“We are part of an organizing craze…we love a great container, but what we really love is the transformation of our client’s lives.”- Kristine Oller, Professional Organizer
[Of Ramen, Fat Bastards and Professional Organizers · Time Magazine · Lisa Cullen · January 9, 2007]
Image Credit: Google Images
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Can you imagine what it would be like to get up at 2:30 am every morning to get to work at 4:30 am? …and to split your time between two states? …because your spouse doesn’t live in your state? …and to have a child, er, dog to care for? …and to give your time to a few charities? Well, Ms. Angie Goff does!
Even with such a busy lifestyle, Angie agreed to meet with me…though it took us three tries before we could nail down a date! See, I told you she was busy. =)
Anyway, we sat down together for a little chat back in May and I tried to figure out how she pulls it all together. Think she’s organized? Take a look at our video interview to find out…
Many thanks to my videographer, Connie Banford!
Have you ever had a productive spurt of energy at the most unexpected time? …say at midnight? …on a
Sunday?
Well, that’s just what happened to me this past Sunday. I’m normally an early bird and get up by 6:30 am every morning, even on weekends. …but this was the first time in a long while that I decided to get stuff done way past my usual time…or way earlier…depending on how you look at it.
Here’s what I did in the (almost) hour I was awake from 12 am-12:50 am…
• Washed and dried dishes
• Washed and dried two loads of laundry
• Fluffed the pillows (and arranged them nicely on the sofa)
• Checked my calendar for the week
These were not things that were urgent but the mood struck me and I went with it. Truth be told, I had a lot on my mind, and cleaning helps me to relax…sort of cathartic…but my little “episode” was unexpected. Has this happened to you?
Have you been productive during a time when you normally crash?
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Photo Credit: Google Images
“To Know and Not to Do is Not to Know”
To Know and Not to Do is Not to Know | James Cathcart | Franklin Covey Consultants Blog | June 28, 2009
Today’s Friday Fact is really the title of a blog post I came across recently. What a powerful title! As the author mentions, “to learn and not to apply, is wasted effort.” So, if you’ve got lots of books on how to become more organized or have soaked up some great knowledge from a pro organizer, perhaps now’s your time to apply…a little bit at a time. Enjoy the rest of James Cathcart’s post here.
Photo Credit: Google Images
Can you believe we are almost into August? This summer is just flying by, and we have been so busy with vacations and pool days, and soaking up some summer fun, that it’s crazy to think we will soon be back to school shopping. This is the reason why some of you may have noticed a brief lull in the Jaime’s Jems you are used to seeing posted on Mondays. Sorry to any of you who were looking for them. Unfortunately, my future blog posts will not be as regular as they have been in the past. As we all sometimes do, I have over committed, and have found I have not been able to keep on top of my posting the way I would have liked to. Trust me, I still have lots to say and share, but the TIME to get it all out to you in a humorous and insightful way, is what I don’t have. So, my blogs going forward will be brought to you more in a “Guest Appearance” fashion, as opposed to a regular, weekly insight or tip. I do appreciate the opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you, and thank all of those who have read and commented on my posts. You haven’t heard the last of me!
In closing, I did want to share one great tip I recently heard, that I thought was a super idea! Coffee drinkers out there – and I know this will apply to most – what do you do with left over coffee, when you’ve made too much? Pop it into some ice cube trays and freeze it! Then when you need a pick me up, and something to cool you off, make an iced coffee using your frozen cubes instead of regular ones, which will ultimately water down your drink. Brilliant, right?
Hope you all are enjoying your summer and keeping cool. Until we meet again……
Photo Credit: Google Images
Remember my little visit to the MAC makeup counter back in May? That was my make up test run. I had to get a little 
dolled up because I was scheduled to be in front of the camera to chat about all things organizing.
I was told by some of my fellow organizers, especially Ellen Damaschino, that I couldn’t just show up with a clean face and my grape chapstick (my favorite)! =) She said I needed to look polished and professional. So, I took Ellen’s advice, slapped some paint on my face, and had conversation with Howard Bernstein at WUSA9.
