Professional Organizer | Clearing Clutter | Motivational Speaker | Salt Lake City, Utah

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Electronic To Do Lists On Line

Saturday, February 28th, 2009 by admin

We all have a zillion things to do in a day and I recommend using a planner that you can carry with you. But today my organizing tips are on internet sites that can be used like planners.

Online To Do Lists can assist you in planning your daily and weekly tasks.
Many are free and you can manage your tasks from anywhere and from any computer. Here are just a few places for on line To Do Lists:

www.rememberthemilk.com
www.memotome.com will remind you of whatever date you have told it to remind you of. Never forget a birthday or anniversary again.
If you have Office Outlook it can also do all of these tasks for you. You just have to tell it to do what you want.

I know there are other sites on the internet these are just a few that I have used.
Electronics can work for us or against us. These organizing tips to eliminate electronic clutter are meant to help you take control of your computer and take back your life. What are your favorite electronic organizing tips that you use? Or have you started something new that you haven’t tried before? and how is that working out?

Posted in Office/Paper Work | 2 Comments »

2 Organizing Tips To Organize Our Computer Information

Friday, February 27th, 2009 by admin

There is so much information on the internet that we can access to use now and later. Here are two organizing tips on how to make it easy for us to retrieve information and then know what to do with it so we can come back to it later.

1. Make folders for information you retrieve on the internet. Copy and paste information into a Word document and put it in a folder on the computer. Not everything needs to be printed. In fact before printing anything think where will you file it, is it really important to have a hard copy right now, and do I want to take the time later to retrieve a paper copy. This will save you time and money and help with the environment too.

2. A web site can be electronically bookmarked in the browser or you can use a social bookmark. Delicious.com is a social bookmark. It is designed to allow you to store and share bookmarks on the web instead of inside your browser. This has several advantages. 1. You can get to your bookmarks from anywhere, no matter whether you’re home, at work, in a library or on a friend’s computer. 2. You can share your bookmarks publicly, so others can view them for reference etc. (or you can make them private also). 3. You can find other people on Delicious who have interesting bookmarks and add their links to your own collection.

This is a place I am just getting to know but it sounds “delicious” to me. Do you use Delicious or any other social bookmark I haven’t heard of? Share with us your organizing tips!

Posted in Office/Paper Work | 2 Comments »

2 Organizing Tips For Your Electronic Protection

Thursday, February 26th, 2009 by admin

I have two very important organizing tips today for your electronic protection:

1. Passwords are very important to your security! I don’t recommend keeping them in a word document on your computer for your own protection. My daughter’s computer was stolen during a home robbery and they would have had all her passwords if they had been kept on her computer. I do recommend keeping them in a notebook and putting this in a secure place in your filing system (not under the tab “passwords”). Or hide on a bookshelf.

There are also electronic password protectors that remember your passwords. I use roboform.com. This company came highly recommended to me from an electronic consultant to several large companies in the Seattle area. (I figured if it was good enough for this man who almost has a fetish for security it was good enough for me). There are others on the web also that can be purchased.

2. Back up your files; back up your files, back up your files, back up your files! Can you tell I think this is majorly important??? I watched a program on the CBS show Sunday Morning and they reported that 90% of the computers out there will crash at least once. That scared me so I purchased a back up electronic box. It is programmed to back up my files in the middle of the night when I’m not on the computer. I know the price was very reasonable so don’t let that stop you from backing up your files. I understand there are programs that can be purchased on line also.

Have you had an experience with your computer crashing and were you prepared?

Posted in Office/Paper Work | 2 Comments »

2 Organizing Tips To Tame Electronic Information

Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 by admin

How are you doing getting rid of electronic clutter on your computer? I have a friend whose computer died a year ago and she just got a new one. She has a new internet provider and a new email address. She has a fresh start—lucky for her. I think we can all have fresh starts by deciding what we want and setting goals, then work to complete them.

Here are two organizing tips that will help you get a fresh start or help to tame your electronic information.

