New Tao in '08

The Tao of Organization is NOT gone!

Tao has been on a bit of a hiatus, but will return with new links, news, and updates in January 2008.

So keep a look out for more...

Organization: Not Just For Scrappers

Regardless of whether you're a "scrapper" or not, you will be sure to find something that catches your eye in the Storage & Organization section of this Scrapbook.com Superstore.

If you ARE a scrapper, you'll likely salivate over the rest of the site, too. Scrapbook.com includes a forum, blogs, university, and even a gallery of pages and projects.

www.scrapbook.com

Gcycle Your Tech

In the back corner of her attic,

my friend had a secret,

an old, dusty, and potentially dangerous secret.

A secret few of us know how to deal with...

Unused, obsolete, and broken technology.

Two old laptops, a broken monitor, an ancient CPU, and a few lonely mice were clustered together in this dark, dismal corner.

Why did these items lie buried in her attic?

Because she knew she shouldn't send them to the landfill, but she simply did not know what to do with them.

So, she kept them...

and kept them...

and kept them.

But now there is a solution!

The cable channel G4 "has teamed up with Earth 911 to make recycling our old electronics as easy as possible." Simply visit www.gcycle.org and enter your zip code to find locations near you that will take your old stuff and safely recycle it.

What can you recycle?

• Batteries
• Print Cartridges
• Video Tapes
• Video Game Consoles
• Cell Phone Chargers
• Cell Phones & Equipment
• Telephones & Equipment
• CDs & DVDs
• Computers
• Televisions
• Monitors
• Laptops
• Floppy Disks

Gcycle.org

6 Tips for Winter Home Organization

POLC| Winter Home Organization Guide

"There's a chill in the air...a great time to get ready for the next several months of winter by making your home better organized. December is the perfect time to get started."

From kids to cars, Pendaflex offers 6 tips for making your home run just a wee bit smoother this winter.

7 Secrets of the Super Organized - Dumb Little Man

Author Leo Babauta gives us 7 simple, yet unbelievably effective habits that will not just help you become organized. They'll transform you into the SUPER organized.

But don't despair if you are a mere mortal! Babauta recommends you start slowly.

"Work on a habit for a month or so, then move on to the next one. Or adopt two or three if you think you can handle it, but don't do them all at once."

Personally, I use habit number 2 religiously: Write it down now, always. Using 1 subject spiral notebooks purchased in bulk at the end of each school year, I write down anything and everything I think of. Having all my information and thoughts in one place frees me (from needing to remember it all) and my desk (from becoming devoured by post-it notes).



7 Secrets of the Super Organized - Dumb Little Man
-C. Ray Chapman

NEW!! ORGANIZE MAGAZINE

We at The Tao of Organization are positively giddy! A new magazine has hit our bookstore shelves dedicated solely to all things organization. And aptly named it is:

Organize Magazine

FasTab Folders

As seen in Organize Magazine, July/August 2007.



From the company:

SUFFER FROM PLASTIC TAB AVOIDANCE?

Do you consider stacking important papers in piles because the thought of making hanging folders with plastic tabs is overwhelming?

Do you suffer anxiety about plastic tabs popping off and attacking you at your desk?

Does the mere thought of filing induce nausea?

If these symptoms sound familiar, you may be suffering from Plastic Tab Avoidance (PTA), a condition that affects millions of office workers worldwide. If left untreated, massive disorganization may occur. But there is help available. Smead’s new FasTab™ Hanging Folders eliminate the need for plastic tabs to label your important files.

FasTab eliminates the pesky, multiple-step process of labeling new hanging folders with plastic tabs. Simply grab a folder, label or hand write on the sturdy, built-in tab and place it in your drawer. With the reinforced, 2-ply tabs built-in, you no longer need to worry about plastic tabs popping off. And with FasTab’s patent-pending design, there is no need for traditional label slots. As a result, the hanging folder can be constructed from a continuous sheet and provides greater surface area for the adhesive along the rod—reinforcing the point of stress. This makes for a much stronger, more durable folder that’s built tough and lasts longer.

