By Lylah M. Alphonse. By Linda Matchan. By Vicki Hengen.
Don Saklad
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2003/10/09/clobber_clutter/
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2003/10/09/downsizing_they_rely_on_their_placewares_philosophy/
By Vicki Hengen
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2003/10/09/extras/
When you've decided what you don't need
http://www.boston.com/globe/living/at_home/100903_organized.htm
By Lylah M. Alphonse
http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2003/10/09/find_neat_ideas_on_the_web/
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The Boston Globe
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Find neat ideas on the Web
By Lylah M. Alphonse, Globe Staff, 10/9/2003
If you need to brush up on your organizational skills --
or gain some in a hurry --
there are plenty of websites that can help with
scheduling,
organizing, and
decluttering.
Many advise that you work slowly but steadily,
scheduling a little time each day to tackle the clutter until it's gone.
There's a lot of information out there, and sorting through it all can be
a bit overwhelming; luckily, most websites that deal with organization are
pretty well organized themselves.
Here's a run-down on some of the best ones we've found.
Tips and techniques
http://www.onlineorganizing.com
has a guide to help you decide how much you really need to organize.
It also has a calculator to help determine how much your time is worth
(in dollars), and another to find out your OQ, or "organizing quotient."
The website itself is well put together, with soft, soothing colors and
easy-to-read headings that help you navigate from page to page.
A "What's new this month" section directs you to a
monthly newsletter,
inspirational stories and
profiles, and a
guide to organizational tools and
books on sale.
There are plenty of tips and a multitude of checklists
to help you get organized at home or at the office.
The site is full of suggestions for
time management,
clutter control,
financial organization,
handling the holidays,
coping with your kids, and
using your computer more efficiently.
No wonder it was chosen by the
National Organization of Professional Organizers
as the best organizing service of 2003.
Ready to tackle that hall closet?
Order the tools you need to do the job yourself
through the site's online catalog.
Or a directory can help you find a professional organizer to hire.
http://www.unclutter.com
bills itself as "the virtual home of Donna Smallin,
" author of "Organizing Plain and Simple" (Storey Books).
In addition to information about Smallin's seminars and promotional
appearances, the site offers a
free monthly newsletter about getting organized,
the newsletter's archives, and
an extremely useful list of online organizing resources,
including clutter support groups and services.
http://www.familycorner.com
has support groups and chat forums on a variety of subjects, as well as
a few articles and tips.
There is a whole section about organizing, with discussion threads like
"Setting Goals" and
"Procrastinations!!!!!" where chatters
`fess up and
offer advice.
This is a site where you can connect with other people to
swap stories and
get inspired.
It's free to register, and members range from stay-at-home mothers of
multiples to career women on the go.
A forum on frugal living also has plenty of ideas about
trimming the budget and
living on less, and members have stockpiled
a variety of once-a-month-cooking recipes for those who
cook in bulk to save time.
http://www.organizedhome.com
straddles the fine line between
"highly organized" and
"obsessive/compulsive."
Example:
downloadable labels for the spine of your three-ring binder.
According to the site's "Christmas Countdown," subscribers should begin
getting ready for Santa beginning in mid-October
(all homemade gifts should be finished before Thanksgiving
in order that "Week 12" may be devoted to cleaning the attic).
The site is not geared for those who are searching for a way to juggle
work and family:
it offers a lot of tips for crafting and sewing projects,
a section called "Hi-tech Housewife" about using your PDA, and
guidelines for decorating your house efficiently
("Are linens clean and ready?
Unfold and verify that all spots can be hidden by centerpiece").
The plethora of ready-to-print checklists and labels available to
registered members is interesting, though, and the links at
"Declutter 101" have some helpful hints.
Registration is free.
Gadgets and gear
http://www.shopgetorganized.com
is the online version of the Get Organized catalog.
It offers inexpensive gadgets and plenty of do-it-yourself shelving for
storage spaces
(at $29.98 each, the PVC-coated wire rafter shelves are great for getting
lots of lightweight clutter up and out of the way in the garage).
Shop by category
(kitchen,
closet,
home office,
family room,
bedroom,
bathroom,
laundry,
outdoors) and
get your home ship-shape one area at a time.
http://www.containerstore.com
carries the Elfa line of closet systems, and
has a great "Plan a Space" feature that walks you through the steps of
planning your
perfect closet,
garage,
pantry,
home office, or
laundry room.
Their "Organize a Project" function allows you to make separate lists of
everything you need for all of your decluttering projects, and the online
shop is organized into handy sections, so it's easy to find the containers
you need for your CD collection (stackable acrylic CD racks, $9.99),
reams of family photos (archival photo storage boxes, $4.99-$12.99), or the
kids' toys (folding mesh cubes, $2.99-11.99).
It also offers plenty of ideas and items for organizing small spaces, and
a good "Back to School" section.
http://www.organize-everything.com
also carries the Elfa closet system line, but offers
a range of non-container items as well.
Check out the motorized tie racks ($19.95), bike holders ($32.99), and
patio furniture covers ($12.99-$24.99).
Run your mouse over the categories at the top of the screen and menus pop
up with handy listings of what's available in each department.
http://www.holdeverything.com
is the Williams-Sonoma of the organizational world --
in fact, it's owned by that company, and is a relative of the
Pottery Barn family.
It offers furniture with built-in storage in dark wood with clean lines,
crisp canvas closet organizers, and
natty rattan boxes and bins.
Its online catalog is actually a digital version of its physical catalog.
Order by phone at 800-421-2264.
Or visit stores in Boston (349-351 Newbury St.; 617-450-9846) or
Cambridge (1000 Mass. Ave.; 617-354-9771).
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