Peace of Mind Organizing

The challenge of 140 characters

15 December 2008

I’ve been on Twitter for about a month now. As I posted a couple of weeks ago, I’m finding it very interesting, educational, and diverting. It hasn’t proved to be a time suck for me because I’m learning so much from the links people post to Twitter that it’s time well spent.

In Twitter, your posts (or “tweets” as they’re called) are limited to 140 characters. That’s not many characters. It’s a really interesting challenge to get your message across in that small bit of space. It’s a bit like writing haiku.

The biggest challenge for me is less the length and more the content of my posts. I want them to be useful and interesting. The folks I enjoy following are the ones who offer either helpful links or funny or thought-provoking posts. I’m not so interested in the tiny details of people’s lives, though that can be kind of interesting too, in a voyeuristic way.

My friend Geralin Thomas of Metropolitan Organizing tweeted about Favrd a website that showcases favorite tweets each day. On Twitter, you can mark any tweet a “Favorite” and it’s included on your Favorites list on your Twitter page. According to its Huh? page, Favrd “lists interesting things that show up on Twitter, based on the number of times an item has been declared a favorite.” It can be inspirational (and amusing) to check out Favrd because these tweets are usually so clever. In only 140 characters. Usually they’re so well written you don’t notice they’re so short.

So while I’m not trying to be funny on Twitter—and I kind of wish I were, but I don’t think that’s in my skill set at this point—I really do enjoy the folks who can be funny and clever in only 140 characters.

If you haven’t dipped your toe into Twitter yet, I encourage you to give it a try. Just go to the Twitter homepage and sign up. Even if you don’t post a lot, you can learn from the folks you follow. And if you do start posting you can really expand your network of helpful people in your life.

Spa Day in my home

12 December 2008

Tomorrow, I’m participating in an intriguing activity. I’ve signed up for the Extra Special Holiday Spa Day offered through Inspired Home Office.

I’m not exactly sure what will transpire, but my feeling is I’ll de-stress, gain clarity, and actually accomplish some of my decluttering goals. The day is led by Jennifer Hofmann the owner of Inspired Home Office, as well as habits guru Havi Brooks, whose blog was my blog of the week a couple of months ago.

I’m really looking forward to the spa day. It’s so interesting: I don’t have kids an I a lot of freedom to decide how I’m going to spend my day. But I usually look at a few hours of decluttering as a chore, not as something that I’ll do to make myself feel better. I need to turn my thinking around. What’s different about tomorrow is the support I’ll receive from Jen and Havi, as well as the other participants in the group. So here I am, actually excited at the prospect of decluttering tomorrow.

There are a few spots still available, if you’re interested in participating. Here’s how Jennifer described it in her newsletter, which came out this morning. “If you have things to do tomorrow, and you’d like some compassionate support in doing them without losing your mind, consider joining in.” Doesn’t that sound nice? Contact Jennifer at hofmann.jennifer@gmail.com to see if you can still get it on it.

Hoarding in the news

11 December 2008

When hoarding makes its way into the media, it’s usually in an article about some sort of tragedy that happened as a result of hoarding. (Firefighters unable to get to put out a fire, someone getting buried under their clutter.) Instead, this article on AlterNet, called How Compulsive Hoarding Can Threaten Your Health and Take Over Your Life helps readers understand hoarders a little better. It takes a compassionate approach, which is refreshing. The article, by Emily Wilson, is based on an interview with Dorothy Breininger of the Delphi Center for Organization, an organizer who really rocks. I’m a big fan of Dorothy’s.

Thanks to my friend Geralin Thomas of Metropolitan Organizing in Cary, N.C., who made me aware of this article via Twitter.

Why I love my iPod Touch

10 December 2008

I bought an iPod Touch (second generation) in October, as I’ve mentioned before. I thought today I’d share nine ways it’s enhanced my life in less than two months:

1. Automatic wireless synching: I use iCal and Address Book on my MacBook for my calendars and contacts. Every time I make a change on my calendar or address book either on my computer or on the iPod, it synchs with the other device, through the wireless network, without my asking. (It’s called Push technology and I don’t understand it but I love it.) This requires a $99 a year MobileMe account. I can’t tell you how much this enhances my life. I was forever forgetting to sync my Palm TX or when I tried the synch would fail.

2. Its sleek design. The iPod Touch is so small I can have it on my person and I barely know it’s there. I can fit in the back pocket of my jeans. It takes up virtually no room in my purse. It makes my iPod classic seem a bit like a brick.

3. The applications. Oh the apps. I have puzzles, a brain challenge, a knitting row counter, a restaurant finder, a unit converter, a calculator, the weather, all at my disposal. I just love it. Some of these came with the iPod, others I purchased or downloaded free.

4. The universal love and therefore universal help for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. For example, just today I read this fantastic blog post of tips for the iPhone (which apply to my device). Most of these things I hadn’t been aware of and they’ll make the iPod Touch even easier for me to use.

5. Internet access without my computer. As long as there’s a wireless network, I can access the internet. This is great in coffee shops when I want to check something. It’s also great when I’m watching TV and I want to check IMDb (Internet Movie Database) to figure out where I’ve seen that actor before. I don’t want to haul my laptop around the house with me, but I’m happy to tuck my Touch into my pocket.

