http://www.sparkleize.com Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:02:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Recently I got fed up hauling around car maintenance and bicycle gear in the trunk of my car for lack of a better place to put it. So I bought this outdoor storage bench on Amazon.com. It took me about 30 minutes to assemble. The box sports a padded seat, so ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/18/outdoor-storage-bench-solution/ Don't let old prescription eyeglasses clutter up your closet any longer! Your local Lions Club will be happy to take them for you. The Lions recycle them for use by disadvantaged and elderly folks who cannot afford eye care. Click here to find a Lions Club near you. Have more ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/11/recycle-your-prescription-eyeglasses/ You've just bought a new laptop, printer, cell phone, camera or other gadget. Great! But now you've got a bunch of peripheral junk to contend with. When it comes to accessories, manuals and packaging, most folks are paralyzed with decisions. Will I need this? What should I keep? So they don't ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/08/how-to-stop-drowning-in-gadgetry/ Jennifer Chait's blog Declutter It! includes this handy post with the four steps to sorting out your medicine cabinet. She says, 1. First take everything out - use this time to actually wipe down the medicine cabinet interior. Plus you’ll finish the job all at once if everything is out. 2. Get ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/07/declutter-your-medicine-cabinet-in-four-steps/ We got tired of running out of coffee all the time. Now we use Amazon's "Subscribe & Save" feature to get Altura's organic French roast ground coffee automatically shipped to our front door every two months. This is definitely the most convenient way to get coffee, and it does actually save ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/06/ordering-groceries-online/ I really like blog posts that challenge me to do better. Like this one from Susan Sabo's Productivity Cafe. Her advice motivated me to stop procrastinating on something important I've been meaning to do. What I did: According to Susan, acknowledging your procrastination and telling someone about it are the first steps. ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/05/how-to-stop-procrastinating/ Crystal says, here are the Five Holy Organizing Principles: 1. Do not buy stuff you don't need. If you won't be using something immediately or in the very near future, chances are you shouldn't be buying it. And sales are a death trap. The moment you start using words like, ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/04/the-five-fundamentals-of-avoiding-a-cluttered-house/ I'd like to go so far as to say that organizing requires no money at all. TV shows like Real Simple and Web sites such as Simplify 101 offer helpful organizing advice, but they tend to prey upon disorganized people by appealing to a typical false belief: that people can be ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/03/organizing-myth-1-being-organized-requires-money/ I really like Rachel Meeks' simple living blog called Small Notebook. Rachel was featured in U.S. News and World Report magazine this month, where she talks about the time that is consumed by owning things. "So much of [people's] time and resources goes into our stuff, to organize, dust, clean, [and] ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/02/more-stuff-less-time/ Do you need organizing help? If you're in the Raleigh-Durham, NC area, I recommend me, of course. However, if you live elsewhere, you can find an organizer in your area using the National Association of Professional Organizer (NAPO) directory. Not sure if a particular organizer is right for you? Check them ... http://www.sparkleize.com/2008/11/01/how-to-find-a-professional-organizer/