Welcome to the Technology issue of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! You’ll find lots of great tips here for using technology to organize today’s busy lives and for organizing your (or your clients’) technology. Be sure to read the posts and leave some comments – it’s a fun way to network with your organizing colleagues!

Five Productive Jobs for Evernote by Margaret Lukens

Over time, Evernote has proven its usefulness again and again. The more I use it to deal with those information bits on the desk and in the brain, the more I love it.

How to Manage and Organize your Social Web by Elaine Shannon

Site-Saving Bookmarklets: Keeping Up With Online Reading While Reducing Paper Clutter by Julie Bestry

If you’re a voracious web reader, it sometimes seems like you have only two alternatives: paper (printout) clutter or an endlessly scrolling tower of bookmarks. These nifty bookmarklets offers the chance to keep up with your reading without cluttering up your home, office or computer.

3 Firefox Add-Ons That Increase Your Productivity by Deb Lee

Getting Organized in the Google Era by Jeri Dansky

This book, which was published earlier this year, talks about ways to use technology effectively. Do you organize information – or just search for it when you need it?

Technology and You! by Ellen Delap

Ergonomics in the Office – Using your computer safely by Clare Kumar

Technology brings many benefits, but using it safely is critical. Set up a comfortable workstation and enjoy maximum productivity.

Cozy Up To Cozi by Janice Russell

TeuxDeux (To Do – an online list maker) by Margarita Ibbott

Are you a chronic list maker?  Do you feel a sense of accomplishment when you cross that item off your list? How about writing a list out electronically that you can access from any computer? Find out about a simple and easy to use on-line list maker from TeuxDeux.

Before wrapping up this month’s Carnival, I’d like to welcome two new Professional Organizers Blog Carnival Star Bloggers, who have each contributed to 10 Blog Carnivals to date:

In her post, Clutter-free gifts: Technology, Lelah Baker-Rabe tells us how to

Help the tech-savvy people in your life stay clutter-free with some thoughtful gifts of technology that won’t add to their box of random cords and cables.

Digital photographers are sure to appreciate Geralin Thomas‘ Four Steps to Organizing Your Photos.

Congratulations, Lelah and Geralin, and thank you to everyone who took part in this month’s Carnival.

Next month, our theme will be Bathroom Organizing – please submit your posts by noon EDT on October 12, 2010. In November, we’ll celebrate Food, Glorious Food! so get ready to submit your posts about organizing refrigerators, pantries, recipes, or another related topic.

Photo: joiseyshowaa

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for September 2010: Technology.

Welcome to the August issue of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! I sincerely appreciate all the submissions, but am just catching up on my work after a mini-vacation, so I hope you’ll forgive me for not inserting my usual commentary, and simply publishing a list of the back-to-school organizing posts submitted by my readers. Please enjoy, comment, and share!

This is a busy time for families with school-aged children, so it’s not surprising that many bloggers focused on this audience. Don’t make the mistake of thinking these posts are much the same, as you’ll find tips here on organizing school lunches, school supplies, daily routines, and a lot more. You’re sure to find some advice here to benefit your clients, or even your own family!

Audrey Cupo – Start The New School Year Being Organized

Geralin Thomas – Getting Organized for School Lunches

Ellen Delap – Back to School Preparation Checklist: Being organized and having a list makes all the difference for a successful school year.

Heather Burke – Getting Organized for the New School Year

Tina Blazer – Organizing Ideas for Back to School

Clare Kumar – Be Prepared for Back to Class: Although many of us are reluctant to think about the coming school year while we’re still reveling in summer, planning now will pay off in a smoother transition for you and the kids.  I’ve included 5 quick tips to get you started.

Jane Veldhoven – Yikes – Back to School Already?

Jacquie Ross – Top 12 Back to School Organizing Tips – Shopping for School Supplies: Organizing tips for shopping for back to school supplies.

Barbara Tako – Three frugal simple ways to get organized for back to school: Frugality and simplicity can work together here.

Janet Baker – Organization Is The Key When Going Back To School

Kimberly Eagles – Staying Sane During the School Year

Debbie Pendell – Ready for School? 3 Essentials

Back-to-school isn’t just about young children, and a couple of our posts are geared towards high school and college students:

Jacki Hollywood Brown – Summer Job Organizing: It’s important to prepare for the school year but it’s also essential to record necessary information to help you in your job search for next summer. Here are some tips to help you keep your employment information organized!

Anne Blumer – My son leaves for college in one month…so, what does that have to do with organizing?

