OrganizingLA Blog

Los Angeles USPS Heads Sexy Pilot Program For Recycling Electronics

Could recycling ever become a day at the beach?

The United States Postal Service last month began a pilot program for USPS customers to recycle their small small electronics and inkjet cartridges by mailing them free of charge.

Los Angeles is on the short list of cities participating in the program called "Mail Back."  Designed to help consumers make more environmentally friendly choices, the mail back program includes free envelopes inside Post Offices to mail back inkjet cartridges, PDAs, Blackberries, digital cameras, iPods and MP3 players, free of charge with no postage due.

Clover Technologies Group is paying for the postage, and re-manufacturing the products, including refurbishing, reselling or breaking them down further for recycling. It all depends on the type of part, quality and age.

In addition to Los Angeles, the program is set for Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Diego.  More cities to follow in the fall of 2008 if success is met.

Could this be a big break for the American consumer wanting to recycle but finds it too difficult?  Will the infamous USPS, known for its award-winning customer service, be diligent in stocking the supply cabinets inside each and every store?  Sometimes we can't even find envelopes for Express Mail.  Well, we'll all soon find out.

What do you think of this program?  Would you drop by your local post office to mail ink jet cartridges?

Source:  Shredstation, USPS

Santa Monica Beach Image:  Faris on Flickr

OrganzingLA Interviews Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer

At the NAPO National Conference earlier this month, we had an opportunity to interview a few movers and shakers in the professional organizing industry.

Meet Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer of Portland, Oregon, Vancouver and Washington Metro areas.  Brandie specializes in working with home-based businesses, performing on-site consultations, teleclasses and virtual activities.  She helps her clients increase productivity, reduce stress and love where they work.

Please forgive the camera shaking, it's tough to balance a camera while you're on crutches.

Brandie will be available for a limited time on our blog to address your home office organizing questions.  Feel free to post them using the comment section and Brandie will address your concerns.

Brandie Kajino, The Home Office Organizer

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Win a Beverly Hills Lunch With A Brady - If You've Got the Messiest Cable Clutter in the Nation

Win lunch in Beverly Hills with green advocates Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry, co-hosts of the VH-1 reality show, “My Fair Brady.”

The folks at Green Plug are sponsoring a nationwide photo contest for the messiest cable clutter, and just in time for spring cleaning.

Tuesday is the Most Productive Day of the Week

What day of the week is your most productive day?

According to an Accountemps nationwide survey of 150 senior executives, 57% said Tuesday is the most productive day of the week.  Do you agree?

Coming in a distant second (12%) was Monday.  Max Messner, a representative for Menlo Park, Calif. Accountemps said Monday is a catch-up day-- following the weekend.  Many regularly scheduled meetings also take place on Monday which can decrease the time open to complete tasks the incoming week.

These results seem to mirror the same number in 2002, 1998 and 1987 surveys.

Accountemps offers the following advise for getting organized:

• Make a plan
• Sharpen your focus
• Limit distractions
• Don’t delay
• Recharge

What day of the week do you feel you are most productive?

• source:  Accountemps press release
• image: Virtual Assistant

NorthStar Moving Unveils Star-Studded Moving Services

Thinking about moving?  Want the celebrity relocation treatment?

North star Moving, a leading residential and commercial mover in California, has announced luxury partnerships with celebrity pet care provider and Oprah's personal dog coach Tamar Geller; child care provider to the stars Nurture and Nanny and Operation Organization, a professional organizing company in Los Angeles.

Check out these cool red carpet moving services for celebrities and non-celebs alike:

• The Paris - Celebrity pet care providers pamper your pooch leaving you to sit poolside as muscle-bound men ensure that your hair extensions are packed to perfection. This luxury package addresses all your moving needs while protecting you and your four-legged friends from any unnecessary stresses.
• The Angelina - For the busy family that likes to hit the road, this service takes the kids right out from underfoot and keeps the little darlings safe, happy and entertained under the watchful eye of a modern day Mary Poppins, freeing up mom and dad to focus on moving and/or saving the world.
• The Britney - Designed for the customer looking for a little order and direction in their life. NorthStar Moving delivers professional organizers right to your doorstep and makes sure you can easily find your undergarments even in the midst of a move!

