Handy and FREE note-taking tool

A client just turned me on to Jott - a free service for quick voice notes. With Jott, you call a special 1-800 number and leave a voice note, then the service transcribes it and sends it back to you as an email or text message. I find that it's great for taking quick notes while on the run, and for helping clients keep track of to-do's that they'd otherwise not write down.

www.jott.com

-- Joshua Zerkel, Certified Professional Organizer - Office & Home
www.customlivingsolutions.com

Junk mail reduction for the non-DIYer

Reducing junk mail is a constant battle - sending letters, getting off lists, etc. - and it can be really tedious to stay on top of the companies that send you unwanted mail. A new service, GreenDimes, automates the process by handling the removal of your name from junk mail lists, as well as monitoring those lists to make sure your name doesn't reappear. They also will plan ten trees for every subscription to their service. Not a bad deal for $15/year!

-- Joshua Zerkel, Certified Professional Organizer - Office & Home
www.customlivingsolutions.com

Lateness: Maybe It's Not About You

There are lots of ideas why people are chronically late (or chronically anything, for that matter). Here's a great article from the New York Times that talks about the reasons why tardiness is such a problem for some of us.

http://tinyurl.com/2pd9wp

-- Joshua Zerkel, Certified Professional Organizer - Office & Home
www.customlivingsolutions.com

Managing Electronic Gadgets & Gizmos

The personal electronic gadgets that keep us connected and entertained are great. But searching for your cell phone charger, your iPod connecting cable, or your Treo’s power adapter can be a big waste of time. Here are two quick organizing tips to make your gizmo management easy:

Give them a home. Charging stations are specially designed to provide homes for all your gadgets and gizmos, while keeping all the cables tidy. My favorites are from KangaRoom at http://www.kangaroomstorage.com/category/2/1/office.html - they even have specially-designed travel pouches for cables.

Use your USB. Did you know that most small electronics can be charged directly from your computer’s USB ports? Instead of lugging AC adapters around with you on trips or taking up space on your surge protector at home, instead get USB charging cables for your gadgets, which can be found at sites like http://www.apc.com/products/category.cfm?id=3&subid=75 or on eBay.

-- Joshua Zerkel, Professional Organizer - Office & Home
www.customlivingsolutions.com

So Maybe Multitasking Isn't Such a Great Idea After All...

Ok, I've been saying that multitasking is a waste of time for awhile. Now the New York Times has a long article on the topic. It's an interesting read!


-- Joshua Zerkel, Professional Organizer - Office & Home
www.customlivingsolutions.com

Everyone Wants to Be a Professional Organizer?

According to the Wall Street Journal, techniques and strategies used by professional organizers (understanding the needs of clients, getting to the root cause of disorganization, etc.) are being co-opted by major retailers to sell more organizing products. Interesting article!

http://tinyurl.com/2253l3

Remember, organizing products are only tools, and need to be used with sound organizing systems and habits in order to be effective.

-- Joshua Zerkel, Professional Organizer - Office & Home
www.customlivingsolutions.com

Great Article on Tech Junk

PC Magazine, who is mostly a purveyor of the consumer electronics cycle, has posted an interesting article about the reasons for and effects of accumulating tech clutter. I love John Dvorak's articles - he's such a curmudgeon.

http://tinyurl.com/2wssn7

-- Joshua Zerkel, Professional Organizer - Home and Officm