Self Optimizing

The Amazon Kindle is the best decluttering and organizing tool you could possibly buy if you are an avid reader. I love books.  I love reading them and sharing them.  I even love hanging out at bookstores! But a few weeks ago I received a Kindle as a gift and it has truly shifted my [...]

I love pairing wine with food. It makes even the most ho hum meal into something a little more special.  But I am definitely not a wine expert!  Often, when I receive a bottle as a gift, I feel as if I might not be getting as much enjoyment from it as I could because [...]

Did you know that if you declutter your brain you can get a better night’s sleep? How many times have you crawled into bed so tired you can hardly pull up the covers, only to toss and turn for hours?  Chances are there are too many thoughts, worries, ideas, etc. swirling around in your brain [...]

The best time management book I’ve read in a long time is called Do It Tomorrow by Mark Forster. As the title indicates, Mr. Forster’s basic premise is, if it’s not an emergency, it can wait until tomorrow.  Don’t let every little thing that comes up during the day interrupt what you had already planned [...]

Do you need to declutter your home in a hurry? Has clutter stealthily taken over your home?  Would you like to have friends stop by after work but are embarrassed by your home’s appearance? Are you overwhelmed by what a huge job it will be to get all the clutter under control? Well worry no [...]

Isn’t it amazing (and horrible) how one event can change your day from good to bad in an instant? I’m sure you can think of instances where this has happened in your own life.  Your work day (or weekend) is rolling smoothly along when – *BAM!* – you get a phone call, email, visitor, etc. [...]

Trying to stay productive when you’re sick is like climbing up a slimy, muddy hill in the rain. Your energy is gone, you can’t make any progress, you feel miserable, and you look like crap.  Back when I taught high school, I once had a student ask me why I had put eye shadow under [...]

I’m always on the lookout for new and better organization tools. Over the years, I have learned about lots of different tools.  Some have stuck with me and some have been discarded.  I’ve modified some to make them work for my particular needs and I’ve accidentally invented some methods out of necessity. Here are some [...]

I’ve been wanting to start this blog for a while now.  I love reading and learning about things to make every day life easier and more efficient.  To me that means finding ways to make the best use of my 24/7 time allotment for home, work, and leisure. I’m going to be writing about optimizing [...]