Hasta La Ideas

I recently returned some compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) to my local hardware store because they were too dim and white. The traditional bulbs they replaced had been much warmer and brighter, and I prefer this kind of light.

Martha Stewart Living had an article in their September 2008 issue that highlighted the differences of all the CFL options. I highly recommend consulting this guide before you head out to purchase some new bulbs. I wish that I would have first consulted the guide. Here are some the recommendations they offer:

Table and floor lamps: Compact fluorescent in warm white.

Reading and Task Lamps: 23-watt CFL in warm light or daylight.

Recessed Fixtures: CFL in warm white or a halogen.

Some general tips on color size and shape:

Appearance
Energy-saving bulbs have adopted the shapes, sizes, and appearance of traditional bulbs, making it easier to phase them in.

Warm White
When in doubt, opt for a warm-white CFL, 3,000 degrees Kelvin or lower. It has the color quality most associated with traditional bulbs.

Cool White
This color temperature is best avoided. It washes out skin tones and makes reds, oranges, and browns look muddy.

Daylight Bulb
In general, you should use a daylight bulb only in a reading or task light. The cool, bright tone makes text jump off the page.

The size and shape of CFLs has changed over the years and there are many more options for decorative lighting. There are globes for vanities and candle shaped bulbs for candelabras (with adapters).

To learn even more, read the full guide from Martha Stewart Living.

If you’re not lucky enough to have a designated drawer for food storage wraps in your kitchen, you probably have to sacrifice space in your pantry or cupboards for plastic wrap, wax paper, parchment paper, aluminum foil, plastic sandwich bags, freezer paper, cellophane bags, reusable shopping bags, and reusable produce bags. I have to store these items in my pantry, too, and I have been considering the following items to help better organize my space:

• A wrap rack
• Wrap shelves
• An attachable back-of-door wrap organizer
• An over-the-door wrap organizer
• A bag holder for reusable shopping and produce bags

Right now, the wrap shelves and the bag holder are what I think I’m going to buy. What do you use to organize your food storage wraps in your kitchen? Or, are you one of the lucky ones with a designated drawer? Tell us about your food storage wrap situation in the comments.

It is a wise person who can learn as much from failure as success. I try my best to gain what I can from mistakes and botched attempts, but there are times when it takes me more than once to learn a lesson.

Until last week, it never crossed my mind that I could track these failures and learn from them in a more systematic approach. Then, I learned about these:

The actual paper folders are unnecessary, but the fundamental idea behind them are brilliant. After seeing them, I created a folder on my computer called “Never Again.” Then, inside that folder, I made a series of plain text documents: Restaurants, Books, Websites, Ideas, Hotels, Vacations, Wines, and Gifts. In these documents I recorded important notes to myself about mistakes I’ve made in the past.

An excerpt from my “Never Again: Gifts” file –

1. Anything with nuts in it for Mary (allergic)
2. Massage gift certificate for Katie
3. Scented candles for anyone
4. Lilies for Dana (allergic)
5. Smoking items for David (quit 1/07)

The documents I put inside my “Never Again” file are on subjects that I instantly knew I had information to record. I’m sure that in a couple weeks I’ll have even more documents. Learning from mistakes helps improve productivity, saves time, and keeps us from spinning our wheels. Tracking our mistakes in an organized manner can help us to learn (probably best not to buy anyone a gift with nuts in it) and to free space in our mind to think of something else.

If you’re worried about someone gaining access to your “Never Again” file on your computer, make the file password protected. A simple password will keep your mistakes from becoming public information.

What “Never Again” documents would you create? Do you think this is a way that could help you learn from your mistakes and save you time in the future?

(Via Debbie, a professional organizing coach I follow on twitter. She can be found online at Virtually Organized.)

Again we want to welcome guest author Alex Fayle, the writer behind the helpful anti-procrastination website Someday Syndrome.

One of the most frequent questions I ever get asked about organizing is the process. How do you make the decisions to get rid of things? While there are many tips and tricks you can use to ease the streamlining process, it all comes down to 5 easy steps:

1. Set yourself a goal “I am going to sort half this room before bed” or “I’m going to streamline the contents of this one box.”
2. Figure out broad categories and where you are going sort each category into.
3. Sort your stuff, moving systemically through the space, and not bouncing back and forth.
4. Purge what you don’t want.
5. Stop when you’ve reached your goal.

Use the sorting time to reminisce about the objects — don’t make any decisions at this point. Allow the emotions to come up and clear themselves out so that when it comes to the streamlining stage you are free from the emotional ties and can make more objective decisions about them.

If the idea of sorting overwhelms you, give yourself some early victories and do a walk-through of the space, choosing to remove a few large things that will open up the space quickly.

After sorting:

• Take one category and if you can, move it out of the space in which you are working, and into a clear space (like the dining room). This allows you to concentrate on the one category and not have to face the rest all at once.
• Ask yourself two questions: Need it? Love it? If you can’t say yes to either then get rid of it. Life is too short to fill out our spaces with things we’re indifferent to.
• Take the things you are not going to keep out of the house as quickly as possible. The longer they stay the more likely they will come back into the house.
• Give yourself rewards – for example out of fifty childhood books you’ve never reread but have kept for sentimental reasons, keep five and store them in a place of honor where you can see them and appreciate the memories associated with them.

There are two instances in which you stop for the day even if you are not done:

1. If you find yourself hitting a “brain fog” where nothing makes sense or you find yourself holding on to everything you are reviewing.
2. If you have hit a manic state and start tossing everything without looking at it.

Simple, yes? So now tell us, what are you going to streamline this week?

Reader Jeannine submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

What to do with trophies and plaques? My brother had lots of medals and trophies from wrestling in high school and ended up just THROWING them all away because he didn’t know what to do with them.

That seems a bit extreme, but now I have a box full of speech plaques from high school (I wasn’t exactly an athlete!) in my basement and find myself wondering if I really want to keep them.

Is there a way to at least recycle these items?

Awards and gifts of appreciation are always difficult to part with, and I actually don’t recommend getting rid of all of them. It’s nice to have a reminder in your space that your hard work was worth your efforts. For instance, I think framed diplomas are appropriate on office walls.

That being said, I don’t think a person needs to hang onto a participation ribbon from a third grade sack race or bean bag relay. There is usually a clear-cut line between what is worth keeping and what isn’t. To find that line, ask yourself these two questions:

1. Do I want to display this item? (Yes, keep. No, get rid of it.)
2. Do I gain inspiration from looking at this item? (Yes, keep. No, get rid of it.)

If you aren’t willing to display the item in your home, then it’s not worth keeping. Take a picture of the award or scan it and get rid of the physical clutter. You shouldn’t waste space storing something you don’t value.

Instead of tossing the item directly into the trash, though, I recommend calling your local trophy shop and asking them what they do with old items. Many will tell you just to drop your items off at their store. Our local shop participates in metal and wood recycling programs. If your local shop thinks you’re weird for calling, check your county’s website. Often, local governments have recycling programs for metal and wood. If both of these contacts are fruitless, call your recycling center. One of these three resources should be able to help you.

Another idea, too, is to call the group that gave you the award or your high school/college if you were a student there when you won the award. My high school has a giant bell tower filled with trophies and the historical society accepts them for donation. If you have an Emmy, Oscar, Pulitzer, Nobel Prize, or Olympic medal, I know these make great gifts to friends and family members. I have a friend with one of his uncle’s Emmy awards and he displays it like it’s his own.

Jeannine, I hope this helps to answer your questions! Thank you for your submission. If our readers have more suggestions, please add them to the comments.

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.