Angela: “It’s 2012, a brand-new year wide open with promise and possibilities. If ‘get organized’ is one of your resolutions again this year, let’s look at what might have gotten in the way in the past and work to change it in the future. I’ve compiled a list 7 Organizing Mistakes to Avoid in 2012 to help you sidestep the most common roadblocks to a well-organized workspace.”

1. Not knowing your personal organizing style – When it comes to organizing, one of the key elements is to understand your personal organizing style. What does this mean? It means that you need to analyze your current organizing habits before you implement new systems. For example – are you a piler or a filer? Do you like an open bin system or drawers? Are you an “out of sight out of mind” person and need everything visible or do you prefer everything to be put away? Do you like paper or are you striving for a ”paperless” office?

2. Going for quick fix solutions - Quick fix solutions offer the promise of magically whipping years of clutter and disorganization into shape. If you see a storage product or new piece of technology that seems to offer a quick fix, hold off, it may just wind up as another piece of clutter, frustration and ultimately a wast of money. If the product doesn’t match your personal style, it will not work for you long term. Whether for weight loss or organizing, quick fixes rarely work. Know that like anything worthwhile, getting organized takes time.

3. Boxes and bags syndrome – This is a very common one and I see it all the time. You may be so frustrated with all the clutter on your desk or you might just need to clear it in a hurry – you put all the clutter in a box or bag and stick it in the closet. Before you know it there is an avalanche of boxes and bags in the closet causing you stress and possibly even a great deal of shame. Avoid the boxes and bags syndrome by implementing systems – such as mail processing systems that prevent clutter from happening in the first place.

4. Vagueness about your possessions – It’s important to know what you have. One thing I do with clients all the time is consolidate like items. Organizers are particularly skilled at identifying patterns. If you are a Staples junkie like me, for example, keep all your office supplies in one area so you know what you have and what you need to replenish. You’ll avoid duplicates, cut down on clutter and save money in the process. Also, when you are clear on what you have, you’ll be able to purchase the right containers to store them.

5. Procrastination and Avoidance - If you have been living with clutter for a long time, there is a high level of procrastination and avoidance that may cause you to freeze up. This paralysis leads to avoidance leads to frustration. Getting organized is a process. Fear of beginning or not knowing where to start is a common obstacle. This can be addressed by simply making a decision. Make a decision to start with the simplest task for example or with the area that is causing you the most stress. Another great way to begin is to start with the area that is of most interest to you or that will give you the most satisfaction or have the biggest impact. Regardless of what you chose – make a decision!

6. Someday/Somehow syndrome - The someday/somehow syndrome results from not having a plan. Your plan could be a simple one such as I’m going to spend 10 minutes a day organizing my files or I’m going to come in on Saturday when the office is quiet and do a major purge. Whether your style is to do a little at a time or tackle a project head on, having a plan will help you get it done.

7. I can do it myself syndrome – When it comes to getting things done in our super fast-paced world, we all can fall into the trap of thinking we can do it all ourselves. Avoid this organizing mistake by bringing in what my colleague and pioneer in the field of chronic disorganization, Judith Kohlberg has termed “a body double.”  A body double is someone, a friend or family member for example, who will sit with you while you organize and de-clutter. Make sure you chose someone that is supportive and non-judgmental. You’ll be amazed at the results of asking for help.

2. Worther Woody Mechanical Pencil, $14.00 Designers, artists, and engineers favor this writing instrument’s comfortable (and ergonomic) hexagonal shape. Get it: Canoe

3. Hex Paperweight, $26.00 Bring cool graphic simplicity to your workspace with this design from Seattle studio Iacoli & McAlister. Get it: The Ghostly Store

4. Concrete Hexagon Coasters, $42.00 Protect your desk with a set of durable patterned coasters. Get it: Culinarium

5. Hex Mirror, $220.00 Add depth and a little light to the office with this Australian-made piece. Get it: Daniel Emma

Want more product picks? Check out my various collections and random finds on Pinterest.

