Storage Sheds – The Un-Clutter Solution

                

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A storage shed is a light structure (generally made of wood) in a back garden used for storage of tools, vehicles, or useful items and is very often used to pursue hobbies like gardening and light engineering. Storage sheds are available in a variety of designs and materials in the market.

Types of Storage Sheds Based on Material. The materials used for storage sheds are wood, plywood, vinyl, metal, steel and Rubbermaid. The materials have various advantages and disadvantages. Wood is the preferred material as it gives an aesthetic appeal. However wood needs to be treated for ultraviolet protection every year and sometimes treatment is also given for protection against pests and borers. Cedar wood is preferred material. Particle wood and plywood are very popular for storage shed sidings. However they are least resistant to water as they get out of shape after repeated wetting and drying. Hence plywood should be avoided in places where it rains frequently.

Vinyl has the advantage of being maintenance free. However vinyl is lower on the visual attractiveness scale. Metal sidings include aluminum, which is light and when anodized gives a good look and lasts a long time. Steel sidings, though cheap, should be avoided as they rust easily. Metal sidings have the least appealing look. Vinyl coated steel has a long life and gives good strength. Rubbermaid and poly vinyl chloride sidings are maintenance free ,requiring no painting, no rust treatment and no rot or pest treatment. One thing that should be looked into while selecting siding material is that the siding material should match with the main building siding material. A different siding material may give a contrasting look to the storage shed.

Do It Yourself Kits Vs Professional Installation. Storage sheds can be professionally installed as well as self assembled. Usually for easy assembly, the parts are numbered in self-assembly type storage shed kits. Also assembly instructions are provided with storage-shed kits. Self-assembly may save money and can be a satisfying though difficult experience.

Sizes & Accessories. The usual sizes of storage sheds are, 12’ X 24’, 12’ X 30’, 12’ X 10’, 10’ X 14’, 10’ X 8’, 8’ X 6’ etc. It is better to opt for a double door. For those who want to keep light engineering machines, a good foundation is necessary. Other accessories that come with storage sheds are windows, shutters, weathervanes etc. Hooks and shelves increase the capacity of the storage shed by utilizing vertical space. The windows should be so designed that they match with the main building.

Building Codes and Laws. In various states there are laws on sheds like zoning ordinance, building codes, deed restrictions, building permits, siding materials etc. It is prudent to go through these before installing a storage shed.

Storage sheds are available in various shapes, colors, patterns and sizes. They can be customized to suit an individual’s taste. Smaller sheds are called tool sheds. Larger sheds called barns are used to house vehicles, boats and other large items. The prices range from $300 to $4000 depending upon size, material and accessories in the storage shed.

Tyson J Stevenson writes on a wide variety of "every day" subjects, always with valuable news & reviews. Expect to see his name often.

A related resource is Sturdy Storage Sheds

Further information can be found at HubbuH

Unclutter Your Life For Good Feng Shui

                

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So many things in Feng Shui come from ancient ways and rules that might not seem obvious at first. Ironically enough, some of the earliest writings about Feng Shui, almost 2000 years ago, spoke of Feng Shui as being derivable and stemming from things that were almost common sense. Perhaps to the ancient Chinese, for whom Feng Shui had been a tradition for 1000 years already, it was common sense. For us in the west, however, we need a little help.

One thing nearly all of us need is a way to “unclutter” our environment. Clutter interrupts the flow of Chi, or energy, and symbolizes the way our lives will be on edge just as our home is. While Feng Shui does not have many hard and fast rules for “uncluttering” your life, there are some common sense steps to take before good Feng Shui can happen.

We all have stuff that we don’t really use or need. For some reason, we just can’t seem to part with it. Often times, we get rid of the easy stuff in a matter of minutes, but then we just can’t seem to make up our minds on what of the other stuff stays or goes.

We all have our excuses, “..but it’s so nice,” or “..that was really expensive,” “..I barely got any use out of that,” “..hopefully I’ll wear that again someday,” or my favorite, “..I’ll feel so guilty if I throw this out.”

For every item that you can’t decide what to do with, make a note of what excuse you are using to hang on to it. Listen to the voice in your head that tells you to keep it, and make a note of why.

As you start to do this, you should start to get a clear picture of just exactly what it is that is keeping you tied to certain things. You may find that, for example, you have no trouble throwing away greeting cards from last Christmas, but it would take a crow bar to pry that pair of pants out of your hand that you haven’t been able to wear in three or more years.

