mystery pile

Mom’s Boxes Part 8: The Gangster Hideout

By Hazel Thornton | May 23, 2019 |

READERS: This is the sort of story I intend to write more of over the next few years to share with my family. It’s also the sort of story I encourage you to write about your own family! It doesn’t have to be fancy, with links to articles and such. Just capture the memories for…

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Six Organizing Systems Everyone Needs — System #4: Paper Flow

By Hazel Thornton | November 27, 2017 |

How well are your organizing systems working for you? In the introduction to this series I shared the following: What is a system? What 6 organizing systems do I think everyone needs? What 5 questions can you ask yourself to see if your systems are still working for you, or if they need tweaking? Now…

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Busting the Top 10 Organizing Myths

By Hazel Thornton | October 10, 2015 |

As part of my 10-year celebration of being in the organizing business, I thought I’d revisit this old blog post and see if I still agreed with myself. I do. Don’t believe everything you think!  Here are the top 10 organizing myths, along with the truth and some helpful links to related blog posts and …

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How to Live and Work by Design, not by Default

By Hazel Thornton | January 14, 2013 |

Living and working BY DEFAULT means choosing the easiest path, either by unconsciously resorting to bad habits, or by maintaining the status quo. Sometimes we seek to avoid the conflict that can come with making a change. Sometimes we feel we have no choice in the matter. But I’m with Henry Ford, who said, “Whether you think…

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Inbox Zero, Really? (How to Declutter Your Email Backlog and Keep it Under Control)

By Hazel Thornton | April 9, 2012 |

Inbox Zero – WHAT?  Have you heard of Merlin Mann’s “Inbox Zero” method, whereby one processes the items in one’s email inbox down to zero emails on a regular basis? Is this possible? Yes. Is it necessary? Well, let’s just say that some version of it — Inbox Zero, Inbox Twenty, Inbox Weekly, or my…

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Being Organized Isn’t Easy

By Hazel Thornton | January 18, 2012 |

Yes, you heard me right. Getting, being, and staying organized isn’t easy, not if “easy” means “requiring no effort”. When did I ever say that?! Being organized means living your life by design, not by default. It does takes some time and effort. 

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How to Create Your Own Simple Filing System

By Hazel Thornton | October 18, 2011 |

No two people are alike, and no two filing systems need to be either.  Create your own unique filing system using the S.P.A.C.E.* method:

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Mystery Piles & Action Files

By Hazel Thornton | October 8, 2011 |

Have you ever heard the organizing rule, “Touch each piece of paper only once”?  (a.k.a. OHIO — Only Handle it Once) Well, it’s a myth. But the kernel of truth inside the myth is this: If you sift through a pile of mail, or other type of papers, and if you don’t decide the first…

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