Now this is fun marketing!  Our favorite concept is "photo perfect packing" sock drawers.  Northstar also "handles paparazzi and security with decoy trucks."  Decoy trucks?  We love it.  Will you?

• Source:  Earth Times, PR Newswire
• Image:  Chemosphere House (on Mulholland Drive near Laurel Canyon, in L.A.) - Kim DeMarco's Blog

CreditCards.com - How to Organize Gift Cards - With Advice from John Trosko

Inspired by our post on marking your current balances on gift cards with a Sharpie, we were asked to participate in an article on managing and organizing credit, debit and gift cards for Creditcards.com.

After all, a card is only useful when you can find it when you need it, right?

To our amazement the article not only appeared on the CreditCards.com website, but also on the RSS feeds on Yahoo Shopping.  All the participating experts really taught us a thing or two.  See that list below and read the full article.

"If you have gift cards stashed in your junk drawer, wallet and desk drawer, it's time to consolidate.  "Cards should be gathered in a central location," says John Trosko, President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Association of Professional Organizers and author of the OrganizingLA Blog."

"It's best if you keep them in the car so you've got them with you when you go shopping." His clients often use small plastic accordion folders to keep the cards organized. Some of his most stylish clients have used Kate Spade pencil cases to keep their cards together."

6 Tips for Organizing Your Gift, Debit and Credit Cards.

1. Keep them together
2. Write it down
3. Use a spreadsheet
4. Track them online
5. Make a trade
6. Dump them

• CreditCards.com - Erin Peterson's article has all the can't miss details.  With advise from professional organizer John Trosko, Scott Bilker (creator, DebtSmart.com), Kara McGuire (personal finance columnist, Minneapolis Star Tribune), Jonathan (author, MyMoneyBlog), Mark Edward Roberts (CEO/founder, LeverageCard.com), as well as CardAvenue.com, CertificateSwap.com, and SwapACard.com.

CreditCards.com is a leading online credit card marketplace, bringing consumers and card issuers together. The site is a free online resource where consumers can compare hundreds of credit card offers by category, including low interest credit cards, credit cards with rewards programs, airline credit cards, cash back credit cards, small business credit cards, student credit cards, instant approval credit cards as well as prepaid debit cards. Over one million unique users access their website each month.

Related Posts:

• The $10,000 Magic Marker
• Polypropylene envelopes can get your gift cards organized

Southwest Airlines Debuts Productivity Ad Campaign

Southwest Airlines is spending millions on a new ad campaign targeted at productivity, and controversy.

The ads haven't caught on yet, but we think they're funny.  At the Annual Productivity Awards (not to be confused with the Los Angeles Organizing Awards) highly productive young businessman Nick Pudder wins an award, but he's accused of taking "productivity enhancers" to augment his office and sales strategy.  We did a double take when we saw this, will you?  If it's true, we want some.

Here's the commercial Southwest is airing, as "reported" by Karen Jacobs of Be More Productive News.  Check out the other spots on YouTube.  How they dream up these things we'll never know.

Readers-- we'd love to know your thoughts.  Use the comment tag at the bottom of this post.  Would you ever sneak a "performance enhancer" behind your office cubicle?  What is your favorite enhancer anyway?

Related Posts:

• Supersized traveler tips

Productivity Expert David Allen is Now Blogging for Huffington Post

David Allen joins the list of notable bloggers at the Huffington Post.

Allen (pictured above) is probably one of the most famous experts in the field of personal productivity and work/life balance. What he is most famous for (among many things) is his infamous "brain dump"- the idea of writing everything down on a to-do list to capture the things you desire to tackle.