It doesn’t mean that you are heartless when it comes to the greeting cards, it means that you are comfortable and secure in the knowledge that your friends and family love you. It also means that you are probably not so comfortable with your body image and are having trouble accepting the fact that you simply can’t fit into those pants anymore.

Plenty of other people, on the other hand, might have no trouble throwing out those clothes, but cringe at the thought of throwing away postcards that are 20 years old. I can feel the guilt and inner struggle now as the mind says “it’s only paper, there is no reason to keep this,” while the heart weighs a ton at the prospect of “throwing away” all those friends and family members. The problem is not the postcards, it’s where our own personal insecurities lie.

So many of the reasons we hold on to clutter have to do with memories of past events, or the hope of usefulness in the future. Holding on to things gives us a sense of hope, or a sense of reminiscing. Both of these make it harder to live in the now. If you fill your closet with clothes that are too small, you remind yourself every day that you are not the size you want to be, and that you are not happy with where you are now. You remind yourself that you still have hope for losing that weight and being skinnier some day. Every day, as you reach for an article of clothing that is not one of the “goal” items, you get a small sense of failure.

Imagine the toll these little message put on you day after day. You wouldn’t look in the mirror and tell yourself that you are a failure every day, would you? I certainly hope not. The message here, though, is closely related if not the same. When you hold on to things that represent what you wish for, and are unhappy about presently, it brings bad energy to your self every day. When your closet contains clothes that fit your body, your life, and your personality, every wardrobe choice becomes a positive step towards a good outlook on the day, and on your life.

It is difficult sometimes to make the decision to be clutter free, and sometimes even more difficult to make that decision a reality. At every item you can’t seem to let go of, listen to the voice in your head and learn to discover the real reasons why you hold on to things that seem to have no use or purpose. Learn to let go of these things and enjoy the here and now. The good energy will begin to flow better, and the path to good Feng Shui will have begun.

Charles Chang is a Feng Shui enthusiast and author. He enjoys helping others with feng shui through his articles and website.

Give Yourself A Spring Clean - Unclutter Your Mind

                

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GIVE YOURSELF A SPRING CLEAN
Do you know that the clutter in your home says something about the clutter in your heart and mind? Are you collecting dust or dreams? Does your living room mirror the mess you hide from yourself? Let's see what needs to be aired and re-arranged in your life in this article.
 

Your daily life is a reflection of your inner world. Knowing this, it’s very interesting to investigate the state of your home. Take a closer look at your house and try to link your rooms and objects in them with the state of your physical, mental, spiritual and emotional health. Time for a Spring clean?
 

Let me offer you a hand with some cleaning tips:
 

1. What area is a mess?
You can go to each room in your house to check what screams “I need cleaning now!” or if you know your home well, you just close your eyes and you can picture the bedroom where you always stumble over piles of clothes or your kitchen full of dirty plates and cups. If several rooms are a mess, just pick one untidy place that frustrates you the most. If you do not care that this room or area in your house is a mess, choose a particular spot that frustrates you. Mess isn’t good or bad, it’s only a place for focus if you feel it should not be a mess.

2. What does this area resemble?
Once you picked the area that obviously needs a big sweep, take a moment and ask yourself: “What meaning does this spot or area in my house have?“. For example: your kitchen can be a place for nourishment, socialising or perhaps feeling safe. Your bathroom can resemble a place to relax, to refresh yourself or to be creative. Each area will have a different label for every individual, even if they live in the same house. Your bedroom might feel like a place to rest to you, for another it might be the place to watch television in order to educate themselves on a topic. Your garden might be a sanctuary for you to meditate while planting new flowers or perhaps it is a place to get some exercise by mowing the grass. Or maybe it is both depending on the activity and mood you are in. If a place has more than one value or meaning to you, just focus on the association that is the strongest for instance: I use my garden more to find peace of mind than to exercise.
 

Write down what you discovered for example: my kitchen resembles a place where I relax my mind by cooking.
 

3. Why is this area a mess?
Now we take a closer look at the clutter in this place. Ask yourself: if my kitchen resembles relaxation of my mind but it looks a mess, what do I feel is not tidy, in balance, sorted out in my mind as well? Perhaps you discover that you are not taking enough time to relax in your life, or that you feel stressed. Or when you feel irritated by rusty knives or the broken juicer you will see that your tools to relax need some polishing. Suppose you spend less time in the kitchen than normal and eat more take-out meals: does it link with the amount of spare time that you reserve for yourself to relax?
 