Ellen also told me to remember the “Rule of 3,” i.e., make three points and that’s it. The thing is, I decided to talk about more than three things. She’s pretty media savvy, so why didn’t I listen to her? Dunno. Well, that’s not true. I do know.
I wanted to talk about everything! I had so many great products and I just couldn’t choose. How could I? The nice folks at Channel 9 gave me 4 whole minutes (more than the usual 3) to talk about anything I wanted. So, I did. I mentioned products that I love, like…
• Easy Find Lids by Rubbermaid
• NeatDesk by NeatCompany
• Simple Division Garment Organizers by Clutter Diet
…just to name three. These companies are on Twitter, btw, so check ‘em out.
Anyway, take a peek at my interview with Howard and let me know what you think…but don’t bother telling me about my hair…ugh…and my face was kinda shiny, too…definitely not ready for my close up. =)
Btw, have you tried any of the products I talked about? Let me know what you think.
*UPDATE: Lorie Marrero of Clutter Diet was soooo excited that I talked about her garment organizers that she’s offering a huge discount on that product! See below for the discount and happy shopping! =)
on July 22, 2009 @ 8:14 am
Hey, what a great surprise! Thank you SO MUCH for featuring our Simple Division® Garment Organizers product! People can buy them here: http://www.clutterdiet.com/simpledivision
. I am going to give your readers a special coupon for 15% off this product, both the bulk Pro Packs and the normal retail 12-packs. Coupon code: deblee – Good until August 31, 2009.Photo Credit: Google Images
- Image via CrunchBase
Last week, I told you about this new service (well, it’s new to me), Pixily, that helps you corral your paper and store them digitally. I haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, so I’m going to give one lucky person a chance try Pixily at not cost. Yep, that means no more piles of paper on the kitchen counter or in your office. Can you picture the calm, order, and serenity you’ll be feeling? Here’s what the winner will get…
»» 3 Months FREE – Value Plus Plan ««
- 2 envelopes per month
- 6,000 pages total online storage
- 50 sheets per envelope
So, if you didn’t read my interview with Pixily CPO, Anand Rajaram, you might not know how this whole thing works. You have a few options. One option is to send your papers to Pixily in a bag or box (they provide these for you) and then they digitize and store them in your web account. Click here to find the other ways you can organize your documents with Pixily. ….and see below for the contest rules. Here’s hoping you win! =)
- Follow @dallisonlee AND @pixily
- Send the following public tweet: “I’m following @dallisonlee & @pixily for a chance to win 3 FREE months of @pixily service to control my paper clutter! Pls RT!” (only 126 characters without the quotes)
- Tweet must be received by 5 pm on Friday, July 24th
- One winner will be chosen randomly and notified via DM on Monday, July 27th…so you must follow @dallisonlee and @pixily to be notified…
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What’s the biggest pitfall people face when purging?
“I think when they say, ‘Okay, this weekend we’re going to clean the whole house.’ That’s just not realistic. If you just do it room by room and take the time to do it well, it’s much less overwhelming.” - Trish Suhr of “Clean House”
[Helping Homeowners Make Less of a Mess · The Washington Post · Betsy Lowther · July 9, 2009]
Image Credit: Washington Post
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Still holding on to your old walkman? …or the tape deck that’s been sitting in your basement or closet? How about your old CRT monitor, you know the one with the huge back? Reclaim your valuable space and recycle your unwanted and unused electronics, a.k.a. junk. Check out this recycling event coming up soon in Montgomery County, MD. Btw, don’t forget the Montgomery County Division of Solid Waste will accept electronics daily at their Solid Waste Transfer Station.
Sunday, July 26, 2009 • 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Sherwood High School
300 Olney-Sandy Spring Road
Sandy Spring, MD 20860
*The event will be held in the parking lot behind the school and near the school’s stadium.
.
