My life is being cluttered by tips on de-cluttering. I walked into Office Max to buy some pens and was greeted by a life-sized cardboard cutout of Peter Walsh, who is widely known as an expert on de-cluttering homes and offices. Once in the store, I ran into a table stocked with his wares, including an expanding file for $15.49 and a desktop sorter for $35.99. If you want to be ultra-organized, you can buy the "You organized" all-in-one desk for $149.
As I walked toward my aisle, I glanced down the "organization" aisle, only to find a dozen or so Peter Walsh items, including a DVD called "It's all too much: A step by step guide for de-cluttering and bringing organization to every room in your home." The products declare him to be an "international organizational expert." Signage near the clear file folders let me know that they'll help me identify the papers inside the easiest. And the clear folders WITH A PATTERN etched on them will let ME see the papers clearly but keep other prying eyes from being able to read them. Other items for sale: a bag of mini binder clips for $6.29 and super-sticky post-it note pads for $7.99.
Perusing magazines the other day, it seemed that every other one had tips to lighten your load at your home and office. Even the Oprah Magazine ran a big banner across the front: "De-Clutter your life: Say Goodbye to the stuff that's weighing you down."
I'm being weighed down by advice. There's no charge for this simple tip: De-cluttering is easy -- toss or donate stuff that you don't use or wear and keep on top of your mail and paper work. Buying scads of magazines to tell you how or special, color-coded files will only clutter your life!
What do you think? What are your tips for staying organized?
