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How Typical is Your Home? And…A Gateway Gadget Intervention

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Website guide update:

The way, the Simple Life Guide to building your “Side Gig” is ready and we’ve had a bunch of people sign up. So if you’re ready to start on the path to shaping your life a bit more by starting a lifestyle business on the side and you don’t have any experience starting a website, well this guide and the video links will lead you through how to set up your site, step by step, and it even includes some fantastic branding information, too!  It’s completely free and you can sign up at SimpleLifeTogether.com/websiteguide.

Vanessa’s Topic: How Typical Is Your Home?

Dan and I were interviewed a couple of times last week and during one of the interviews we were talking about how much stuff we have in our homes. Dan started talking about a study conducted by UCLA’s Center on Everyday Lives of Families. They sent a team of professional archaeologists, anthropologists and other social scientists to conduct a systematic study of home life in 32 middle-class, dual-income families in Los Angeles.

Based off of this study they created a book: Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors. UCLA also created 3 short video ethnographies for their university television station which are now on YouTube. The book and the videos highlight their major findings which I thought were absolutely fascinating!

The pictures and videos may not be as mouth-dropping as what you might see on the show Hoarders…but I think it does hit a little closer to home because it’s not highlighting those extreme cases of hoarding….it’s highlighting what is becoming…or rather…actually already has become the “norm” in the middle class America. So I reviewed some of the major findings and then discussed my thoughts.

Findings in relation to stuff:

• With Family #27, they found 2,260 visible possessions in the first three rooms recorded (two bedrooms and the living room),” and that didn’t include “untold numbers of items tucked into dresser drawers, boxes and cabinets or items positioned behind other items.”

• In another home, Family #1 they looked at a display shelf in a girl’s bedroom and found: 165 Beanie Babies, 36 Human/Animal Figurines, 22 Barbie dolls, 20 other types of dolls, 3 Porcelain dolls, 1 Troll, 1 miniature castle

• America has 3.1% of the world’s kids…yet it owns 40% of the world’s toys.  As a matter of fact, toys were found everywhere in the home.  It’s as if the home had become primarily child-centered.

• The average refrigerator front panel in the homes studied holds 52 objects. The most crowded refrigerator was covered with 166 different objects. In most cases there was a direct corollary to the amount of stuff on a fridge and the amount of stuff in the home (ie: a more cluttered fridge = a more cluttered home)

• Only 25 percent of garages could be used to store cars because they were so packed with stuff. One article called this, “The New Junk Drawer” and rightfully so because that’s exactly what it’s become.

• They found mountains of clutter in many of the homes. One family even had to resort to using a bathroom shower stall as a laundry hamper.

• They also observed a huge trend in shopping at “big box” stores (like Sam’s Club, Costco, BJ’s) and how the items bought at these stores actually created more clutter and required a second refrigerator or freezer.

Findings in relation to the effects the stuff had on these families:

• Managing the volume of possessions was such a crushing problem in many homes that it actually elevated levels of stress hormones for mothers. Ironically, it rarely affected the men because they didn’t have to clean it up!

• There are several ways in which items come into a home but few processes on how to get it out.

• So many of the parents sought a “refuge” to escape it all. The addition of costly “master suites” for parents proved the most common renovation in the homes that were studied, yet the spaces were hardly used. The average master suite “upgrade” at the time cost $80K…almost twice the average household income.

• The families rarely devoted renovation dollars to remedying obvious problems such as consistent and troublesome bottlenecks in the homes.

• Even in a region with clement year-round weather, the families hardly used their yards, and this was the case even among those who had invested in outdoor improvements and furnishings…¾ of parents and ½ of the kids spent no time outside.  The number 1 leisure activity was watching television…even for parents who had limited interaction time available.

• Most of the families relied heavily on convenience foods like frozen meals and par-baked bread, yet they saved an average of only 10 to 12 minutes per meal in doing so.

• And the dinners were fragmented dinners — those in which family members eat sequentially or in different rooms — which threaten to undermine what some would call the sacrosanct tradition of the family dinner.

My Thoughts:

• I found this study fascinating, frustrating, sad and alarming.  It really made me think about how hyper-consumerism has affected us as individuals and as a society.

• And what does it say about our society?  How superficial we are?  How we’ve outsourced nurturing by replacing it with television, toys and fast food? How we’ve allowed the time we spend with family and loved ones to be dictated by our stuff?

•  I don’t think any of us planned on this.  Certainly parents aren’t purposefully raising their kids to be hyper-consumers….it’s just what’s been ingrained in us.

• At least we are starting to build awareness and opening our eyes to the negative effects that this superficial lifestyle has and how it can negatively affect us mentally and physically and how it can rob us of the more important things in life like building relationships and experiences with friends and family.

• The good news…people are seeing the benefits of living a life with less.  I know we are.  And we hope you are too!

What are your thoughts?

• After listening to our summary of this study and after watching the videos, think about how they make you feel.  Are you angry, shocked, sad…what?

• Why do you think you feel that way?  Is it because you can relate? Can you identify with these families too?  That’s ok…because I know Dan and I do!

• Don’t beat yourself up though! Knowledge is the power to help you make change in your life.  If after studying living a life with less and armed with the belief that stuff isn’t what makes you happy…what are you going to do about it?

• We’re very interested in hearing your thoughts.  Check out the links to the articles and videos below, and let us know your take on all of this.