4. Clean up tips
Once you discover what area in your life needs a tidy, you have a place to start sweeping out the dirt. You can clean the messy area in your home and also feel that your mind is reacting to this action. To stick with the kitchen example: by cleaning out the kitchen you might feel that you alleviate your stress. You can also start by focusing on the stress and work on those issues and then you feel your kitchen needs some attention too.
 

Be prepared that once you start cleaning, sometimes the mess gets worse: we have to take out stuff to air; we need to re-arrange furniture, just keep going. It’s like rinsing a pan: the water gets dirtier but after the scrubbing you will find a shiny, new surface.
 

5. Plan
Make arrangements so you can finish your task well: plan your Spring clean, buy tools, tell others that you want them out of that room or let them join you, take a break and then reward yourself for finishing the job.
 

Working on your home is working on your soul. The state of your heart and mind will become evident by checking your house. What room do you visit most? Perhaps you spend little time in your study room. If this resembles a place to nourish your mind, perhaps it is time to follow a course?
 

If you like this exercise you can go deeper and check the items in your home:
What items do you keep? Objects that reflect the past or future? Are you focused on the people and moments that have gone or on creating new contacts and experiences? What colours do you use and what do they reflect in you?
 

Focusing on the mess in your home can teach you about your emotional, physical, spiritual or mental state. At the same time you can focus on the area in your home that makes you very happy, relaxed or energised. Spent more time there to find balance.
 

Good news
Who knows what you will find under layers of dust or in the piles of paper? A sparkling new you! Wouldn’t you be willing to spend time to discover that?
 

Let me know what treasures you found during your Spring clean. Please feel free to send me an e-mail if you need support to clear your heart and mind!

Marianne Korten runs a personal and professional development company Soul at Work in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Corporate clients and individuals improve their conscious communication and creation skills with her expertise and support. Through coaching and training services clients gain greater self-confidence, balance, trust and skills to create the (business) life they want. Popular topics by demand are: public speaking skills, networking skills, career changes, mind-body-soul balance and finding your personal mission and vision. International companies and expatriates benefit from her background in the international meetings industry, of working with a variety of cultures and her personal skills as a certified coach, trainer, speaker and columnist. Sign up for her free E-Newsletter on: http://www.soul-at-work.com

How To Unclutter The Content Of Your Website

                

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To the search engines, content is king. However if your whole site is cluttered with content, it can look really boring and might scare your visitors away.

identify Your Audience

Do you really need to unclutter the content of your site? The answer to this question will depends on what type of web audience you are targeting. There are usually 2 types of internet users. The first type of user knows what they are looking for and they arrive at your site with a purpose. They can be easily satisfied if you make information searching in your site as simple and quickly as possible. The second type of user arrives at your site without wanting to achieve anything, ie they just happened to stumble upon your site while surfing the internet. Majority of the internet users belong to the second category. If you want to sell something to them, you need to make them stay and listen to you which will require more effort.

Empower the Cursor

The mouse cursor has the ability to change its appearance as it passes over important areas of the screen. Changing the mouse arrowhead into a pointing finger or something else helps the visitor to identify a clickable link (the default style in all web documents). Rollover effects such as changing the font effects, background image or color when mouseover also help to differentiate between texts and links.

Do Not Abuse The Header

Most websites are designed to have a standard header(banner) and footer. Using a standard header on all your webpages gives your site a consistent look which is considered as a positive thing in Web Design. However, because the header catches the most attention, many webmasters love to throw in tonnes of graphics and information in it, making it look really bulky. A typical example is the use of Google Adwords in the header. We want our visitors to stay in our site longer, so the emphasis should be on the content not the header.

Furthermore, many people now have Google and Alexa Toolbars installed. Some even have other types of toolbars. This means that if the header takes up too much space, your visitors cannot read your content without scrolling.

Organize Your Content

It is a good practice to group all related infomation into their respective categories. When the user enters the category page, provide summaries of different ideas in just a few sentences with links to the extended versions (an example is www.sitecritic.net/design_ideas.php). In that way, the user can choose to browse and read what they want by clicking on the appropriate links. In fact, many portals such as MSN, BBC, CNN are designed in that way.

