Let Your Passion Lead You

Have I mentioned before that I’m not a big cook? Even that is probably an overstatement, since if I can avoid cooking, I do. I’m fortunate to have a husband who loves to cook; yet, part of me is ashamed of how little I cook. Part of me even wants to cook. I will do some baking from time to time – especially at Christmas time when I try to make several batches of cookies. Do you know what happens though when I go into a store with gobs of kitchen gadgets? I yearn to take them home – if I had that thing, then I might cook. If I had this thing, I could make more desserts.

I’m tempted to purchase things for a life I’m not leading. Granted it’s a life part of me wants to have, except that a few of those things that have come into our home are neglected. Owning those cool tools has not changed my behavior or actions. My life is fine without my cooking more.

Do you have things in your home that do not support the life you’re living? There are two sides of this: the things for the dreams you have and the things for what you’re not doing (and really have no drive to do). Only you can decide which category those things fall into.

Are you buying clothes for a life you’re not leading? If you’re a stay at home mom and your closet is filled with clothes meant for fancy outings which you never go on, then there’s a discrepancy. Is this a dream you have for yourself – to have events requiring formal wear? Is it what you truly want? If you actually had a chance to lead that life, would you be happy?

Do you have loads of supplies for a hobby that you wanted to start, yet somehow have never started even the first project? Sometimes this is more about having too many distractions or not enough space to feel able to begin. Or it can be about trying to lead a life that’s not yours.

If you had all the time and energy you desired, what would you want to do with it? How would you spend your time? Where does your passion lead you? The truth is that if the only thing stopping you from pursuing that hobby or activity – there are ways to solve those struggles. You just need to know what is interfering first.

The truth is that we all probably have some of both types of things in our homes. There’s nothing wrong with that. If you can recognize when you’re buying for a life different from yours, you can cut down on the things coming into your home that will inevitably become clutter since you won’t use them. While on the other hand, you’re buying for what you really want to spend time on, you can hold off until you make the time and space for doing them.

One side note: if you’re overwhelmed already, you might actually be too critical of yourself to be objective. I’ve seen too often the judgment of an “I’m never going to…” that doesn’t seem to accurately reflect their interests, and is more suggestive of how their time and space feel out of control. In that case, I recommend holding off on a too aggressive response and waiting until the process has moved further along and we’ve had a chance to create additional space and potentially time.

PlanetSafe Planners

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Undated 30 day calendar planner

Pros:

customizable
adjustable; easy to rearrange (with post-it notes)
environmentally friendly
reusable (depending on style used)
great for visual people
thin and sturdy

Cons:

restricted to home- not possible to carry around
limited space on some calendar squares
not reusable, with some styles

Review:

This is another product that I discovered through the NAPO expo, at last year’s conference (and this year’s too) – PlanetSafe Planners. I love the idea that you use a dry erase marker on the calendar, how easy and clean to change things. As well, they enable using post-it notes for other areas, again so easy to rearrange and move things. The flexibility and ease of using their planners is exceptional.

My husband and I might be unique; we have no calendar in the house to record events. We have our Google calendars synced, and these are always with us. Without kids or any other reasons, we’ve found no reason for a wall calendar to tell us about our appointments. Nevertheless, I think this can be a superb calendar for some people – as long as you need that household calendar. The only condition is that you use it and don’t rely exclusively on what (if anything) you carry with you.

Considering what my schedule often looks like, the squares look too small for extensive schedules, and then trying to add in other people’s schedules too seems unrealistic. Thus would depend heavily on how much you need to keep track of. If I only put in rough hours of when I’d be otherwise occupied, there’s potentially enough room for several people’s obligations.

I think I might be a little odd – for I found myself resisting the idea of this environmental calendar that I’d need to replace every year – and how “environmental” that it is. Then again, it’s not paper. Although reading about their development, these calendars are a 100% green product after struggling to find a natural adhesive. They also offer options for undated calendar options.

Although for myself I’m not interested in their calendars, I am tempted by some of the goal planners- the idea that my husband and I could have a very visible post-it note planner for our joint goals, for the house and other plans. This is one the strengths of PlanetSafe Planners – they are a great visual – with the different color post-it’s, you’re unlikely to miss it!

Yearly goals with post-it notes

In some ways, the intriguing part of their planners is how a number of them also focus on goals and tasks – having a space included separate from the calendar for these items. It would be very rewarding to take down the post-it notes after completing tasks. The limited, yet not small area would encourage people to NOT over schedule.