Dan’s Topic: A Gateway Gadget Intervention

OK, so today I want to talk about  what I call “gateway” gadgets.  Well, remember back in high school health class when they taught us about “gateway drugs”. Well if you haven’t heard of gateway drugs or the gateway theory, essentially it’s that by doing something at a lower or “entry level”, it may make you more likely to do things at a more advanced level. So for drugs, the theory is that using (and I say this in quotations because they can be just as bad) but lesser drugs such as tobacco, alcohol or marijuana, it may make you more likely to use much more dangerous or hard drugs. The same goes for crime…if you allow yourself to be deceitful or engage in shoplifting or petty theft, it may lead to more serious and dangerous crimes later on.  It’s the act of initially opening yourself up or compromising yourself just a little bit at first, that may lead to additional and higher levels of compromise.

OK, so you get the idea…small things can lead to big things. I’m not here to talk about drugs, I’m here to talk about “stuff.” And I’m going to kind of “unwrap” how we…and especially, I, fell victim to this when it comes to our stuff. As I go through this, you might see a little of yourself in this situation too…because I think we all fall victim to this from time to time.

Alright, so here we go… when Vanessa was expecting our little girl, we decided (like a lot of parents do) to get a camcorder. We figured that since our son was getting bigger and the baby was about to be born, maybe it’s time we “invest” (yeah…how many times have you said that to yourself…invest) in a good camcorder. So we spent probably way more than we should have on this camera…HD was kinda new, it recorded right to an internal hard drive…you know…why skimp, right? We deserve the best of the best right. Sure we do.

Well, little did we know how little we would use this thing. After the initial glow of it faded, we realized that this thing was kind of a bear to use! I won’t mention the brand but they are notorious for using proprietary software and managing the files was just a pain the fourth point of contact.

So anyway, yeah, the video format wasn’t compatible, the files were huge and maxed out my crummy laptop which was all we had at the time…essentially, this thing just ended up sitting in it’s top-of-the-line camera bag (because a good camera deserves a good bag, “we’ll be carrying it around all the time, right?”)

The other thing was that we bought this thing right at the cusp of a technology boom where smart phones were coming out with decent video, too. So almost a total waste of money, right. “But wait, there’s more!”

So when Vanessa started up her Professional Organizer blog, Get Simplifized!, we finally wiped the dust off the camera to make a few videos, cuz what’s a blog that doesn’t have videos, right? In the interim, we had changed over to Apple Macs, so the once just clunky software was not unusable because they didn’t have Mac compatible software available. So it turned into “Work Around Fest 2009” and buying these conversion programs, backup drives that were large enough to hold the files, etc…

Then, and again the whole online business-blog thing was new to me….but every reputable person out there that I followed and trusted online was using the Kodak Zi8…a tiny little $120 video recorder like a flip camera. It was cheap, small, and recorded in HD. So, of course, we had to have that! All the cool kids had ’em! But when we got it, the sound was pretty bad if recording inside. No problem, just buy the lavalier microphone for $30! That solves that. And a case…you gotta have a case. And a little tripod. Just a little one. Oh yeah, we had the big one from the camcorder but who wants to lug that around? Get the little one.That’s a no brainer.

Well, a lot of our initial videos on Get Simplifized! were filmed with that little Kodak Zi8. But you know what? The zoom was bad and the aspect ratio of the screen seemed a little constrictive. Maybe we should try that old camcorder again now that decent conversion software was available. Yeah..that’s a great idea. Oh yeah, but we need a better microphone for the indoor shots. Most of Vanessa’s videos are indoors…she’s a Professional Organizer, not a landscaper.  So, yeah..a good microphone is a must. But why not use the $30 lavalier? Well, it leaves this little buzz and then there’s the “cord” thing to deal with. So a wireless lavalier would be best. Besides, it’s a business expense, right?

But then the same old angles and shots seemed to get old. Maybe a green screen setup so we can add cool backgrounds in editing…you know, like the weather guys on TV? Yeah…and some good lighting...you gotta have good lighting now that we have decent video and sound.  Crazy, huh?  But can’t you see yourself doing this with some area of your life? Maybe not video equipment, but maybe sports equipment or something?

Well we got really tired of having all this “stuff.”  Good quality stuff, but stuff nonetheless. So when the new iPhones came out with their upgraded camera lenses…it was another “no brainer” for sure! Let’s scrap most of what we have and start using the iPhone! Simplicity at it’s best, right? All we need is this little microphone adapter, this macro lens, this fish eye lest, this holder/grabber thingy for a tripod, this case so you can attach it to the tripod, this app, this “How to Make Amazing Video By Just Using Your iPhone” course...taught by a professional photographer who won an Academy Award for “Best iPhone Video”…finally…we had just what we wanted! Never again would we buy into the gateway gadget syndrome.  That is…until the Canon T4i came out!

Now THAT’S a camera…awesome stills, amazing video, auto focus video with the upgrade silent lenses. Oh, and King Size SD card that record for two light years, 1 Terra byte Thunderbolt hard drive to process the card’s huge videos, upgraded cloud storage plan, pro tripod, pro camera backpack, cool/sleek LED lighting to replace the old CFL lamps…besides, they were used like 10 times, extended battery pack with extra batteries, subscription to online video membership site, and extra lenses…you know, to make the edges look fuzzy.

All this camera, photography and video stuff…it’s like mainlining gadgets…it’s digital crack.  Now I’m not saying don’t start…maybe that’s not realistic…but what I am saying is to be careful of your predispositions, your triggers, and be mindful of your simplicity goals. Something as simple as “I’m going to start running” can turn into crazy expensive shoes, running clothes, hi-tech water bottles, $3 packets of goo, armbands for your iPhone, waterproof cases, tracking software, expensive GPS’s that are scrapped for apps, digital scales to track your weight loss, $125 entry fees to half marathons that give away cotton tee-shirts that you won’t wear running because they’re not “performance” t-shirts…all to be scrapped later for the ultra-expensive minimalist shoes that have individual toes…because that’s how cavemen walked, so it must be better for you. Oh, and then socks with toes because your toes chaff…and then paleo creme for your caveman toes…and then a pedicure…because you deserve it.

