The Vicious Cycle

I can't buy anything because my credit cards are maxed. My credit cards are maxed because I don't have any money. I don't have any money because my retirement account is gone. My retirement account is gone because the stock market tanked. The stock market tanked because the mortgage companies went bankrupt. The mortgage companies went bankrupt because morons are running them. Morons are running them ... well, I don't know why morons are running them. Can anyone explain that?

Work that will never get done

A recent Blondie comic strip was quite funny from the organizational skills point of view. Dagwood is explaining that he is dividing his workload. He says, "The first pile is for this week, the second pile is for next week, and the third pile will probably never get done."

I wouldn't recommend this method for explaining your organizational skills to your boss, but I think it is worth sharing just from the humor standpoint.

Visit the Blondie site for more smiles and chuckles.

Learn to adapt - The egg timer quit

I have never been known as someone who brushes his teeth well. My parents taught me to brush in circles, but I didn't do that well. At least my childhood dentist always said, "You are not brushing good!" when I had a bunch of cavities at my checkups. Later a dentist taught me to brush straight back and forth. Then I heard we should be brushing at least two minutes. So I timed myself and that seemed like a long time. Obviously I wasn't brushing very long before that. But my dentist says now my teeth and gums are looking a lot better.

At my wife's latest checkup, they told her to brush at least three minutes, and gave her two egg timers to use, one for her, one for me. So I have upped my brushing to three minutes, and sometimes even go a little beyond the egg timer limit.

Then one night, the egg timer quit. It got stuck about 2/3 of the way through it's only and very important job of timing. I've never heard of an egg timer quitting before. But I adapted. Obviously I'm not still in there brushing my teeth!

This may be a somewhat silly way of pointing out that we have to learn to adapt. When we are doing our organizing, something may just not be working, so we have to adapt. Try something different. Change tactics. Think of something new.

So let's say I'm working at my computer desk and I notice a pile of "important" things is getting a little too big. It's the place where I keep those things I want to check before filing, or some figures I want to add to one of my many statistical spreadsheets.

The "pile" is part of my organizational process. I don't want things laying all over, so I keep them neatly on one pile where they won't get lost. Apparently that's not working if I think my pile is getting too big. So I have to adapt, try something new. I remind myself that I shouldn't deal with something more than once. "Organize by dealing with it once!" was the title of my very first post on this blog. So either I've forgotten that great piece of advice, or I need to adapt it a little more to make it work, or perhaps try something different. It's not that my organizational efforts are all bad. I just need to adapt a little.

So if you find something in your organizational process is not working quite right, don't be afraid to change it. Adapt. The problem is not that your organizational efforts aren't good, they may just need tweaking once in a while.

Organized medical information

At last someone has solved an important medical problem - how to have your medical information with you when you are traveling, on vacation, out of the country, or just visiting friends or relatives for the weekend. The solution is MedeFile - information for life.

Now you can carry your entire medical history with you, wherever you go, safely and securely. The MedeDrive is a specially designed Flash Drive that holds your Emergency Medical Information and your entire medical record. When plugged into the USB port of a PC, this Username and password protected device provides vital lifesaving information to emergency medical personnel.

The MedeVault is the secure online storage location for all your actual medical records collected by MedeFile on your behalf. Whatever is in the file in your doctors office is also in the MedeVault. Your records can be indexed by date, physician/hospital, or record type making it simple to find any previous test result or doctors visit. To protect your privacy, your records can only be accessed by you or those you designate.

MedeFile's security architecture ensures that its services are provided with the highest degree of privacy and integrity using well established, proven security methodologies. The architecture provides multiple lines of defense with each line employing a distinct mechanism.

Don't get caught away from home with a medical emergency and no medical information available for the medical staff who will take care of you. Sign on today to carry your medical information with you wherever you go!!!

Organized online marketing techniques

If you are a beginner to online marketing and would like to build an online business, I have some good news for you. Or if you have already started an online business, but would like to learn some techniques that would help your business grow, I also have great news for you.

The people at 30 Day Challenge have organized a series of videos which will be presented over a period of 30 days to teach you from beginning to end how to develop an online business. And some really great news, there is no charge and no cost to use these principles. Set up your business for FREE!

