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Articles by A.J. Miller

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20 articles by A.J. Miller · showing 20

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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

The Hidden Costs of Owning Too Much "Stuff"

Every day we're relentlessly bombarded by advertising that tells us to buy this, that or the other thing. It's all too easy to succumb to the temptations and no surprise that many of us end up owning as much "stuff" as we do. Sometimes though, our "stuff" seems to end up owning us instead of the other way around. First of all, spending to get "stuff" is a major source of personal, financial trouble for many of us. And then there are the hidden costs. For example, having to move to a bigger space because your "stuff" doesn't fit into the space you currently occupy.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Why Is It So Hard to Get Organized?

Getting organized is one of the most popular New Year's resolutions made by people every year. But what does it actually mean to get or be "organized"? Here's my definition: Being organized is about being able to get everything done when it is due and finding everything you need when you need it. Every day, in the hope of getting organized, people buy books and cut out magazine articles on the subject. They pour over organizing catalogs and attend organizing workshops and lectures.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Tips to Make Organizing a Family Affair

If your family doesn't share your enthusiasm for maintaining organization at home, here are some tips to help you deal with the situation. TIP #1 - EXPLAIN WHAT'S IN IT FOR THEM: Let them know that you'll be more pleasant to be around if they pitch in and help and you don't feel you have to do everything yourself. If they help, there will be more time to spend together as a family doing fun things! TIP #2 - SHOW THEM WHERE YOU WANT THINGS: It's easy to feel that the other people you live with are purposely sabotaging your efforts, thinking that you will just clean up after them.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Get organized and protect yourself from identity theft

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 9 millio Americans have their identities stolen each year, making identity theft one of the fasting growing crimes in this country. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, credit card numbers or other financial account information, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity theft takes many different forms and can ruin your good name and destroy your credit.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Dispelling One of The Big Myths About Being Organized

Recently, a woman called to ask whether I could help organize her husband's home office. My first question to her was whether or not her husband had requested help organizing his office. She sheepishly confessed that it was her idea because his messy office was driving her crazy. Next, I asked her if she knew whether or not her husband had trouble finding things in his office when he needed them. She said that he never complained about it and did not seem to have trouble finding what he needed when he needed it (though she couldn't understand how he did it!).

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Small steps add up to big changes

For some people, achieving organization seems like an impossible task. If you think it would be easier to win a gold medal at the Olympics than to get organized, let me assure you that nothing is further from the truth. Although some people just seem to be naturally organized, being organized is not a talent. It's an acquired skill like reading or playing tennis and anyone can have a well-ordered, peaceful environment.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

The Good News About Clutter

Hard times provide an opportunity to ask hard questions and several times in the last year I have heard clients overwhelmed by their clutter wonder out loud, “Why did I buy all this stuff?” The answer is that our economy is driven by material consumption so it constantly needs and encourages us to spend money on “stuff”.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

The Dos and Don'ts of Regifting

As someone who helps people deal with too much "stuff" and not enough space for it all (FYI: it doesn't matter how much space you have, you never have enough!), I think that regifting is a great way to be green, get the right item to the right person and declutter at the same time. In case you don’t know what regifting is, it’s giving an unwanted gift to someone else. The comedia Jerry Seinfeld first coined the term in 1995 on an episode of his sitcom, Seinfeld.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

The 15-Minutes-A-Day Approach to Organizing

If you get distracted easily and/or don’t have a lot of time to devote to organizing your home or office, the 15-minutes-a-day approach may be a good solution for you. You may think that you don’t have an extra 15 minutes each day to devote purely to organizing, but you probably waste more time than that everyday searching for things! The fact is that you will never "find" time. If you want time, you have to make it. So make time now to save time later.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Control What You Buy Or It Will Control You!

Recently, I returned to a client’s home to help her tune-up the clothes closet in her bedroom. When she opened the door, the first thing I noticed were the boxes of cereal and paper towels that had taken up residency on the shelf. Like many New Yorkers, my client has limited closet space for her clothes, none of which she could afford to share with food and paper goods. When I asked her why they were in her closet, she said she didn’t have anywhere else to put them.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Organizing Tips for Headache-free Travel

TIP #1 - RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES: Taking time off from work for a vacation is one of the best ways to recharge your batteries and improve your productivity. Warning: Make sure you don't spend too much time on any work you take with you or checking in with the office while you're away or you'll defeat the whole purpose of taking a vacation! TIP #2 - ADVANCE PLANNING: Some advance planning will go a long way to making your trip a pleasant one. Buy airline tickets well in advance so you don't have to pay top dollar for them.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Chronic Disorganization

The National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD) defines Chronic Disorganization (CD) as “…having a past history of disorganization in which self-help efforts to change have failed, an undermining of current quality of life due to disorganization and the expectation of future disorganization.” Disorganization can be caused by many factors and may be situational or chronic. Situational Disorganization occurs as the result of an unusual or life event that temporarily causes clutter or chaos.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Creating The Life You Want

Getting organized isn't just about cleaning up the clutter or managing your time better. It's about creating the life you want. This is an important concept to understand because many people don't understand what being organized is truly about. And because they don't truly understand they have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear; paper piled up on every available, horizontal surface in their home or office and file cabinets, a computer and desk drawers filled with information they no longer use.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Tips To Help You Be More Productive at Work

TIP #1 - GET YOUR WORKSPACE ORGANIZED:Clear your desk and other horizontal surfaces of all unnecessary gadgets and items that you don't use everyday. Keep frequently used items within arms' reach. Create space and breathing room so you can be more productive. Clean up your bulletin board. Throw away all the old Post-it note reminders you have scattered around. Use a vertical step rack or desktop file for "action" or important files. Arrange your furniture and equipment so you have easy access to the things you need.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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By A.J. MillerRecently published1 topic

Organizing Tips To Help You Reduce Stress and Save Time and Money

TIP #1 - THE ORGANIZING PROCESS: You won't be able to get every area of your life organized in one day so don't frustrate yourself by trying! Work at a pace that is comfortable for you and remember that being organized is a life long, on-going process, not a permanently achieved state.

Primary topic: Organizing and Learning How to Organize
Organizing and Learning How to Organize
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