Is Swedish Death Cleaning for you?

I was eager to watch the new organizing TV series, “The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning”, inspired by Margareta Magnusson’s book by the same name. Let’s call it “Death Cleaning” for short. The author and her daughter, Jane Magnusson, are listed among the executive producers, as are comedian Amy Poehler (who also narrates) and the creators of Queer Eye, if that tells you anything.

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An “Interview” with ChatGPT

OpenAI ChatGPT logoHave you seen “ChatGPT” in the media as much as I have lately? (It stands for Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, if you really want to know, like I did.) How about “AI” (Artificial Intelligence)? Surely you’ve been hearing about AI, but have you ventured down that intriguing — and bottomless — rabbit hole?

Well, I did, so now you don’t have to if you think you’ll be content with a sampling of my recent experiments. I’ve also included some linked resources for learning more, if you want more.

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The Menendez Miracles

Another Menendez Miracle occurred last week. We don’t get much news in the past 27 years since Erik and Lyle Menendez were sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. (This was after having already been behind bars for 6 years, for a total thus far of 33 years and counting). As they say, the wheels of justice turn slowly.

CATEGORY: It’s my blog and I can write what I want to. 😉

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Are your Passwords strong enough?

Lastpass logo

LastPass logo

If you’re still using the LastPass password manager after their system was hacked, you’re not alone. I am too. For now. And if you’ve recently switched, or have never used a password manager, THIS ARTICLE IS FOR YOU, TOO!

 

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How NOT to save your photos or donate books

photos

Photos found in donated books (click to enlarge)

Have you ever hidden anything in a book? Maybe used a photo as a bookmark? I don’t recommend it as a way to save your photos! Here’s why:

I volunteer weekly for my local Friends of the Library. We price and sort donated books for our monthly used book sales (at which I also run a cash register), and we have a lovely used book shop in the Main library downtown which is open six days a week. We raise around $200K every year for library programs such as the Summer Reading Program for children.

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Are you and your clutter ready to “Go With the Flow”?

Woman holding and presenting a copy of Go With the Flow!

Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook

 

Looking for a new, fun way to get clutter-free in ’23?

Inn-tro-du-cingg…(drumroll, please)…the long-awaited release of my latest project:

Go With the Flow! The Clutter Flow Chart Workbook

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Selecting a Family Tree Template

genealogy family tree

Family tree template with picture frames

Family tree templates can come in handy even if you’re not a genealogist. For example, many of the professional photo managers I know use them to help with organizing photos by family and by date. They also come in handy for medical, historical, relationship, inheritance, and land ownership purposes. Some saga-writing authors even use them for keeping track of their fictional characters’ lives!

I often get asked what template I recommend.

My answer, as with oh-so-many things in life, is this: It depends!

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Care tasks are morally neutral      

KC Davis and Alison Lush

14 Feb 2023 UPDATE: Look! KC and Alison together on a podcast episode: Gentle Organizing with Alison Lush. (It’s KC’s podcast, with Alison as her guest, and this episode was posted on Oct. 17, 2022, two weeks after my blog post was originally published, but I just found out about it today.) Also, KC has a new TEDx Talk and Alison has introduced a new SMART START bundle.

 

Do you feel ashamed of your clutter?

Do you sometimes struggle to keep up with basic care tasks such as cleaning house, preparing meals, and doing laundry? You aren’t alone! Many people do, including those with ADHD, depression, and chronic illness.

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Think of your big project as a new hobby

icons depicting various hobbies

Lots of activities can be considered  hobbies!

 

Do you have a big project you’ve been putting off?

Is it because you are waiting for the perfect time to devote your entire self to getting it done?

If you try to do too much at once, you risk getting overwhelmed and exhausted. Chances are you’ll get discouraged, go away, and never come back to it.

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Porter Knight’s Happiness Equation

I’m calling this post “Porter Knight’s Happiness Equation” to distinguish it from the happiness equation that has been my mantra for the last several years: Progress equals Happiness. (Click here to read Does Progress Equal Happiness?) Although hers is completely different, don’t worry, they don’t cancel each other out!

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