PlanetSafe Planner 30 day calendar and tasks

30 day calendar with task or customizable section

From my limited perspective here in the Midwest, it’s sad that this company is not better known. Although there are some limitations to some of their products, they are worth keeping in mind to help you plan – depending on the contexts relevant to your life.

Note: All my reviews are done without consideration for the company (sorry!) – as unbiased as possible! I don’t receive anything from any of them and most don’t know I’m even reviewing their products.

Look Out – Papers Incoming

I’ve got the NAPO conference on my brain – from the three and a half days education in San Diego – to the state chapter meeting just four days after the end of the national conference. I have absorbed some of the mass of information available and gathered even more, for when I can handle more! This may not be a situation that happens regularly, yet it’s important to have ways to deal with it.

For last year’s national conference I printed out all these sheets – the map of the hotel and expo, the slides for the presentations I wanted to attend as well as some back up slide presentations in case I changed my mind. I took lots of notes in the workshops and gathered flyers from most, if not all, the companies exhibiting their products. Lots of paper. Within a month I had the business cards and flyers organized. Those notes though, those are still sitting in the binder I took, waiting for my good intentions for organizing them.

This year I had my nifty iPad, so I decided to take a risk and load all the slide presentations and maps on that. I took a small spiral notebook just on case I couldn’t make do with typing on the iPad. I’m thrilled to say that using the iPad was a complete success. I’m even more excited that I won’t need to worry about transcribing the notes – as they’re all electronically searchable and ready for me to use the information when I’m ready.

I took with me 2 empty document envelopes, like Peter Walsh’s,

Peter Walsh's Document Envelope

and at the end of each day separated the flyers and various papers I’d accumulated into 2 piles. One pile was for things that I want to follow up on in one way or another – companies I want to look at their websites, articles to read, or people to e-mail after conference. The other pile was for things to save, but more for archiving – things I might want to refer to later but needed no action or attention in the short term. Each pile went into one of the document wallets. I’ve begun the process of dealing with the small collection of papers that need action, and it’s easy since they’re all together.

With the small context of our local meeting, I simply made a list of the things I want to act on, separate from the notes gathered during the presentation. I’ve figured out that taking notes electronically is ideal for me – no need to make time to transcribe notes, and I’ll keep them organized in my Evernote account where I can search and access them anytime.

Although this can be an ideal way of handling any information you get – making a separate list of action items – for me, the amount of information from the national conference was overwhelming and I wanted it to be simpler. I’ve already started acting on the items, though I’ve certainly got more to do. Yet now I’m ready to add them a to-do list, therefore simplifying things even more.

Papers are often the biggest struggle – despite the aim toward a paperless society, we continue to have a plethora a paper bombarding us. I was excited to limit that some by not printing the handouts, yet I certainly brought a good amount of additional paper home.

Having a plan for what you want to do with those papers is important – figure out whether you want/need to take action and you need the physical papers to remind you or if you simply want to archive them for reference at a later point. Or do you want to pass them along to someone else? What is the next thing you want to do with them? This will help you deal with any papers coming into your life.

Note Taking for Virtually Everything

If you’ve been following me for a little while, you might have noticed a recurring mention of elephants. Yes, I like elephants. Now what does that have to do with anything I would share with you? Well, when I was browsing various smart phone apps, I saw an elephant. When I decided to find out more, I discovered Evernote and started using it.

I’m a slightly skeptical consumer, so after creating an account (free) with Evernote, I only used it on my phone and via the Internet. I put off downloading the desktop version and used Evernote for only limited things. Yet, I loved how I could use my phone to make notes, copy webpages, and bookmark sites, while waiting for my appointment to start. I also had the grocery list and other task lists always accessible – since my phone is always with me.

Of course, I asked my husband if he’d heard of it – and he hadn’t, but he checked it out and uses it regularly. More than me of late. He even decided on the premium service, quite reasonable at $45 a year (or $5 a month) with some nice additional benefits. I’m considering upgrading eventually too. One of the features he uses and appreciates is how Evernote gives you an e-mail address so that you can just e-mail notes into your account.

