Remember the Milk

I found this great website while surfing the organizing web the other day - Remember the Milk.

As an organizer, I highly recommend to-do lists to keep our busy lives in order. This website allows you to do just that using a variety of internet applications, including Google, I-Phone, Blackberry, Twitter and GMail, to do so.

I have just signed up and am trying it out for myself. Let me know what you think.

Oh, and I love their little cow logo!

Making the most of your down time

As I write this, I am sitting in a Starbucks in east Pasadena. My daughter is taking some online summer school courses which require her to be on campus for two hours, two days a week. So, since I live about 8 miles away, instead of going home (and wasting gas), I'm taking the two hours to be productive here at Starbucks.

So, sitting with my grande latte, I decided to blog about what I usually do when I have down time - as defined by sitting in the car waiting to pick my daughter up from school, waiting for a doctor's appointment, waiting for a game/concert to begin, etc. - I read and/or blog.

Using your downtime productively can benefit you as it helps you feel as if you're getting things done rather than being non-productive. And we all know that feeling productive creates positive feelings thereby leading to a more productive life.

I always keep a book in the car. If I'm reading a magazine (my own) and I see an interesting article which I don't have time to read right then, I tear it out and put it in my reading tote which I take along with me. Then I can read it at my leisure.



I'm actually thinking about getting a Kindle which is an electronic hand-held book device sold by Amazon.com. They've recently reduced the price by $50 which could mean one of two things: they're coming out with a revised model or they aren't selling very well. Any ideas?

With the Kindle, you can download books, magazines and newspapers onto the device. It works great for frequent travelers who don't want to lug heavy books in their carry-on or check-in luggage. When I travel, I usually bring along 5-6 books since I read a lot. This would reduce the amount (and weight) of my luggage which becomes a good thing since now some of the airlines are charging for each checked bag.

I would love to hear some ideas about how you use your down time.

100 Thing Challenge - Update

A little update from my previous blog about The 100 Thing Challenge from July 3rd:

Well, I've been working on eliminating some "stuff" from my life and here's what I've gotten rid of so far this week:

1 lamp
3 pairs of shoes
4 tops
3 sweaters
1 set of sheets
4 candles (how many candles do we really need anyway?)
6 books (donated to the library, of course)

How are you doing on your "elimination challenge"?

Twenty Wishes

I recently read a good book by Debbie Macomber called "Twenty Wishes".

The story is about four widows who are at a point in their lives where they're living day to day without any real meaning in their lives. After meeting one evening, they decide to make a list of 20 things they would like to do that they've never done before. The book chronicles the events which occur in their lives when they commit to making some positive changes.

The book got me thinking about what I would put on that list. I haven't come up with 20 things yet but I've enrolled in a quilting class as well as a Spanish class and I've committed to reading one Jane Austen book each summer. I am still working on the rest of the list and will let you know what else I come up with.

What would you put on your "Twenty Wishes" list?

Wall-E - Something to Think About.....

I just got home from seeing the new Pixar movie - "Wall-E".



The movie opens with a grim look at planet earth and how overconsumption has taken over and forced humans to relocate to a space ship which has stayed in space for over 700 years. There is a nice love story in this movie but I think the real premise is what could happen to the human race if earth is no longer inhabitable.



Wall-E is a sweet little robot who loves to collect unusual things which he keeps well organized in his home. This was the best part of the movie for me - watching him store his little treasures in his revolving bookcase - very cool idea. I loved the part where he finds a diamond ring in its blue velvet ring box and he throws away the ring and keeps the box!

100 Thing Challenge - Are You Up for This?

Here is an interesting challenge: The 100 Thing Challenge

Can you really live with only 100 possessions? Dave Bruno, has created a website where he chronicles his challenge to whittle down his possessions to 100 personal things by November 12, 2008 and will continue to live with only those 100 personal things for one year.

Time Magazine recently published an article about the 100 Thing Challenge.

So here's my challenge to you: if you're staying home this summer due to rising gas prices and airline fares, spend some time going through your stuff and see what you can whittle down.

I'm going to do the same and will post my results here on my blog. I'd love to hear how you're doing as well.

Sense & Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

My plan is to read a Jane Austen book each summer until I've finished them all. I realized the other day when I went to Barnes & Noble and saw their "classics" section that I am very behind in my reading of the classics. So, today I start with Sense & Sensibility. I'll keep you posted on my progress.