Archive for December 2009
22
Technology Review: TeuxDeux To-Do Application
No comments · Posted by Keith Bretzius in Technology, To-Do Lists
TeuxDeux Demo from TeuxDeux on Vimeo.
TeuxDeux is a nice little application to manage your To-Do lists. In particular, I like two features that are not very common in other To-Do applications. You can drag and drop your items from one day to the next – easily giving you the ability to quickly manage your days. The other is how the days are presented. The interface presents the days like a timeline. A week is presented on the screen and to move forward you move right in the timeline. A simple thought but very effective.
TeuxDeux is a simple, designy, browser-based to-do app and the first collaboration between studio-mates swissmiss and Fictive Kin .
The idea was to build a bare-bones, but visually compelling and highly usable to-do app based on Tina’s personal ideal work-flow.
Features include:
- - week overview
- - check off done tasks
- - delete tasks
- - move tasks
- - someday bucket
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18
What is Organizing Furniture?
No comments · Posted by Keith Bretzius in Design, Organize, Style
In the last post I talked about “organizing furniture.” Just to be clear, when I say organizing furniture, I mean furniture that is used for organizing that is placed in the main living spaces of our home. Might sound like common sense but think about it a little longer and the dilemma that comes with organizing in your living space. This type of furniture is obviously different from storage solutions we place in the basement that are out of our everyday sight and usually behind closed doors.
A $38 storage rack from Walmart. Not really designed for your living space, is it?
Organizing furniture is out for everyone to see. Not only does it need to reflect who we are it needs to be consistent with our home décor and style. It says a lot about who we are and the pride we take in our homes. Finally, since organizing furniture occupies precious space in our living space it needs to be multifunctional not only from an aesthetic point of view but good old functionality as well.
For example, a storage bench or ottoman that doubles as a footrest or seat but also holds items we need to constantly access. Another good example is a computer desk. They hid electronics but also may act as a work station for other activities.
A stylish, multifunctional piece of organizing furniture for $599 from Crate and Barrel.
The main purpose? Look good and hide our messes. The bigger picture? As we move to be more efficient in our lifestyles we demand more from our furniture. We need our furniture not only to reflect our style and look good, but to be functional and help us organize.
Talk about multifunctional. Holds wine and glasses and has side shelves and center storage. From Crate and Barrel for $379.
Consider the the bench with coat rack above. If we needed a place to hang our coat that would be one thing but now we add a bench for shoes and if you live in the mid-west like we do, a place for hats, gloves, etc. Sort of becomes a highly efficient one-time-stop shop for all things related. I often wonder how people got organized back in the day? Did they worry about organizing? Did they have less stuff? Or did the just not care how they presented their home? It begs the question, when did organizing become a big deal?
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When it comes to organizing your things it can take some pretty innovative solutions. I’m not talking about the things you can store in the basement. I’m referring to organizing the things we need immediate access to. The objects around the house that need to be organized for daily living and we often use furniture to help us with these organizing needs.
This Hipster Storage set offered by inmod may be stylish and versatile (in the traditional sense) but it doesn't conceal and is not affordable at $460.
Offered by PotteryBarn this Jameson Storage Bench is versatile but not very affordable at $399.
We need organizing solutions that achieve several different objectives.
- They need to be stylish – these organizing solutions are in plain site of company and part of our daily living space so we need something that is attractive an fits our home’s style and design.
- They need to store a variety of objects – These solutions need to accommodate different objects that have different meaning to many people in the household (see previous post, “What does it mean to be Organized?)
- They need to be space savers – Most of us (I am making a big assumption) live with limited space so we need solutions that optimize what little space we have.
- They need to be versatile – These solutions cannot just be for organizing they need to serve some other purpose. If they are going to occupy precious space in our living space they need to do other functions.
- They need to be affordable – Who doesn’t want something affordable and who has the money these days?
There are a lot of companies and designers out there that aim to offer innovative storage solutions but affordable pricing is another story – they almost all lack affordability. Take a look at these companies and what they have to offer:
Our company (re-function, LLC) is in the process of developing furniture that blends creative design with affordable pricing while solving your storage and organizing needs. Until we roll out our products we feel IKEA offers the best organizing solutions in terms of pricing and design. Let us know if you have found any that meet your expectations in terms of design and price.
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8
What does it mean to be Organized? (Part 3)
No comments · Posted by Keith Bretzius in Organize, Your Personality
The final post to this series focuses on the meaning you assign to objects and how that matches your expectations of yourself and your ideals.
Make sure when you assign meaning it matches who you are and your plan for being organized. Be realistic and don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself to do more than what you can. We all aspire to have everything in its place but what is realistic for your household? I know I have some minimalistic tendencies but that is not who I am nor is it achievable with three kids. Organizing is not about following a script or process but understanding who you are and working within those boundaries.
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7
What does it mean to be Organized? (Part 2)
No comments · Posted by Keith Bretzius in Organize, Your Personality, declutter
In yesterday’s post we discussed that if we are able to assign meaning to objects the clutter our lives would have a better chance of getting organized. By giving an object meaning we are close to understanding where it fits in our lives and in our home.
