Organization as Art
Who said organizing isn’t fun!? Swedish artist, Michael Johansson, has found a creative way to put order to very ordinary things. He repurposes familiar yet unrelated items by combining them to make organized, 3D sculptures. Notice how he puts particular focus on shape and color. It’s a very interesting take on organization as art…or perhaps, formerly useful items as art…
I am fascinated walking around flea markets finding doubles of seemingly unique, though often useless objects I have already purchased at another flea market. Despite the fact that I did not have any use for them even the first time, the desire to own two of these objects becomes too strong to resist. ~Michael Johansson
I am intrigued by irregularities in daily life. Not those that appear when something extraordinary occurs, but those that are created by an exaggerated form of regularity. ~Michael Johansson
Many thanks to Terragenesis LLC for sharing the article, Sculptural Color Palettes By Michael Johansson by Evad at COLOURlovers.
Fact Friday: Juggling Tasks
People who multitask are actually less efficient than those who focus on one project at a time, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology.
[New Studies Show Pitfalls Of Doing Too Much at Once · Sue Shellenbarger · The Wall Street Journal · 02.27.2003 · Source: NAPO]
5 Ways to Get Back on the Decluttering Wagon
Studies have shown that most New Year’s resolutions are forgotten soon after the new year begins. Certified Professional Organizer®, Helene Segura, shares a few tips on how you can keep your resolution to stay organized.
As December was ending and January approached, you were excited about the prospect of your New Year’s resolution: Get Organized! When the after Christmas sales started, you ran out and bought every container imaginable: huge bins, tiny boxes, and those cute little containers that just looked absolutely perfect in the display.
You dove head-on into your first project. You tore up a room, spread stuff out everywhere – and then got stuck. So you moved on to another room. And spread stuff out everywhere. Before you knew it, you had more clutter in more places than before you started. Sound familiar? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. You were in the state of inspiration and then crossed the border into the state of overwhelm. If you want to leave this state and jump back on the decluttering wagon, here are five ways to help yourself get back on track:
1. Take a deep breath. While the task ahead may seem daunting, it is not impossible. Relax as much as you can and stay positive.
2. Acknowledge the fact that your organizing projects will not be complete overnight. It took time for your clutter to build up, so it will take time to declutter. Decide if you want to devote a couple of long weekends to your project or if you want to work in small chunks of time each day.
3. Pick one room. And stick to it. If you hop around from area to area, it will seem like you’re not getting anything done, and that will deflate your enthusiasm. If you concentrate on just one area, you’ll see visible progress.
4. Divide your room up into sections. Either mentally (in your head) or literally (on paper) draw dividers in your chosen room. Create a clock pattern and work your way from 6:00 to 7:00 to 8:00 – and so on – all the way back around to 6:00 again. Or, divide the room into a checkerboard and work on one square at a time. Cover the room with sheets if the sight of the rest of your stuff distracts you. Just chip away slowly but surely.
5. Reward yourself at the end of each session. So many times we focus on what we didn’t get done, and that negativity brings us down. Instead, focus on what you did accomplish and celebrate that progress.
Rome wasn’t built in a day…or two…or even three. It takes time to build solid foundations. Pick yourself up by your boot straps and hop back up on the decluttering wagon. The road to organization might be a bit bumpy at times, but the end destination will be worth the journey.
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About the Author
Helene Segura is the owner of LivingOrder® San Antonio. She teaches clients how to understand their core 
issues causing disorganization and thereby prevent it in the future. She also conducts organizing workshops for larger groups and is a member of the trailblazing team providing expert organizing help online at The Clutter Diet. Helene writes an organizing column for ezine Concierge and has been a featured organizing expert in articles in the San Antonio Express-News, as well as on Great Day S.A. on KENS TV. To get more information, visit her website at www.LivingOrderSA.com or follow her tweets on Twitter.