They have some fantastic tools that you can use as a participant in the 30 Day Challenge, such as the Market Samurai, a keyword research tool that is just being released and promises great results. It is available for all challenge participants to use FREE. And that is just by day 2.

You can still get in on this great training program. Just sign up FREE at 30 Day Challenge, watch the videos at your convenience, and learn and grow your business. It's that simple!

Join me in the 30 Day Challenge.

Organized weed timming

Black & Decker has organized my weed trimming with the Black & Decker CST1000 12V Cordless 9" Automatic Feed Trimmer/Edger.

I used to have get out my 100' extension cord - spend a few minutes untangling it even though I had carefully wound it up to hang on the wall the last time I used it - plug it into my weed eater - do part of the yard - pound it on the ground trying to get more string out - unwind the electrical cord from around the trees - do some more of the yard - pull it through the garage so I could do the front of the yard - unplug it - wind up the cord to hang it back on the wall.

Now I just take my cordless trimmer off the wall - trim the weeds - hang it back on the wall. It is so simple. I can even take it to our garden plot across town and trim weeds there.

There are many nice features in addition to the cordless convenience. There is no pounding it on the ground to advance the string. It has an AFS (Automatic Feed Spool) which senses when more string is needed and advances it automatically.


There is also a flip down guide for precise trimming. And this trimmer also serves as an edger with Groom N' Edge technology. A simple push of a button and the entire head swivels 180 degrees to turn the trimmer into a very usable edger for along the sidewalks, driveway, and street.

It comes with a handy charger wall mount for storage. When it is fully charged, it goes into a trickle mode so it is always charged and ready to go when I'm ready. And the charge lasts long enough to do my entire lawn and edge the driveway and along the street with power to spare.

My only complaint is the picture on the box. The picture on the front looks like a surf board. Every time I used it, I wished I was at the beach instead of heading out to mow my lawn. When I finally threw the box away, all problems were solved.

I now trim and edge each time I mow. It is a joy, instead of a hassle to be avoided. I highly recommend getting a Black & Decker CST1000 for yourself. The price is very reasonable. It lists for $72.00. Toolbarn.com offers it at a special price - just $49.99 while supplies last.

3 tips for organizing your garage

Getting your garage organized like this one pictured from Wall Control can seem like a huge project. While it may take a little time, the benefits are well worth it. According to AllExperts, a well-organized and made-over garage can increase the value of a home by $2,000 to $10,000.

That being said, according to Hints for Homeowners , a recent Gladiator GarageWorks consumer survey found that nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of consumers characterize their garage as a "don't wan to go in there" space. While many said their garage is "clean cut and simple," the survey revealed that 32 percent of consumers today can't get their car into the garage.“Many garages are chaotic piles of seasonal tools, gadgets and equipment that are often left on the floor or force-fit into mismatched organizational solutions. In fact, company research shows that the top drivers for purchasing organizational products for the garage are wanting a more organized look and getting things off the floor. We feel creating the right plan and products to meet many lifestyles makes all the difference in addressing this need,” said garage organization expert Lou Ann Schafer.

So here are three tips shared by Gladiator GarageWorks.

1. One Size Does Not Fit All: Bins are not an organizational solution for everyone. Instead, identify your lifestyle needs and then embark on an organizational plan. Are you a golfer, gardener, bike rider? Specifically tailored storage solutions will help you manage these interests.
2. Identify Zones: The garage can serve many purposes. Lay the space out like you would a room inside your house. Is there room for the car? What storage solutions can be hung on the wall to free up floor space? A sample garage blueprint tool can be found on the Gladiator brand Web site.
3. The Garage Is For Everyone: Once considered the guy’s domain, the garage is increasingly becoming a shared family space. Take all parties’ interests and needs into consideration when organizing and get them involved. This can include the integration of specific solutions, such as ball caddies, bike hooks and mobile, modular cabinets.

Using these tips can turn that "don't want to go in there" space into a well-organized impressive place you won't mind showing off to the neighbors, that is, unless you are afraid they will just be coming over to borrow your tools!