Archive for February, 2010

T is for Tortoise and Time management

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Are you one of those people who constantly switches lanes on the freeway to find the “faster” lane? Do you ever notice that despite your efforts to get ahead, you usually end up in the same place as those who just stayed put and drove a little more conservatively? If so, this principle might apply to the rest of your time management skills.

Many people believe that in order to get more done, you have to work twice as hard and move twice as fast. But I couldn’t disagree more. When rushing to complete a task, more times than none I end up making multiple mistakes, costing me even more time to correct them. Had I simply been more mindful and moved at a slower pace, maybe then I would have saved time.

In fact, I think it’s time we start to remember the age old lessons from our childhood fables. Do you remember the one about the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady wins the race, said the tortoise as he crossed the finish line before the hare.

Brooke

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Open me – sincerely, your books

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

openbook

Books can be a difficult item in the home to know exactly what to do with. Some people have them cluttering their homes in disorganized piles on the floor, overwhelmed by their presence. While others just don’t know how to properly display them. The most common solutions being to stand them up right in books shelves or stack them neatly on a coffee table. But why even bother buying these expensive and archaic dust collectors (sorry books, the Kindle is the new sheriff in town) if you don’t plan on showing them off?

That’s right, the art books large enough to make their way to the top of your coffee table, are filled with beautiful layouts and stunning photos, that are often neglected behind their impressive dust jackets. So how do you display your books AND their precious content at the same time? Open them! I know, who would have thought.

Just like open faced sandwiches, open faced books are just as tasty to look at AND half the carbs. When methodically arranged with other closed books and decorative accessories, the open face book will not only spruce up your table, but you might even learn a thing or two. In fact, make a habit of displaying a different page every week – or everyday if you are the ambitious type. And remember, you may not be able to change your husband’s (or wife’s) old habits, but you sure can turn a new page in your own book.

Brooke

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Recycling trophies? Who knew.

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

RoshamboAwards

Recently while organizing a mother of 4 very cute and athletic children, Heather and I encountered our very first recycling stumper. Normally we have a place for everything to go – batteries, old cell phones, expired paint, no problem. But what do you do with 4 bags full of unwanted sports trophies? Yes, these are 4 very talented children.

Well, first I did what any curious person would do, I Googled “recycling sports trophies.” To my dismay, I discovered that only a handful of trophy shops (Awards Mall and Lamb Awards and Engraving) have started recycling programs in which they disassemble your current trophy, add a new top or plaque, and voila! New trophy. Unfortunately however, none of these shops were local, and I didn’t want to spend money on postage or gas to get them there. So I went to plan B.

Next I called around to the local Boys and Girls Club and YMCA, just in case they started a recycling program and merely lacked a PR firm to get the word out. Surely the eco-friendly Santa Monica chapters had thought of something like this right? … Negative. At this point I was ready to throw in the towel. And that’s when a little birdie suggested that I create a posting on Craigslist for “free trophies.” Yes, yes, that’s perfect I said. If you post it they will come!

And you know what, they did! I got so many replies in fact, that I was forced to become selective. I questioned each trophy applicant for their intended purpose and made sure it was a worthy one. And slowly, bag by bag, the trophies disappeared. The first recipient was a law student from UCLA, who repurposed the trophies for a charity roshambo tournament – that’s fancy for rock, paper, scissors. He was so considerate to my cause, that he even followed up with a pic of the trophy refurbishment (see above) – thanks Isaac! Next, was a production assistant who wanted my trophies for film props. Sweet, my trophies are gonna be famous! And lastly, was a soccer coach, who just like me, was a true environmentalist at heart.

So what have I taken away with me from my recycling adventure? That anything can be recycled if you just put your mind to it!

Brooke

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Where do unwanted sweaters go to die?

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Has your closet become a cemetery for unwanted or forgotten articles of clothing? Do you find that you never have anything to wear but have tons of clothes in your closet? Don’t feel bad, you’re not alone.

As a professional organizer, the most common item we remove from a residential space, is clothing. Men, women, and children alike, outgrow, outwear, and eventually get tired of their attire. Somehow that “favorite shirt” magically transforms into an outdated relic that steals prime real estate from your incoming purchases. And most often, people just leave them in the back of their closet to die. And you wonder where that smell is coming from!

So how do we solve this closet crises? It’s simple really. Your options boil down to a few of the following…  donate to a friend or family member, donate to charity, fix it, or trash it. But wait! Before you think about trashing that sweater because it’s not worth the money to fix or because it’s never coming back into style, think about repurposing it with Reknit!

Reknit is a small mom (no pop) shop, in which you send in an old sweater (could be the one your ex-boyfriend left that you decided not to give back) and in return you receive a newly knitted item from your old fabric. Genius I know. And what’s even more cool, is that each month Reknit makes the old material into a new article of clothing, which is voted on by the users of the website. For example, during the month of February, if you send in said sweater, you’ll receive back a pair of cut-off gloves.  h|b <3’s Reknit!

Brooke

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