“Organizing your file drawer doesn’t get any simpler than FasTab Hanging Folders,” said Jim Riesterer, Smead Vice President of Marketing. “Smead learned that the process of inserting plastic tabs was a major hang-up for a majority of office workers so, we created a quicker and more convenient option that eliminates the stress and hassle from getting organized.”

Smead’s FasTab Hanging Folders were developed as the result of extensive consumer research that found 75% of those surveyed believed it’s either a major or minor hassle to label a hanging folder. And 50% complained about plastic tabs falling off the folders. To address these concerns, Smead created FasTab—the first, all-in-one hanging folder that provides the cure for PTA and promotes a more organized office.

FasTab Hanging Folders are available at major office supply stores throughout the United States and later through leading contract stationers and stationery wholesalers in the U.S. and in Canada.

Details
Sizes: Letter - 64082, Legal - 64083
Color: Moss only
Tabs: 1/3 - cut only
Price: $13.99 per box (priced at Office Depot)

Expanded Tao of Organization Store

The Tao of Organization Store's product list has grown.

Find expanded categories such as:

Closet Accessories

Shelving

Additional categories have been added. Explore:

Beauty

Software

Computers and Electronics

Visit the store at:

The Tao of Organization Store

Let's Spend Some Cash: Consumerist's 10 Tips That Will Make Sure You'll Stay Broke - Consumerist

Let's Spend Some Cash: Consumerist's 10 Tips That Will Make Sure You'll Stay Broke - Consumerist

It might seem that this article has no place in our blog. It's not about storage containers or neatness. It provides no tips about how to balance your checkbook or sort your bills. Have we, even at this early stage of content building, completely lost sight of our mission? Are we straying from our path?

Hardly.

Money may be the root of all evil, but let's face it - this evil is definitely all around us. Your first defense in this epic battle? Organized finances.

The hard truth is that even thinking about finances sends millions of Americans straight to the nearest retailer. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

The Consumerist website has taken a decidedly different approach to this issue in their article, "Let's Spend Some Cash: Consumerist's 10 Tips That Will Make Sure You'll Stay Broke." Author Meg Marco doesn't lecture you to create a budget or watch your spending like every other finance publication. She tells you NOT to do them.

And, frankly, it's more frightening.

I hope you don't see yourself in any of these: http://consumerist.com/consumer/let.s-spend-some-cash/consumerists-10-tips-that-will-make-sure-youll-stay-broke-284375.php

The PileSmart Desktop Organizer

Another new product from Pendaflex has us salivating in the aisles of our local office supply store - the PileSmart Desktop Organizer.

From the company:

The Pendaflex PileSmart Desktop Organizer is part of the new Pendaflex PileSmart range of organization solutions.

Today, many people keep their working documents stacked in piles on their desk. Pendaflex PileSmart is a line of items specially designed to keep piles of documents organized. Now you can keep your workspace clear and quickly find what you are looking for.

The Pendaflex PileSmart Desktop Organizer is the perfect solution to help effortlessly organize the piles on your desk. The attractive, glass-like plastic tray helps to keep your papers contained. The tray is slightly slanted towards the back corner to keep your papers looking neat. The six colorful patent pending dividers with write and erase labels are visible from 2 sides to help clearly separate and identify your different stacks of papers. The dividers are study enough to help lift your papers.

The Pendaflex PileSmart Desktop Organizer is made of durable acrylic. It will keep your desk looking neater and help you quickly find what you are looking for.

Details:
Colors: Clear - 51036
Sizes: Letter size only
Suggested Retail Price: $22.50

I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Filled with organizing ideas, pictures, recipes, and personal commentary, I'm an Organizing Junkie! "chronicle[s] the life of an organizing junkie and attempt[s] to get others "hooked". Blog author Laura, a self-proclaimed "freak" with a passion for organization, is especially kindred to those of us suffering from unabashed container-lust.

