April 2011 Newsletter

Dear Friend,

As I’m writing this newsletter, I’m staring at my own pile of papers that I need to go through.  Paper, even for the most organized person, is a never-ending battle.  And come on, who doesn’t love trees – not as paper but as beautiful, life-sustaining parts of our planet.  Find out my 3 secret gadgets that help eliminate paper from your life once and for all.  Once you’re rid of the paper, go celebrate in one of my favorite places, reading a book under a tree … an electronic, paper-free book, of course!  Read on…

Simply yours,
Amanda

3 Secrets of a Professional Organizer
1. Neat Scanner: This nifty little scanner will revolutionize your life if you are ready to take the plunge into the digital era and stop saving all those papers and receipts in their hard copy format.  Check out the video by the ultra-tech-savvy Carley Knobloch.



2. Guard your ID Stamp: One nifty little gadget I’ve fallen madly in love with is the Guard Your ID Stamp.  All those papers with sensitive information (account numbers, ss#, etc.) usually end up in one of two places – you either toss them and risk identify theft or you put them in a pile that seems to continue to grow and grow.  You know what I’m talking about – the pile you keep meaning to get around to shredding.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard clients tell me they’ll shred all those papers while they watch American Idol.  Since that show is on two and sometimes three times a week, every piece of paper and lonesome receipt from the bottom of their purse should be mincemeat by now.  However, those intentions are most often not met.  So what’s the solution?  The Guard Your ID Stamp is perfect to keep wherever you go through your mail.  It’s sold everywhere from the Container Store to QVC.   All you need to do is stamp the information you want blocked and the Guard Your ID Stamp’s unique pattern completely masks your information. 

3. App for Phone - Camcard: The ubiquitous business card.  We love them.  We hate them.  We don’t know what to do with them.  Sure, the information on the card is great but what if you can never find it when you need it anyways.  And please tell me who out there actually takes the time to type in and add each business card to your digital contacts. Recently, I was introduced to the CamCard – it’s an app that helps quickly eliminate business card clutter.  Here’s the low-down – most of us have an iPhone or other smartphone.  When you download this app (it costs $6.99), all you need to do is snap a picture of the business card and it scans all of the info to your contacts.  It asks you if all the information is correct, allows you to edit, and even saves a picture of the card for you.  So bye, bye business card clutter and hello to contacts at your fingertips.