Makeover Your Home Office

/2 Comments/in , , , , , /by

Have you started spring cleaning yet? I went through my closet this weekend and got rid of 20 pairs of shoes. I’m not even exaggerating. It was ridiculous. But I feel much better now that the task is complete…and excited to replace some of those shoes. When I spring clean, I start off decluttering the drawers and closets then begin general cleaning stuff that I don’t do enough.

But spring cleaning doesn’t apply to your home only. Don’t forget your office too. Whether it’s at home or in an office — an organized desk can send your productivity soaring.

Recently the folks at Manilla.com came to me with a dilemma. A comedian/actress named Jo had let her desk mess get out of hand. She wasn’t even able to use her desk anymore and had moved over to her dining room table to get work done. Except — her productivity suffered so they called me in to do an office makeover. Check out this video for a look.

Congrats to Astrid: An Amazing To-Do List App

/5 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

Would you like a personal assistant to help you remember appointments and check things off your to-do list? I know of one who will work for cheap and keep you organized and make sure you hit all your deadlines. Her name is Astrid. And I’d like to offer my congratulations since the company was just sold to Yahoo.  

Who is Astrid?

Astrid is an adorable little octopus and one of my favorite to-do list apps for iPhone or Android.  If you don’t have one of those devices you can also access this productivity tool by going to Astrid.com.

Astrid will keep all of your tasks organized and remind you of what you need to do with motivational and encouraging nudges like “How about it? Ready tiger?”  You can also rename all of your lists and maintain them however you like — set reminders or not, give your tasks due dates or not. It’s up to you. Read more

5 Things You Never Knew About Saving Money

/0 Comments/in , , , /by

moremoneyI thought I knew a fair amount about how to have healthy finances. I know how to make money, save it and spend it…so what else is there to know? Apparently a lot! A fellow blogger and friend, Scott Gamm, just wrote a book called “More Money Please: The Financial Secrets You Never Learned in School.” And he’s only 21! Yes — that’s right!

The book is written from the perspective of a college kid who knows more than most about finance. Scott started a blog called HelpSaveMyDollars.com for young people to get their money issues under control. Many people struggle to save and often run out of money quicker than they make it.  Anyway, this book is geared towards 20-somethings, however, I think people of all ages, including parents and professionals, can benefit from reading it. Here’s some of what I learned: Read more

Your Desk Can Make You More Productive

/0 Comments/in , , , , /by
Desk

Not my desk, not my mess. (Photo credit: Jim Carson)

When my desk is messy I feel out of sorts.  It’s amazing how a clean desk can lift your mood.  I pride myself on being super organized and having it pretty much together but sometimes my desk falls through the cracks.  I get lots of mail and lots and lots of magazines (which I love!) — but sometime’s it’s overwhelming.

I’ve had a feng shui expert write about how positioning things on your desk could make you more productive in the past.  But there are some other things you should consider like clutter, light, size and monitors.  Here’s a look at those things from TheNextWeb.com called “How to arrange your desk for maximum productivity.”  How does your desk look?