OK…that’s it. maybe this was a little bit of a rant…but at least I used myself as the example. You know where your weak points are, and you certainly won’t get any judgement from me…I’m just as guilty, if not more. Probably way more. But I’m workin’ at it. In the words of the great philosopher, Jules Winnfield, in the movie Pulp Fiction…I’m tryin’ Vincent…I’m tryin” real hard to be the shepherd!

The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: Stepping outside of her “comfort zone” to meet and connect with a neighbor.

Dan: The surprising, Simple Life Together listener demographic and how the idea of living a simple life is resonating with so many different folks here in the US and around the world!

Edit & Forget It Update!

The Facebook Edit & Forget It page is rockin’ so if you signed up for Edit & Forget It, join us on FB, too! For the folks that are there…it’s great to be able to see your photos and interact…we have some folks really raking up the numbers and posting some great stuff over there too so if you haven’t been on the page, you’re missing out!  It’s never too late to join the Challenge, so if you’re ready to edit 2013 things from your life, you can sign up right here! We have well over 70 people signed up, so come and join us!

Feedback:

Wanted to thank everyone that has given us fantastic feedback on iTunes, thru email, on the website and even several “shout outs” on different blogs and podcasts. It’s great to hear how you enjoy the podcast and to get your ideas and suggestions for future ones as well.  Thank you so much!

Closing Thoughts:

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

• Go to SimpleLifeTogether.com/iTunes
• Click on”Write a Review”
• Write your review…
• Click “Submit”! It’s as easy as that and it really helps to get the word out about the the show.  Thanks for doing that.  

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

Here are the links we mentioned in the show:

UCLA Center on Everyday Lives of Families

Trouble in paradise: UCLA book enumerates challenges faced by middle-class L.A. families

Article announcing University of California TV Series on YouTube

A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance (Ep.1) Stuff

A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance (Ep. 2) Food

A Cluttered Life: Middle-Class Abundance (Ep. 3) Space

Life At Home in the Twenty-first Century (book)

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The Art of Inbox Warfare, and How To Organize Any Space

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show!  Thanks!

Main Topics  

Dan’s Topic: Sun Tzu & the Art of Inbox Warfare

We’ve had a few other listeners out there who have been struggling with their email inboxes lately, so I thought I’d take some time to give you some tips on how you can declare war on Inbox clutter and reclaim the calm to this part of your digital life.

The key to email management is the same as it is to physical things in your simple life: limit what you allow into your life. If your inbox is full of messages that don’t add value to your life, eliminate them now and put systems into place to eliminate them permanently.

Why do we get so much junk? Sometimes it’s just that your email was on a subscriber list that was sold to marketers. But it’s also affected by what type of things you sign up for. So, if you really want to cut down on junk email:

• Be a bit more careful who you give your email address to
• Signing up for every little contest or offering that comes along is like saying, “Please spam me!”
• Get over what’s called FOMO or the fear of missing out.
• There’s good info and junk info…bringing more junk info into your life doesn’t make your life better or more simple. It makes it cluttered and hectic. Trust me, you’re not missing out.

So, here are some steps you can take to shape a more simple email experience:

– Unsubscribe from newsletters, feeds, updates, lists and other streams that don’t enrich your life.  If there’s no link to unsubscribe, you shouldn’t be at all uncomfortable about marking the message as spam. Gmail has a built in function that marks the message as spam and automatically attempts to unsubscribe you from the sender’s list but you can also do it yourself by clicking the  little stop sign-shaped icon with an exclamation point inside in your Inbox panel.

– Another way to deal with unwanted emails is by using filters. Most email programs allow you to set filters to weed out messages based on your inputs.  You can easily set filters in the settings area of your Gmail account, or if you have an email message open in Gmail, just click the “More” button and choose “Filter Messages Like These”.  Then just follow the prompts.

 So that covers stopping the deluge of inbound emails. What about the “Occupy Inbox” movement that’s already camped on in your email? Here’s how to handle what you have right now in 3 Steps:

1-Pick the dozen or so emails in your inbox that must be handled now to avoid an emergency, overcharges, severe embarrassment, or a close relationship and deal with them now. That alone will leave you feeling better.

2- Make the rest of the not so urgent emails (and yes, for many people that numbers in the THOUSANDS) and put them in a temporary folder or Label (Gmail). You’ll deal with them later. This does 2 things… First, it gets what appears to be a major obstacle, stumbling block, and barrier to progress out of the way. Second, it allows you to set up new habits and systems.

3- Tackle that Temporary folder or Label full of old emails. If you have so many that you can’t tackle it in one sitting, pick a time, set a timer for 15 minutes, and go to battle. Make time in your schedule for the next session, and keep at it until you’ve dealt with all of them. BUT…big but here…NOT at the cost of your inbox. You’ve got to commit to staying on top of your inbox.

So, now that you’ve kindly asked the spammy squatters to move on and you have your Inbox back...let’s move on to those habits and skills. Here are some things to master for a solid email routine:

– Don’t Over-Do the Folders or Labels:  Keep it simple by trusting the search function in your email system. So, set up a few folders (called “Labels” in Gmail) that match the major areas of your life such as work, family, home, your passions, taxes, etc…and then just use the Archive function for the rest.

– Trust the Search Function: Gmail is especially great at this.

– Delete When You’re Done: if you’ve finished reading an email and have no reason to keep it, then delete it right away.

– Limit your Access: This one takes a lot of getting used to. Especially if you have a reputation for always being available…digitally, of course. Set your own terms on checking email. Tim Ferriss recommends in his book The Four Hour Workweek, not to check your e-mail the first thing in the morning, and only check it periodically throughout the day.

