http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/home_hoarding_resources

Excellent resources if you need professional assistance with a hoarding conflict. There is a test and resources available to help.

https://www.oprah.com/plugform.jsp?plugId=798822&referer=http://www.oprah.com/index

Oprah is looking for someone in Houston that needs a good de-cluttering. Would you like to be highlighted on her show? How serious are you about asking for help? If you don't ask you will never know!

http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1786210

Excellent article to check off your Christmas Organizing list. Never is labelling more important than during the hectic holidays. Refer to this article after the decorations come down. Donate or barter the gifts and decorations that are not worth storing for next year.

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Common-Closet-Organizing-Mistakes&id=1789008

If you are struggling with how to begin to organize your closet, print this article and post in your closet and try to focus on one of the bulleted points at a time. If your closet structure is inconvenient the piles will return. Relocating the closet clutter is the absence of any decision making. Ouch, I know that sounds cruel but you will feel happier when you can locate instantly the wardrobe of choice.

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Organize-a-Well-Budgeted-Christmas&id=1777983

Quick article on how organizing for the holidays in these financially challenging times has a silver lining. These common sense approaches can help us get back to the quality versus quantity argument that we all face this time of year.

How much are you willing to pay to stop junk mail in your mailbox? http://www.41pounds.org/ charges $8.20 a year if you are serious about reducing unwanted solicitations. That is $.02 a day. This can also help reduce tempation to spend on items we don't really need that contribute to the clutter in our lives.


http://www.sustainliving.org/ is another site that can help you locate a current recycling location for any item that you are not sure if it can be recycled. Simply input your zip code and it will give you all options close to your location. They have a spreadsheet that is constantly being updated.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Year-End-Organizing-Tips&id=1777868

Simply tips if you have a little down time over the holidays. Removing 2008 files to a secondary location will help you stay organized in 2009. Just remember to separate tax related documents so they will be ready at tax time. Simple and inexpensive banker boxes and a sharpie are the only office supplies you will need for this project. Storing these boxes in your attic helps to put 2008 in the past literally and physically.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContentDisplayView?&cmsId=content/SilverBullets/green/index_green&hideHeaderFooter=false&storeId=10151&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&XID=F:recycle:sony#/program/


This is the web-site for the Waste Management take back program for electronics in Houston. This page will allow you to put in your address to find a location close to you. Their number is 877-439-2795.
The location on Kempwood is 713-869-6700.
There is a recycling event at Reliant Park, Humble Civic Center , Precinct 3 Recycling in Spring, and Space Center on NASA Parkway tomorrow November 15, 2008 from 9 am to 4 pm. The cost is free. The items they will accept are TVs, computer monitors, computer systems, VCRs, DVDs, cameras, phones and any other consumer electronics.

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/home_200410_mementos/1

Memorabilia is one of the biggest piles that accumulate in our homes. Julie Morgenstern's article is an excellent guide to determining what needs to be saved and what memories need to be pitched.

http://www.contemplatethis.com/the-abraham-hicks-emotional-scale

This web site is a helpful site that focuses on the law of attraction which can help you with clutter that can represent a life time of not making decisions. Choosing the power of positive emotions can assist you in becoming motivated to clearing away the clutter that can be a heavy burden in your daily life.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Organizing-Furniture-to-Take-Advantage-of-Air-Flow-Efficiency-and-Save-Energy&id=1633760

30% savings on utility bills sound appealing? I'm not sure that statistic is correct but I can attest that air flow does appear to be more efficient when there is less clutter and furniture in a small space. Many experts discuss positive energy in a room based on this principal.

I thought you might be interested in this free recycling event at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch November 1st between 9-3pm. AERC (the recycler) and the Katy Chamber are sponsoring the event to benefit The ARC of Katy. They will accept all computers, printers, phones, wires and cables. The only unacceptable items are television, lead acid batteries, air conditioners, and refrigerators. You can call at infor@aercrecycling.com or 866-447-5177. This is an excellent time to clear out your electronic clutter before the holidays arrive!

Directions to LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch can be located at www.mapquest.com. The address is 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd at the Grand Parkway (99) in Katy, Texas.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Home-Organization-Tools-to-Tackle-Hidden-Clutter&id=1610062

Great common sense article that reminds us that the simplest tools are the most cost-effective.
The large black trash bag provides the largest bang for your organizational buck.

