Peace of Mind Organizing

Go through those computer manuals

22 August 2012

One of the benefits of having a blog for six years is that you can see how often you do stuff. Back in March of 2009, I blogged about decluttering the ancient computer documentation I had in my office closet.

So I cleaned out my computer manuals then, and I did again in February 2011 when I revamped my office closet.

A couple of days ago, I needed to create some space in the magazine holders I used for computer-related paper and disks so that I could store some genealogy-related magazines. I decided to use a decorative box to hold the computer stuff. So I pulled it all out and was appalled to see that I had documentation for software and hardware are no longer in service in my life. (I got a new computer in September 2011.)

Why is it so hard to remember to get rid of that stuff when you switch computers? (That’s a rhetorical question.)

It felt great to reduce that clutter. When was the last time you went through your manuals and software? I bet if you worked on it for 15 minutes, you’d reduce it greatly.

Ditched the landline!

20 August 2012

Last month, I wrote that I was contemplating letting go of my landline, which felt like a huge move for me.

Well, it took me a little while, but I did it last week. I got all my ducks in a row and took the plunge. In the intervening month, I changed my phone number on my landline, email sig, newsletter template and business card. And I realized that no one (except political robocalls, solicitors and collectors of debts I don’t have) was calling my landline.

I ended up purchasing an over-the-head bluetooth headset with a boom mike (the VXI BlueParrott Roadwarrior B250-XT) that’s doing a great job of replacing my landline’s headset. I’m still getting used to keeping my phone with me all the time (though I recognize that I don’t have to always be available).

We still have a landline in the house, so we didn’t have to deal with the question of 911 service or what to do if the power goes out and I can’t charge my cell phone.

I have to tell you, I feel really good about saving about $70 a month. If I regret my decision, I promise to post here. But for now, I feel very modern and youthful.

How my iPhone simplifies my life

17 August 2012

After I’d had my iPhone 4S for six weeks, I wrote a love letter to it. Four months later, I still adore it. And I don’t take it for granted. I consciously think about how much I love my iPhone at least once every couple of days.

Today I was thinking about how many things it replaces. I used to carry all this stuff in my purse:

• Phone
• Camera
• GPS
• Paper notebook
• Flash drive

My load is lightened, which is great. Even better, the iPhone replacement is typically easier to use than the original. Here’s how those items have been improved upon by my iPhone:

• The phone itself is a dream. It automatically syncs with my Address Book on my computer, so I can easily dial anyone who was entered there in the last ten or so years. (And if they call me and they’re in my address book, the iPhone lets me know it’s them calling or leaving voicemail.)

• I use my phone’s camera all the time, way more than I used the digital camera that I used to carry with me. And I don’t have to download them from the camera. The phone does that automatically.

• I use the Maps app on my phone if I need directions or want to check traffic (something I couldn’t do on my UPS).

• Thanks to my beloved Siri I can dictate notes, rather than pulling out a notebook, finding a page and jotting the note. (With Siri, whatever I dictate is transcribed.) If I don’t want to dictate, I can use type on the touchscreen on my phone. If I want to create a to-do list, I use Wunderlist.

• DropBox gives me easy access to files I’ve stored in the cloud, so I don’t have to carry around a flash drive if I need access to certain files.

I love watching futuristic movies, like Minority Report). And, with my iPhone 4S, I feel like the future is here. I know many more wonderful things are coming and in as little as two years I’ll look back on this note and laugh at how easily thrilled I was.

But for now, I’m just grateful. iPhone: I love you.

"Collectibles" may not be worth keeping

15 August 2012

Every now and then, I run across collectibles in clients’ homes. They’re usually packed away and rarely on display. And the client usually has high hopes that if she hangs on to them long enough, the items will end up selling for a good deal of money. I don’t know much about collectibles and offer no counsel when they come up.

Today, I came across article about collectibles on TheStreet.com called 9 Completely Worthless Collectibles that confirmed my suspicions that these collectibles do little more than take valuable storage space. The article was written a couple of years ago, but it’s hard to imagine that conditions have changed.

If you collect Beanie Babies, Precious Moments figurines or Norman Rockwell plates, or other such collectible items, you might want to take a look at the article.

My favorite line is this:

“I tell people that keeping collectibles is like storing money under your mattress,” says Lou Kahn, head of the Bakerstowne Collectibles appraisal and consignment service in West Hempstead, N.Y. “You’re going to have the same amount of money next year, but it’s going to be worth a lot less.”