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Tech Review: TwitterPeek
Last year, I found out about a new gadget called Peek. It piqued (sorry, couldn’t help it) my interest, and I wondered why anyone would choose it over an iPhone or other smartphone. It seemed (and still does) that there are so many more benefits to having a smartphone, one of them being that you have access to many apps that can help you stay organized and manage your life.
So, I contacted the company in December to request an interview and to hear why they think it’s a better choice. So far, no one has gotten back to me but they did send me one of their products to test.
Here’s a run down of my experience with TwitterPeek…
Pros
- Shipping. TwitterPeek arrived quickly! I was impressed by how fast it was delivered, though the plastic packaging was already open. I assumed this was because it was a test model and wasn’t too concerned.
- Familiar Look. The Peek has the look of a BlackBerry with a keyboard and scroll wheel.
- Function & Ease of Use. I really liked some key things about this device.
- Power Button. The power button was easy find and the battery cover didn’t require a crowbar to get it open.
- Back button. Love this! It’s the little things, yes? =) It was great having a button dedicated to going back to the previous screen…efficient and easy to use.
- Scroll Wheel. I liked that the scroll wheel did what it was supposed to do – let you move down the screen – and, if you pushed it in, you would advance to the next screen or see a list commands to choose from.
- Portability. It is super lightweight and can easily be stored in a purse or pocket. It’s slim profile makes it easy to carry.
- Customer Service. When I took their offer to test out the product, I received a quick and enthusiastic e-mail with instructions on what to do once I got the device. The folks at Peek were also responsive (mostly) when I ran into a few problems, but more on that later.
Cons
- Overall Function. I got half way through the registration process and it stalled. It wouldn’t accept the most crucial piece of information: my Twitter user name and password. I tried for several days to get it to work (and again last night), but no luck.
- Customer Service. As I mentioned before, I contacted Peek on Twitter and each time got a response. They checked with the carrier who said that it may be due to a “coverage issue.” They also said it could be that the “SIM was disconnected.” The problem here is that they stopped following up with me. I realized that each time they contacted me, it was as a result of me following up and asking for more help. When I stopped sending them inquiries, they dropped the ball. The last response I got was on December 14th. …and that e-mail request for an interview on December 3rd – still waiting to hear back.
Overall, while I love it’s cool buttons and it looks, the fact that it didn’t work trumped all it’s positives. There was no way for me to really see why this device would be the picked over a smartphone. Yes, it’s cute, but entrepreneurs need more than cute. Perhaps it’s a less expensive option, but I’d rather spend more for function and figure out how cut costs elsewhere. If you’re using one – and love it – please tell me why because I just don’t get it.
Sorry, TwitterPeak. You #Fail.
Quick Tip: Get FAT
When the paper piles start growing and your best efforts to reduce them are thwarted, there’s only one thing to do: get FAT.
- File: Whether you use an open file cart, desktop filing system, or a typical file cabinet, put away the papers you must keep.
- Act: These are the papers you need to do something about or act on. Keep them in a location that you access them easily.
- Toss: Everyone has stuff that needs to hit the garbage can, so say goodbye to papers of little or no value. Consider tossing papers first so that you can easily see and separate those that you need to file or act on.
Get FAT & Watch Your Papers Get Skinny
How to Carve Out Space in a Small Area
Have you been struggling with creating a space for everything you own? It can be a battle, especially when you’re reluctant to part with some of your things. In a recent article I wrote for Space Bag’s Space Savers Community blog, I shared 5 tips on how to carve out some much needed room. Here are two of them:
- Engage Your Walls. If an organizing product functions well, but has a big footprint, consider finding an alternate but similar product that you can mount to your wall.
- Pool Your Resources. Clutter often springs up when you have multiples of the same items in a variety of places. Start keeping your like items together and consolidate when possible. You’ll get a little more room along with the added bonus of finding what you need quickly and easily.
Read the entire article for all 5 tips:
Space Wars: The Challenge to Find More Room in a Small Space
Good Tech, Bad Distractions
We’re all prone to distractions, even yours truly. Unexpected things come up all the time that yank us away from what we really should be focusing on. More often than not, though, there are daily distractions that we allow to creep into our day. Some distractions have a bigger pull than others. The top two for me are e-mail and text messages. I usually stop what I’m doing to read an e-mail or see who’s texting me.
