#napo2011

My 100th tweet.  Whoot!

When I started my professional organizing business on 1/1/11, I did not give Twitter much thought.  Declare Order professional organizing was hooked up with Blogger, a domain - www.declareorder.com, and a fb page.  That was enough - right?

One day, out of curiosity? I checked out the site.  To my delight I fell in - as I tend to do when inspiration strikes.  It has been 20 days now.  TWENTY DAYS.  In those 20 days, I have tweeted 100 times.  And I don't even know why!

Tweet #1...

a reply to @normmacdonald.  Yes, the comedian.  

Tweet #10

Link to my blog post.

http://declareorder.blogspot.com/2011/03/spring-in-big-box-store.html  

(Actual URL.  Had not yet attempted bit.ly maneuver.)

Tweet #20

Retweet from @GreySkyThinking
"Do you feel like you're stuck on the outside while all the cool stuff is inside? Then you're probably a loner. Or a fridge magnet."

Diversions...
I do speak Parseltongue, but with a thick Bronx accent.

I am not going to write about @BronxZoosCobra.  I mean, I did.  But I am not going to here.  Something went awry there.  Pre-recaputured tweets had different voice.  Unfollowed...

Tweet #50 - Learning To Pound

"Donating Declare Order packages to local PTA silent auctions. Kind of a "Spa Day 4 Closets!" #professionalorganizing

Fast Forward to this Friday... 

Was #FF by 2@s.  (Had to Google to figure out what it meant.)

Reading Twitterville by, Shel Israel.  Followed the NAPO 2011 conference in real time.  In awe of this profession.  In awe of this communication tool.

@Lifeisgood_.

Tweet #48
If a twitter #tweet falls in the global village
but no one reads it, does it say anything? #jw

Book Whisperer

 

"My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way." ~ Hemingway

Not sold on the e-book trend.  Real books wilt in the attic.  Live in stacks.  They eat, pray, and leave (perhaps in a tote bag at a book club, or a seat on the train).  Occasionally they meander back.  Or they don't - making room for more!

Books comfort.  Enrich.  Beg to be handled.  Removed.  "Take me with you!"  Then, "Pass me along..."

Make a home library if you must - sorted by subject and/or size.  Author, color, or treasure factor.  Keep track of them when they go.  Fret until they return.  But cherish.


The Book Whisperer 

Spongebob Squarepants

Buddy from Cake Boss,  
NFL Football Players, 
Project Runway's Tim Gunn, 

Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick,  
Wii Miis,  
Facebook Friends...

Colorful characters enter our lives via screens.  But how to manage them all?

     One solution is to give these entertaining folks a designated time to come in!  Provide a boundary.  Make them less available ALL THE TIME.

     Think about it this way...The newspaper is on the driveway in the morning.  School buses arrive and depart at designated times before and after school.  Motivated people work-out early before work.

     We anticipate these events and plan around them.
 

     Controlling the quantity of screen time needs to be a conscious choice.  The American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting children's total screen time to no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality screen time per day.  One solution for keeping this trifecta of tv, video games, and computers being used for entertainment purposes under control is to schedule it in at designated times.

Screen Time Management Schedule:

7:00 - 8:00 am

4:00 - 5:00 pm

8:00 - 9:00 pm

This schedule includes weekends!  Perhaps the 8:00 - 9:00 pm time would only be allowed if homework is finished, dinner is eaten, and hygiene is in check.  My own son rarely wakes in time on school days to make the 7:00 - 8:00am slot and no longer begs for "just 15 minutes."  If the time is past, the time is past.  Some days the kids watch three hours and some days just one.  It all evens out nicely :)

     We do make allowances, as needed - when the Chicago Bears are playing, or for a movie night.  And, obviously, TiVo makes recording shows a snap.  The weekend rule at our house was amended to "You can watch/play for one hour after you wake up," to meet our family's needs.  We did not want to encourage the kids to wake up early on Saturday just to watch tv!

     Organizing screen time in this manner has become a habit.  The middle of the day is for school or play.  Screen time is not filler time - it is a conscious part of the daily routine. 

Shredder War

     January 2011.  Stacks of paper replete with personal and confidential information are gathering for a proper recycle.  While mechanized shredding can be a precise method of reusing or reducing these stacks, I prefer to RIP 'em to shreds.

Case and Point

In this corner -
10 pieces of paper and a standard light duty shredder
Ready...steady...go!

5 minutes and 42 seconds later...
Paper jam.  Give up.

            SHREDDER       

In that corner -

10 pieces of paper and a standard light duty pair of hands

Ready...steady...go! 

1 minute and 31 seconds later... 

Done.  Ripped up to three pieces at one time!

 

RIPPED 'EM            

    

     One hundred sheets ripped by hand takes 15 minutes and provides a free forearm workout.  With all hands on deck, it might be possible to knock off 100 in less than 5 minutes!  Hands win.  Hands down.  Shredder, may you R.I.P.

p.s. Shredder Wars TMNT Shredder Wars