They also offer the ability to share your notebooks or just notes with others. This is one of the first things I read about – a parent of a special needs child using Evernote to coordinate information between the doctor’s office and school, by having an account where certain people were given permission to access and modify (when appropriate) all the notes related to the care of her child. I might need to start sharing Evernote notebooks with clients on the various research I do for them!

I appreciate the layers of potential organization with Evernote, as you can create notebooks to gather like items together and that you can create tags as well for each item you add. Although I’ve not needed to try it out, Evernote says that everything is searchable, so if you’re struggling to find something you could probably find it even if you only remembered some obscure word.

I’ve been a bit frustrated, as one of my shopping lists has become problematic – in that it doesn’t want to load properly – on any of the devices. I just need to delete and make a new note. I’ve heard of problems with formatting issues between devices. Yet, I believe that Evernote will work to resolve any issues. The range of how to access Evernote is quite impressive; just about any device now has a platform to access it – and it syncs once you have an Internet connection again. There are some limitations with some devices – like my smart phone and Evernote don’t always work well without Internet or modifying notes on the iPad, again without Internet can be problematic.

I’m excited to explore Evernote even more, and especially since I’ve finally downloaded the desktop version for my computer. From what I’ve seen the benefits far outweigh the few struggles they have and the improvements come regularly. There are so many possibilities and ways to have Evernote work to benefit you – as an individual, to fit your needs. This is the ultimate goal for anything you use.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Let me admit something – I frequently struggle with wearing myself out. I’ll wake up one morning with plans of all that I’ll get accomplished and it falls flat. I’ve exhausted myself in prior days and my body and mind demand a reprieve. Often I blame this on having a chronic disease and how it can be unpredictable. The truth is that although this might be part of the picture, I also have a tendency to overdo things. As a professional organizer, I feel like I should be better about this not happening, yet I’m human as well as I recognize it and am working on it.

Somehow, many of us strive to just work harder. As if that’s the answer – “If only I could work harder and faster, then I could manage…” This is not the answer. We only have a limited supply of energy, whether you have health issues or not. We all need a certain amount of sleep to re-energize ourselves. The truth is that we need to work smarter.

I was fortunate enough to get into the expo of ASTD (The American Society for Training and Development) last year and was intrigued with a booth there: The Energy Project. Although I found the people manning the booth to be rude, I was captivated by the ideas presented. Since a year ago on coming across them, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend a few webinars they’ve put on. Eventually I buy his latest book and read that to get more in depth information.

One of the things Tony Schwartz, the CEO of The Energy Project, says is that we have 90 minutes maximum of focused attention before we lose that energy. After that, we need to take a break for renewal. He recommends doing this throughout the day, after 90 minutes of focused work to build in intermittent renewal breaks, as we have cycles like our sleep cycle. He says how long those breaks are depends on you and what will help you renew your energy although it can be as little as 5 minutes – it’s about the quality of the renewal, not how much time we spend. If we can implement those renewal breaks throughout our day, he says that we’ll be even more productive.

This makes sense to me. I also know that I’m notorious for getting so absorbed into something that before I know it hours have passed. This is not healthy – I want to be conscious about what I’m doing and how I’m spending my time. I found a Mac program that helps me address this issue for when I’m on the computer for long stretches, Dejal Time Out Free. It fades the screen for me at the intervals I’ve set – for resting my eyes and reminding me that 90 minutes have passed with the option of postponing the break or even skipping it altogether.

I’m still practicing applying this when I’m not at the computer. I know what I need to do; I just forget to set the timer! I’ve talked before about how using a timer (Time I & Time II) can help us get control of our time, and now we can use it for our energy too. I’ve my timer handy so that I can use it both for the focused attention as well as to track my breaks. It’s been amazing how refreshed I’ve felt at the end of the day when I’ve applied this process during the day.

As an entrepreneur, I could always be doing more work. That’s not including my other roles as wife, friend, daughter, or the various values I hold in my life and I want to spend time on. This is not any different from anyone else as we all have many roles and values that we need to attend to in order to feel we’re handling things well. If we can use this 90 minutes cycle to focus on those various aspects, we’ll find more balance without the exhaustion from overextending ourselves. It’s a process and we can train ourselves to stay focused and then enjoy the break before digging back in.

