Back to school is like the New Year, isn't it? We've got new goals, aspirations and ideas for how we're going to do everything better. It's a great time to get organized! Certified Professional Organizer® Lorie Marrero is the bestselling author of The Clutter Diet: The Skinny on Organizing Your Home and Taking Control of Your Life. She is also the creator of ClutterDiet.com, an innovative program allowing anyone to get expert help at an affordable price. Her organizing books and products are sold online and in stores nationwide. Lorie is the spokesperson for Goodwill Industries International, and she is a sought-after expert for national media such as CNBC, Family Circle, WGN News and Woman's Day. She has also served as a spokesperson for many other companies, including Staples, Brother, and Microsoft, and she writes regularly as an organizing expert for Good Housekeeping. She lives in Austin TX with her husband, two human sons, and 30,000 bee daughters in her backyard beehives. Download Lorie's Back to School tips HERE Receive Your Back to School Countdown List Now We are holding a contest! Make a comment on my Facebook page. We will randomly pick two winners on August 10th. One winner will receive... more

Guest Post by Lorie Marrero of The Clutter Diet  Did you know that a weekday edition of the New York Times contains more information than a 17th century English person would have seen in his entire lifetime? No wonder we feel so overwhelmed! Managing our information is getting more challenging every day, and you can improve your skills at handling it before it gets worse. Here are the 7 biggest mistakes we see in our work with clients-- are you making these organization mistakes too? 1. Not knowing the difference between Action & Reference This concept is very important for beginning to get through your piles. You need to separate out paper and information that requires action from information that simply needs to be kept for future reference. If you have the actionable items centralized, you will know exactly what needs to be done. Reference items should go directly into a file, or you can have a basket for things “To Be Filed” to batch up your filing for later. 2. Equipment and supplies making it difficult to file Many people have poor quality filing cabinets that create barriers to effective and timely filing of your paperwork. We often see drawers that stick or don’t work correctly, making you just... more