Getting organized a new national pastime - CNN.com

Here is a wonderful article on CNN by Manav Tanneeru that discusses theories from Barry Iszak the president of the National Association of Professional Organizers as well as Peter Walsh, the host of TLC's Clean Sweep. Theories range from our nation's need to gain better control of our lives post 9/11, super consumerism, and more women joining the work force that skipped lessons in maintaining the home. In reality the growth of the organizing industry is probably a combination of all the above changes in the United States plus fewer barriers to entry for small businesses and advances in technology such as cell phones, online advertising and easy to use business software. The combination of a changes in culture that increase demand for organizing services and products with technology helping to keep overhead down in servicing that demand is a sign that the organizing industry is set for strong growth. In addition TV shows like that of Peter Walsh's Clean Sweep are helping to show the benefits of hiring outside professionals. Every success story helps to soldify the profession of organizing and make it a valuable service to home owners and businesses looking to get more out of their spaces, save time, reduce stress and upgrade the appearance of their environement.

Complete Spring Cleaning Checklist Spring Cleaning Guide Spring Clean Your House: "Spring Cleaning A Complete Checklist
From Sarah Aguirre,"

Here are some links and spring cleaning guidance from Sarah Aguirre on About.com. I particularly like the 15 minute cleaning how to articles for whipping the place in shape when time is short.

Ten Ways to Help Your Child Get Organized - FamilyEducation.com I found a short article that provides 10 tips on how to help your kids get organized. I like that the article talks about helping your child to have a set place and time for doing homework. This helps provide structure to your childs daily schedule and sets them up for success. Check out how to help your child get organized on familyeducation.com

The goal of organization is to be happily efficient. And when working to become efficient it is hard not to address the issue of multitasking. I have collected a handful of articles on multitasking and offer links to them here. In my personal experience I have found that multitasking in many situations hurts the quality of work and can be counter productive when needing to shift between complicated tasks. But I realize that there are tasks and situations where multitasking can be useful. So to be efficient we need to know when to employ multitasking and when not too. One item all of these articles mention is that talking on the cell phone while driving is a multitasking don't with high risk compared to the reward.


http://archives.cnn.com/2001/CAREER/trends/08/05/multitasking.study/index.html

http://www.apa.org/releases/multitasking.html

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070326/161931.shtml

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/business/25multi.html?ex=1332475200&en=f295711cb4a65d9b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&jgo=rss_feeds_dit

Would you believe that you could unearth treasures in your own home or office? Is it possible you have been missing something and didn't even know it? Some of the most common items we find organizing homes and offices are gift certificates, gift cards and sometimes important documents. It may seem like a daunting task but it's possible that you too may just find something valuable. Have fun and let me know if you find something you been looking for!