Set Times for Handling E-Mail

I’ve been reading how we should set aside specific times during the day to deal with e-mail. By only dealing with e-mail at those certain times, we’ll reduce distractions and improve our productivity. I’ve noticed how although I’ve turned the e-mail chime off, the number of unopened e-mails get my attention whenever it goes up. It turns out that I’m enticed to check my e-mail, even when I’m in the midst of working on something. I know better, yet it’s hard to resist.

Then something even more dramatic happened with my e-mail. I checked it one day before heading off to a client’s. I had an e-mail that I very quickly read and thought about it as I drove to my appointment. It was a late night and I went to bed after getting home. Several days later as I was driving to another appointment, I suddenly wondered if I’d responded to that e-mail. It turned out that I hadn’t. Yet, I’d thought about what I’d say and then forgot that I hadn’t gotten those words into an e-mail.

Truthfully, I’d already been thinking I needed a better way to handle e-mail. Everything I’d been reading was just reinforced by my experience. With all that technology offers us, it also is training us to ignore some basic principles. Technology does provide much faster ways to communicate with others, whether it’s e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter – no need to wait for that letter to be delivered by the Post Office and wait for the person to write back and get it into the mail. I do miss those days some!

Yet, I see how compulsively I check my e-mail after I see the number go up, and not unlike the mailbox most times, I’m disappointed. While the real crux of the matter is – I distracted myself from what I was working on. Tony Schwartz of The Energy Project says that tasks take 25% longer when we switch between them, than if we’d just focused on one at a time. Yikes!

It seems to me that most professionals already practice limiting when they deal with e-mail, and having embarrassingly forgotten I hadn’t responded, magnifies its importance for my life. Yet as I think about doing this, I realize there’s some reluctance, maybe even dread. E-mail is certainly not as instant as the social media tools, but it’s designed as this quick way to communicate. It almost seems contradictory to set aside chunks of time for dealing with it. Somehow, it seems like it’s not supposed to be time consuming.

Nevertheless, it’s important to take your time in dealing with it. There’s no question that some e-mails need our time and attention. Also, this is how we avoid letting e-mails get out of control. If we set aside time every day to handle our e-mail we not only respond when we need to, we can add things to our schedule, and archive those e-mails that are relevant enough to keep.

There’s no easy answer for how much time you need to handle your e-mail. If your work is largely via e-mail, you’ll likely need more time than others whose work is less e-mail dependent. From what I’ve read, a minimum of twice a day, so whether that’s 30 minutes in the morning and another 30 minutes in the evening, or more will depend on your situation.

Most of know that we need to focus on what we’re doing and limit the number of distractions that come our way. Yet the technology encourages us to jump around – and we’re prone to avoid pain and drawn towards pleasure. We need to remember that although it might feel limiting to schedule specific times for e-mail, in the long run it will be more pleasurable!

Unikeep View Case Binders

View case binder from Unikeep

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Pros:

sturdy
fully enclosed
stands upright evenly and stacks easily
customizable
eco-friendly, biodegradable
cost is reasonable

Cons

sometimes requires pieces from company to work best
somewhat limited sizes

Review

At the NAPO conference in 2010, I came across the Unikeep booth. Initially, the most notable thing was that their binders have a unique feature with the binder rings. The rings, just like the rest of the binder, are made of 100% polypropylene. As I was talking with them, I found out that they brought some free samples to share, so I looked through the various colors and sizes they had and picked one. I’m grateful they did, I now have a blue 1″ view case binder.

Although the case itself is interesting, the rings are odd. I was truly hesitant at first. It feels unnerving to pop them up. Since they’re made of polypropylene, you open each ring individually by putting your finger under the ring and pulling up. It often makes a snapping sound and I have visions of breaking it. Yet, I’ve never done any damage to the rings. Snapping them back into place is easy too.

Another feature of the rings is that the placement of where the rings separate means that you can have pages anywhere in the binder, all to the left, all to the right, or somewhere in the middle. This seems even truer with this product than even the typical 3-ring binders.

Their binders have a snapping closure to keep everything safe and secure inside. The binders are rectangular, and the marketing on the back talk about how easily they stack. Although this is certainly a nice feature, what I find more impressive is that they can stand on a shelf. They are balanced, so they stay upright. Yet, one thing I dislike about typical binders is that because of their shape, they don’t fill shelves evenly. This could never happen with Unikeep’s binders, they’d line a shelf with perfect symmetry.

