Archive for June, 2006
Monday, June 19th, 2006
Red Dot Mnemonic
If you find yourself misplacing items, the best thing you can to is fastidiously ensure that you always return it to the same spot. Take a moment and walk the item (be it keys, a cell phone, wallet, a tool) to its “home” and you greatly maximize the probability it will be there when you [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Resource by me
Saturday, June 17th, 2006
Top Decluttering Tips
Here’s a list of decluttering tips and home organization tips.
1. Start Small. Find one corner of one room and commit 15 minutes to getting it in order. If you don’t love and need it, donate it. If the item is in the wrong place, take two minutes now and move it to the [...]
3 Comments » - Posted in Resource by me
Thursday, June 8th, 2006
What Question Should I Be Asking That I Don’t Know I Should Ask?
This is an interesting technique that comes in handy in a surprising number of venues - dealing with contractors, doctors, job interviews (both giving and receiving), purchasing complicated/expensive items, travel, restaurants, hotels etc.
You’re in a situation where you are well prepared, perhaps even with a list of questions prepared in advance. You’ve gotten the answers [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Resource by me
Sunday, June 4th, 2006
Document IRS Donations With A Camera Phone
It’s a important to document your IRS donations so that you have a record at tax time.
When I’m creating a pile of stuff to bring to the Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc, I should write down the list of the items and their approximate value as I box it. Unfortunately, I’m rarely that organized so [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Resource by me
Sunday, June 4th, 2006
Paperwork/Expense Tip: Get A Separate Credit Card for Business Use
A spot check among friends showed this this handy technique was not nearly so common or well known as I thought, so I thought I’d share it.
Getting reimbursed for business expenses is ‘found’ money and a lot of people don’t do it very well or don’t take it seriously enough. If you’re in the 35% [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Resource by me
Saturday, June 3rd, 2006
Making Items Visible In Your Closet: Stacked Plastic Boxes
I’m a big fan of these shoe box size Rubbermaid 6.5qt plastic boxes. Per volume, they are more cost effective than most bigger boxes - probably because of the quantity and demand for them versus the odder larger sizes.
I made a big dent in organization and productivity by moving items out of larger boxes into [...]
1 Comment » - Posted in Resource by me
Saturday, June 3rd, 2006
Guilt Free Book Collection Trimming
Getting a little space back from an overflowing book collection doesn’t mean you need to compromise on the usefulness or enjoyment o f your book collection. In Guilt-Free Book Collection Trimming I’ve collected a bunch of tips to help you review your library of books and decide what’s worth keeping and what’s not.
No Comments » - Posted in Resource by me
Thursday, June 1st, 2006
IKEA Beta-Tests New Planter Pots And Saucers
As a seasoned software developer, we often do beta tests to launch software that is almost ready but perhaps still has a few rough edges. Many complex systems use this idea. The idea is to set the expectation with the customers that things may not be quite perfect yet, expect some surprises.
However, I was surprised [...]
No Comments » - Posted in wacky by me
Thursday, June 1st, 2006
Duelling Wastebaskets: Recyclable and Non-Recyclable
This is a small thing, but I’ve found it helpful. I’ve encouraged you to toss a lot of stuff, but if you can avoid it ending up in a landfill, it’s definitely worth some extra effort.
My kitchen is neatly sorted out with recycling and non-recycling wastebaskets, but it only occurred to me recently that this [...]
No Comments » - Posted in Resource by me
Thursday, June 1st, 2006
DIY Indoor Playhouse
I got some good feedback on on the ceiling mounted kids gym so I’d thought I’d show you this Indoor Kids Playhouse
During dicey weather, this lets the kids burn off a little energy or have a quiet spot indoors to read or hang-out. Nothing to put away, and nothing to clean-up! A good decluttering [...]