As always, I’d like to thank all the bloggers who have participated in this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival. This is a monthly event, so if you didn’t submit a post, feel free to join us next time, when our topic will be Technology. It’s an important part of our lives now, so we can all use tips to keep it organized, or to use it to keep us organized! The deadline for submissions is noon EDT on Thursday, September 9.

The October Blog Carnival will focus on Bathroom Organizing.

In the meantime, be sure to check out this month’s posts, leave some comments, and get to know one another!

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for August 2010: Getting Organized for Back to School.

Most of the professional organizers I know have a genuine thirst for knowledge and are continuously reading and taking courses. Since small business owners tend to be plagued by “so many books, so little time” syndrome, this month’s Blog Carnival is a collection of book reviews submitted by our readers, to help you choose your future reading material.

When choosing the theme for this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, it occurred to me that I might receive multiple reviews for the same titles, but decided that wouldn’t be an issue, since it could be interesting to read different people’s perspective. Much to my surprise, every single submission was unique.

Without further ado, here are the book reviews, in alphabetical order by title. Please note that to make it easier for you to follow, I’ve replaced the post titles with the name of the book being reviewed.

The Accidental Organiser reviewed by Angela Esnouf, who describes it as:

A down-to-earth look at organising from a down-to-earth woman. And a great example of getting it done. Wendy went from an inkling of an idea to the bookstores in less than a year. A great example for all would-be authors.

Crush It! Why NOW is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion reviewed by Elaine Shannon

Digging Out reviewed by Jeri Dansky, who says:

I’ve blogged about many organizing-related books, so it was initially hard to pick which one to include in the carnival. But Digging Out is one of the best organizing books I’ve read in a long time, so the choice wound up being easy, after all.

Everything I Know about Perfectionism I Learned From My Breasts reviewed by Julie Bestry

Following Through reviewed by Ellen Delap

Get Rich Organizing reviewed by Janet Barclay (Hey, that’s me!)

Gift from the Sea reviewed by Joan Kosmachuk

Is There Life After Housework? reviewed by Debbie Pendell

The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done reviewed by Stephanie LH Calahan

On Top of Everything reviewed by Jacki Hollywood Brown, who says:

Busy family? Busy job? Busy life? Learn a professional organizer’s tricks for staying On Top of Everything!

Organizing Outside the Box reviewed by Lelah Baker-Rabe, who tells us that:

I love reading new books about organizing, and Organizing Outside the Box is a fantastic resource and just the latest book review on my blog.

Overcoming Compulsive Hoarding reviewed by Dr. Renae Reinardy on Geralin Thomas‘ blog

Someone Will Be With You Shortly: Notes From A Perfectly Imperfect Life reviewed by Margarita Ibbott, who says:

I recently had the great opportunity to participate in a Twitter Party hosted by Julie Morgenstern for her friend and “O” Magazine writer Lisa Kogan. I wrote this review on my blog because I really enjoyed the book.  It was also great that at the Twitter Party, I won a LARGE BOX OF BOOKS, courtesy of Ms. Kogan’s publisher. I am making this suggestion to you this month because I loved this book and found it very funny.  A great summer read.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your book reviews with us. If you’d like to recommend another book, feel free to leave a comment below, with a link to your review, if applicable.

For more book suggestions, be sure to check out The Bookstore for Professional Organizers.

Our theme for August will be Getting Organized for Back to School, and the deadline for submissions is Thursday, August 12, 2010.

I’ve been delighted to learn that many of you plan your blog content around the monthly Blog Carnival themes. In that case, make a note that our theme for September will be Technology – whether it’s organizing your cables, your emails, your passwords – you name it!

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for July 2010: Book Reviews.

Welcome to the June 2010 edition of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! This is our one-year anniversary, and that’s why I chose this month’s theme. I’m really excited that you’ve dropped by, because I have a surprise announcement to commemorate this special occasion! But first, this month’s contributions…

Many of us are planning one event or another this time of year, so we’re lucky to be surrounded by professional organizers to share their tips with us. Take a few minutes to read the following posts and, while you’re at it, why not get to know your colleagues by leaving a comment or two and/or following someone new on Twitter?

Michelle Panzlaff kicks off the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival this month with Event Planning Tips to Get You Started, explaining:

After spending 8 years in the Hospitality industry and one year as a Catering Coordinator for a large downtown hotel, managing over 20,000 sq feet of space, I can say that event planning has its challenges. Staying organized and on top of details is key.

