“It’s not hard to understand why energy entrepreneurs and municipalities are looking to turn more garbage into gold. Recyclers will pay for plastics, metals, and paper because they can sell that material, once separated, to mills which use it as raw material. As the tipping fees increase, it becomes more and more economical to divert that material into a composting facility at a lower rate than a landfill.”
Read More:
Next wave of recycling? Check your dinner plate | CNET.com | 2.21.11
Our Thursday article is usually reserved for one guest blogger, but today we’re sharing posts from a few of our Rock Star guest authors. Check them out and let us know what you think! …and take a peek at our Rock Star ~ Work-Life Balance Edition, too.
An Introduction to Equestrian Organizing | Jacki Hollywood Brown. Love horses? Jackie is a professional organizer who has had a love of horses for many years. In fact, she specializes in equestrian organizing.
Connect With Jacki: Website | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
How to Organize Your Chickens | Liz Jenkins. Like Jacki, Liz is also pro organizer. She also has chickens (who watch YouTube, btw). And, she organizes them. By color. And size. ;) And, she’s using them to teach her daughter about decision making and planning.
Connect With Liz: Web | Facebook | Twitter
A Time to Earn a Living, a Time to Save a Life | Marjorie Asturias. Marjorie loves animals and has a penchant for rescuing them. With a busy lifestyle, she still makes time to lend a helping hand to those in need.
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Connect With Marjorie: Web | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn
Web-based meeting schedulers can be huge time savers and prevent your inbox from bursting when you’re trying to set up a face-to-face or virtual powwow. Last week, you got a peek at Doodle. This week, it’s all about Tungle.me which was recently acquired by RIM…those are the nice folks who brought you BlackBerry.
Btw, if you’ve used Tungle, comment on how you like it. How do you think it compares to Doodle?
Registering
Tungle was the second online meeting scheduler I used (and I’m about to try a third…more on that later). You will need to register to get an account and you can choose the Basic or Premium version. You’ll also get your own personal URL (www.tungle.me/username) once you set up your profile.
…and you can brand your page by including your logo…
Scheduling a Meeting
This 4-step process is easy to understand and implement. Steps: (1) Set meeting details. (2) Add participants. (3) Suggest meeting times. (4) Preview and send invitations. [*See purple numbers on the left side of image.]
Sending Invitations
1. You can send an invitation from your own e-mail account with the Tungle link.
2. You can let Tungle do it for you.
Syncing With Your Calendar
1. You can sync with Outlook.
2. Or iCal.
3. Or Google.
4. And other calendars, too.
Using The Web-based or Mobile App
1. Use the online scheduler.
2. Or the iPhone app.
3. Or the Blackberry app. Surprised by this? =) *Android app is in the works.
Connecting With Your Social Networks
Another cool feature is that you connect to your Tungle using Facebook, TripIt, LinkedIn, Plancast, and Twitter.
Have questions about Tungle or want more info? Visit the FAQ page for details.
I’m sure you’ve heard a million times that there are benefits of slowing down. It really does help. I’ve been practicing slowing down the over the last few days and I’ve noticed that I’m more purposeful in what I do AND in how I think about things.
A little background info…
Have I told you that I used to bite my nails when I was younger? It was nervous habit but I kicked it. It’s been many, many moons since I’ve chewed on my fingers. Until a few weeks ago. I’m not sure what happened but suddenly, I’ve been biting my nails again. Not. Good. Especially when you have a wedding to attend.
So, of course the only thing to do when you have no nails and you want to look pretty is to get some fake nails, right? Did I also mention that I used to be a nail tech (a.k.a. manicurist) in a former life? That’s another story. Anyway, I decided to get those press on nails from the drugstore so I could get used to them before this weekend’s wedding.
What a great lesson in patience this has been. First lesson: putting them on and waiting for the glue to dry. It’s a sticky type of glue that can get a bit messy. Second lesson: trying to work with them has been interesting. Interesting good, actually. I’ve been doing things a lot slower. As a result, I’m more careful and I think more purposefully about what I’m doing…even before I begin doing it. Filing has been very different experience…so has cleaning…opening the car door…typing…putting groceries away…
It’s hard to imagine that fake nails can make you think (or plan) better and make less mistakes…but they kinda do. I think I may have to keep these press on’s for a while. =)
Moral of the Story: Get your own fake nails to help you slow things down a bit. Yes, you male readers out there…you, too. Kidding. =) …but try to find a way to take things down a notch. If your mind is racing, your output might not be so great. Slowing down lets you really think things through.