Adapting to the new normal

13 August 2012

I wrote this blog post last week, when the temperatures in St. Louis were still blazing. Thankfully, things have cooled down a bit (the high today is only supposed to be 84!), but I think my thoughts remain valid. And I’m pretty sure we’ll see some pretty hot temps in August!

It’s amazing what adaptable creatures humans are. When circumstances change, we change our standards.

I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we’ve had a very hot summer in St. Louis. It’s all anyone seems to talk about. Before the end of July, we’d already had 11 days where the temperature reached 105 or above. This is not the desert; these temperatures are crazy.

In the past, when we’ve had heat waves, they’ve been short-lived. So we would accept them as temporary (if miserable) anomalies. This year, week after week we’ve had triple digit temperatures. And we’re adapting.

My dog isn’t getting late-afternoon walks any more (it’s just too hot). He’s adapting. We’re adapting to the fact that our electricity bills are going to be extra high. I stopped rescheduling appointments with a client who doesn’t have central air—if we wait for it to cool down, we’ll never get this work done. So we just work in the heat, drink lots of water, and sweat a lot.

Is all this adapting good? I think it is, as long as we don’t lose sight of what we want. In other words, we should try not to use the new normal as an excuse to stop doing beneficial things.

For example, if you have an exercise routine, like running, that might not be safe to do during a heat wave, find a way to exercise indoors, rather than giving it up completely. Or if the heat makes it impossible to do yard work, set the alarm clock a half hour early and do it before it gets insanely hot, rather than letting your yard turn into a weedy wasteland.

Of course, this applies to many other situations. If your mother moves in due to health concerns and you become a caregiver, you’ll adapt to an entirely new routine. But that doesn’t mean you should let go of doing beneficial things for yourself. If you take a job an hour away, you’ll be spending a lot more time in the car. But maybe you can adapt by listening to audio books and make the commute time beneficial.

Things change. We adapt. Just try to make adjusting to the new normal as beneficial as possible.

10 Best Organizing Sources list

10 August 2012

My esteemed colleague, Linda Samuels of Oh So Organized! and author of the book The Other Side of Organized: Finding the Balance Between Chaos and Organized” (which I reviewed here) has created a list of the 10 Best Sources for Organizing Help on her blog.

I am so honored to be included on this list, in the category Best Organizing Tips Blog. This is what she had to say about my blog, which made my heart sing:

My friend and colleague, Janine Adams is a wonderful writer and blogger with a fabulous sense of humor and style. Just visiting her blog leaves me feeling uplifted and calmer. She always has something interesting to say or share about organizing, products, and habit changing.

Be sure and check out the complete list. There are some great resources there and I’m honored that my blog is one of them.

On being an order catalyst

8 August 2012

One of the roles I frequently fill for my clients is what I like to call an “order catalyst.” They often find that they simply can’t do organizing tasks on their own. But when I’m there, sitting quietly, they can go about getting their organizing work accomplished, be it decluttering, sorting, or going through their task list.

I’m not the only one who does this. It’s something that many professional organizers (or even friends) do. In the study of chronic disorganization, the term used for this is body doubling. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of that term. I don’t think it is very descriptive and I don’t think it conveys the real benefit of the work. That’s why I coined the term order catalyst.

It looks like an easy job. I’m with the client, sitting companionably, sometimes handing her items or working on a small task that will help achieve her goals. If an outside person were to come in, he or she might wonder how I was earning my fee.

But it’s not as easy as it looks. Once I recognize that this will be the purpose of the session (it’s rare that we schedule one of these sessions in advance), I must refrain from offering unsolicited advice. I resist the temptation to chat to fill the silence. I have to sit still, staying in one place (that alone is hard for certain people), so I’m not a distraction.

And I also have to turn off my inner critic who worries that the client might think I’m not doing anything or she’s not getting her money’s worth. I know that I’m offering a truly valuable service; I just sometimes worry that the client won’t recognize it. It’s not a particularly reasonable worry. The client happily hands over payment, sometimes adding, “I couldn’t do it without you.”

I love serving as an order catalyst. Sometimes it feels a little like I have a super power.

If you have difficulty getting organizing tasks done, despite your best intentions, you might consider enlisting the aid of an order catalyst. Hire a professional organizer. Or if that isn’t feasible, enlist the aid of a supportive, calm friend. Perhaps you’ll be able to return the favor. It can be amazingly powerful!