If you’ve got a family gathering in the works, you won’t want to miss Ellen Delap‘s Organizing For Special Events or Audrey Cupo’s Organizing That Special Event

Tina Blazer provides a check list to ensure we get everything done and stay sane when Preparing for Holidays and Special Events.

Planning a wedding? Read Beverly Coggins‘ A Dozen Tips for a Less-Stressed Wedding and Lelah Baker-Rabe‘s Gift registry tips.

Is there a baby on the way? Read Angela Esnouf‘s Interview with an Organised Mum-to-Be.

Of course, not all events are about celebration! Clare Kumar says,

If you’ve ever held a garage sale, you know that what can sometimes start off as a small idea to generate cash for a few unwanted things can turn into a major event.  Here are some tips to ensure your big event is a success.

A big thanks to everyone who participated in this anniversary edition of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! We have a fairly small Carnival this month, but over the past year, 50 bloggers have taken part in this monthly feature.

At this time I would like to give special recognition to Angela Esnouf, who has contributed to a total of 11 Blog Carnivals to date. Angela has been named our first “Professional Organizers Blog Carnival Star Blogger” and has been provided with a special badge which she can place on her blog.

You too can be a Professional Organizers Blog Carnival Star Blogger! Once you have been featured in 10 Blog Carnivals, you will also receive a badge to display on your blog. You can get started today by submitting a post for July, when our theme will be Book Reviews. Whether it’s a book you’ve read recently or an all-time favorite, we want to know about it! You have until Monday, July 12 to make your submission, so you’ve got plenty of time to read a book and post a review on your blog, or you are welcome to submit a link to one of your older posts. If you need some inspiration, check out the titles in the Bookstore for Professional Organizers.

Our theme for August will be Getting Organized for Back to School.

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for June 2010: Organizing for Special Events.

This month’s Blog Carnival is a belated Mothers Day gift for all the busy moms out there. Come to think of it, is there such a thing as a mom who isn’t busy? I hope you’ll take a few minutes to visit and comment on the posts submitted by my readers. It’s a great way to network with your organizing colleagues while picking up ideas to benefit your clients or yourself!

Angela Esnouf starts us off with 7 ways to get organized in just one minute in her post, Got a Minute?

Jodi Granok shares her strategy for dealing with household clutter in In a Rut? Clean it Up!

In Help for moms to clear their mental clutter, Barbara Tako tells us that:

Clutter isn’t always physical. Sometimes, as busy moms who lead hectic and stressful lives, we struggle with mental clutter–items we need to do, schedules we are holding in our heads, stuff we need to add to a shopping list. The mental clutter goes on and on…Try these tips to clear the mental clutter.

If mealtimes are a challenge, check out Audrey Cupo’s Meal Planning For Busy Moms and Elaine Shannon‘s 3 Steps to Easy Meal Planning.

Ellen Delap helps you prepare for summertime fun with her Six Steps to Summer Success. Unfortunately, summer fun sometimes leads to accidents, and Jacki Hollywood Brown offers a few quick tips to help busy moms to be prepared for unplanned trips to the hospital in Preparing for an Emergency.

There are some really innovative products out there to help busy mothers get organized, and Krista Colvin tells us about one of her favorites, The All-in-one Schoolfolio, while Janet Baker describes The Smartest Filing System For Busy Moms. Janet says:

Happy Mother’s Day! It’s time to give mom a helping hand! Using smart filing system software, she can create one simple way to organize everything that needs filing and storing, no matter where it is in the house, the garage, the shed, or in storage.

Ramona Creel describes a common challenge as follows:

I have a client who is trying to simplify her life, and she would be succeeding at it beautifully, if it weren’t for her family! Sometimes, it can seem like your housemates are hell-bent on making your life more complicated — bringing in tons of unnecessary clutter, expecting you to pick up after them, and creating chaos in your schedule. For a simplicity strategy to really work, the whole team has to be on board…

Read Ramona’s solution to this problem in Getting Your Housemates On Board The Simplification Train.

Debbie Pendell continues the theme as we wrap up this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival with her post, The Number One Tip for Busy Moms.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival!

You are welcome to submit your post on Organizing for Special Events any time up until noon on Wednesday, June 9. Be sure to come back and read the June Blog Carnival, because I have a special surprise in store for you!

July’s theme will be Book Reviews – we’d all love to know what organizing or business book(s) you recommend! Submission for July’s Carnival will not be accepted until after June 10^th, so if you haven’t yet written a review, you’ve got plenty of time to do so! Need some ideas? Visit The Bookstore for Professional Organizers!