Accepted Items
- Small electronic appliances
- Calculators
- Camcorders
- CDs and floppy disks
- CD players
- Cell phones
- Computers and computer-related products
- Consumer electronics
- Copiers
- Cords and cables (including chargers)
- Digital cameras
- Electronic typewriters
- Fax machines
- Microwave ovens
- Personal digital assistant equipment
- Printers
- Projection equipment
- Scanners
- Telephones
- Small electronic toys
- Televisions (up to three units)
- VCRs
.
Other Helpful Info
If you have significant quantities of other electronic items, send an e-mail or call 240-777-6560 to see whether your items are acceptable, or whether you have to be referred to a private electronics recycler.
Photo Credit: Google Images
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- Image via CrunchBase
Update as of February 2010 ~ Pixily is now Office Drop.
Do you Pixily? I don’t (at least not yet) but I heard a bit about Pixily at the NAPO conference in Orlando a few months back. I was pretty intriqued yet wasn’t sure what it was all about, and I wondered if I really needed to use yet another application…especially since I’ve started using Evernote. Then I heard that Pixily is friends with Evernote…and it’s more than just an application. Who knew? Obviously I didn’t know much, so I had a little chat with Anand Rajaram, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Pixily. Here’s what he had to say about how his service can help you organize your stuff. What stuff, you ask? Read on…
Who uses Pixily? Who is it for?
Anyone who deals with paper, including individuals and small businesses. Pixily was originally intended to provide a cost effective solution for paper intensive small companies. We didn’t focus on big businesses because they usually have solutions in place, and they invest millions of dollars in those solutions. Pixily can help a 1 person firm or company with up to 20 employees. It’s users are CPA’s, realtors, teachers, lawyers, bookkeepers…and now, school systems. A local public school here in Massachusetts has decided to digitize their documents. They had about 200 boxes of papers dating back to the 60′s. There’s also a school in New Mexico that’s using it for paperwork specific to their special education students.
How long has Pixily been around?
Since August 2007.
How did you come up with the idea to create Pixily?
Prasad, the co-founder and CEO, was in graduate school at the time and had lots of papers useful for the future. Also, the company we worked for back then generated lots of invoices that the bookkeeper kept in the basement of the office. One day, there was an internal audit and we found $100,000 in unpaid invoices. So, you see we faced issues with papers both personally and professionally.
.
How does it work exactly?
With a monthly plan, we send you a prepaid envelope for you put in the documents you want to digitize/preserve. Alternatively, we can send out prepaid boxes to individuals so that they can send paper to us in bulk. People typically send the documents they want to keep on a specific schedule, about once/month or every other week.
Once we receive the papers, we scan them to the user’s account. We can also send the user a USB flash drive with all their data for an additional cost.
*Click here for pricing information.
- Image via CrunchBase
So, what’s the connection between Evernote and Pixily?
Both Evernote and Pixily offer easy ways to capture and access information. Pixily has a web based interface with a visual search that lets you quickly narrow down what you’re looking for. Evernote complements Pixily because it’s compatible with multiple platforms (e.g., iPhone, desktop), and the documents you send to Pixily can be accessed via your Evernote notebook. This means you can use your phone to find a very important document.
That’s a great partnership with Evernote. Any possibility of a partnership with professional organizers?
Absolutely. We currently have an affiliate program for professional organizers. We are considering changes to the program, but meanwhile, we do encourage affiliates to sign up. We will also be doing a webinar specifically for organizers,* and those who attended the NAPO conference in April all got a Pixily envelope mailed to them so they could try out the service.
*Click here to access the June 2009 webinar.
Do you use Pixily for your own personal stuff?
Yes, I use it for papers I get from trainings and seminars and for the papers my son brings home from school.
Anything else you want us to know about your service?
Well, Pixily is a great way to manage paper. You can capture and access ALL your information. Instead of having paper documents everywhere, you will have digital documents that are searchable. Users also get an e-mail address with their account, so they can e-mail documents as attachments directly to their account. For example, if you had a Pixily account, you could send pictures to deb@pixilymail.com. We make it easy for you to access everything you want to keep.
Do you Pixily? Tell us about your experience!
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