What do we do when we have conflict of meaning? Is assigning meaning that simple? Most of us live in households with multiple people who have multiple points of view. In my household, my opinions compete not only with my wife’s but with my children. Ok, so I even hesitate to say I have an opinion. It is more like noise that radiates from my mouth. I am heard but rarely understood. But for those of you who do have a voice and are heard, multiple views or opinions can alter the value and meaning of things that need to get organized.
For example, it may be difficult for me to understand the value or meaning of a baby blanket or toddler toy that is no longer being used. To me, it is taking up space. On the other hand, my wife does find value in that object. Conversely, I choose to keep my college baseball jersey. Not that I dwell on my past but in the rare times I do think back to “the days of old” (as if we have time to reflect!) it is nice to have something to remind me of who I was and what I did.
It is obvious to me that if being organized is the goal, and that multiple people in the household lend a hand in organizing, that value or meaning, has to be mutual or understood by everyone. A conflict in understanding the meaning of an object creates issues and more easily leads to a disorganized home. We have a tendency not to act on these objects. So getting organized is a group effort and really calls for mutual understanding from all of those lending a hand in removing clutter and organizing your home. More importantly, have compassion and try to understand the point of view of everyone who has a hand in organizing your home.
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6
What does it mean to be Organized? (Part 1)
No comments · Posted by Keith Bretzius in Organize, Your Personality
Meaning
I am still struggling to find meaning for this object. Actually, it has no meaning...so now what?
As an entrepreneur who is delving into the business of organizing I often question myself and wonder if what I am trying to do has any validity. I like to be organized and I really enjoy to build furniture that helps me get organized. In fact, building furniture is one of the reasons I got into this business in the first place. I enjoy figuring out creative solutions to my, well, let’s say, “organizing issues.” But I was not sure if better furniture was the answer to getting organized.
What do people need to get more organized? You always hear of ways to help people get organized and of people searching for the end-all solution. Being organized is subjective but if you ask me what being organized is I will tell you it is “a place for everything, everything in its place.”
I came across this post by David Allen that had some interesting thoughts and it helped me better define my vision of organization. I like the way he puts being disorganized: “You are disorganized if you need something somewhere that you don’t have it or have something somewhere that you don’t need it.”
The bigger point in getting organized is to assign meaning. Every object you possess needs to have a clearly defined meaning to you personally. “Is it a tool?”, “Is it one of you childs best pieces of art?”, “Is the object needed to help you stay organized?” We get disorganized when we have conflict or are unable to assign meaning to objects. These objects or things that don’t have a clearly defined meaning hang in “limbo” and get put into “material purgatory”. No clear meaning and we don’t know how an object fits into our lives and where it belongs.
To complicate matters even more, objects have different meanings to different people. In tomorrow’s post we discuss the dilemma of different means and how that complicates how we organize. We will pick up on this idea in Part 2 of this post tomorrow.
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We all want to be as efficient as possible. We have a lot to accomplish and our days are busy and fragmented as we deal with distractions and interruptions. How do we stay on course? One obvious way to be effiecent is to create To-Do lists. Problem with these lists is that we have too much to do and we often have difficulty keeping to them or, for that matter, accomplishing the tasks. This can become frustrating. I came accross a similar discussion the other day on the “Unclutter” blog with several creative ways to make your To-Do lists realistic and achieveable.
One commenter (Steph in Seattle) suggesting following the “M-A-S-T”. Make your To-Do lists:
Measurable: Create tasks that can be checked off when done and that are not vauge. Perhaps this means you need to break bigger tasks down in size? “I need to get to the bank and deposit the checks,” is more measurable than, “I need to do the finances today.” Finances could mean a number of things. Give yourself something measurable.
Attainable: Create tasks that are realistic. Do you really think “cleaning the kids rooms” is realistic or should it be something more attainable like “get the kids clothing put away”?
Specific: Very much related to the two discussed above but the point is to be specific about both your tasks and your goals.
Time-Limited: Give yourself realistic timelines for your projects. You will not be able to organize the basement in one day. Aside from that task being vauge, it is unrealistic. There are too many interruptions. Plan on interruptions and be realistic about the timelines.
We have a tendency to do it set unrealistic goals. Don’t fall into that trap. There is a lot that needs to be done and we need to figure out the only way it will get done is to manage these daily tasks in small stages. You will find the more To-Do list items you check off in a day the more accomplishment you will feel and the more effient you become.
There are alot of good products out there for managing your To-Do lists. Some people prefer paper and pencil, others prefer Apps on their mobile phones. I came across a web-based tool called “Tweeto” that I liked. Check out Streamline ‘s To-Do List manager as well. I invite you to sign up, give it a try and get us your feedback on how we can help you get better organized.
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2
Trying to get Organized?
No comments · Posted by Keith Bretzius in Organize, declutter, re-function
re-function, LLC is a company dedicated to helping you get organized. We are not professional organizers but individuals who share a passion for keeping organized surroundings. Your environment dictates your mood and a more organized home means a greater chance at happiness.
In the coming months, we will feature tips and strategies to help you become more productive organizers by better managing your time and your objects that lead to being disorganized. Happy organizing!
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