The list-making is just part of his cultish GTD (Get to Done) Getting Things Done (book and system,) widely used by organized people, primarily very technical people, business folks and the like because it promotes creativity and puts a proactive spin on managing all the little details that promote human connectivity.

Allen shut his company blog down more than a year ago in order to persue other interests.  We think he missed connecting with his peeps.  Welcome back!

Check out:

• Think smarter to capture your ideas by David Allen
• David Allen - bio
• David Allen - official GTD website
• Organize IT and David Allen

Related posts:

• David Allen and a Perfect Mess
• David Allen, nominated for a 2006 Los Angeles Organizing Award

Picture courtesy San Jose Mercury News blogs

Real Simple Magazine to Feature OrganizingLA in August 2007

While standing at the check-out line at the Pasadena Container Store this morning, we saw the latest issue of the very popular Real Simple Magazine.

Seeing the issue reminded us that we're being highlighted in the August 2007 issue.

Just in time for back to school, Real Simple will be featuring our fun tips on organizing bedrooms (or dorm rooms) with pegboards.  Traditionally, pegboards are used in the garage.  But the marketplace has exploded with options for just about any room in the house.  And the magazine is prominently putting their best foot forward.  These are not your father's pegboards!

Of course, we'll keep you updated on all the peg-tastic details.  For this true honor, we bow to the great Gods at Time Inc.!

Read more at Real Simple.

How To Organize Your Gift Cards

If you're like us, you have tons of gift cards and always forget you have them.

We do store them in a reusable (Velcro closure) envelope, but that doesn't solve the problem of how much is on each card.

Parent Hacks has a great tip for organizing your gift cards.  Use a sharpie.

"We sharpie the current amounts on each one so we don't have to fish around for the latest receipt.  Just don't write $87.22 too big, because you're likely to have to scratch it out and write $46.13 after your next mini shopping trip."

Maybe you can use the $10,000 Magic Marker to write on the backs?

If you have a tip for organizing gift cards, please dare to share!  Our readers want to hear what you have to say.

Ditch the Floppies & Trade Up to USB

Topping our list of the 10 top items that clutter up the home office, are floppies.

How many of these do you have sitting around your home office, junk drawer or college memorabilia box?  If you're not using them, why not make a commitment to 'lose 'em?

A floppy disk is a storage device made of thin, flexible plastic.  Also known as "floppies," they are read and written by a floppy disk drive.  Well intentioned storage devices for your computer, their usefulness has now officially ended, mostly because they hold so little data.  They measure 3.5 inches square, yet only hold 1.44 Megs of data.  One single song on average is about 3 Megs.  Did you know that?

Devices such as USB are easier to carry around, faster, and more spacious than floppies.  Belkin makes a great 7-in-1 Retractable Cable Travel Pack we wrote about in a recent online article for Instinct Magazine (click here to check that article out.)  Just make sure you attempt to recycle the disks, to help in the fight against e-waste.  Earth 911 has information on recycling centers in your area (click here to find out more information.)

So why not transfer those old files now?  Ditch the floppies for something better, stronger, faster.

Home of the Future to Premiere on NBC's Today Show Thursday

My last year at Disney Animation, three years ago, I caught a story board screening of Meet the Robinsons.

The story is an animated version of the new classic children's book A Day With Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce.  It's exciting to see the movie finally out in theaters later this month.  Full of futuristic gadgets, crazy characters and all the things you could only dream of, including a home full of technology.

If you had any doubt that the future isn't here, today, tune into the NBC's Today Show for a special segment they're calling "Home of the Future.  Scheduled to air Thursday at 7:40am, they'll be highlighting the major new trend of “intelligent furniture.”

One such piece includes Sligh’s Family Communications Center, capable of housing, docking and recharging various home electronic devices as well as organizing and storing a busy family’s schedules, appointments, books and mail.