If you’ve got an idea for a future Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for May 2010: Organizing Tips for Busy Moms.

Welcome to the April issue of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the posts which were submitted, and was pleased to pick up many new ideas. Whether you’re looking for eco-friendly ways to help your clients deal with clutter, or trying to implement green practices in your own home or business, you’re sure to learn something here.

Since professional organizers frequently help their clients dispose of things they no longer need or want, they have a tremendous opportunity to help them do so in an environmentally responsible way. Lisa Montanaro does an excellent job of explaining about the connection between living “green” and getting organized in her post, “Green Organizing”: An Earth-Friendly Combination.

“Going green” generally refers to practicing the 3R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, and Elaine Shannon addresses all three in her Green Business: Environmentally friendly Business Organizing Tips.

Ellen Delap continues the theme in Green Organizing: Baby Steps to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, advising that,

Having baby steps helps us commit to recycling.

Some of this month’s contributors blogged about specific aspects of green organizing. Jeri Dansky brings us The Latest on Plastic Food Storage – And Alternatives, Joan Kosmachuk talks about Recycling Baby Carseats, and Julie Bestry shares information about Greening Your Greetings: Recycling and Reusing Greeting Cards. Julie says that,

Digital greetings may reduce your carbon footprint, but nobody’s ever slept with an e-card tucked lovingly under her pillow. These recyclable/reusable greeting cards are eco-friendly while still making a joyous Ta-Da in your loved ones’ mailboxes.

Angela Esnouf submitted a post about fuelling our brains and bodies responsibly, Need more energy?

Several organizers shared their best strategies for reusing or recycling things instead of discarding them. In 5 Ways To Recycle And Donate For Green Organizing, Ramona Creel tells us that,

When you start organizing, the first step is often cleaning out — but this process doesn’t have to create bags of trash for the landfill, if you take the time to make sure that anything usable goes to a better home…

Margarita Ibbott answers the question, Can I recycle stuff instead of throwing it out?, Barbara Tako explains how to Help others and help yourself: Declutter for green living, charity, and yourself, and Eva Wallace says that Kermit Was Wrong – It IS Easy Being Green!

Environmental experts tell us that it’s even more important to reduce our impact on the environment, and Audrey Cupo tells us how in Going Green Without Going Crazy, while Geralin Thomas shares a few of her own Eco-Friendly Organizing Hints.

In honor of Mother’s Day, the theme for the next Professional Organizers Blog Carnival will be Organizing Tips for Busy Moms, and submissions may be made at any time up until noon on Monday, May 10. The topic for June will be Organizing for Special Events.

In the meantime, I’d like to thank all the bloggers who participated in this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival. Please take the time to read their posts, leave comments, and get to know one another! If you have some ideas about green organizing that haven’t been mentioned here, or if you’d like to suggest a future topic, feel free to leave a comment below.

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for April 2010: Green Organizing.

Deb Lee contacted me yesterday, wondering why I had not included her post in the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for March. When I checked to see whether I’d received it, I discovered that somehow I’d omitted all of the tax-related posts! I sincerely apologize for my oversight, but as they say, better late than never!

I’m still trying to figure out how this happened. Do you think I have a subconscious fear of dealing with taxes?

I actually received four submissions on the topic of financial organizing specific to taxes:

• Master Cruz: Two Things Certain in Life…
• Stephanie LH Calahan: Consider Donations in Your Tax Planning
• Deb Lee: The Taxman Cometh
• Carmen Coker: Get Organized: Tax Prep

On the upside, my delay in sharing these gave me a chance to include one more post which wasn’t yet available when the first part of this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival was published!

In regards to budgeting, Audrey Cupo explained why It’s More Important Than Ever To Budget Your Money.

Don’t forget that the topic for April’s Blog Carnival is green organizing.

By the way, if I choose not to include a post you submit for any reason, I will email you to let you know, so please don’t hesitate to follow up with me like Deb did if I ever make this mistake again!

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for March 2010, Part 2: Taxes.

Welcome to this month’s edition of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! We have a lot of new people participating this month, so I’d like to welcome everyone and encourage you to read and comment on your colleagues’ posts. I’m sure you’ll find it to be a fun way to get to know one another while picking up some new ideas for your clients, or even for yourself!

When I chose this month’s topic of Financial Organizing, I was a bit concerned that we might have a whole bunch of similar posts, so I was really pleased to see the wide range of submissions that came in!