Implement Pagination

A direct way to prevent content clutter is to keep the length of the body to a minimum. Letting the readers see the whole page without scrolling motivates them to read the text. If you have alot of things to tell, separate them into different pages. If you look at the articles in devshed website, you will see that all the long articles are split up into different sections.

Use Images

Images break up monotonous text. Numerous studies show that most people are more likely to read a story if there is an image accompanying the story. An image also leaves a more lasting impression on us because our eye is more easily drawn to familiar pictures rather than words. However, if your site is full of images, then text can break up the monotonous images. One caution when using images is that you have to keep the file size as small as possible without losing the image quality so that it will not affect the browsing speed.

Empty Spaces Are Useful

Negative space are areas that are intentionally left sparse. An empty space might not seem interesting but it provides a good boundary for different blocks of ideas. A typical example is the use of new paragraphs. People will be confused if you join all your ideas into one big chunk of text. Negative space also creates a good contrast for the text. Contrast helps to show the connection between design elements, establishes the flow of story or directs the eye to important areas of the web page. Like images, negative space provide breathing space for the eye. Intelligent use of negative space is the key to uncluttered a website in a cluttered environment. If you noticed, you will see that most blogs today are designed with alot of negative space because they have alot of text. One has to becareful though, that too much space makes your site looks really empty which is not good.

Hid Unwanted Information

Tailoring a website presentation based on individual preferences is another way to reduce clutter. Unimportant or inappropriate information can be filtered off by setting up a preferences area whereby the user is questioned about specific needs or interests. Once the information is recorded, there can be a script setup to display only the areas or topics that are important to that viewer.

Many softwares nowsadays offer wizard utilities whereby the user arrive at what they want by answering some simple questions. The same concept could be applied to web design. If you are running an ecommerce site for example, instead of showing all your products to your viewer at once, you could ask them a few simple questions, narrowing down and displaying only the product information that the viewer might be interested. This technique can been seen implemented in many web hosting sites.

Conclusion

With the emphasis of content in Search Engine Optimization, it is important to display your content so that it does not bore your readers. Keeping your readers happy is important to make them stay and use your services.

http://www.sitecritic.net is formed by a group of web addicts, mainly volunteers from all over the world. Our goal is to create a community of web designers and developers who share the common interest in bringing out the best in creatiing effective web sites. More website reviews can be viewed at Sitecritic.net Website Reviews

Wardrobe Closets Help De-Clutter Your Life

                

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Is your bedroom a magnet for clutter of piles and piles of clothes? Many people think they clean up their clutter by moving it around from room to room. On the other hand, just burying it in a closet does not really help either. All this does is just make the clutter grow. Investing in a wardrobe closet will help to alleviate some of the clothes clutter in your bedroom.

Before you can invest in a wardrobe closet, you must take charge of your clutter. Take all your clothes out of the closet and wherever else they are kept and sort them into three piles. Start with your favorite clothes, these go into the first pile. The second pile should contain the items that you do not wear. The last pile will contain the clothes that you do not love but still wear.

The most important pile is the first pile. Match everything up, such as bottoms go with what particular tops and so on. You could have a pair of pants that goes with several different tops, that is a good thing. The idea of this exercise is to make sure that everything has something to match with it. If something doe not have a match, is there anything in one of the other two piles that is a match. If not, then you will have to set it aside and maybe find a spot for it in your closet. Once you have put together several outfits, these can be set aside for inclusion in your new wardrobe closet.

How many outfits or combos have you now? Do you have enough to last a week? This will be your core wardrobe and should be kept grouped together for easiest access in your wardrobe closet. Next, group together the items that do not have perfect matches or items that you will just not wear that often but still like.

You may find that you have quite a few items left over. Take these items to consignment store, donate them to a local charity or hold a yard sale. The idea is to downsize so that your home is not cluttered with clothes that no one wears. Also, you are trying to get organized so that a wardrobe closet will fit nicely in your bedroom and that it will contain your most wearable clothes.

If you just cannot part with some clothes and there is not any room in the wardrobe closet then pack them up in storage bins and store them out of the way in the basement, garage or storage rental space. This principle of downsizing can be applied to other items besides clothing. This can be also be done for large shoe collections as well. In addition, you can perform this function in any closet or room in your house to complete your entire home de-cluttering project.

Remember, you can do all this. You do not need to hire a professional to de-clutter your home. Take your time and complete one room at a time. You may find that you need more than one wardrobe closet; however, you will be glad you took the time to de-clutter your life.

