show HOARDERS is really creating a buzz in our industry and I am trying to decide how I feel about it. First, let me say that I know the Professional Organizers featured on this show personally and I have a great deal of respect for their work. My comments relate to the show and how it is produced more than the actually work they are doing.

Although the show “spotlights” organizing and bring attention to a segment of the population we serve, I am not sure it portrays the process well. I have concerns anytime a show has to document a long process over a very short time and accentuates the drama more than the growth. This can make actual hoarding clients shy away from getting help. A typical hoarder client is trying to change the way they think about their stuff and figure out why they are holding and collecting so much stuff. The process is SLOW as they relearn and reframe. Trust is a huge factor. Time is spent making small changes to the “rules” and often that means organizers are working at the hoarder’s pace and making small changes at first. This leads to real learning and an increased chance of results that last. In my experience working at a rapid pace stresses out a hoarding client and they are unable to continue. The work is painstaking at first but learning occurs and the work gets easier as these clients build their decision making muscles.

The show features people who are usually facing eviction and have literally run out of options. At least they are making some movement, and it obviously takes that kind of situation to make a move, but it is like a crash diet the results don’t hold. One thing the show does do is to provide $4,500.00 of after-care to help these people recover from this event and work on their issues. The concern of trauma and maintenance are much higher when the process is forced and accelerated. The danger here is that people who watch this may think that they can just start dumping out their loved ones things over a weekend to address the problem and that is so much more than that. My inbox has been flooded with people who have watched this show and have decided that “they can do this” — and with training, they can. The lead organizers on the show have been specially trained in this specialty.

I guess the exposure is good, but they should be careful to educate the audience to make sure that hoarders who need our help understand that the real process is slower, less dramatic and they have much more control. They also need to know that there are organizers specifically trained for this and compassionate help is out there.

Is getting organized your top new year resolution? Here is the easiest way ever to get started!

Offered under the leadership of my colleague Allison Carter, there is a wide array of classes offered by the top professionals in our field.
Join us for this amazing event!

Leslie McKee and Ellen Delap are both Certified Professional Organizers® and Family Manager Coaches. Together they will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. Remember, procrastination is a habit not a flaw and Leslie and Ellen will teach you will address the challenges and causes of procrastination and how to overcome it. So if you are putting something off that is getting in your way join their call and be on your way to a more productive 2010!

http://theprofessionalorganizer.com/organizingclasses/wednesday/

Link to all the classes:

http://organizingclasses.com

Jan 25-29, 2010

It’s an organizing fiesta!

Learn from the comfort of your own couch.

Strategies for getting organized and for professional organizers

PS
Don’t procrastinate on this offer! Use the code word clutter for 10% off!

Have you tried to buy ONE roll of tape lately? You start to feel like an idiot when you could be buying a 24 pack for what seems to be just pennies more! Not only that but these rolls fit onto a dispenser that could sit on top of your desk and make tape so available all the time. You can also buy it so it attaches like a watch to your wrist and pull it out on precut strips. How did we ever live with those useless single little rolls?

I grew up in a house that just had one roll of tape. It lived in the junk drawer in the kitchen. Everyone knew where it was. Simple! This isn’t about making due. This is about what works, or at least to help you consider buying just one. In a world that sells mustard in sizes that will certainly mandate that it be included in your will—be vigilant to buy what you need, not what you can. Studies show that waste increase for oversized items therefore the “bargain factor” decreases. The joy of owning something you can not care for, use or store slips away.

Here are some questions to help you think about NOT making your next BIG purchase:
Are you buying this because it is novel?
Are you buying it just because it is a good deal?
Where is it going to live in your home?
Will you really use it?
What is it replacing?
It is a quality item?
Are you saving on packaging or processing?

If you are standing in your bedroom and have to go downstairs to get it — is that a SYSTEM FAILURE or SYSTEM SUCCESS? While working with one of my all time favorite clients it occurred to me that we had very different definitions for SYSTEM FAILURE! My client viewed this as system failure if she had to travel to get what she needed. Her vision for a system that works included having “redundancies” all over the house as a “convenience”. It was a powerful moment when she re-framed this and realized that these duplicates were becoming clutter and more trouble than convenience. Beautiful, well designed spaces designed for holding bathroom items were holding “backup” supplies and were losing their functionality! You can be a good provider, homemaker and mother and only have ONE pair of scissors or one roll of tape.

There is not one right answer here! Just considering what ENOUGH looks like is a big win and helps you live more intentionally! Of course some items need to have duplicates, but if you tend to over-do that, ask yourself these questions:
Are there duplicates in this room?
Do I have a favorite?
Am I using it or saving it?
Am I backing up my back ups due to lack of confidence in my system?
Are there duplicates in other rooms?
Do I feel the need for each person to have there own?
Are you having trouble committing to a “home” for an item?

Sometimes “choice” becomes a burden and backup get in the way of order.