How many shoes are too many?

Pairing down shoes is one of the fastest and easiest ways to start on your closet. Just be honest with yourself and follow these great guidelines.

http://ezinearticles.com/?When-a-Shoe-Thing-is-No-Longer-a-Good-Thing---When-to-Say-Goodbye-to-Those-Extra-Pairs&id=1586170

Are you choosing to be messy?

The top five reasons we choose to live among the clutter in our lives are addressed in this quick article. I'm not Dr. Phil but I do see this in my business. This may be why Peter Walsh titled his lastest book, "Does this clutter make my butt look fat?"

http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1584169

Do you know the code on your plastic containers? Plastic container with the #3 and above are the safest food containers. (7 & 8 are the best). #3 and below can leak toxins. Excellence article on the steps to picking the right container for your organizing project. Who knew?

http://ezinearticles.com/index.php?11-Tips-to-Know-Before-Buying-A-Container&id=1117927

Can your serotonin levels effect your stress with clutter? Excellent article with easy tips to help your health that will assist in tackling that pile of stress.
http://ezinearticles.com/index.php?Clutter-and-Hoarding---Your-Brain-Chemistry-Can-Help!&id=1125634

Top 100 productivity web sites. Which is your favorite?

http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/the-top-100-productivity-and-lifehack-blogs-by-college-degreecom/

What behaviors stop your organizing attempts? Great article on simple solutions that will help the not unpleasant task of tidying up your life.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Get-Organized---Avoid-these-10-Common-Mistakes&id=1063806

Many "messies" I work for are some of the most fun loving, creative, and generous with their time and money. I have learned so much from my clients that have helped me learn to relax and accept that life can be fun and not perfectly organized. Interesting article about the balance between organization and chaos.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23565682/

Studies show 2-12% of Americans are compulsive shoppers. Males, you can stop rolling your eyes! Men and women are equally effected. Low self-esteem is usually the reason according to this article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23450003/

What do I really need to shred to avoid identity theft? This article gives a great run down of the best type of shredders and what you should shred at home and at work. Better safe than sorry!

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/104495/Shredding-Can-Save-You-From-Identity-Theft;_ylt=Ath1OK3cVoPtAffxO.zox7m7YWsA

Valentines Day is Thursday. Consider the loving gift of time not clutter. Great reminder of capitalism gone terribly wrong. Quality time will always win over quanity of clutter!

http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2007/02/11/cupid-spreads-clutter/

Do you need more space in your home? I doubt it. Most homes I organize are spacious enough but we all suffer from to much stuff. It appears to be human nature to collect possessions. If we all used the simple Garbage in/ Garbage out philosophy of organizing, there would be no such word as clutter. If you bring in a new kitchen tool, one must must go. Simple to say, harder to follow.

http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2007/03/03/the-space-clutter-continuum/

Does this clutter make my butt look fat? Peter Walsh of Clean Sweep has written another book on what clutter does to our body image. Today, he was on Oprah helping yet another family to simplify their lives. Unfortunately, he has a team to help him, which makes it appear easier said than done. However, the result was impressive. Check it out on

http://www.oprah.com/index.jhtml

I haven't tried anything, and I don't know why it isn't working! Dr. Ragan is tops in my book. Her straight talk with a twist is a must read for the clutterly impaired!

http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/spreaders-%e2%80%9ci%e2%80%99ve-tried-nothing-and-i-don%e2%80%99t-know-why-it%e2%80%99s-not-working%e2%80%9d/

Does your home or office scream "Mother Clutter"? Maybe guilt is the foundation of your disorganization. If you think the problem is with someone else it is probably you! Ouch, that is getting personal! That can't be true!

http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2007/02/15/clutter-and-guilt/

It is Monday morning. Are you procrastinating? This article highlights, taking little steps and prioritizing your to do list. Common sense of course, but are we holding ourselves accountable?

http://ezinearticles.com/?id=956279

Tired of receiving a multiple number of catalogs every week? The following web site will stop the cascade of catalogs and help reduce unnecessary purchases.

http://www.catalogchoice.org/

This is who I recommend for all your digital needs in Houston. I use them personally. I have committed to having Affordablescans scan my top 100 pictures each month. I have organized my photos by each person or group of people. Every month I am creating a DVD for that person as a Birthday gift. I should be finished by the conclusion of this year. Once they are on CD, it is so easy to share them on-line. Also, it is easy and affordable to make multiple disks, so you have additional copies in case of a nature disaster.