The line of view binders has a full wrap overlay so you can create and insert pages of the information or design you want. Although I’ve not used it, they say they’re website has templates and tips for creating the insert. With this feature and the line of possible colors, you can customize this binders to fit your needs, whatever that might be.

Their website has many different kinds of pages you can insert into the binder, from basic tabbed dividers, to pockets (with or without tabs), business cards holder pages, disc holder pages, and on. The standard pockets pages with tabs do not fit in the binder, as the tabs are just a little too big unless you fold them. This means that it’ll make more sense to buy the accessories from Unikeep. I’m less annoyed by this than I might be since I find the standard tabbed pockets to be too big for binders too! I might even buy some supplies from them to use elsewhere since they’d appear to be more appropriately sized. I’m also intrigued by the “tear out” pages where you don’t need to open the rings – as I’ve been impressed with the material’s sturdiness, those “tear out” pages might be well done.

One of the first ideas for me was for my volunteering for the support group, I have this large binder that has articles and handouts for attendees. As I talked to them, they acknowledged that they did not have anything that was big enough for that purpose. Of course, I could carry multiple binders, or even consider the extreme case binder. The truth is that my standard binder for this is now falling apart; it’s probably too full. *grimace* I’m now seriously considering these binders.

I don’t know about you, but I tend to overfill standard 3-ring binders. It looks like there’s more room and I’m fighting that triangular shape. With Unikeep’s design, you don’t have the temptation to overfill them. The descriptions also clearly state the number of pages you can expect to get into their binders.

Under pros above, I listed cost as reasonable. I was working on a personal organizing project, and wanted to pick up some binders and was dismayed at the cost. So dismayed, that I bought some binders from dollar stores and whatnot to save money. Those binders are now falling apart. A perfect example of getting what you pay for, yet Unikeep’s prices are comparable in price to your standard binders with better features.

Now I love the idea of being environmentally responsible, though often put other factors higher on the priority list, like functionality. If something is not functional, it doesn’t inspire me to recommend it or buy it for myself, no matter how environmental. Yet this product is more than functional, and is 100% recyclable. It also uses fewer resources to make these products. So far, I’d even be tempted to say it’ll last longer and stand up to use better than your standard binders. Now that’s great environmentally, but also great for us, the one who’s going to use it.

I’m not always a fan of 3-ring binders in general. If you use them without accessories, you need to make sure to take time to punch holes in the papers. This becomes less of an issue if you use the accessories of course. I’m impressed with these binders, and even dropped a book into the case successfully one day when I was out and about. The quality and design of these are wonderful. I hope you’ll consider these for any potential need you have in the future (and I have no affiliation, they don’t even know I’m writing about them).

Do you have another binder that you really enjoy using?

Drop Files You Use – Here

A little less than a year ago, my husband found this file sharing service and persistently talked to me about it, as ‘we need this.’ Have I mentioned how resistant I can be about new technology? I didn’t mind the old school way of e-mailing each other attachments. Or worse case, I’d paste the information into Google Docs where he could log in and see it (minus formatting, of course). Yet, did you notice the phrase “didn’t mind”? If I were working with someone, that phrase alone would make me pause and ask some follow-up questions. Is it worth settling for a “don’t mind”? I’m on the lookout for ways that it can be simple and maybe even enjoyable.

Dropbox, this file sharing service my husband was so excited about is just that – simple and enjoyable to use. It’s also free, at least for anything under 2GB, which works for us without problems. You can also “earn” additional free space by having friends join.

One of the reasons it’s easy is that is puts a folder, appropriately called Dropbox, on your desktop if you use Windows, or under Places in the Finder on a Mac. You take any files you want and put them into the Dropbox folder.

What’s so special about that?

Well, first you can install Dropbox on any computer and it connects your files with each computer. This is not all though – it also works on most smart phones. There’s also the ability to access it on the web if you want. This also means that you can work on a file even when you don’t have an Internet connection, and it will sync when there’s a connection again and your work is then available everywhere again.

Second, you can share folders with anyone. If you’re going to be working with a group, you can create a folder that you all have access to. What this means, is that each person can work on any given file; you won’t need to track which version is the most recent. This was the important aspect for my husband so that we could coordinate various files. Although I’ve not tried to use it, Dropbox provides access to old versions of a file for 30 days with the free version, and longer for the paid versions. It also apparently will create two files if there is a conflict, like two people making modifications at the same time, so it works hard to protect the data.

