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Advice Columns Harriet offers helpful advice and tips through three different columns: 1. If you need help with storage solutions and deciding which type of organizing product(s) would be best for your current needs, contact Harriet through her Ask Our Organizer column at the Stacks and Stacks organizing products online catalog.  2. Organized Outlook is an organizing tips column that Harriet writes for sdhome, an award-winning magazine published by the San Diego Union-Tribune. 3. If you have a question about how to conquer clutter, manage your time or get organized, you can Ask The Miracle Worker (below).

 

JAN / FEB / MAR  2012

Ask The Miracle Worker

Q: I don't understand why organizers always tell people to sort stuff into categories.  Isn't that just a delaying tactic?

A:  Grouping similar items together can help you focus your attention and utilize your decision- making momentum.  Unsorted clutter tends to fragment your attention and makes it difficult to really "see" what's there.  Think how difficult it would be to shop, for example, if supermarkets jumbled all merchandise together instead of grouping products into department categories.

But sorting can become a delaying tactic when it's not done quickly and purposefully.  If you dawdle over old junk mail or get lost in reading articles you clipped ages ago, you'll spend more time dithering than decluttering.  Tip:  Use a ticking timer to keep you on track--before you begin, set it for five or ten minutes, and try to "beat the clock."

© 2012 by Harriet Schechter
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Do you have question about conquering clutter or chaos? E-mail it to The Miracle Worker using the address at the bottom of this page. Be sure to include: 1)  your name (which will be kept private);  2) your city & state (or country, if outside the U.S.); and 3) how you heard about this site.

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