Tuesday's Tool of the Week

Here's LT's second installment of the Organizing Tool of the Week.



Who doesn't absolutely hate the status of their reusable container drawer? It's disheveled, you can barely open the drawer, and you can never find the right cover, right? Well, here's one product we totally love -- the Rubbermaid Easy Find Lids system. It comes in multiple sizes to fit all the leftovers you've got, plus offers a bunch of sizes that work perfectly for school lunches and portable snacks. They're good for the environment, cutting down on the amount of plastic wrap and throw-away baggies you need. It cuts way down on the amount of storage space you use in your kitchen. And the best part is that the covers snap right to the bottom of each container, eliminating the infuriating search for the matching lid. A 40-piece set goes for around $25 at Target, $20 at Wal-Mart and are also available at some grocery stores. Pick up a set, throw away all the old containers you have, and enjoy a fresh start.


Any lucky reader who e-mails linearthoughts@comcast.net will be registered to win the products we feature. A drawing will be held once a month and winners will be notified by e-mail. The purpose of this new service is to help our organizing-challenged friends and clients make smart purchases, instead of buying junk that they hope will magically transform their environment.

Hope it works for you!

LT

Clothes Call

Does everything in your wardrobe make you feel awesome and confident? Or you do stand in front of your closet in the morning, frustrated and aggravated until you just give in and wear the same old stand-by that feels old and grubby?

Don't give in to that self-fulfilling prophecy! Do something important for yourself this fall: Rethink your style. Start by honestly assessing what you wear. If you don't love it, let it go. Then ask yourself what you want to look like. Make a small list of fun items you'd like to try, like the chunky-knit, short-sleeve sweater in gray, fall's hottest hue. If you have jeans and some fun boots, a long-sleeve or three-quarter-sleeve vibrant T-shirt, you're ready for a new look, just like that!

Letting go of the things that clutter up your space is an activity worth rewarding yourself for. You will realize how easy it is to make a small change. Even just adding a cool new sweater will reposition your outlook. Organizing changes more than just your physical space. It changes how you see yourself, which can be a powerful boost to all the other aspects of your life.

Take an hour or two and launch your new fall look. If you need more help getting motivated, call 781-632-4313 or email linearthoughts@comcast.net. We can help you put it all together.

Introducing Tuesday's Tool of the Week

Hola, organizers!

We are happy to present an awesome feature, new to Linear Thoughts' big bad blog, something we're going to roll out every Tuesday -- Organizing Tool of the Week. Any lucky reader who e-mails linearthoughts@comcast.net will be registered to win the products we feature. A drawing will be held once a month and winners will be notified by e-mail. The purpose of this new service is to help our organizing-challenged friends and clients make smart purchases, instead of buying junk that they hope will magically transform their environment.

That said, let's remember: Organizing and storage products don't use themselves. You have to start in your head with a commitment to make a change. Then you have to toss all the stuff that's useless in your life. Once you know what you have, what you need to keep, and the dimensions of the space you're working with -- then and only then can you indulge in organizing products. No one understands better than I do how exciting a new storage gadget can be! But honestly, use its power for good, not to add more clutter to your space. Promise me.

OK. So let's get on it.

Today's Tool of the Week is Multi-level Tool Rack from http://www.stacksandstacks.com/. It holds up to 96 different tools of all sizes, and keeps them all in plain sight so digging through a tool box is a thing of the (messy) past. It's made of durable plastic, won't bend or give when it's filled, and will mount to a wall. It sells for $7.99 plus tax and shipping.

Hope it works for your garage ... especially since it's almost time to put the car in there again.

Fall Haul-Out

Hey all,
It's finally cool enough to get down to business! No more sweating like farm animals while attempting to harness the chaos.

Fall is a great time to assess what isn’t working in your life and fix it. Work is back in full swing, the kids have been back to school for a few weeks now, and your schedule is officially full again. The madness of the holidays is right around the corner. So, what's your organizing goal? Do you have one?

Where are your weak points? If there is a spot in your home that has been hanging over your head since last fall, start by giving yourself a short deadline to make some progress. Then sort, purge, and containerize to your heart's content. The results will be amazing and you can finally cross that project off your massive to-do list.

If your problem is time-related, try to pinpoint where your schedule goes awry and plan to change your process for that particular area. Don’t go for a total life change. Start small and keep it simple for success. Organization is all about keeping a routine, managing your time and scheduling in a smart, realistic way. If you reserve 10 minutes a day for organizing, you will end up saving yourself nine hours a week – searching for keys, permission slips, the match to your favorite brown boots. If you can find what you’re looking for, your long-term happiness and quality of life will improve more than you can believe.

For more tips and organizing help, e-mail linearthoughts@comcast.net. We'll send you our Linear Thoughts on Organizing booklet, full of practical solutions and processes for harnessing all the chaos in your space.

Good luck!
LT