– Set Expectations for those you correspond with, especially if they’re used to your instant responses. Set an auto responder that you’re only checking emails twice a day and give options for emergencies such as “If this is an emergency, please call my cell.”  No need to give out your cell number as those close to you already likely have it.

– Send fewer emails yourself and write your emails to elicit complete responses versus volleys of emails (like the effective communication mentioned in Episode 10). For instance, when setting up an appointment, instead of asking “When are you available?” State in your email, “I can meet Monday morning between 9:00 and 11:00 or Tuesday between 2:00 and 4:15.  If neither of those times work for you, please send me 3 options for Wednesday through Friday in the morning after 9:00, but before 4:15.”

– Keep your messages simple. Short sentences and 3-4 sentences at most, if possible. If this is a “just catching up” email…consider whether a phone call, Skype call, or Facetime wouldn’t be more productive.

-Your Inbox shouldn’t be your To-Do List . Process everything that comes in to your inbox with the goal of touching it once. If it’s a to do, use the Task List in Gmail along with Google Calendar, Evernote, the Reminders function on your Mac, or some other task management system.

-Avoid sending e-mails if you can. If you’re having problems with too many e-mails, why continue to add to it?  Find ways to cut down on the e-mails you send and help others avoid the clutter in their inbox, too.

Managing your inbox is a continuous battle. So, I’ll recap this in combat terms using the Principles of War compiled from the likes of Sun Tzu, Clausewitz and other smart dead guys. So, in no particular order, here we go!

• Objective – Objective is defined as: Directing every operation toward a clearly defined, decisive and attainable objective.  A simple military example is “Take that hill and hold it!”.  For your email, your objective isn’t really “Inbox Zero” as some systems claim. That’s just a likely result. Your Objective is effective communication and your Inbox is one tool for that. Don’t beat yourself up if you have a couple untouched emails in your Inbox until you’re ready to deal with them. Focus on the “effective communication” aspect.

• Offensive – Seize, retain, and exploit the initiative. “Attack!”  Just like in sports, defense is great, but you have to take action to win. Seize control of your Inbox, folders, and email system, and capitalize on your momentum to maintain the offensive.

• Mass – In military ops, commanders strive to Mass the effects of overwhelming combat power at the decisive place and time. Commanders have many different weapons systems at their disposal. They bring air, land, and sea assets together at decisive places and times to defeat the enemy. That’s Mass. For your email system, this means “batch your tasks.” We talk about batching tasks a lot because it works. Interruptions kill momentum gained in the offensive and waste your time.

• Economy of Force – Employ all combat power available in the most effective way possible; allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts. In war, like in life, assets are finite. You can’t use all the tools in your toolkit all at once or when a lesser tool can accomplish the task. Your personal effort is your combat power when dealing with your Inbox. Maximize the use of automated systems such as the filters we talked about to minimize your personal effort, while maximizing the effectiveness of your system.

• Maneuver – Place the enemy in a position of disadvantage through the flexible application of combat power. Essentially, lining up to “take the shot.” Again, filters can go a long way with maneuver, but think of your Folders or Labels in Gmail as a way to compartmentalize your info, and focus your attention where it needs to be.

• Unity of Command – For every objective, seek unity of command and unity of effort. We’ve all been in situations where we wonder “who’s in charge here?” Who do I listen to? Unity of Command and Effort are great concepts to use when you share email for tasks or have an assistant that helps you with your emails. For instance, in a family setting, whoever does the bills should get the emails regarding the bills. In a work setting, your secretary or assistant should have clear guidelines for acting on your behalf or highlighting messages for your personal attention. The Four Hour Work Week has great examples for this.

• Security – Never permit the enemy to acquire unexpected advantage. Of course there’s physical security, but one area that’s stressed in military circles is OPSEC or operational security. In sports, a boxer tries not to telegraph their punches, and poker players keep have a poker face to hide their intentions. At the same time, they try to read their opponents and look for their “tell”…a sign that gives away the opponent’s intentions. The enemy in our case is unnecessary information or digital clutter. Of course, be sure to apply all pertinent security methods for your email by using strong passwords, etc, but also think of this as securing your email address from those who might try to exploit it, and you, with spam, phishing attempts, and malware.

• Simplicity – The most effective military plans are simple. The goal with this principle is to prepare clear, uncomplicated plans and concise orders to ensure thorough understanding.  There’s an adage called “Napoleon’s Corporal” that describes how Napoleon would have a corporal sit in during battle plan briefings to see if he understood the plan. If the Corporal understood, Napoleon figured, then commanders would understand. This best applies to your Folder or Labels system. Once again, if you’re using a product like Gmail, trust your email program’s search function.

and finally, we have..

• Surprise – Strike the enemy at a time or place or in a manner for which he is unprepared. OK, this one might be a bit of a stretch, but wait until you see the surprise on the asker’s face when you decline to give your email address to someone who is trying to collect it. It’s precious! If you’re uncomfortable saying NO at first, have a decoy email address you can give. Look, you’re just protecting yourself, so no harm-no foul there. But eventually, it’s best to just take a stand and say, “I don’t give that out. I’m sure you understand.”

So that’s it. A little Inbox Boot Camp so you can liberate your email from the enemy.

Edit & Forget It Update!

The spreadsheets were sent out to everyone who signed up for the Challenge at SimpleLifeTogether.com, so if you signed up and haven’t received them, drop us an email.

We’ll be setting up a private Facebook group for those doing the Edit & Forget It Challenge. You can share your successes, struggles, post pictures, etc.