Welcome to our regular “Transformers” feature (click link and scroll down to see them all). A transformer is a thing that started out as one thing, has been rehabbed, and now functions as another thing. A transformer can also be a thing that is really another thing all at the same time. Check out our latest find…
Most people don’t have a refrigerator in their living room…well, most people I know don’t. It sounds like a cool idea (pun intended…LOL) to have a fridge so close by. Though it might look a little weird, it would be efficient, right? No need to keep making the long, arduous walk to the kitchen to fetch something for you and your guests. ;) Another plus: this would be perfect for small spaces.
Ok, so I jest a bit, but there is a way for you get a fridge in your living room and have it look pretty neat. It’s called a SmarSofa and it was first unveiled at IFA 2010, a huge consumer electronic show. Have a look…
Here’s what you get with the SmarSofa: refrigerator, remote-controlled cooling platter (height is adjustable), and sofa. You can also have it customized to suit your needs. Pink not your color? No worries. Choose the textile that you love and change the seating arrangement, if you’d like.
Here’s the stand-alone version of the SmarTable. What do you think?
Sources:
Check Out These Other Transformers
“A clean room could lead to a better night’s sleep. Adding a few simple tasks to your routine — taking a little time at the end of the day to straighten up your bedroom, making your bed when you first wake up and washing the bed linens once a week — can help to create a relaxing ambience for your sleep environment.”
Read More:
An Easy Trick for Better Sleep | HuffingtonPost.com | 3.17.11
The Clutter Princess, Janice Simon, is back! Today’s she explains why she enjoys being a pro organizer.
As a high school student, I took those scholastic tests that tell you what career you should pursue. In addition to the writing jobs, I also was put into the category, which included doctors, nurses, teachers, and physical therapists.
I had one problem with pursuing a medical career. I am not good with gross stuff.
I’m sure professional organizers would have been included in the same category if the testing people knew about it back in the late 80s. Like many of other colleagues, I had to stumble into it by accident.
Being a professional organizer is a rewarding and gratifying job. It’s really a calling.
I help people change their lives and feel better.
I see it in my client’s shoulders by the time our appointment is over. Their shoulders are more relaxed, and they’re even smiling, no matter how painful and hard it was to make decisions about their stuff. Clients have spontaneously hugged me for helping them, and I am often overwhelmed by their gratitude.
I work with brilliant people.
In my work, I have fascinating and brilliant clients who are overwhelmed and crazy busy. I learn just as much from them as they learn from me. Some of my clients have become very good friends over the years, and my life is richer for knowing them.
I bring peace and order where there was chaos.
Cue the Western music. Organizers, armed with label makers and trash bags, stand on one end of the dusty street, and the clutter, armed with disorder, stands on the other end. I always win the shoot out with clutter. I like making things look pretty so my clients can see what they have and can access it when they need it.
I help people lose 30 pounds in 10 minutes.
Okay, I wish I could lose 30 pounds of fat in 10 minutes, but I do help people shed the stuff that’s been weighing them down for years. Sometimes the things people have are holdovers from negative events. Living in the city where Enron once ruled, I can’t tell how many former Enron employees I’ve come across years after the company went down in flames, and I helped them let go of anger, bitterness, and the stuff.
I am popular at parties.
People are fascinated with what we organizers do, and they can tell when we are passionate about our work. They love watching Hoarders and are so excited when I tell them I worked in the background on one of the shows. My gay boyfriends LOVE that I know THE Geralin Thomas from Hoarders. To them, she has icon status usually reserved for Elizabeth Taylor, Cher and Bette Midler, but that’s another story for another day.
If you are passionate about organizing and helping others lead the lives they want, run to it.
About the Author
Janice Marie Simon, M.A., is a Project Director for Faculty Development at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. She worked as a newspaper journalist in Oklahoma and Texas and as a media coordinator for a public school district before joining M.D. Anderson. As a project director, she handles the planning for all of the department’s Faculty Development events and is a professional organizer. Janice is a Certified Professional Organizer® and a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization. As an organizer, she makes presentations on organizing and time management and offers one-on-one organizing sessions for clients.
