Hasta La Ideas

Reader Katie submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

My husband and I will be moving apartments soon and could use some help thinking through the cleaning/uncluttering, packing and unpacking process. The new apartment will be close to the same size as the old one (possibly a little smaller, depending on which one comes through), but our current place is extremely cluttered with a lot of misused space and even boxes from our last move that we have never even touched (in 3 years — I know, I know — you’re going to tell me to get rid of them without even looking in them!). We are looking forward to starting fresh in a new place and doing some necessary uncluttering in the process, but we don’t want to delude ourselves that it will be an easy process, as we both have clutterbug and procrastination tendencies. What tips do you have that might help us in the process of decluttering and packing up our old place and getting an uncluttered start in the new place??

I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to tell people to get rid of unopened boxes, but it’s some of the worst advice I’ve ever heard. And, I’ve surprisingly heard it a great deal. When I was going through my major uncluttering project, I became fed up with the process and tossed out a number of boxes I hadn’t opened since my move. Inside those boxes were my social security card, birth certificate, and my passport. Throwing out those boxes was a huge mistake and the paperwork was a hassle to replace! One thing you can be sure of is that I will never tell you to blindly get rid of unopened boxes. I don’t wish those repercussions on anyone.

My advice to you is to unclutter twice. It sounds like a lot of work, and I won’t lie to you, it is. However, you will be so amazed by the results that your hard work will be worth it. You will love your new place and really enjoy living in it.

Start by sitting down with your husband and mapping out the life you want in your new space. This vision will be your motivation as you go through this uncluttering process.

The first wave of uncluttering will come when you’re packing up your things. Start by packing up those objects that you won’t need over the next couple months — winter clothing (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere), cold-weather supplies, and holiday decorations (if you have such things). Ask yourself: 1. Did I use this in the past six months (or however often you are expected to use it)? 2. Do I plan to use it next winter (or whenever you would customarily use it next)? 3. Do I love it enough to go through the hassle of moving it? 4. Does it pass the red velvet rope test? 5. Does it reflect the remarkable life my husband and I desire?

At this point, get rid of anything that doesn’t meet all five of these criteria.

Label boxes clearly with the room where they’ll be stored and the contents of the box. Use smaller boxes instead of co-mingling contents that will be stored in different rooms. A label on a box might say: “Front Closet — Winter Coats” or “Basement Storage — Christmas Decorations.”

As you continue to pack your boxes, work in a way so that the things you use every day are the last to be boxed and loaded into a moving van. This way, they’ll be the first to be unloaded and unboxed when you move into your new space.

The second wave of uncluttering will come when you’re unpacking your things. As you’re putting things away, remember that everything you own must have a space (“a place for everything, and everything in its place”). Anything without a proper space will need to go.

A great tip I picked up a few years ago is that as you’re unpacking, be sure to flatten every piece of newspaper and box that you used. This way, you’re guaranteed not to miss anything while unpacking and it makes recycling or selling these materials simple.

Remember, too, that unpacking isn’t a race. Give yourself time to make informed decisions about your things. Set up your bed, kitchen, and bathroom first and then work out from there. Agree to unpack 10 boxes a night (or more) until you’re all moved into your new place. I actually envy your situation a little — you’re going to have a wonderfully uncluttered home when you’re finished!

Thank you, Katie, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

Have less than a few minutes to spare? Try one (or more) of these quick organizing projects:

1. Go on a clutter mission. Do you have books strewn around your home or office that should be on your bookshelves? Gather them up and return them to their proper space. Maybe instead of books, you need to hunt down coats? cups? junk mail? shoes? paper clips? Pick just one type of item, and quickly get it in order.
2. Enter it. Are there phone numbers on business cards, scraps of paper, or in e-mails that should really be in your phone and/or address book? Give yourself three minutes and enter as many contacts as you can into your permanent system.
3. Empty it. Spring is here in the northern hemisphere, and now is the perfect time to store your winter weather coats, hats, and gloves. Before you do this, however, you’ll need to have these items cleaned. And, before cleaning, you need to make sure all coat pockets are empty. Since you’re pressed for time right now, simply go through all of the pockets of your winter gear, make sure they’re empty, and get everything ready to be cleaned.

What other organizing tasks can be completed in three minutes or less? Add your quick ideas in the comments.

Reader Jacqueline submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I am a fairly organized person and nearly 80 years old. I have no close relatives, and have asked kind friends to manage things after I die. I want to make things as easy for them as possible. The idea of scanning all my records appeals to me but the time needed to spend scanning five years of income tax records in addition to everything else is more than daunting. I have one plastic bin with the income tax stuff filed in large ziplock bags for each year, and another bin for the other records. Is there an easier way?