6. The Genius application on the iPod. I can play a favorite tune, press the Genius icon and this magnificent machine will create a playlist of similar songs from the songs on the iPod. So great when I’m in the mood to be surprised by my songs but want to keep a certain mood going.

7. I can download songs right into my iPod. With my older iPod, I had to go through iTunes on my computer. Now, provided there’s a wireless connection available, I can go straight from the iTunes Store directly into my device (and then synch it with iTunes on my computer.)

8. The beauty. The elegance. When I switched to the Mac in 2007, I completely embraced the beauty of the Mac applications. Same goes for the iPod Touch. Everything is so darn pretty (especially compared with the Palm TX, which it replaced). And who doesn’t need a little extra beauty in their lives?

9. I don’t pay a monthly fee. I was, of course, drawn to the iPhone, but I didn’t want to break my contract with my current cell phone provider (T-Mobile), whom I was perfectly happy with. My husband and I have a joint plan, so I would have been asking him to make the switch as well. I also have a perfectly good phone (a Samsung T629 slider phone). With the iPod Touch, I lose some connectivity—it requires a wireless network to connect to the Internet—and I also don’t have a camera. But I have everything else and I don’t have a monthly fee.

Give the gift of flight

9 December 2008

If you have anyone on your gift list who has a problem with clutter, please, I implore you, consider giving them an experience or a service, rather than a thing. Chronically disorganized folks tend to attach sentimental value to items easily, making them difficult to part with. If it’s a gift, it’s especially hard to pass along to someone else. So your well-intentioned gift might turn into clutter.

Today I have an idea for a unique gift that’s truly an experience. Give the gift of a glider ride. My husband, Barry Marcus, is passionate about flying gliders. I’m talking about powerless aircraft. The type you sit in. The quiet ones. He belongs to Silvercreek Glider Club, where he and his fellow club members fly on the weekends, weather permitting. Barry’s even on the board of the club (he’s the treasurer). Silvercreek’s glider port is located across the river in New Douglas, Illinois.

Silvercreek is like many soaring clubs around the country, in that they offer glider rides to interested people. I don’t know about other clubs, but with Silvercreek, you can order a gift certificate for a glider ride that they’ll send you in the mail. (Specifically, Barry will send it to you.) The gift certificate is attractive and would make a lovely gift. To order the gift certificate, email Barry at barry@jbma.com. Tell him Janine sent you.

To redeem, your gift recipient contacts the club to arrange a day to come out to the gliderport (on a weekend). During the flight, he or she will go up in a two-seated glider with a seasoned pilot. The glider is towed up by a powered plane. After the glider pilot releases from the tow rope, the glider is off on its own for a quiet, peaceful ride. It’s a unique experience. The ride costs $75. The length of the flight depends on the weather conditions (the thermals) that day.

If you don’t live in the St. Louis area, you can go to the website of the Soaring Society of America and use their interactive Where to Fly map to find a club or other facility where you can purchase a ride as a gift. (Use the text-only of the Where to Fly map in order to specify that you want to buy a ride.)

If you have an aviation lover on your gift list, this could be a terrific gift.

Knitting update: Felted Knitting Basket completed

8 December 2008

Back in October, I posted a knitting update in which I mentioned that I was working on a Felted Knitting Basket. It’s an adaptation of the Ballband Bag Recipe by Monica Jines. Monica’s bag is more like a purse. This adaptation, by Lynn, who’s ravelry avatar is Ravellyn, is a larger knitting basket.

I was concerned about how it would felt because I knit it on US7 needles (it’s made from Cascade 220, a worsted-weight yarn). Traditionally, one knits a felted piece on larger-than-ordinary needles. It felted beautifully, so my concern was unfounded. But the smaller needles did make it a little less enjoyable to knit. I’ve since done a felting experiment with swatches and I think either size needle would have been fine, though the basket is a little smaller than it would have been with larger needles.

Here’s the picture I posted back in October, when it was about halfway finished:

I like the autumnal colors.

And here’s the completed basket:

Next up: some holiday knitting. I’m making a second felted knitting basket (on larger needles), and some neck warmers and ear warmers. Also on the docket are a hat for me, sewing up the sweater I’ve been working on this fall, and putting together my Learn to Knit Afghan (a giant task).

I think that knitting is probably the best thing about winter. I’m really enjoying pulling out the handknits to keep me warm!

ETA: If you’re a Canadian reader, you can go to Yarn Canada to purchase Cascade 220.

Guest blog on Parent Talk Today

5 December 2008

Kathy Sena, a fabulous freelance journalist who writes the Parent Talk Today blog, has reprinted my “Mindful Gift Giving” post from earlier this week. I’m honored!

Kathy and I met back in the day (probably ten years ago) when we were both members of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. We rediscovered one another recently through Twitter. If you’re a Twitterer who’s not already following Kathy, you should.

Even if you already read my mindful gift giving post, I encourage you to check out Parent Talk Today, whose subtitle is “We’re all in this together.”

And while I’m in shameful self-promotion mode, I realized that I forgot to mention my own book when I was making suggestions for gifts for dog lovers. My lone royalty-producing book that’s still in print is a dog-treat cookbook called You Bake ‘em Dog Biscuits Cookbook . I developed the 60 or so recipes in the book and dogs seem to find them tasty. The publisher did a nice job designing it and it would make a great gift.