It was frustrating especially since I knew better. I know that switching between tasks is unproductive and not so nice for my brain cells. I decided to make a slight change after having a “I did a lot of stuff today but got nothing done” day. Actually, I had a couple of those days back to back.
…and they sucked. So, recently I turned off the “new mail” notification in Outlook and put my iPhone on mute at certain points during the day. It wasn’t the first time that I’d put my phone on mute, but this combined with putting my e-mail on pause, has helped me to stay focused and on task…and sane. Funny enough, I would still check for new mail during the first couple of days, and then, after a while, I forgot about it…and I got more stuff done. Less distractions + “To Do” list = a very happy & productive me.
What do you do to keep good tech from turning into bad distractions?
How’s That Resolution Coming Along?
By now, you’ve read a lot about Get Organized Month on OTR. Professional organizers across the country, myself included, have been using the 31 days in January to shine a light on the benefits of being organized. Now that the month is coming to a close, how’s your mindset? How’s your resolution to get more organized coming along? Still need a little motivation?
If so, you’re not alone. It’s not easy to make changes, even good ones. My advice is to take it one day at a time – just do a little bit every day. I have a few more tidbits that can you help stay on the motivation train. Check them out this recent Holidash article, New Year’s Resolution: Get Organized.
Remember, clear space = clear mind. Let this year be the year that serenity and order hang around for a while.
Read the entire article:
New Year’s Resolution: Get Organized
Fact Friday Quote: “The Shovunda”
Do you know about ‘The Shovunda?’ That’s when you shove stuff under here and shove stuff under there.
~Lee Silber, Author, during the Organizing Telesummit 2010, explaining what some people do when company’s coming over
Books by Lee Silber
The Value of a Good List
Are you a list maker? Today’s guest author, Jennifer Tankersly, shares why lists can be invaluable and help you manage and organize your thoughts.
There are many tools and techniques available for organization and even time management, but none are as simple and effective as the list. All you need is a piece of paper and a writing implement, and you can dump all of the information swimming around in your brain in an organized and efficient manner. Lists can be made over a period of time or can be jotted on the fly. They can be as brief and simple or as long and detailed as you need them to be, but either way, the benefits to creating and using a list are many.
- A list can be a great brainstorming activity. A person may go from not having any clear ideas on a topic to a list full of possibilities.
- A list is a good memory aid. Many people are visual and seeing the information presented in list form is a way of committing it to memory. For example, a grocery list allows a person to not only consider what ingredients are needed but also the freedom of not having to store all of those items in their memories. However, once a visual person sees the list of ingredients, they are much more likely to remember what is included on the list.
- Your information is centralized. Lists bring the important details together to one handy location. A monthly menu list brings together the titles of recipes spread throughout your kitchen storage (and even computer) and places them on a single page for easy reference.
- A list makes a terrific record. Not only can a list prepare you for what lies ahead, but remains long after an event as a kind of testament that can be used again or repeated as often as necessary. A good Packing List should be saved and pulled back out for future trips.
- Lists are extremely portable. A piece of paper can be clipped to a clipboard and toted around the home or office. It can be hung on the refrigerator or message board and displayed for others to enjoy and use. It even folds nicely and can fit into a back pocket or purse.
Whether you have dabbled in the art of listmaking or are a seasoned listmaker, you’ve probably discovered that lists have a way of multiplying. Develop a system for creating and storing lists such as a 3-ring binder. Keep the ones that will serve you again in the future and dispose of the ones that have run their course.
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About the Author
Jennifer Tankersley is the founder of ListPlanIt.com, which has over 500 lists and planning pages available for members to either print or download as often as you need for 1 year, including Home Management, Family Matters, Financial Planning, Meal Planning, Holidays & Occasions, Time Management, Travel Planning, and more!