It’s funny to me that many reviews of Dropbox group it with online back-up services like Mozy or Carbonite. Although it certainly offers that service, it functions uniquely as it offers a free file sharing service. Certainly at the free 2GB option, it’s not going to be superior for backing up most files on your computer.

Also, since you’re likely to put files in it that are in progress or important to you, it offers the security that they will be there when you need them. This is exactly where Dropbox excels in my opinion. I don’t want access to all my files from every device, yet there are many files I’m working with or want access to, and Dropbox gives me that access easily and simply. I don’t know about you, but I’m not backing up all my files each time I modify them, so Dropbox keeps them safe until I’m ready to back them up elsewhere. It also means that when I’m on the go, but have some time, I can open Dropbox and get things done. It allows my husband and I to make lists for shopping or financial things.

There are additional services that I’ve not used or explored much. You can e-mail a link to a file or folder to someone so they can access the files you want to share. The photo folder apparently creates a public gallery for slideshow sharing of your pictures.

I mentioned earlier that it would sync your files across devices. Sometimes this takes time. My mom was frustrated at one point when I uploaded a video we’d taken because it took a long time before it was available in our shared folder. It was a big file though and cannot imagine how long it would have taken to attach and mail only to need to be downloaded later. You need to be aware of the fact that it can take time for files to get synced to the cloud, and then synced to the various locations. I’ve found this to rarely be an issue, and I’ve been quite pleased with the speed of syncing.

This is a must have service if you use multiple devices or work with other people on files. Since my only minor struggle has been an occasional delay in syncing, I’ve found no other drawbacks to Dropbox. That alone seems extraordinary! Consider how you might improve your productivity by getting this.

Keeping Things Close to Where You Use Them is Not Always the Right Answer

You’ve probably heard that you should keep things close to where you use them. I’m even fond of this idea. It makes sense. Doesn’t it?

It only makes sense it some circumstances.

I was using this principle in one of our closets. I had my medications on a shelf. When I refilled my pill containers, I did it close to this closet, so they were handy. Recently we pulled everything out of the closet and as I handled all the various items, I started thinking. This closet actually held many different things, as closets are wont to do. There were movies, memorabilia, craft supplies, a handful of books, repair projects, and various other odds and ends. Of course, as time moved along, I started keeping other odds and ends in there too.

The thing was that I only accessed the medications periodically. The pill containers are refilled twice a month. This closet is almost prime real estate in our home. So many things could go somewhere else and be just as accessible. I’d set it all up when we moved in, approaching a decade ago, and it made sense. I was storing the items close to where I used them.

This is one case where keeping something close to where I used it was not the best use of the space as well as it was breaking one of the other guiding principles – keep like things together. It makes better use of our space and easier to find things by keeping like items together. We have a linen closet opposite the bathroom, where many items are kept since our bathroom is tiny. Now my medications have moved in there, on a higher shelf since I access them only periodically.

One of the reasons that organizing principles are only guidelines is that you cannot necessarily follow them all, they can contradict each other. Then you need to make a choice about which one makes more sense for you – the user. In this case, the idea of keeping things together now seems better, though it didn’t start out that way.

We need to consider the space too. In my case, the closet was so handy that I was keeping lots of different things there. They got crowded, yet I could still get what I needed when I needed it. It was convenient. I could argue that I started using it for so much just because it was handy. Yet, if it’s so convenient, then I wanted to use it for the things that really mattered. I don’t want filing cabinets in my living room even if I do handle all mail and even do my pre-filing sorting here. This becomes even more important the smaller the space you have (a post coming soon on small spaces).

Although keeping things close to where you do them makes sense, questions that often get forgotten are – how often are you doing it and how elaborate is it? If it’s something you can easily pick up in one hand, you can simply pick it up and move it to another space without difficulty. I would cringe at the idea of someone lugging load after load of supplies to do something in another room.

It deserves it’s own post, but also things change, so what worked at one point does not necessarily continue to work. We need to be able to look at things with fresh eyes and see where we can improve how we’re using things and where we keep them. Don’t be afraid to break those organizing principles, it’s probably inevitable anyway!