Are you doing your taxes yourself or do you have an accountant? If you have an accountant, ask him/her to store your documents for you. If your accountant says no, ask your lawyer if he/she can do it. My grandmother is 100 and her lawyer has been keeping her tax documents for the past 10 years, so I know it’s not an uncommon request.

There are also services that will scan papers for you, like Office Drop. You load up a pre-paid envelope or box, ship it off to the scanning company, and then they send you back the papers and a disc with the data. You can also choose to have them simply upload your documents online so you have an additional backup accessible from anywhere. After the papers are returned to you, you can shred them and be done with the process. It’s obviously more expensive than doing it yourself, but it will save you considerable time.

Honestly, since you say you’re “fairly organized,” I don’t know if you need to digitize your documents. Once a year, review your files with your friends and/or estate lawyer, and see if they have any questions about where important documents are located. Make a photocopy of the most valuable papers and put them in a safety deposit box at your bank. Give a copy of the key to your lawyer or friend in case of emergency (and notify the bank of this), and don’t worry about it any more. It sounds like you have been great at keeping clutter out of your files, which will be extremely helpful to anyone who may need to access your files in the future.

Thank you, Jacqueline, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column. Check the comments for additional suggestions from our readers.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

1. Oversleeping. Waking up just 10 minutes late has the ability to throw your entire day off schedule. Use a timer for a week and determine how long it actually takes you to get ready in the morning, commute to your office, and start working on valuable action items. Are you waking up early enough to get everything done?
2. Getting involved in office gossip and/or office politics. I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again — these negative behaviors are pure clutter.
3. Tossing junk mail somewhere other than the trash or into a shredder. Don’t let junk mail accumulate on your dining table, desk, or anywhere else it doesn’t belong. Immediately process your mail the first time you touch it.
4. Losing your charge. How many times have you been on a cell phone call when your phone has died? How many times have you needed a flashlight during a blackout, only to find one that is out of batteries? Create a charging station for all of your portable electronic devices that is in a place you will use it. When doing spring and fall cleaning chores, include battery tests for all items you might need in an emergency. (Go ahead and check the charge on your fire extinguisher, too.)
5. Throwing your dirty clothes on the floor. Get ready for bed before you are tired so you have enough energy to put your clothes in the hamper or put them up on a hanger. If you throw your clothes on the floor, you’re just creating more work for yourself in the future and a possible hazard in case you need to get up in the middle of the night.

What stumbling blocks have you found that are guaranteed to clutter up your day? Add to the comments any problems you’ve encountered and the solutions you’ve discovered.

Is the phone an integral, but loathsome part of your job? Do you hate playing phone tag with someone who doesn’t explain why they’re trying to reach you? Is the voicemail indicator light continuously ablaze on your desk phone?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, or simply would like to improve the way you process voicemail, check out the following nine tips for efficiently processing voicemail:

1. Many phone systems have the ability to send voicemail messages to your e-mail. I recommend activating this feature, especially if you are often away from your desk. You can visually identify which messages are your highest priority before listening to any of them. If you receive more than 20 voicemails a day, consider using AwayFind with your e-mail system to push you only the important messages you’re waiting to receive.
2. Regardless of how you receive your voicemails (audio or e-mail), listen to all of the messages before responding to any of them. Often, a problem someone calls about might get resolved without your help and a second message will be in the system asking you to ignore the initial request.
3. When checking your voicemails, have your to-do list and calendar open so you can immediately capture action items, telephone numbers, and other important information.
4. Only check your voicemail on a schedule, same as e-mail. I process my voicemail three times a workday — 10:00 a.m., after lunch, and 30 minutes before I leave the office. Your job might demand you check it more often, but usually once an hour is suffice for even people who highly depend on voicemail.
5. Before picking up the telephone to return a call, consider that an e-mail might be a better way to respond. If a phone call is the fastest and best way, then, by all means, make the call. However, e-mail leaves a correspondence trail that you can refer to at a point in the future and, if you need to pass information along to more than one person, e-mail is better because you don’t have to make a series of calls.
6. If you return a call and get someone’s voicemail, start the message by stating your name and your contact information. If the recipient wants to replay the message, he or she won’t have to listen to the entire message to get your contact information. Also, be as explicit as possible in the message so that the person can respond with valuable data. Try your hardest never to leave a message that only says, “Give me a call.”
7. Before picking up the phone to return a call, jot down the major points you wish to cover in your conversation. This will keep you from forgetting an important point that might force you to make a second or third call later in the day with the forgotten information.
8. Set a timer when returning calls, especially if you’re chatty. If I don’t set a timer, I can ramble on about nothing for an hour.
9. Finally, delete all voicemails after you have sufficiently captured the data of the message. If your mailbox is full of old messages, you can’t receive new ones.

What advice would you add to this list? Sound off with your suggestions in the comments.