Connect with Janice: Web | Twitter
When you’re trying to set up a meeting with someone or a group of someones, it can be tricky. Everyone has different schedules and I think there are scheduling gods who get a secret chuckle when none of them match up. I think they get an even bigger laugh when there are a zillion e-mails that fly back and forth about what works for one person but not for that other person. Fun, yes?
Trying to coordinate schedules won’t necessarily be easy, but you can at least save a bit of time and stop the e-mail traffic jam by using an online scheduler. There are a few schedulers out there, two of which I’ve used and will be telling you about today and next week (so be sure to check back on Wednesday).
First up is Doodle (interesting name). If you use Doodle, leave a comment with your favorite features.
This was the first scheduler I used. I like that it’s easy to use and doesn’t have a ton of bells and whistles to figure out.
It’s been a while since I’ve used Doodle, so some things may have changed. I’m sure that the non-pro account is still pretty simple to use. Even so, you do have choices.
Registering
1. You can create an account.
2. Or, not. You don’t need to register to use Doodle, though if you’re a frequent user, it might be helpful if you do.
Choosing Calendar Views
There’s no right or wrong view. Simply choose the one that you like the best or that’s easier for you to use.
Sending Invitations
1. You can send an invitation from your own e-mail account with the Doodle link.
2. You can let Doodle do it for you.
Syncing With Your Calendar
1. You can sync with Outlook.
2. Or iCal.
3. Or Google.
4. Or these other calendars.
Using The Web-based or Mobile App
1. Use the online scheduler.
2. Or the iPhone app.
3. Or the Android app.
Have questions about Doodle or want more info? Visit the FAQ page for details.
While multitasking is not good for your brain, it is absolutely important to have a phone that knows how to do more than just make calls. One of the “must have” features is the camera.
Here are a few ways your camera phone can come in handy.
1. Capture Ideas. Generated lots of ideas during that fabulously productive meeting? Before the dry erase board gets wiped clean, snap a pic and save those golden nuggets so you can refer back to them.
2. Grocery Shop. f you’re running low on a few things, why write a list? Instead, take photos of your most needed items and head on over to the grocery store. If you buy these items often, keep the pictures. Otherwise, delete them at the end of your shopping run.
3. Remember Your Parking Location.Raise your hand if you’ve ever forgotten where you’ve parked your car. <I’m raising both hands> Save yourself the hassle. Take a picture of your location so you can find P1 Blue when it’s time to go home.
4. Remember a Cool Blog Idea. I do this all the time. I’m out and about and see something amazing, weird, ridiculously mystifying, interesting, or just plain simple, and I think: “I should blog about that.” Happens to you, too? Instead of letting those great ideas fade into the deep recesses of my mind, I take a photograph, save it for later, and then share it with you. =)
How does your camera phone help you?
Last week, you got a peek at 3 of my top product picks from the NAPO 2011 conference. Today, you’ll get to see my final three (in no particular order). Enjoy! …and if you use any of them, let me know what you think.
On The Go
Grid-It Organizer. If you carry around gadgets or other items on the regular, this product is for you. It’s a super easy way to store and carry your gear…tic tacs, pens, iPod, camera, cables…you name it, it can handle it, including one of my favorite products – ChapStick! =)
Grid-Its come in a variety of sizes and colors, and there’s even a version that you can put in your 3-ring binder (if you happen to still carry around one of those). ;) Did I mention that the company that makes Grid-It, Cocoon Innovations, won the Organizers’ Choice Award for Best Technology Product at NAPO 2011? …and that they gave away several products at the expo? =)
Office
Pendaflex Divide It Up™ Multi-Section File Folders. You’re only as good as your best folders, right? Probably not, but if you have a great folder that keeps all your important project docs all in one place – and in categories – you’ll find specifically what you want when you want it. That’s exactly what these foldersdo.
They are a great way to sub-divide all your paperwork for a given project or simply separate different documents that you need to act on.
Home
Pliio™ Clothing Management System. This product has been described as “the greatest thing to hit clothing management since the hanger.” It’s called Pliio and it will help you to fold ‘n file your clothing. Can you imagine filing your T-shirts? I thought that was a pretty interesting concept, so I stopped by their booth and chatted with Professional Organizer and Pliio spokesperson, Clare Kumar. Check out this demo and our quick interview to find out more.
Thanks to Krista Colvin, the phenomenal woman behind the camera.
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