Simple Effects Blog: Organize Your Personal Life

“If you have clutter you are richer than you think. Look at uncluttering as an opportunity to share your abundance – the stuff you don’t need – with people who could really use it.”

Donna Smallin – The one minute organizer.

The National Cristina Foundation provides computer technology and solutions to give people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons the opportunity, through training, to lead more independent and productive lives.

Often when individuals or companies replace their old computers they wish they knew where to donate the old ones.  The National Cristina Foundation makes it easy for you to donate your computer and related equipment.   You simply check their on-line list of requirements (Pentium III and higher CPU’s) for the minimum specifications they have to ensure the equipment can be used by one of their partners. 

They will consider equipment needing repair on a case by case basis.

If your computer or related technology meets the requirements, you can fill out an on-line form listing the equipment you wish to donate.  They will then match it with a worthy recipient in your geographical area (this process can take about 2 weeks) and will contact you with the information you need to drop off your donation.  The Cristina Foundation will then follow-up with a donation acknowledgment letter which you can use for tax purposes.

It doesn’t get much easier than that. 

Have you ever sat down to get some work done on your computer but several hours later little was done?  Maybe you stopped to send an email, check out your facebook page, or google a product you’ve had your eye on. 

It’s easy to get distracted when you start surfing the internet and even those constant interruptions that take you away from the computer can  eat up the time you have designated for work.  Rescue Time will track it all.

Rescue Time is a free application you can easily download that will help you to figure out where your time is going.  And even when you ARE working diligently on your computer, it will make you aware of how long it really takes to do each task.  (have you any idea how long it takes to type a simple blog post?)

Check out this video tour to see how the product works and even give it a trial run (it’s free) on your own computer.   We all need help keeping ourselves on track and this is just one tool that will help you to gain a better understanding of how your time is spent.

 As tax season approaches, the lack of a good system for collecting/filing your paperwork may have you worried about being able to find all the documents you need to complete your tax return. 

If you haven’t kept your tax papers in one designated place over the past year, then you may be feeling overwhelmed by the task as well.

The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  So let’s start with a single bite.  Get a box or file folder and mark it  "TAX INFO 2009"

Today you’ll locate your receipts for any donations you’ve made to charities over the past year. Once you’ve collected them all, place them in your "Tax Info 2009"  folder or box.    If you are missing any, contact the charity and request a duplicate receipt. When it arrives, place it immediately in your "Tax Info 2009"  folder or box.

If you can’t remember what you’ve given to charity over the past year, you can review your check record book or cancelled checks. You may also need to look at your credit card statements if you donate on-line using your credit card.

The IRS does not usually require you to include your receipts with your return, but you do need to find them all to get a correct total of your charitable donations and also you must keep them on file in case of an audit or other procedure.

"All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. "

– Henry Ellis

If you enjoy gardening it is quite possible you have more seeds than you are able to use. 

Rather than let the seeds sit unused, consider trading or donating your seeds. Wintersown.org is a non-profit organization where you can do both.  Sign up to trade seeds, or donate your extra seeds to them and they’ll distribute them to organizations that need them.

Wintersown.org accepts seeds for any of the following:  Flowers, bushes, trees, vines, ornamental grasses, fruits, vegetables and herbs are all welcome and needed. Seed packages must be labeled.

You can send your donated seeds by mail to:

WinterSown Seed Donations
1989 School Street
East Meadow NY 11554

Here are some steps to restore balance to your bathroom medicine cabinet:

Set aside about  1/2 hour to an1 hour for this task.

1. Remove all medications/ointments that have expired or which you no longer need. Organize remaining products as you’d find them categorized in the drug store ie pain medications,  cough/cold remedies, first aid, prescription medications etc.    Make note of any products you need to replenish.

2. Keep only the hair products that you currently use on a regular basis   In addition to shampoo, conditioner, gels and sprays, this includes all hair accessories, combs and brushes and hairstyling appliances (we’ve all been lured into buying new and different products with each new hairstyle. Let the past go and keep only those that support your current hair style).

3. Toss any make-up products or other grooming products that you do not currently use. Try to simplify your make-up routine so that it takes just a few minutes a day. If you purchase a “new” product, toss the old one.

4.  If multiple people use this cabinet, label the location of items so everyone knows where to find/put them away again.

Taking a few minutes now to put your cabinet in order will save you valuable time later.

This client had a lot of wonderful  and useful resources stored in his basement that he had collected over the years but the problem was, he could never find them when he needed them.

Basement Entry Before

We worked together to sort like with like.  Garbage was tossed.  Old papers and files were shredded and/or recycled.  Items no longer needed/wanted were donated or sold.  The remaining resources were all given a home — complete with labels so that they could be found when needed.

Basement Entry After

Before, the location of the shelves shown below blocked the light from the door and made it hard to see things at a glance.

After, by repositioning the shelves against the wall, there’s a more open feel and objects can be more quickly and easily located.

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"The way we live our days

is the way we live our lives."

– Annie Dillard.

Sometimes  when they start organizing, people have trouble deciding what to keep and what they should let go of.  There are lots of rules you can use to help you decide like:

If you haven’t used it in the last 6 months and you don’t plan on using it in the next 6 months then you don’t really need it; or if it isn’t useful or beautiful then don’t keep it in your home;  or if it’s broken it goes in the trash; or if it doesn’t fit, pass it on, etc.

My friend Deb over at Woman’s Day Happiness Project Blog has another way to approach it.  She and her husband are preparing for a virtual move  so, they are organizing their home with the premise if they wouldn’t move it, then they’ll lose it. 

What rule do you apply that helps you decide whether to keep or let go of the items in your home?