• Only members of the group will be able to see who’s in the group and what members post.
• I’ll send out a message to those who have signed up for the Challenge already through SimpleLifeTogether.com telling them where to go on Facebook and request to join the Group.
• If the email you signed up for the Challenge was different from your Facebook name, I may send you a direct email confirming it’s you.
• This Group will be for Edit & Forget It members only. People who sign up after 24 January 2013 will automatically get an invite to the private Facebook page after they sign up.
• There’s certainly no requirement to join the Facebook group, it’s just another way to be involved in the Challenge. If Facebook isn’t your thing…no worries at all.
• It’s not too late to join the Challenge, so if you’re ready to edit 2013 things from your life, sign up on the website. We have people signing up every day and we’d love to have you join us!

Vanessa’s Topic: How To Organize Any Space

Since I’ve already talked about How Clutter Affects Your Life (Episode 10), The Benefits of Organizing and Having Less (Episode 4) and Why We Can’t Let Go of Our Clutter (Epidsode 3), I figured it was time share with you some tips on how to organize any space!

I won’t have time to go into a lot of detail but if you want a more in-depth explanation of the process you can check out my Organize Any Space Series at SimpleLifeTogether.com/organizeanything. I have 6 posts in the series that discusses each step in the process with a finale post where I organize a kitchen using the step-by-step process on how to organize it.

I’m just going to quickly outline the process on how you can organize any space but before you start I recommend:

– Start small.  Pick a small area like a small junk drawer, nightstand, or one section of your closet.  Whatever the project…pick just a small one.

– Mark your calendar. Yes…set a date for your organizing project. You’re more likely to get it done if you set a date.

– Give yourself adequate time to organize your space.  Since I recommend starting small give yourself at least 2 – 3 hours. It may not take that long, but you’ll be surprised how long some projects take.

– Limit interruptions. Try not to answer your phone, voicemails, emails, etc.  And if you can do it while the kids are out….that would be awesome!

There are several different organizers that have their own terminology on how to organize, but the basic steps and  process are all pretty much the same.  So being the uber simple gal that I am…I just have a 4 step process: N…A…P…O (ironically it’s the same acronym as the National Association of Professional Organizers…dorky I know):

1. Determine your NEEDS

2. ASSESS your space

3. PURGE or PARE DOWN your space

4. ORGANIZE your space

STEP 1 – DETERMINE YOUR NEEDS: (Please don’t skip over this step)  

– You really need to have a clear understanding of what your needs are, otherwise your efforts will be in vain. 

– Be sure to get the family and other household members involved.   

– Envision the space.  What is your end state?  How do you want it to look?  How do you want it to function?  How do you want to feel?

STEP 2 – ASSESS YOUR SPACE: (Don’t skip this step either)

– Identify what’s working for you. 

– Identify what’s not working for you.

– You’ll also want to evaluate your habits and natural tendencies. 

– Determine what’s in the space that shouldn’t be there. 

– Determine what is essential to you. 

– Map out your space by taking measurements and identifying limitations.

– Take “before” pictures of the space.

STEP 3 – PURGE/or PARE DOWN: This is the hands on editing phase of organizing your space…the part that’s the most difficult and frustrating but if you follow these steps it’ll make it a lot easier:

– Gather your supplies (paper, post it notes, markers, trash bags, 4-8 bins  for sorting ,  a folding table to give you a flat surface to work on,  and maybe even gloves for messier work like in the garage).

– Set up your sorting bins, bags and/or piles. 

KEEP: anything you love, use and need.  (Note:  this may require several additional  piles because you’re going to break your “keep items” down into general “like” categories like: office supplies, paperwork, kitchen utensils, electronics, toys, etc. Don’t get too specific…keep the piles general for now…you can fine tune later).

TRASH: items that are broken, soiled, ripped or beyond repair (use a trash bag)

RECYCLE: self explanatory but check with your local recycling center to see what they’ll take (use trash bag)

DONATE: don’t donate anything that is in poor condition. You know, things that you wouldn’t give  to friends or family (use trash bag or box).

DON’T KNOW: stuff you’re having a hard time of letting go of or figuring out what to do with.  Don’t spend too much time on these right now…you can decide later what to do with them.

ELSEWHERE / RETURN: belong in another room, belong to someone else, or need to be returned.

– Start sorting…pull everything out of the space one item at a time and decide which bin to put it in.

– Start with flat surfaces first to free up your tables and counter space then tackle the cabinets and drawers and so on.

– Move from one side of the room to the other. You’ll have a better idea of how much you’ve gotten done as you go.

– Once you’ve finished sorting, go back to your DON’T KNOW PILE: If you don’t love it, need it or use it you can probably let it go.  But if you’re still having trouble, I recommend going to Episode 3’s shownotes for other helpful questions to guide your decision.

– Remove all your bins and bags except for your “KEEP” items from the area immediately! Don’t give yourself the opportunity to change your mind.

 STEP 4 – ORGANIZE: This is where you start to put things back in the space. Here are some things to keep in mind as you organize:

– Sort like items together:  Remember that KEEP Pile? You can break those general categories of things down even further. For example your kitchen pile can now be broken down into glasses, bakeware, pots and pans, utensils, dinnerware, food, bowls, etc.  You can do the same for your clothes, toys and office supplies.

– Create zones in your space and place your items accordingly. For example the kitchen; you can establish a cooking zone near the stove, a baking zone near the oven, a coffee/beverage zone near the sink or fridge and a serving zone/dinnerware near the dishwasher.

– In your zones, place frequently used items within arms reach.  Everyday items should be easy to grab.

– Seldom used items up high, down low or in back of your frequently used items.

– Think safety for yourself and the kids. Delicates, cleaning supplies, medications and heavy items should be put in areas that are safe).