Profit from Digital Organization
Christine Wu, Director of Marketing and Sales
AffordableScans.com – NAPO Associate Member

I. Introduction

A. Job Categories

i. Documents (financial and family records)
ii. Photos
iii. Video
iv. Data Backup

B. Why Go Digital?
i. Technology Trends
ii. Easiest way to store
iii. Easiest way to duplicate
iv. Easiest to sort and search

C. Role of the Organizer

i. Merge physical and digital filing systems
ii. Help put things in digital format
iii. Help organize things once they're digital
iv. Help find digital "stuff"
v. Electronic records keeping (accounting)
vi. Digitize and destroy!

D. Opportunity Knocks

i. Important things are trending toward digital instead of physical
ii. Few people have mastered both physical and digital organization
iii. Easier to do more for each client than find more clients
iv. Small businesses consume these types of services

II. Electronic Documents

A. Motivation

i. Reduce paper clutter
ii. Reduce exposure to man-made or natural disasters
iii. Meet government and business regulations
B. File Naming Rules
i. Always organize so file names make sense when sorted alphabetically
ii. Arrange with date in filename (YYMMDD)
iii. Put useful differentiators in filename
iv. Add prefixes when alphabetical naming does not look right

C. Scanning Differentiators

i. Paper size
a) Letter, legal size easy
b) Anything bigger may be 2X more
ii. Single sided vs. double sided
iii. Can it be automatically fed?
a) Similar or mixed sizes
b) Thickness/stiffness
c) Semi-transparent
iv. Remember or reproduce?

D. Tips

i. Draw a paper chart to help understand where files reside
ii. Apply above File Naming Rules to directories
iii. 300DPI is almost always sufficient
iv. PDF format is usually what customers want (easy to view/re-print)
v. Grayscale documents are 1/3 the size of color documents

III.Photos

A. Motivation

i. Photos fade, stick together and deteriorate
ii. Slides fade and color shift
iii. Family members want copies

B. Physical Organization

i. Get a rough idea of the family structure (members, generations)
ii. Determine how much information they kept
a) A lot - organize by year/month
b) A little - organize by 5 or 10 year periods
iii. Find a happy balance on order - perfection takes a lot of time / input
iv. Must be able to identify what has been scanned or not in the future
v. Good to organize into numbered groups (1 group = 1 album)

C. Scanning

i. Takes a long time
ii. 300DPI good enough for photos
iii. 2000DPI good enough for negatives
iv. Pictures should be stored in JPG w/high quality settings
v. Cropping is a large hidden problem

D. File Naming Rules

i. Use separate directories for each logical group
ii. Make sure no two images have the same name
iii. If you know more info, you can name better (Image1989-001-Disneyland.jpg)
iv. These rules also apply to incoming images from digital cameras/email/web

E. Photo Enhancements

i. Digital noise reduction
ii. Color correction
iii. Restoration

IV.Video

A. Editing time proportional to length of footage (slow)
B. Requires a lot of attention to detail and disk space
C. Very difficult to match a customer's "vision" of the end product
D. Business customers yield best profit
V. Data Backup
A. Backup! Backup! Backup!
B. DVD for < 4.7GB (Under $0.10 per GB)
C. USB hard drive for > 4.7GB ($0.25 per GB)
D. On-line services are available (see www.mozy.com)
i. As low as $5 monthly
ii. Can be slow
iii. Stability of company unknown

E. Backup is cheap, takes a lot of time to set up and execute
F. Can possibly profit if you already organize a customer's files

VI.Profit from Digital Organization

A. Commercial services (e.g. AffordableScans.com) exist because there is a demonstratable
need
B. Document and Photo organization are most profitable
C. There is a difference between organization and digitization
D. Take this information and do more for your clients
AffordableScans.com - A Family Archiving Service