The Center was introduced last October at the High Point Market.  According to Yahoo Tech News:

"[Sligh's Family Communications Center is] a nice-looking desk and hutch piece that comes in many finishes; all have built-in surge protectors with lots of outlets to handle laptops, printers, cell phones, cameras, as well as providing a place for keys and mail. The price for this stylish organization and charging center: Between about $3,000 and $3,300."

Set your Tivo!  And get ready for an organized future.

 

Stand Up Meetings - Lose the Chairs and Save Time

A few years ago, I worked for a Los Angeles company that had a lot of meetings.  The gatherings were long and boring, but I guess it was important for everyone to have their say.  At that stage of my personal business evolution, I just accepted the fact that the meeting formats weren't going to change.  But something did change them, for the better.

Because the meetings were so long, someone on the team suggested we institute "stand up meetings."  Instead of sitting at a traditional conference table, we took the chairs out of the room and ran meetings while standing on our feet.  Well, the length of the meetings DRASTICALLY dropped, because people didn't want to stand for long.  Meetings went from 30-60 minutes to roughly 1/2 of that while still delivering meaty content.  Neat, huh?

Obviously, this system is not possible if you have a long strategic planning session, but it does work.  So why not try it yourself?

Susan Sabo's Productivity Cafe has a post this week about making meetings shorter, and more effective.  Check the post out by clicking here.

Picture courtesy of The Real Estate Solution

Rediscover Your Desktop with This Article From Macworld

A new office organizing client in Brentwood turned us onto a Macworld article about organizing your computer files, enabling shortcuts, using keywords, tackling electronic mail and how to rediscover the wonders of your desktop.

If you're really into David Allen, author and the Getting Things Done (GTD) approach, you'll love this article.  Follow the steps to get your computer in tip-top shape for Spring.

Only part of the article is available online.  You can buy the magazine at your local newsstand, or send us an e-mail with the words "Macworld article requested" and we'll sent you an electronic copy.

Source:  Macworld Finesse Your Files

Picture courtesy of California Bits

After you've read the article, we invite you to share your thoughts!

Podcast from BusinessWeek Magazine to Feature John Trosko Small Office Tips

 

I dashed around Hollywood today, and in-between office organizing appointments I taped a Podcast for BusinessWeek.com.

BusinessWeek offers a terrific and complete series of Podcasts-- the one we participated in features experts and newsmakers from around the country with new perspectives and strategies on everything from building an online audience to finding health insurance for employees to avoiding bankruptcy scams.

Next Tuesday, we'll be talking about small business organizing for the entrepreneur.  In the conversation with BW veteran writer and host Karen E. Klein, we provide tips on time, space, and interruption management along with some personal commentary for what it takes to encourage employees to be more organized.

We'll post a link as soon as it's up, or you can subscribe here for the series on i-tunes or any other other reader, by clicking here.

IKEA To Stop Providing Free Disposable Bags March 15

In an attempt to tackle waste and help environmental damage, IKEA announced yesterday that they will no longer provide free disposable plastic bags in the United States.

The bold move follows the UK decision last summer to ditch the free bags, too.  Beginning March 15, US Shoppers will be charged 5-cents for each bag, or they can bring their own.

There is a lot more to this story, check out Green Wombat for an analysis.

It's not that they're charging (proceeds to go charity)-- rather, they're encouraging eco-friendly behavior on a personal level.

Readers, what do you think about this move?

Source:  Green Wombat

Related Posts:

• Ikea shifting its guts to Ohio
• Ikea closet microsite- cool!
• View our entire "new" category, eco-organizing

Container Store Shutting Down North American Elfa Wholesale Business

The Container Store is in the process of, well, reorganizing.

The organizing superstore has made a surprise decision, based on sales figures, to shut down their Elfa wholesale business in North America.

This means that all 85 independent dealers in the United States and Canada -- from hardware and specialty stores to Web retailers, including The Great Indoors, a home-decor chain owned by Sears, will need to locate a new supplier for closet and office shelving.