– Don’t forget about vertical storage.  You can install racks on walls, behind door, or inside cabinets. You can use the side of a refrigerator or metal filing cabinet to hang magnetic jars and baskets.

– Use containers and containers within containers.  I always recommend shopping from your own home and using what you have first (you may have actually freed up some containers after you edited).  But if you want to update your space with newer, nicer, or more efficient products by all means go ahead, just make sure you measure twice…and purchase once!

– Now you should label everything you can! I highly recommend getting yourself a good label maker like the Brother P-Touch…it makes such a difference.  You can label shelves, containers, lazy susans, drawers, etc. It helps to learn where things go…and where to return them!!!!

– Maintain your space by establishing rules and routines. Refer to Episode 2.

So that’s how you organize any space: Determine your Needs, Assess your space, Purge your space and Organize it…then  Repeat because organizing is usually cyclical ;o)

 The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: Never Too Old To Learn

My Thing this week was being inspired by my one of my clients to never stop learning. I have a 68 year old client who in the past 3-4 years has completed her Bachelors in Nursing as well has her Master’s Degree…and is now working on her PhD. Dang!  She inspired me to pursue an Interior Decorating certification as well as my certification as a Certified Professional Organizer .  Yay!

Dan:  Focusing a Little Harder on the Fitness Pillar

Well, if you listened to Episode 1 or looked around our site, you know we focus our lives on our five pillars of Faith, Family, Finances, Fitness and Future. Well, with the holidays, my Vegas trip, too much sitting at a desk, the weather and (insert incredibly lame excuse here)…I think I’ve been too lax lately and my body is sending me signals to make some changes.  So I’m going to re-focus on my fitness and health by  doing more juicing, walking and biking.  So, that’s my thing…

Feedback: We’ve been getting flooded with great feedback and here’s just a sample:

Chef Toni from DinnerMadeSimple.com. wrote:”Just what I was looking for! A little direction on how live life more simply. Love Dan and Vanessa’s take on all this. From technology to finances to organizing…they’ve got it all covered and I can’t wait for more episodes! ”

Emily from TheCrunchyCoach.com wrote: “Every once in a while, I run into a new podcast that I wish was an old one so I could keep on listening to archived episodes every day for the next couple of months. Yours is one! Hurry up and get the next one out, lol! ” Turns out Emily started the Edit and Forget It Challenge before we even started it!  She’s gotten rid of a ton of stuff!

Vanessa was listening to the Mommy’s Cocktail Hour podcast and low and behold they mentioned SimpleLifeTogether as one of their Fabulous Finds for the week! How cool! So, thanks to all the ladies over at MommysCocktailHour.com!

And Nick from SPNT.tv left a terrific comment on iTunes for us. Nick is looking to simplify his life this year, too, and started listening to us on Episode 1 and he’s on his way! Well, thanks, Nick, and we’re certainly glad to be able to help out along the way!

Closing Thoughts:

We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

• In iTunes just search for Simple Life Together…
• Click on the green “Simple Life Together” picture…
• Scroll down to Customer Reviews where you’ll see “Write a Review”
• Click on”Write a Review”
• Write your review…
• Click “Submit”! It’s as easy as that and it really helps to get the word out about the the show.  Thanks for doing that.  

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, Dan is @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

So, here are the links we mentioned in the show:

The 4 Hour Workweek

Brother P-Touch Label Maker

Mommy’s Cocktail Hour

SPNT.tv

DinnerMadeSimple.com

SLT Podcast Episode 1

SLT Podcast Episode 2

SLT Podcast Episode 3

 SLT Podcast Episode 4

SLT Podcast Episode 10

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How Clutter Affects Your Life, & Secret (But Simple) Military Communication Techniques

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thank you!

Special Announcement: Especially for listeners in and around San Antonio/Austin, TX

Our friend and colleague Karen Meade of Let’s Get Organizing will be hosting her annual Organize and Energize workshop. It’s on Saturday, January 19th, 2013 from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM at TriPoint on North St Mary’s, in San Antonio, Texas. There’s a great lineup of speakers talking about organization, meal planning, health and fitness and Dan will be there talking about tech. For more information check out LetsGetOrganizing.com or Facebook.com/LetsGetOrganizing. Hope to see you there!

Main Topics  

Vanessa’s Topic: How Clutter Affects Your Life

So, what is clutter?  Here’s how some experts define it:

• Princeton University’s WordNet defines clutter as:
  • “a confused, multitude of things”
  • “to fill a space in a disorderly way”
  • “a confused, disorderly, jumble of things”
  • “filled or scattered with disorderly accumulation of objects or rubbish”
• Clutterers Anonymous defines clutter as:
  • “anything we don’t need, want, or use that takes our time, energy or space, and destroys our serenity”
• Clutter is more than piles and piles of stuff.
  • It’s a combination of new, old, unused, forgotten, misplaced, and emotionally (or coerced into being emotionally) “attached to” items.
• Clutter is more than just a physical item…clutter is also about how an item is or isn’t being used. For example, a magazine in-and-of itself isn’t clutter…it’s just a magazine.  But when that magazine hasn’t been read for two weeks, two months, or even a year and is just sitting on top of a stack of other magazines that are several years old, and that stack is on top of your desk preventing you from being able to use it…that’s when that magazine is now considered “clutter.”