Images linked to their sources within the numbered text

By Gregory Han.

1. QLOCKTWO TOUCH, $599.00 A matrix of characters spell out the time using LED technology in this conversation-starting table alarm clock. Get it: Biegert & Funk

2. Letter Holder Bookend, $45.00 Clear clutter from your workspace with this smart two-in-one solution. Get it: mollaspace.com

3. Tape Dispenser, $8.00 Add a small pop of color and clean lines to your desk with this charming design. Get it: Poppin

4. Truncheon Task Light Designer Cmmnwlth’s simple lamp is fashioned out of traditional materials and shaped by advanced digital technology. (Contact vendor for pricing.) Get it: Matter

5. Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair with Wood Base, $909.00 The gently curved shapes of these iconic chairs paired with a red aniline stained veneer finish are a firecracker combo. Get it: Herman Miller

Images linked to their sources within the numbered text

DropTunes: Playing audio files from your Dropbox account is already something that can be done. However, DropTunes takes the pain out of clicking each individual file and creates playlists from the music folders that you store in your Dropbox. Additionally, DropTunes give you a nice user interface to adjust volume, pause, and even click forward and back tracks.

Host A Website: One of the more clever ways to use Dropbox is as a free hosting service. All you have to do is copy an HTML file into the Public folder of your Dropbox. Once you do this, right click with the mouse on the file and select “Copy Public Link.” Now you can paste the web address into the browser and you now have a live website hosted for free. This is a great way to test simple sites before investing in a real host. And if this simple Dropbox site is enough, then you can simply purchase a domain name and forward the address to the link for easier to remember URLs.

DROPitTOme: If you ever need to receive file that are too large to email, then DROPitTOme is a perfect solution for you. All you need to do is give somebody the custom URL and the password encryption (if you choose) and they will be able to upload large files directly to your Dropbox. No more having to deal with email attachment limits. You know have your own private server that people can upload important files to.

By Jesse Leikin

All of the major web browsers let you save bookmarks to folders. You can then open all of the shortcuts in any given folder all at one time, each in its own tab. If you’ve got a slow computer and a ton of links, this may take a slight bit of effort on your computer’s part. Then again, should you really be reading blogs all day at work? [Perhaps!]

General initial steps
- Create a folder in your bookmarks and name it “Daily Reading”
- Save all of your favorite sites to this folder

Mozilla Firefox
In Firefox, you can store this folder in either your Bookmarks Toolbar or your Bookmarks Menu. Wherever you prefer to keep the folder, simply click the folder from either location and then select “Open in All Tabs.” You can also right click the folder to see this option as well.

Microsoft Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer requires you to open the Favorites Bar and then mouse over the folder you want to open. A little arrow shows up to the right and you click it to launch all of the sites into separate tabs. Microsoft doesn’t give you the option of using the file menu to launch all of your sites at once.

Google Chrome
Chrome has a bookmarks bar where you can keep your daily reading folder. Here you simply right click the folder and select “Open all bookmarks.”

Apple Safari
Safari has a Bookmarks Bar as well. You can click normally or right click on your daily reading folder and then select “Open in Tabs.”

You’re done
Now it’s quick and simple to take a break during the day and get through all your favorite websites in one fell swoop.

By Jason Yang

Sure, finding your cat on your laptop is funny. My wife finds it pretty funny when Yoda climbs up on her own MacBook, but I dislike it as she tends to knead. This means that she’ll most probably end up scratching up my laptop at some point in time. It’s not something I want to happen. Here are a few ideas to keep your pet off your laptop.

1. Move your laptop You can easily take your laptop away into another locked room. Currently, I’m using part of this option since I don’t want to take chances. My laptop ends up in the bedroom with the door closed; no pets allowed.

2. Place some cat obstacles on your laptop This involves stacking a few light things from your desk, like notebooks, calendars, a tissue box, to create an obstacle to prevent your cat from lounging on your laptop. In my experience, this only works part of the time as an intelligent cat will most likely just throw these off to make space for itself.