Our site provides information on wardrobe closets, PODs storage, bedroom closet organization and various other types of closet designs and storage systems. Let us provide all your storage information

Home Organization Tips - 5 Fast And Easy De Clutter Ideas

                

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Are you embarrassed to have family or friends over because of your cluttered and disorganized house? You are not alone! Many people struggle with basic household organization and continue to do so everyday. In fact more than one out of four Americans remarked that they would like to be better organized in a study done by the National Association of Professional Organizers. You can carry on living this way and feel down on yourself each time you look around or panic each time someone knocks on the door, OR, you can take some simple steps to having a clutter free living environment. The objective of organizing isn't to make your home spotless but rather to make your everyday life more calm and functional for your whole family. Here are a few simple home organization tips and ideas to get you started right now!

1. Put things Back Where You Found Them-

Have a "home" for every item, and make sure it is put back if it is removed. Always put things back in their place when you are done with them and especially before you move onto something else. This will not allow things to pile up and look overwhelming to sort through.

2. Snail Mail-

Deal with mail as soon as you walk in the door with it. Immediately toss or shred anything you don't need such as credit card offers and other junk mail! Take care of any bills you receive right away so you eliminate the risk of losing it or forgetting it and ending up with late charges. (23% of adults say they pay bills late (& thus incur fees) because they lose them! National Association of Professional Organizers)

3. Don't Let Dishes Pile Up-

After dinner take the time to clean up the table and do the dishes, make sure everyone helps out so it will go a lot faster. This should be especially easy if you have a dishwasher, but don't forget to run it before you go to bed!

4. Dirty Clothes-

Have a place for everybody to put their dirty laundry (not on the floor!), and space permitting have them put it in designated pile (whites, colors, etc.) to save time later on. Also, do the laundry in smaller segments when one pile gets big enough for a load to avoid Laundry Overload later on!

On a side note, sort through your clothes and get rid of or donate anything you don't wear anymore to a local charity. This includes clothes that are no longer in fashion, no longer fit, or clothes you haven't worn in at least a year. (We wear 20% of the clothes we own 80% of the time. The rest hangs there, just in case. National Association of Professional Organizers)

5. Enjoy Your Clutter Free Home-

Light some candles and sit down to watch a movie or read a book. Enjoy your new functional and calming environment. Not only is your home now more immaculate, it is far more calming and even healthier. You can do this, and once you see how much more relaxing your home is you will never want to go back to how you were living before. Who knows, maybe you'll invite your friends and family over for a get together now and be proud not ashamed!

The National Association of Professional Organizers reports that about 80% of the clutter in your home is a result of disorganization not lack of space and approximately 80% of what we keep we never use. If you are ready to take action regarding your clutter problem visit this great site for more information and tips. If not now, then when?

Link- More Home Organization Tips

I use all of the above mentioned tips to improve my home organization at home. I love to come home to an organized environment after a long day at work, it helps me to keep my sanity and enables me to relax without feeling I need to get so much done. I hope that soon you can feel the same when you walk in your door

Do Yourself A Favor And De-Clutter Your House!

                

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Do you remember the last time your house got a thorough cleaning and de-cluttering? Do you remember how beautiful it was and wonderful your felt when you would walk from room to room, knowing you had accomplished so much. This remembering is the key to getting and keeping the motivation necessary to get the job done. It's also the motivation to keep it that way.

If you can just get the clutter cleaned out (which can be very big job) you can very easily maintain that level of de-clutter. At the de-cluttered point it takes a very minimal effort to get it to the original de-clutter state.

Set aside a time every day and visualize your house de-cluttered and then take all the actions necessary to get it into that de-cluttered condition. Each time you get your house in that pristine condition, take the time to admire how it looks, enjoy every minute of it, memorize how it looks. Always keep that memory in your mind, daily. This is the fuel that keeps your de-cluttering drive alive. Always keep that drive alive. You will be very glad you did. Do you remember how your house looked when you first moved in and everything was in its place? Work daily to keep it that way. Do all of the necessary small things that don't take long now, but grow to monstrous proportions when they build up and build up. You owe it to yourself to keep your surroundings free of clutter. You owe it to yourself to keep everything clean and neat. It is so much easier to do it little by little, than to have it pile up and then try to tackle it. Think of some things you could do right now to start the de-cluttering process. Now, go do them.

For more tips and tools on de-cluttering your life go to http://www.De-ClutterU.com - from Diane McLain