1. When you get emails make folders (on your computer) for any information you are keeping. This will keep your in box free for incoming mail. If it is something you need to take action on in the next few days mark it with a star or a flag so you know it is something you need to take care of soon. Those kinds of things you don’t need to make folders for as you will act on the information and then delete or move to a folder at that time.
2. Make a folder for receipts. Scan receipts and when you need them they will be easily accessible and will take up less space in your file drawer.
Make a financial folder. When you pay bills on line and your financial institution notifies you the bill has been paid move the notification to the folder. It is accessible to refer back to as needed.

What other folders do you use to save time and space in your in box? We’d love to learn about your organizing tips.

Posted in Office/Paper Work | 1 Comment »

3 Organizing Tips To Control Electronic Clutter

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 by admin

A reader from the UK pointed out we can get a lot of gems from the computer. I agree with her completely! We were talking the other day about how easy it is to get information with all the different search engines available. It has become routine to go to the computer and Google information about anything we have questions about. It has given me a sense of a worldwide community in a way to be able to share organizing ideas through my website and have people leave comments and email me with their ideas.

Here are three organizing tips today to help keep electronic clutter under control.

1. Ask your friends not to send you spam. If you can’t ask them never ever return it to them (as so many of those junk mail “stories or poems” ask that you do). Don’t respond to those types of mail and they will hopefully stop sending you junk. When I routinely get this type of mail from someone who I know only sends me “junk” I can see in the subject line before I open it that it is a time waster and I delete it without opening it. I keep in touch with friends with notes, not junk emails.
2. Mark spam as spam if your email allows you to do so. This will stop that certain type of spam coming into your email in box.
3. Set up a different email address for store offers you want to receive. These won’t clog your personal email in box. Remember to look at it every week or two. Delete the offers you aren’t going to use. Before signing up ask if they sale their lists, if they do, don’t sign up with them.

Have you had any experiences doing any of the above and if so how has it helped you to control electronic clutter? We really want to know!

Posted in Clutter, Office/Paper Work | 3 Comments »

Organizing Tips on Technology Clutter

Monday, February 23rd, 2009 by admin

Today I will be on the klbc.org radio show with Ann Negendank talking about technology clutter and how to reduce it. Listen to the show at 11:15 MT today.

When computers first came out we thought they would save us time. Does your computer save you time or take more of your time? Do you get sucked into reading emails and surfing the internet hours on end? (Come on tell the truth)

Here are some organizing tips on time management when using a computer:

1. When you sit at your computer set your timer and donate that time to reading emails and surfing the net. When the time is up walk away. This will help you become more efficient in the use of your time.

2. Simplify your email inbox by making folders for the information you are keeping. Delete all spam as it comes in and star or mark the remaining emails in your inbox as a reminder to take action on them within two days and after the two days put them in their folder if you need to keep the information or delete them.

I will be offering organizing tips about technology clutter all week. What ideas do you use to save you time on the computer?

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Organizing tips for when your sick

Friday, February 20th, 2009 by admin

Is being sick something you schedule? I know that’s a silly question. None of us schedule time to be sick.

I picked up a virus in Colorado and one of the first things I did when I got home was to take out my medicine container and check my medicines to see what I could use that might make me better. I have to say I’m glad I use my own organizing tips. It was nice knowing where all my medicines were and that they had not expired.

When you are sick the last thing you want to do it run to the store or rummage around looking for something you know you have but can’t find.

Click on the comment button below and tell us your organizing tips that help you when you and your family are sick.

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Kitchen organizing tips

Thursday, February 19th, 2009 by admin

Feeling tired and overwhelmed about all that you need to organize in your home? Your kitchen? Don’t know how to organize your life? You are not alone. It’s often just not knowing where to start and not knowing how to proceed. In my kitchen report I answer these and many other questions and concerns.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Organizing tips for clutter control

Thursday, February 19th, 2009 by admin

On my video this week I discuss some simple steps for controling the clutter that tends to collect in our home and offices.

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Organizing tips one step at a time

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 by admin

I got home last night from my organizing trip in Colorado. I stayed with my daughter and her family. They have all been sick for several days. I told my daughter I don’t know how she does it. Keeping on top of everything that needs to be done while being sick. Getting everything done on our ‘To do list’ can be overwhelming and a bit discouraging even when we are feeling our best. My organizing tips for today is don’t worry if you don’t get everything done and to just keep going, keep taking those small and often seemingly insignificant steps and it will all work out.

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