What is going to make 2010 different?  We are always striving to be faster, stronger and bigger, but what does that really look like.  One of the most popular resolutions is to get organized and that doesn’t always translate into MORE. Efficiency is a great goal but prioritizing might be a better one.  Knowing what is important in your time and stuff will make every day seem easier. That is a gift that only you can give yourself. So, how do you get there? What do you let go of?  Here are three strategies that may help you.
Top 10 List
What are the all the things you are involved in?  What are your roles?  List them all; pick the Top Ten and let go of the rest, even temporarily so you get caught up on the issues that are bothering you.  You may be surprised when you miss an activity that had been routine and not important, then find yourself secretly celebrating.  This is a great strategy for getting on track when you are going through a major life transition.  Step back and minimize while you get through it!
What is it that only I can do?
Another great tip that really works for entrupenuers is to really write down all the “jobs” you do and then highlight the jobs that only YOU can do.  Go one step further and mark those that you actually like to do.  For me this has really illuminated all kinds of little things that have kept me from the bigger things.  It was easy to let go by finding people to do those very specific jobs that I no longer need to attend to.  It is fun to think of the year ahead with out those items on my To Do List.
Know you  3 MIT’s Daily
MIT’s are your Most Important Things.  If you could write just 3 MIT’s down for the next day when you are leaving your desk or at the end of each day, and were able to start each day ready to accomplish just those 3 things, I suspect it would be life changing.  I know we all have HUGE To Do lists, and making a master list does help get it all down, but I am talking about having a top 3 every day that are non-negotiable!  This will take away the feeling of overwhelm and will help you know what enough looks like. Knowing this can help you stop just working and working and working until you just “hit the wall”

So- see your New Year through the lens of doing what is important and knowing what “enough” is. This will bring simplicity and order to your 2010!

Getting stuck is all about perspective.  Often by the time clients call for our help they really have had several failures and their veiw of their problem is blown out of proportion.  They are seeing everything from an extreme point of view.  They are CATASROPHIZING!

• They have decided that I am PERFECT and will think they are terrible.
• They have decided that their space is the worst space I have ever seen.
• Sometimes they see it as impossible or hopeless
• They think that they or the people in their lives will be traumatized by letting go of certain items.

But often what is trally happening is that i have seen spaces that are in worse shape and all I am really looking at is the person, not the stuff.  I am trying to understand how they want to live in the space and what might be getting in their way.  Often letting go brings energy and a sense of empowerment and control to everyone involved.

Be careful if you tend to think in worse case scenarios.  This highly emotive thinking can get in the way of clear decision making and making decisions is the key to processing the things that are in your life.  Building your decision making muscles and confidence will help you keep a healthy perspective as you face challenges.

ADD clients are often prolific thinkers who are creative, who struggle with focus, impulse control, prioritization and time among other things. The key to change is awareness and setting up distraction free, reminder rich environments. Because these clients have so many ideas they are prone to be big starters and poor finishers. We often see these clients being “productive procrastinators”. They are busy with low priority tasks, for example they will be pruning the hedges instead of working on their presentation that is due the next day! Helping clients prioritize is the first step to helping them be more effective day to day. Part of prioritizing is making manageable lists. Agree on a “do-able number” to ensure success and then “A/B” that list. Assign an “A” to the most important items and a “B” to the rest to make sure they are focused on what is most important daily. Commit to what is important by slotting tasks on a calendar. This sounds simple but this exercise cements the task in your client’s mind which is important when they struggle with focus and time. When competing goals are screened out now it is time to engineer the environment to reduce distraction and keep them on track with reminders. Set “mini deadlines” and add rewards to keep them moving toward their goals by delaying gratification until completion.

Awareness of the “triggers” that throw them off track is important and then strategies to overcome. For example if email distracts your client then set timers for that activity so they don’t get lost in that “now” moment. Transitioning is once your ADD client is hyper-focusing on a task is very difficult so setting a timer that requires them to actually move away from the current task begins that transition for them so it is easier to get on to the next task. One important thing to be aware of is “productive procrastination”. This is when our clients are constantly busy but not doing what is most important.

Yesterday I pulled out of my driveway and scraped my car against the corner of my neighbors house. This of course resulted in a srapes along three panels of my car and the corner of my neighbors house FELL OFF! My husband was in the drivway and helped me sort of re-attached some loose trim and talked to the home owner. Finally we both drove off to our appointment and I hear a THUD. I look in my rear veiw mirror only to see all of my husbands papers, drawings and measurements for a closet install scattered all over the road behind me. Apparently he had put these on the roof when he stopped to help! From there it seemed like my bad day was building. I felt like everything little challenge yesterday was overwhelming. Normal things like even deciding what to have for dinner were a struggle.

Looking back, I was building a bad day. If I had changed my perspective, I may not have had categorized the string of events that followed as part of my “bad day” and I may have handled them with a more positive attitude. Shift in thinking are so powerful. Often when people are disorganized, they have “strings of events” that turn south. Try not to wallow in it. Stop and make a mental shift and see how you can get on with a good day!