Check out her blog and enjoy!
http://orgjunkie.blogspot.com/

The On The Go Desk Top File

Pendaflex, a leader in office product innovation and one of my favorite office supply companies, announces a new product: the On The Go Desk Top File.

From the company:

In today's business environment workers often need to take their work with them. Whether it is meetings with clients, working from remote locations or simply taking work home, business professionals need products that help them keep mobile.

To meet this growing need, Pendaflex is launching the new "On the Go" Desk Top File. The Desk Top File is a standing "stadium style" filing system that easily and quickly converts into a portable carrying case. The 6 color-coded dividers provide plenty of room for your active files and documents. The dividers feature write-on labels to easily organize and label your work.

Best of all, when your ready to go, the base of the Desk Top File unsnaps to form a lightweight carrying case so you can take all your active files with you. Now there's no need to transfer files or mess up your desk! When you reach your destination, simply unsnap the handle to form the base and you have all the files you need right in front of you.

Details
Colors: Blue - 51068, Charcoal - 51069
Sizes: Letter size only
Suggested Retail Price: $16.00

The Big-and Small-Picture: Design & Organization

On The Tao of Organization website, you will often find the line between organization and design is blurred. This is neither an error on our part, nor a clouding of our mission. We will occasionally feature books, magazines, or websites that appear to be solely about design, but they will always offer concepts that organization lovers might find useful or, at the very least, affordable.

Why?

Because, ultimately, the two concepts must work in harmony with each another.

No organization detracts from great design.
No design clutters even the best organizing solution.

We hope you will appreciate the ideas presented in the items we refer you to! And, as always, please feel free to provide us feedback by using the contact page.

Introducing Our New Amazon Store

Here you will find books, magazines, and products to help you organize your time, home, office, classroom, research, and more. Check it out!

The Tao of Organization Store
http://astore.amazon.com/taooforganization-20

You can also access The Tao of Organization store through the Store page on this blog.

DigsMagazine.com

www.digsmagazine.com

This is an fabulous online resource for the "post-college, pre-parenthood, quasi-adult generation" or anyone else who likes fun, truly affordable, and easy solutions to home decor and organization.

Filled with great ideas, the Lounge, an area specifically for "transform[ing] your home into your personal space," is filled with great ideas, like building a bookcase, easy entryway organizing, and a great multi-part organizing feature entitled "Cull, Baby, Cull."

If you fall in love with this site like I did, be aware that the Lounge section is updated once every two weeks. This can seem like an unbearable stretch at times, but take this time to visit the other 3 sections of the site, Nourish, Host, and Laze, for more great tips in other areas of life.

Awards:
Pacific Internet Daily Pick (12 June 2000)
CoolStop Best of the Cool Award (25 April 2000)
Project Cool Sighting (16 April 2000)

As seen in:
Detroit News
Spirit Canada
New York Magazine
Yahoo Internet Life
AdWeek
Mademoiselle

-C. Ray Chapman

Copyright (c) 2007 by C. Ray Chapman

Welcome to The Tao of Organization!

Tao: Chinese character for "way" or "path".

The mission of our blog is simple: to help you find balance in your lives through organization, not to be ruled by it. Our Tao is about integrating organization into our lives, not obsessing over unrealistic images of perfection.

Our heroes aren't the orgi-natzis with unlimited budgets and staff, like Martha Stewart; they're the moms who can receive company with 15 minutes notice and not stress over a few stray cheerios on their kitchen floors, the newbie adults who live in cramped, overcrowded, closet-sized apartments, but still have all their cds, dvds, vinyl, and video games sorted alphabetically, and the crazed execs who have every appointment and person they've ever met in their blackberry as they walk around in mis-matched socks.

Organizing isn't about perfection. It's about dealing with the minutiae of life, so that you can have just that - a LIFE.

Our blog will offer:

• Tips & tricks for dealing with everyday - and unique - clutter problems
• News & reviews of organizing and design books, websites, television shows, and more
• New product spotlights and reviews

I hope you will join us as we continue on this journey.

-C. Ray Chapman

Copyright (c) 2007 by C. Ray Chapman