3. Use a notebook stand This is a simple solution that will probably leave everyone happy. The stand, that will put your laptop at an angle or upright, makes it impossible for a cat to lie on it.

4. Create a cat bed nearby Using a small blanket or cushion, you can create an alternative resting spot for your cat. Although I wouldn’t put it on you desk, since cats tend to throw stuff off them, it could be put on one of your nearby shelves. Since I also have a dog, my pets are a lethal combo. The cat throws something off and the dog chews on it.

5. Take your cat on your lap Our feral little cat has turned into a lap cat, and we’re sure that your cats are like this as well. The best spot in the house is on your lap, and cats enjoy staying there for hours at a time, especially if you’re working.

By Range.

(Image: Flickr member Nanda licensed for use under Creative Commons, Flickr memberLaihiu licensed for use under Creative Commons)

2. Calendar Print, $42 Clean. Simple. Cool. Get it: Gold Teeth Brooklyn at Supermarket

3. Twenty Eleven Calendar, $16 This limited print wall calendar doubles as a piece of art; just frame and hang. Get it: The Must Stash

4. Desktop Calendar, $30 Printed with graphic, vintage type that’s over 50 years old, this letterpress and steel calendar adds easy elegance to your office. Get it: smeurer8 at Etsy

5. “The Chairs” Calendar, $20 We might be biased, but we’re charmed by this handmade design. Get it: storybymia at Etsy

Images linked to their sources within the numbered text

2. Aki Umbrella Stand, $149 Choose from a variety of bold, fall-like colors (and more) for the Aki—Japanese for “autumn.” Get it: Generate

3. Porcelain Umbrella Stand, $115 Collect your guests’ and clients’ umbrellas in this clean, classic, handcrafted receptacle. Get it: Horchow

4. Umbrella Pot, 66,700 JPY This eco-friendly, eco-chic, eco-smart (eco-everything) piece uses the extra rainwater from your wet umbrella to nourish a small plant. Get it: kyouei-ltd.co.jp

5. KARTELL Umbrella Stand, $155 These rainbow-reminiscent containers designed by Gino Columbini back in 1966 are the perfect remedy for a wet, rainy day. Get it: Mod Livin’

Images linked to their sources within the numbered text

1. Fork and Cream Sauce It’s one of the funniest and innovative cable management systems that we’ve seen. It will most definitely help you stay clear of any kind of cable mess.

2. Leaf Tie This is a really cool way to tie together your cables. We usually use binder clips or zip ties, but these Leaf Ties are fun to have around. Both of these ideas are by Lufdesign.

3. IKEA Signum It doesn’t look the greatest, but it sure gets the job done. It can be placed at the end of a table and neatly tuck away your cables.

4. X Marks The Spot We think that X Marks The Spot sounds a lot better than the ACD Variable Cable Organizer, but whatever you call it, this typographically-inspired mount will sort out some of your cable management woes.

5. The Coat Hanger Cable Management System This is more of a hack, but it shows how you can just hack your cables into being more organized.

Originally posted on Unplggd by Range.”

UNDER THE TABLE: A great example of this done properly is one of our favorite running examples; the “under-the-table” wiring management system. Above, Blupics demonstrates how it’s done by incorporating grommets, screws, zip-ties, and cable management systems.

A CORD BOX: Another great recent example was the DeskTop by Yummyguide studios, where they custom built a table from scratch with all of the cord management in mind. Using their logo as the grommet holes, they strung their iMac power cables under the table to a Blue Lounge cable box. There’s also a convenient docking slot below the desk to house laptops when needed.

WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY: As for the case of tech, we’re big on Bluetooth, as long as they’re utilizing rechargeable batteries and contribute to a cleaner desktop system. Having things on Bluetooth also allow it to be tucked into small drawers (if your desk/table has them), making room for other tasks in your everyday work flow.

Need more invisible cord control inspiration? Check out our complete roundup of cord control solutions. And even more wire-wrangling solutions over here.

By Anthony”