The decision has some insiders saying that the Container Store may be cleaning up their financials in order to go public.  The company is denying that.

In related news, a Century City employee told us today that the annual Elfa sale is being extended 10 days because of a national mail-house delay.  Just in time to organize your Valentine's Day sweetheart.

• Source:  Dallas Business Journal
• Container Store website
• Elfa International website

Related Posts:

• Container Store Class Action Lawsuit
• My barley went bad

Louis Vuitton Abbesses Messenger Bag

I am a big believer in quality versus quantity.

Two weeks ago before I caught the flu, I made a huge investment in a messenger bag to use for business and for pleasure.  I've talked about the last wallet I owned, and lost, and repurchased.  But this purchase is more significant.

I've owned so many briefcases and messenger bags.  My green Diesel went through Italy with me last September and it was that trip that inspired me to upgrade my man bag.

The Louis Vuitton Abbesses Messenger bag does the trick for me.  It's an organizer's dream, with an adjustable textile strap and brown canvas lining.  There's even a cel phone pocket, patch pocket and a D-ring for my keys, but I don't think I'll be using that.  And I love the canvas cover, which is super-easy to clean.

I've been warned to not carry a laptop in this case, because it's not designed for that.  And it's going to be a while before the material softens and loses that ridged feeling.

I feel it's really important that as an organizer in "Hollywood" I have an appreciation of quality.  Clients have deep attachments to their clothes, shoes and purses.  I know that "things" represent a variety of life's challenges and triumphs, because I am right there with them-- so I get it.

So, have you snagged a bag lately, or anything-- that was a big investment but you know you will never be be sorry for laying out the cash?  We want to hear about it!

Ebay is Dead. Or So We Thought.

Until today, our organizing and consulting company really felt like eBay was dying.  Dead.  Gone.

We've stopped shopping on the site.  We've stopped pricing potential items on the site.  And we've been forced to stop sending clients to a local Los Angeles eBay shop.

Last March, our company spent considerable time and money developing a relationship with a solid, reputable eBay resale business here in LA.  We set the whole thing up, wrote a press release announcing a "partnership" of sorts and then offered our clients the ability to get rid of their clutter through the resale service.

It was designed to be a win-win for clients, professional organizers (us) and the local auction sales company.  We saw it as a value-added service and took NOTHING for the transfer of the items.  Nada.  We were experimenting as as small company should.

The system worked well, well, for about 3 months.  And then this value-added service crashed.

Smead Introduces Antimicrobial Line of Office Products Amidst Earthquake

As a tiny (magnitude 2.7) but noticeable earthquake jiggled parts of the San Fernando Valley on Monday, Smead announced another earth-shattering move: a new line of anti-microbial office supply products.

The fresh must-haves may indeed shake your world, because they use patented technology to severely limit bacteria, mold, mildew and fungus growth on office goods.

Products include top tab and end tab file folders, end tab file jackets, pocket folders, expanding wallets and pocket portfolios.

Our sample arrived in the mailbox today along with the list of organizations that may need to control bacteria growth (including hospitals, dental offices, schools, food service, pharmacies, research labs, pharmaceutical companies, museums, archival organizations and long term health-care groups.)

Monica Ricci's blog has a thorough seismic evaluation of the products.  Make sure you check out her reader comments.

Buy These And Say Goodbye To Bread Clips

Unplug the fax, and the clock turns off.  Unplug the printer and the hard drive shuts down.

The solution sounds easy-- label the wires dummy.  But how?

Do you know how long we saved those plastic bread bag clips just because some lifestyle guru told us to?  And then the bag closures sat around in our tool kit for 2 years gathering dust until we ate enough bread to label our own office.  And then we never labeled anything.

Now, we guess that's our fault.  But who new we could never find a permanent pen with a sharp enough point to label those little suckers.  So, years of hunting and gathering went into the trash.

Well, those days are now gone because we've discovered these pre-printed ID labels for the legions of plug-in's around the crib.