So for the rest of this topic, let’s just consider clutter as “anything we don’t need, want, or use that takes our time, energy, space and serenity”

Examples of clutter:

• Things that are expired (food,  medicine and toiletries for example)
• Duplicate items (3 coffee makers, 4 vacuum cleaners, 3 punch bowls, 3 of the exact same North Face jackets…all the same color and style…you get the idea)
• Things that belong to someone else (stuff you’ve borrowed and never returned)
• Broken toys
• Broken dishes
• Broken appliances and tools
• Outgrown toys
• Clothes you’ve grown out of
• Knick knacks that don’t serve any purpose
• Gifts that…let’s face it…you never really liked  (“in a million years I wouldn’t be seen dead in this” kinds of gifts)
• Hand me downs or inherited items that you’ll never use
• Just in case items…for emergencies
• “Don’t know” (no idea why it’s there or how to use it…but darn it, I’m keeping it!)
• Stuff that causes safety concerns (pose a hazard such as fire or physical harm)
• Stuff that can cause health concerns…old food sitting around the house, trash lying around attracting bugs and rodents, etc.
• Obsolete / outdated papers
• Piles of papers and mail that have never been opened or are waiting to be opened and sorted

Other not-so obvious clutter items aren’t necessarily physical items, but impact your lifestyle

• Overcommitment
• Meaningless activity / duplication of effort (activity that is unfulfilling or serves no real purpose)
• Old resentments and ill feelings / unresolved issues
• Unsatisfying relationships
• Unsatisfying work (paid work, work at home, volunteer work, etc).
• Digital clutter (emails, photos, online documents)

So those are a few examples of what clutter is, but how do you know if clutter is affecting you?  

You see…the truth about clutter and accumulating more, is that eventually you’ll be overwhelmed by the physical clutter which in turn will overwhelm you emotionally in terms of stress, indecision, guilt and so on. Clutter slowly but steadily creeps into your home and sucks the life out of you.  It can affect both your mental and physical health.

 As Peter Walsh said in his book It’s All Too Much:

“Clutter robs you of far more than the space it occupies–it steals your life!”

So if you’re unsure if clutter is affecting your life, here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

• More often than not…are you embarrassed to have people over because of the state of your home?
• Do you have trouble finding things…your wallet, glasses, checkbook, keys, bills, etc?
• Have you missed paying your bills? Regardless of your economic states, one of the first questions I ask is if you’ve missed your payments.  Its usually not a matter of being able to pay the bill…it’s a matter of too much clutter and disorganization.
• Do you have rooms or items not being used for their intended purposes? (bed, table, desk, office…I’ve had clients that have used bathrooms or guest rooms/offices as storage closets).
• Do you like to bargain hunt and love getting a good deal on items at the store?
• Do you like to collect freebee items from conferences and workshops?
• Do you eat out a lot because it’s too difficult to use your kitchen at home to cook?
• Do you have more possessions than can reasonably fit in your home?
• Are others in your life affected by your clutter?
• Are your relationships strained because of the state of your home?

If you find yourself saying yes to many of these questions then clutter may be negatively affecting your life.
When clutter is controlling you instead of you controlling it…that’s probably a good sign to make a change.

So where do you start if you or someone you love needs help? (NOTE…website links are listed at bottom of these show notes)

• Educate yourself via books, magazines, podcasts, websites, etc.
• Take classes: Adult continuing education, certification courses, check out the National Association of Professional Organizers or NAPO…and other
• Professional organizations such as the Institute for Challenging Disorganization, Clutterers Anonymous (all have good information and resources)
• Or, Seek help from a professional organizer! (Some specialize in home, business, productivity, chronic disorganization and hoarding)

Now, of course I have an entire website: Get Simplifized.com, dedicated to getting organized and helping you control the clutter with TONS of written posts and videos…and I even offer virtual organizing and consultation, just click on the Virtual Organization tab at the top of the Get Simplifized website.

So you can check that out, but the fact of the matter is, there are tons of resources out there…it’s just a matter of taking the time to tap into them.

Dan’s Topic: Secret (But Simple) Military Communication Techniques

Communication should be so simple and natural, but often it’s not.  But, I think universally, effective communication is a common goal. Everyone who is a party in that communication has  responsibilities in that communication. But that doesn’t always happen. When we say that there’s a “breakdown in communication” more often than not it’s a case of someone not meeting their responsibilities in the communication process.

So, I thought I’d share a few techniques that can help simplify communication. You can use these at home, work, school…wherever.  If you think these help, let me know and I have a couple more that I be happy to share in another show! Now I’ll preface this right up front that these are techniques I learned long-long ago as part of my training and they served me well throughout my time in the military and when I was teaching at university.

The Sender-Message-Receiver-Feedback Model

There are 4 main actors in effective communication and if one of them is out of sync then there will likely be some breakdown, so you’ll have ineffective communication.

• The Sender is the one responsible for initiating the communication. Before the Sender attempts to communicate they should have a reasonable expectation that the message they send will be received. You know how sometimes kids will just start yelling “Mom!” from their room, with the door closed? Pretty frustrating, right? The Sender is also responsible for analyzing the receiving audience before they formulate their message to ensure the Message can be easily understood.

• The Message should be formed using the correct language, at the right education level, the right tone, culturally correct, situationally correct, ensure any jargon would be understood by the Receiver, etc. The Message should be clear and concise and in the proper form. Trying to reach someone in their car my mail makes no sense!

• The Receiver has responsibilities, too. They need to actively listen, not just hear, for effective communication to take place. If the Receiver is in a situation where communication is taking place, they’re expected to be an actively listening. Wearing earbuds in a classroom not only precludes the receiver’s ability to hear the message, it’s probably going to offend the sender and effective communication will be pretty unlikely. And the Receiver has one last and MAJOR responsibility. The last part of the sender-message-receiver-feedback equation is Feedback.

• Feedback tells the Sender that the message was received, and whether the Receiver understood it or not. How frustrating is it when you communicate with someone and all you get is a blank stare back? Or send a text or email that’s not responded to? Or leave a voicemail and never get a reply?  The receiver has the responsibility to provide feedback. If the receiver gives no feedback, the sender should assume that effective communicate didn’t take place, and the Sender should reformulate and resend the message or ask for feedback.