We have:

Budgeting tips from Christine Simiriglia in Organize Your Money and Save for What You Want and Joan Kosmachuk in Get Organized for the Holidays – Make a Spending Budget

Money management tips from Ellen Delap in Getting Organized with Your Money and Finances and Ramona Creel in Ten Steps To Financial Freedom. Ramona says,

Financial independence is well within our grasp — we just have to make a few fundamental shifts in the way we choose between instant gratification and future security.

Credit card tips in Playing Your Cards Right: How The CARD Act Helps Organize Your Finances from Julie Bestry, who says,

A major key to getting and keeping your finances in order is understanding the credit and debt infrastructure–the rules that determine how much interest you’re charged and the fees you are assessed. As they say, forewarned is forearmed!

Tips for filing financial paperwork from Michelle Deo in Files & Taxes, Margarita Ibbott in Homebox – One Spot Document Holder and Filing System, and Elaine Shannon in How to organize your Finances

Financial document retention tips from Angie Weid in Do I Really Need My Last 5 Years of Electric Bills?

And last but not least, some spectacular piggy banks for storing your change from Jeri Dansky, the product-finding organizer, in Piggy Banks That Aren’t Pigs: A Glyptodon, A Goat, and More.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival!

In honor of Earth Day, the theme for April will be green organizing, and you are welcome to submit your post at any time.

For those of you who like to plan ahead, the topic for May will be organizing tips for busy moms, but no submissions will be accepted for May’s Carnival until after April 10^th.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, please feel free to leave a comment or to contact me directly.

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for March 2010: Financial Organizing.

Today I am excited to bring you the first Professional Organizers Blog Carnival with a specific theme. Since February is National Time Management Month, the topic for this month is Time Management, and this month’s participants have lots of great tips to share with you and your clients.

The first step to any time management system is Setting Priorities. As Lisa Montanaro says in Time: The Great Equalizer:

The problem with time management is that it is an oxymoron. We can’t manage time itself – only what we choose to do with it. Until we stop blaming time and take responsibility for our role in “time management,” we won’t be able to fully change our relationship with it.

Kimberly Eagles tells us how she plans her time in Organizing My Time- My Ideal Work Week. Kim says that:

Setting priorities is so important when trying to maximize the use of time. I think knowing what is most important is the starting point to being productive and can take you from being very busy to very effective!

To free up time to focus on our priorities, Christine Simiriglia suggests that we Erase Some Tasks, because:

Some times less really is more!

If it seems that other people are taking you away from your priorities, you need to read Ramona Creel‘s post, Teaching People How To Use Your Time. Ramona says:

I can’t tell you how often I hear my friends, colleagues, and clients complain about how other people just don’t respect their time. You’ve probably experienced it too — either at home or at work. But it doesn’t have to happen that way!

Sometimes it’s not other people, but our own habits that keep us from completing our most important tasks. Does this sound familiar?

“I can’t help it!  I was born to procrastinate.” That was the statement I heard when talking with a new client about a week ago.

So I asked her, “Are you happy with your procrastination?  Does it serve you well?”

“No!” she exclaimed.  “That is why I called you.  I’m missing important deadlines and my co-workers and family are fed up with me.”

Do these statements resonate with you?  If so, then keep reading. You can overcome procrastination if you learn a few simple secrets.

Stephanie LH Calahan covers this common problem in Learn 5 Secrets to Put Procrastination Off Until Tomorrow.

I found it interesting that two people both recommended an online tool called Rescue Time. Is someone trying to tell me something? If you’ve ever run out of day before you ran out of work, be sure to read Joan Kosmachuk’s Where does the time go? A free tool to track your computer time and Margaret Lukens‘ Need a Net Nanny? Rescue Time Provides the Loving Discipline.

Once you’ve identified your challenges and determined your priorities, you’re ready to begin Scheduling.

Elaine Shannon suggests Batching Tasks a Recipe to Manage What you do with Your Time, and Jane Veldhoven describes her system in her series which begins with Keys To Effective Time Management #1.

If the thought of a schedule seems too confining, you need to read Sarah Kimmel‘s post on Changing Your Mind About Rules & Routines. Sarah tells us to:

Change your attitude about having a set routine for the day. It will actually allow you MORE freedom!

Of course, it’s much easier to create and maintain a schedule when you have a time management system that suits your learning style, and Hellen Buttigieg provides some great tips in her post, How To Choose the Best Calendar for You.

Several bloggers contributed their favorite Time Saving Tips, including Michelle, who offers a Quick Tip : Keep Reading Material Handy.

Angela Esnouf reminds us that time is The Precious Gift and asks:

Do we treat each of our precious hours as a gift?  Do we value our time enough?

