Tag Archives: 51

We Recommend: Cutting Down on Catalogs

For a fresh idea on spring cleaning, here’s a great article from the The Wall Street Journal on how to cut down on the catalogs you receive in the mail. It’s not only going to save you time and clutter, but your sanity as well - who needs all that sorting! Plus, you […]

Resolution Solution Wrap Up

It’s time for us to move our focus for Food for Thought to heart health for American Heart Month, but we hope our month-long series of Resolution Solutions has been helpful to you. Whether you stay firm to your goals and achieve them or forgive yourself for faltering, the key is that your resolutions should […]

Think “reduce, reuse, and recycle” and be a role model for your kids.

Rachel Rosenthal shared a great idea that really got me thinking. At first glance, it’s a simple system for reducing clutter. But it makes me think of more– things like the value of recycling and even the challenge of teaching our kids discipline and delayed gratification. Before I complicate things and wax a bit philosophical, […]

What to do with really ripe fruits? Don’t throw them away!

Did you make a resolution to eat better this year? I know I make it every year but here is my own quick tip to help you and a recipe to make it really work!
I often will find that we don’t get to our bananas fast enough (actually my kids like them at only a […]

More on managing paperwork!

We got another tip on how to minimize the magically-reproducing paperwork in your house.  Sharon’s advice certainly relates to processing mail and more, so I thought we’d add it to today’s Resolution Solutions: 
I try to pick up a piece of paper only once.  So once I pick it up, I try to do something:  write the check, file […]

Manage your mail: organize and opt out!

Ugh! Mail. When I was a kid, I used to look forward to it - a postcard from my grandmother or letter from my summer camp buddy. Seems these days we never get anything good in the mail (OK, with the exception of an occasional Let’s Dish! coupon). And the pure quantity of mail creates […]

The art of storing all that precious art.

OK, I’m practically bursting at the seams to post this Resolution Solution! 
First, a Food for Thought confession: Daryl Williams, the organizer sharing her tip today, has spent a little time in my house and in Lisa’s (she’s going to kill me!).  But we can both proudly say we have some fantastic results to show for it. […]

Take small steps towards giant goals (even giant closets).

It’s the weekend, so we thought you might like a few extra tips and hopefully a lot of extra motivation!
*****
If you’re like me, you’ve made plenty of resolutions this year - so many so that it’s turned into an overwhelming to-do list! And so many of my resolutions seem great in theory, but I actually […]

Save the memory not the clutter.

Usually memories are better than the reality. Actually, good memories and stories seem to get even better as time passes. Nothing about piles of stuff cluttering up your space gets better.
Creating an album/journal where you can write stories, paste photos, articles and small souvenirs is a great way to memorialize many of life’s precious moments […]

Be slow and deliberate when tackling any task.

One of the biggest mistakes is to try to take on the entire task at once. After an initial burst of energy, many people poop out, and never finish the project. Instead, do it in steps. Organize one room at a time, one section at a time. Spread it out over manageable steps, but keep […]

A place for everything and everything a place.

Since you may have a little momentum after Alexa’s post on celebrating progress, we thought you might like a little bonus today:
OK, if you’ve been to my house (and y’all are welcome… we’re having Firecracker Chicken this Thursday), you know I’m not doing great on the resolution below. But I am inspired by it.
In fact, […]

Celebrate your efforts!

Well, it’s been a week since you made your New Year’s Resolutions - and 7 days of Food for Thought postings with tips from organizers and life coaches to keeping your resolutions. I thought instead of asking how you’re doing (no one likes a report card) or hinting at the failure statistics, I’d share Rachel […]

To Be, cont…

As I was revamping my Resolutions into “To Be’s” after contemplating yesterday’s Resolution Solution, a New York Times article came zinging across my email:
HEALTH | January 1, 2008
Well: A Clutter Too Deep for Mere Bins and Shelves
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Disorganization may be a person problem, not a house problem.
Taking “to be” to a much deeper […]

Practice “One in, One out” throughout 2008.

Since we’re all still putting away post-holiday goodies, here’s a pair of timely Resolution Solutions that help reduce clutter AND do something good for others:
Did you get a new coat from your spouse? A new sweater from your mom? Or did you just get those great new shoes as a special gift for yourself? With […]