Labels increase your efficiency and minimizes purchasing duplicates. For $20.00 a label maker is an excellent organizational investment. Labeling is not just for files anymore!http://ezinearticles.com/?id=936198

Looking for a year long schedule of Organizing Activities? This book made the list of Parade magazines top 2007 choices. Remember, inch by inch is a cinch! Breaking down tasks into smaller and easier segments is the only way to achieve organizing Nirvana. http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2008/01/22/a-review-of-regina-leeds%e2%80%99-one-year-to-an-organized-life/

It's the most popular month to become more organized. Make a copy of this article that assigns organizing "homework". January is Garbage in / Garbage out theory of organizing. If you purchase a new item, one existing item in your home needs to be donated or thrown away. One minus one will always equal zero. This is a sure fire way to keep your environment fresh and soothing!
http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/home/organizing/challenge/challenge_clean_rituals.jhtml

Do you have a sports closet? Here are real world tips that can assist you in minimizing sporting sprawl and maximizing hidden space.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Closet-Organizing-for-Sports-Nuts&id=931897

I know it is early to spring clean, but here is list of "green" recycling ideas to reduce your clutter and still show respect for Mother Nature. Don't forget www.earth911.org as well.

http://psychologyofclutter.wordpress.com/2008/01/17/some-comments-deserve-their-own-post/

Are your kids the biggest organizational hazard you have? This article is a nice refresher on motivating young children. If you have teenagers, the time has passed to help them organize. They have all the answers to life's questions. Just hide their i-pod and cell phone to get even!

http://ezinearticles.com/?id=927409

It's January, have you caught affluenza? According to this article we have a greater chance of catching "Buy more, shop more, and consume more" in the quest to become affluent than the common. Gee, the flu would be cheaper!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Three-Top-Reasons-You-Havent-Gotten-Organized---And-How-To-Get-Past-Them&id=918248

Do you really know how to use sticky notes? I thought I did until I read this article. Color coding each family or office mate makes greater communication and participation.

http://ezinearticles.com/?id=414442

Did Santa bring you a new laptop for Christmas? Here is a great website illustrating what to do with your old computer. http://computersrecycling.net/

Looking for an excuse to ditch gifts you have received for the holidays? This article gives you permission to just say no.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Getting-Rid-Of-Unwanted-Gifts&id=918291

Need a simple worksheet to organize your holiday decorations? This will save you money by not buying duplicates for Christmas 2007!http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/web/pdf/1205/decorations.pdf

The Life Cycle of Magazines
The Normal Life Cycle of Magazines
Read part of.
Put on nightstand to finish.
Finish reading.
Throw away.
The Life Cycle Of A Hoarder's Magazines
Read part of.
Put in stack to finish.
Lose in stack.
Dig through whole stack to find.
Read part of.
Throw by side of bed in pile that used to be the stack before you tore it apart looking for it.
Lose in pile.
Six months later, when pile is totally out of control, spend three hours sorting through.
Finish reading, but decide to save in case you need to find something in it later.
Put in stack again.
Stack gets knocked over again.
Leave in pile for six more months.
Spend three more hours sorting through.
Stack again.
Stack gets knocked over again.
Spouse complains about the number of magazines piled up.
Place some of the magazines in a box.
Leave box sitting on bedroom floor for six months to a year until spouse complains again.
Move box outside to deck.
Guiltily think they should be recycled by donating to a medical office.
Leave on deck in rain for three months or until spouse complains.
Move to entrance of crawlspace for storage (entrance is blocked with too much stuff to actually put it inside.)
Leave for six months to a year until spouse complains about stuff stacked up outside crawlspace and threatens divorce.
Spend four hours clearing path in crawlspace to put away.
Leave under house for 2 or 3 years until spouse complains about the fire hazard under the house.
Pull out box, open, and notice that all magazines are mildewed from being left out in rain.
Put outside of crawlspace again prior to disposal.
Leave outside of crawlspace for three months until spouse complains again and threatens to torch the house.
Move halfway to truck to take to dump.
Leave halfway to truck for six weeks or until spouse breaks leg falling over and/or neighbors threaten to have county fine you for unkempt state of property.
Spouse threatens murder.
Take to dump.