Ellen Delap recommends Delegating at Work, informing us that:

Delegating can be one of the most important tools for productivity!

There’s a lot of excellent time management advice here, but if you know someone who needs a more structured approach to learning, take a look at Anne Blumer‘s 4 Weeks to Reclaim Your Time eBook, which she describes as follows:

For 28 days follow my Four Week Plan to More Effective Time Management and I will teach you habits that will lead to more control over your time and skills to manage yourself within your time more effectively.

Each week covers a different focus: Week One (habits 1-7) creating new habits, goal setting (the foundation of effective time management) and prioritizing Week Two (habits 8-14) time management tools Week Three (habits 15-21) planning and scheduling Week Four (habits 22-28) addressing procrastination.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month’s Professional Organizers Blog Carnival! I’m sorry I couldn’t accept all the posts that were submitted. Although all organizing strategies will ultimately save the individual time, I wanted to focus on the specific topic of time management, so I hope no one was offended.

To help people get ready for tax time, the theme for March will be financial organization, and you are welcome to submit your post at any time.

For those of you who like to plan ahead, the topic for April will be green organizing.

If you’d like to suggest a topic for a future Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, please feel free to leave a comment or to contact me directly.

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival for February 2010: Time Management.

As promised, I’m back today for the second part of the January Professional Organizers Blog Carnival. If you’re not familiar with this feature, it’s a monthly collection of blog posts submitted by our readers. On Monday, we read about Christmas, New Year’s Resolutions, and time management, and today we’re going to learn about a few other topics to help you and your business.

Today we’ll start off with one of my favorite topics: technology.

For those of you looking at ways to eliminate or reduce your collection of business cards, Deb Lee brings us The Business Card vs. 7 iPhone Apps.

While we’re on the subject of handheld devices, Jacki Hollywood Brown tells us how she uses her iPod Touch to stay organized. Jacki says,

New technology can be expensive but if it is easy to use and increases your productivity it is certainly worth the effort.

Michelle Deo introduces us to a wonderful e-mail marketing service, in Friday Fave : MailChimp. I have just started using this service on behalf of a client and can honestly say it’s one of the best I’ve used (and I’ve used quite a few)!

Also on the subject of marketing, Janet Baker describes Two Great Ways for Professional Organizers and Virtual Assistants to Market their Business.

If you’re looking for new ways to support your clients, check out Stephanie LH Calahan‘s I’ve Had Enough and I’m Doing Something About It!. Stephanie explains,

I’ve had a lot of clients over the years that have waged war on their paper, but a while ago I received a letter in the mail that made me smile and say, “You GO Girl!”

Mary and I had completed a strategy session that included ideas for how she could manage the ever mounting piles of paper in her home office. She had good ideas about what she needed to keep and what to let go of, but over time, the piles had just accumulated and had grown to an overwhelming amount.  We came up with an idea that was fun and managed the situation really well.  I’ll tell you about it today.  See if you have any clients that could use this strategy.

If any of your clients are dealing with hoarding or other serious issues, you should read Geralin Thomas‘s post about the Harm Reduction Method. This topic is explored further in the book reviewed by Jeri Dansky in her post, Good Book: Digging Out. Jeri says,

This new book is a great resource for anyone dealing with a friend or family member – or a client – who has hoarding issues. The focus on harm reduction is something I’ve not seen elsewhere, making this one of the few “organizing” books I’ve read that taught me something totally new.

On the financial front, Janet Nusbaum answers the question, Do Coupons Really Save you Money?

Jane Veldhoven talks about managing a business and a house, something many of us can relate to, in Managing My Life – Whew!, and Lelah Baker-Rabe explains why Simplicity is revolutionary.

This month’s carnival closes with a caution from Lisa Montanaro: Don’t Fall Into the Trap of the Shoemaker’s Shoes: Benefit From Your Own Expertise!

Thanks so much to everyone who submitted a post this month! I am just delighted about the growing popularity of the Professional Organizers Blog Carnival, but I’m concerned about the amount of time it’s taking me to compile the rapidly increasing number of submissions, and for you to read them. Therefore, I’m going to try something new next month.

Since February is National Time Management Month, next month’s Carnival will be dedicated to the topic of Time Management, and only submissions related to that subject will be accepted. If you haven’t blogged on that topic recently, you are welcome to submit an older post – or maybe this will inspire you to write something new!

Please visit Organized Assistant to read and comment on Professional Organizers Blog Carnival – January 2010 Edition, Part 2.