My husband has a bit of a problem. He gets two weekly magazines (The Economist and The New Yorker), plus we get the New York Times delivered every day. So much to read, and so little time. The newspaper tends to stay in the dining room (it’s easier to read when spread out on the table), but the magazines gravitate toward the bedroom so that he can read them when we go to bed. It’s rare that he gets all the…
Read more →One of my daily pleasures is doing the crossword puzzle in the New York Times. In yesterday’s puzzle, the clue for 9-down was “Things meant to be used and then thrown away.” I knew the answer right away: ephemera. I use this word frequently with my clients because I want to help them decide which paper items they should save and which they should let go. Dictionary.com further defines ephemera as “items designed to be useful or important for only a short time, especially…
Read more →Recently, I picked up a copy of the magazine “Secrets of Getting Organized”, which is put out every spring by Better Homes and Gardens Special Publications. I had been included in an article in this magazine in the past, and was curious to see which of my colleagues were being quoted this year. The photos in this magazine were fantastic. Every home looked pristine and relaxing. The organizing ideas were creative and the decor color-coordinated. That’s when it hit me….
Read more →I’ve noticed a curious thing when I work with clients who hold on to unread magazines and newspapers for months, sometimes years. These folks get very emotional when you try to convince them that they should let these old periodicals go. They panic at the thought of letting the stories leave their home unread. I call these people “information hoarders”. Once information comes through the front door, it can’t leave unless it has been read. It doesn’t matter how old…
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