The InPlace System Organization Kit and Post It Note Wallet from Peter Walsh

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Pros

sturdy materials
document sleeves actually hold items, even small ones, well
slightly see through materials
erasable materials, hence reusable
designed to mix and match, to suit the user’s needs

Cons

items in kit don’t work together well
document wallet uses bad closure, it falls out or cannot be used if full
clip tabs are bulky and fall off frequently, as well as don’t work with document wallet
a little expensive
erasable pen doesn’t write well
post-it notes in wallet fall out (of wallet, not once attached by themselves)

Included in the [In]Place System Organization Kit:

•    1 Erasable marker
•    5 Clip Tabs
•    Document Wallet
•    3 Poly File Folders
•    3×3 White Post-it Super Sticky notes – 50 sheets
•    1 Poly Document Envelope
•    3 Poly Document Sleeves

Review

I was curious from the start, I mean it’s Peter Walsh. I looked at it when I was in the store. Have I mentioned how cheap I can be? I could not bring myself to buy it. I was not sure if I thought it was that exceptional. The NAPO list serv had had mixed thoughts on it, which also gave me pause. Then I was happy I hadn’t spent money on it since at the national conference, we were all given the organization kit and the post-it wallet.

From the moment I opened the kit and pulled everything out, it seemed like an odd combination of items. They don’t work together the best although the kit does give you a variety of items to see what is available. The entire line is intended to be mixed and matched to suit the user’s needs. This is one of the strongest pros since we all have different needs and styles and I could never promote anything that tries to put people into a box – with a one size fits all approach!

I was impressed with the document sleeves, which just means that they have 1 ¾ openings and have a slight pocket like purpose. The description actually says they have a 3 sided closure, this is not completely accurate, yet describes how it functions. I was surprised at how open that 3rd side was, and unsure how well it would keep small papers from falling out. It did fabulously! I never lost a little note when I put it in there and this is no small feat when you think about how easily small papers fall out of file folders.

Peter Walsh [In]Place system document sleeves

These hold onto all sizes of paper amazingly well.

The clip tabs look neat, but their size gets in the way. They are meant to be used with both the hanging folders (which I haven’t used) and the file folders. When using them on the file folders, either as a way to hold the papers together or as a top label, the clips fell off frequently. It seemed like the slightest jostling and they’d pop off. They also do not fit on the file folders if you want to put those file folders into the document sleeve to carry them somewhere.

Neat idea to have erasable tabs, yet they're bulky and won't stay on.

I’ve used the pen only to mark the clip tabs, and I needed to go over my words at least twice to make the ink dark enough to read. I’ve not found any problems with erasing, and here is where the idea’s strong – the ease of relabeling something.

I like the idea of the document wallet, which is bigger than what I’d picture with the name wallet. It is a nice sized container to hold file folders, document sleeves, and document envelope. It’s easy to carry around, so not too big or too small. My only problem with it is the closure – it’s an elastic string with a ball that slips into a hole at the bottom of the wallet. If you have filled the wallet, the ball won’t fit into the hole, and it has a tendency to slip out if you haven’t wedged it in well.

Peter Walsh [In]Place system document wallet

I have mixed feelings about the document wallet.

The file folders are sturdy. Since they are made out of the poly material, they feel solid and they’re not going to get bent or crumpled. They are slightly see-through so you can see what’s inside. Since they are poly, the number of papers you can keep inside is limited, as you can’t resize them like typical file folders though I find this less important. (We can all use some reminders to not overstuff our files!)

The document envelope is fine. I’ve got some decorated ones from Divoga that I think I prefer since they are larger. Peter Walsh’s document envelopes are paper sized, so if you have any papers that are a little larger, they won’t fit (unlike the Divoga ones). Also, you are limited to how many papers you can fit inside. Since it is the same size as the rest of his products, these envelopes fit inside the document wallet (and any other of his products).

Finally, the post-it notes are the super sticky ones and come in a neat closing case. The problem arises that the post-its apparently don’t like sticking to themselves very well. Every one of the 5 pads (each a different color) have fallen out of the wallet, though leaving a single post-it hanging on to mark where they’re supposed to go! They do seem to attach to the poly material well, as none of those have fallen off. This leaves the wallet as a useless piece of poly that can serve no other function.

Peter Walsh [In]Place system post-it note wallet

I like the colors, yet they won't stay in their nifty packaging!

Although there are certainly aspects that I didn’t like, overall I find the products to be interesting and useful. I’m not convinced they are worth the price considering some of the problems.

Have you tried or do you use any of the Peter Walsh [In]Place products? Let me know what you think of them.