Giving Tasks or Directions Properly: The next technique is a foolproof way to make sure you give out tasks properly that include guidelines and expectations. We’ve all been in situations where we’re given a task and sometimes the task itself is vague or most likely, the expectations are vague.

A Poor (But Unfortunately, Typical) Example of Communication

Your spouse calls or leaves you a note that says “pick up some eggs.” That night your spouse gets home, goes to make the meal and oops! No eggs. You say “well I’m going shopping tomorrow.” “Well I needed them tonight!”

So obviously, the task was vague and the expectations were vague.

Here’s a solution that is so commonplace in the military that it’s taken for granted. It’s called  the:

Task-Condition-Standard-Time Model

Here’s what each one means:

• TASK: what needs to be done
• CONDITION: Your resources or the situation
• STANDARD: Self explanatory, but should be specific
• TIME: How much time you have to accomplish the task or when the task needs to be done (event driven)

So using the buying eggs example, let’s use the Task-Condition-Standard-Time model:

• TASK: Buy eggs
• CONDITION: Given time, availability, proximity, money, etc..
• STANDARD: Call if you can’t pick them up. Don’t get the white eggs, I want the big brown organic eggs
• TIME: I get home at 5:00 o’clock and I need them as soon as I get home today.

The Good Old Who-What-When-Where-Why-How Model (aka “5 Ws & How”)

This tried and true model is great for written or oral communication. If you’ve gotten away from this you may want to revive the habit. But add the necessary elements of Task-Condition-Standard-Time in there when applicable.

Example: Say you’re sending a party invitation… the 5W and How explain all the basics, but adding the Standard could sure help when it comes to things like the appropriate attire for the party. That could be an embarrassing thing to leave out…especially if it’s a costume party!

Bonus: And a quick tech tip to go along with it is if you’re a Gmail user, build one of those Canned Responses that Vanessa talked about in an earlier episode and then anytime you need that format, just pop it in!  Or, if you’re not a Gmail user, in virtually any email system you could just build a template for these communication techniques and just save it in your drafts to copy when needed.

So there you have it, two not-so-secret, but potentailly quite helpful, military tips, one reminder for the old school “5Ws and How” with military spin, and a quick tech tip. All to help you with more simple and effective communication. Again, if you think these help, let me know and I have a couple more that I be happy to share in a future episode, sound good?

The “Thing” Segment:

Vanessa: I love Quality!

I’ve mentioned that I’m a frugal gal, but there are a few things I don’t mind spending a little extra on….like my Vera Wang boots and Saddleback leather tote bag.  I buy them at a discount, but quality beats quantity almost every time!

Dan:  Spreadsheets in Google Docs

I don’t have lots of use for spreadsheets but when I do, I love the functionality of them in Google Docs or Drive. They keep track of all older versions and I can always restore to an earlier version. plus, both Vanessa and I can work on them at the same time and everything syncs! I like to use them for online forms, too! Super easy, they work essentially the same as an Excel spreadsheet. For power spreadsheet users they may not have all the functionality of an Excel sheets, but for people like me who still count with their fingers and toes, they’re great! You can even use the forms function for surveys, etc, on websites and in emails. I’m using them to track our stuff for the Edit & ForgetIt Challenge, too. They’re functional and simple…that’s why they’re my Thing this week!

Feedback:

Emily wrote on the website: “Found you through Cliff’s podcast – great first show, I look forward to catching up and then keeping up with it. You have inspired me to continue on with my own simple living podcast, that I recorded twice and then stopped, and have been waffling about whether to keep it going.

On iTunes, Mamabearny wrote: “Great tips to start 2013 out right! This is the first time I’ve listened to a podcast and I’m glad I listened to this one. It was a great use of time and the hosts provide great practical advice that can be implemented right away to help simplify your life.”

Closing Thoughts:

Once again, Happy 2013 and we hope this year is a great year for simplifying your life. If you haven’t started yet or have just been thinking about it, now is a great time to start. We’re blessed to be able to share some ideas and some of our experiences as we journey toward a simpler life in the modern world and we’d like to hear some of your experiences, too.

It sure would help if you you took just 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes. The more positive reviews we get, the higher the show is in the listings and that’s how people find us.

If you like the show, please subscribe and consider giving us a good review in iTunes. It takes less than 2 minutes to review the show in iTunes and that’s the best way for people to find us.

• In iTunes just search for Simple Life Together…
• Click on the green “Simple Life Together” picture…
• Scroll down to Customer Reviews where you’ll see “Write a Review”
• Click on”Write a Review”
• Write your review…
• Click “Submit”! It’s as easy as that and it really helps to get the word out about the the show.  Thanks for doing that.  

If you know someone else who might enjoy the journey too, send them a link to SimpleLifeTogether.com

Connect with us on Twitter, I’m @DanielHayes and Vanessa is @GetSimplifized. You can find links to our Twitter and Google Plus profiles on the left side of the home page.

Be sure to leave comments below, send us a voicemail from the little microphone icon on the right side of the page, or you can go “old school” and email us!  Comments, questions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions…they’re all welcome and we’d love to hear from you!

So, here are other links we mentioned in the show:

Karen Meade of LetsGetOrganizing

Clutterer’s Anonymous

Institute for Challenging Disorganization

Peter Walsh: It’s All Too Much

National Association of Professional Organizers

GetSimplifized Links:

The Truth About Clutter

Lots of YouTube Videos to help you get rid of clutter and get organized!

Be sure to subscribe in iTunes and leave a review in the iTunes store! It helps others find the show! Thank you!