Organization as Art

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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…


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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


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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


 

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Many thanks to Terragenesis LLC for sharing the article, Sculptural Color Palettes By Michael Johansson by Evad at COLOURlovers.

 



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Fact Friday: Juggling Tasks

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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]



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5 Ways to Get Back on the Decluttering Wagon

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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

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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


Cons


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.








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Quick Tip: Get FAT

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When the paper piles start growing and your best efforts to reduce them are thwarted, there’s only one thing to do: get FAT.






Get FAT & Watch Your Papers Get Skinny








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How to Carve Out Space in a Small Area

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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:


Read the entire article for all 5 tips:

Space Wars:  The Challenge to Find More Room in a Small Space






 


 

 



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Good Tech, Bad Distractions

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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?






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How’s That Resolution Coming Along?

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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

 

 

 

 


 



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Fact Friday Quote: “The Shovunda”

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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



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The Value of a Good List

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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.

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!

 

 

 


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