O.C.D. Experience Blog

efficiency

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17 Sep 2012

Be Fall Fashion Efficient

As summer winds down and fall approaches, it becomes time to get close with your closet once more. If you are a seasonal wardrobe swapper or happened to follow our Seasonal Closet Change blog post then performing your garment switch should be a breeze (if not, click here for some quick clues on how to clean up your closet.) But, what if in the process of pulling out your fall collection, you realize that last years threads are so… last year? Here are some suggestions on how to be efficiently fashionable this fall.

Organize your wardrobe by texture (knits and leathers are in this season), weight/warmth (heavier, heat inducing materials on one end and light, breezy materials on the other; so you know what to grab if it’s particularly chilly one morning) and then by color within your weight/texture sections. Play it safe with traditional base colors that tend to stay in style from year to year or spice it up with this season’s warm and cool colors.

Unsure of what to give away? The O.C.D. Experience has some helpful tips for you!

1. When was the last time you wore it? If it’s been over two years it’s time to give it away.

2. After you go shopping it’s always a good idea to clean out your closet and sift through the things you haven’t worn in a while.

3. How long have you had it for? If you’re debating on keeping a raggedy old black t-shirt with holes in it that you’ve had forever, it’s time to give it up. You will find another one.

4. Is this thing something you wear or use a lot? If not, ask yourself if it is really worth keeping.

5. If you think twice about it, give it away.

Once you have gone through this process it is time to organize The O.C.D. Way! Grab all new hangers (if you have the budget) and start organizing.

I you have a closet that you need help tackling, email us at ocd@ocdexperience.com! We want to help!
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post
25 Jul 2012

Keep Your Ideas In One Place

Your work space should inspire you to be creative and productive. In order to do so, you will need to have an O.C.D. clean area to work. A clean space = a clear mind.

We recommend having all of your notes, thoughts, ideas… really anything you want to write down… all in a journal or notebook. We use Moleskins in the O.C.D. office.

With all of your ideas in one place you will be able to stay in control. Next time you are looking for that brilliant idea you had last week, it will be in your notebook. Create a “to-do” list in the notebook. This can be an on-going or a daily list. Not only will you have all of your lists in one area but you can look back on previous day’s work.

Be sure to write all of your notes in one color (we prefer black or blue) and cross items out in another color (red).

If you really want to follow the O.C.D. way, scan each notebook after it is full. This will keep you paperless while you have your ideas backed up.
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9 Jun 2012

Incompetence Should Not Be Tolerated

Today, I spent over an hour chatting with Citibank about an error they had internally regarding the validity of my birth date. It pained me to spend MY time and MY energy to help resolve something that clearly was an internal error on the banks behalf. After speaking with three different representatives, they all told me that in order to resolve the problem I would have to present myself at a bank to show proof of birth.

NO FRICKIN WAY was that happening….

We all remember the 1994 American drama, The Shawshank Redemption, where two imprisoned men, Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency? That movie is a staple in many peoples lives, including mine, and it taught me a solid lesson at a very young age…CREATE YOUR OWN SYSTEM!

Throughout the movie we see Robbins transform as an individual because he was forced to. As an imprisoned man what was there left to do, but fight a system that was corrupt, weak and in need of a structural change.

I bring this movie up because this morning and throughout my entire life I have always fought the system when I found holes in it. I constantly try and teach representatives how to function better at their jobs, provide more competent customer service and, in this case, help the representatives understand the services they can provide their customer without inconveniencing them. (a reason why I started my company the O.C.D. Experience) Obviously, this benefits myself and my situations greatly because I usually end up solving a problem with my own guided expertise. I also end up teaching the representative something new about their job which empowers them to look at situations differently for the future. In the end, a situation is resolved, the system is changed and everyone learns something valuable. Just like Shawshank, redemption is served!

Bringing the story back to Citibank and their incompetence. What could have been another hour out of my day, ended when I provided a valuable yet simple solution. Remember, the only way this was going to be resolved was if I waltzed into the bank showing proof of birth! I explained that since my birthday was somehow changed on their back end system, why don’t they cross reference my birth date with my CitiBusiness account which was opened over three years ago and had the exact same personal information. The manager was hesitant at first, but then took the constructive solution and put me on hold.

Like Tim Robbins, I found a hole in Citibank’s system. I dug through it and found my freedom on the other side without having to spend any more time in prison. I say prison because that is exactly how I felt. When companies make you a prisoner in your own account, information, and take time away from your life they are imprisoning you. My account is now up-to-date and I didn’t have to walk into the bank to correct a problem I didn’t cause.

Take back your power when you are faced with a situation where you feel imprisoned, wrongfully accused, weakened and fight the system! Always be kind, courteous, and provide a solution that just might work for everyone. In a digital age this will become more common so it is important to hold your ground when it comes to personal information and time.

Remember the O.C.D. Experience is about creating order and functionality in every area of your life…apply it when you see fit.
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27 Apr 2012

Your Organized and Efficient Guide For Graduation Gifts

It’s almost the end of the school year which means graduation is on its way! If you or someone you know is graduating from school, the O.C.D. Experience has a great gift guide for you.

Pictures

Photographs are the perfect gift to capture memories. Giving a framed picture or creating a personalized photo album is definitely a special present that your friend or loved one will always cherish. O.C.D. consultants especially love the photo books from Shutterfly and Mixbook. What is so great about these digital scrapbooks is that they give you a ton of options to choose from. You can make an album with a specific theme, color, size, shape, and more. In addition to photo albums, you can create your own personalized stationary, calendar, cards, and more! FotoBridge is another great tool to help you make a special gift by scanning your photo collections.

Customized Gifts

By personalizing your gift, it will make the person graduating feel unique and special. You can customize just about everything – jewelry, cosmetic cases, wallets, phone covers, and stationary for girls and belt buckles, money clips, luggage, and button down shirts for guys.

An O.C.D. Experience’s fav is American Stationary – you can customize letters, labels, note cards, and a lot more.

Gift Subscriptions

This is a really fantastic gift to receive. Subscriptions range from getting the graduate a subscription to their favorite magazine, a gift subscription to Netlix, fruit, flowers, you name it! One of the O.C.D. favs is this Fruit-of-the-Month package by Harry & David – each month your giftee will receive deliciously fresh fruit including strawberries, mango, cherries, pineapple, peaches, and more!

Gift Cards

Give your graduate the option to buy whatever he or she wants. This is definitely a smart way to go and you will definitely make your graduate happy. You can a gift card from most places but the O.C.D. Experience thinks you can’t go wrong getting one from these: American Express, iTunes, Best Buy, Target, and Amazon.

Memberships

Gym memberships are a great way to keep your graduate feeling fit and healthy. The O.C.D. Experience especially loves gift cards from Equinox because their gyms are located all over the country and you can select from a variety of options to choose from: personal training classes, spa treatment, gym lessons, and more.

Experiences

It is likely that your loved one is moving to a new city after they graduate. Getting them something they will always remember is a special way to show them how proud you are. O.C.D. Consultants think giving a gift certificate to a nice restaurant or tickets to see a show or concert are amazing ways to show you care. And lastly, but most importantly, you can give the gift of the O.C.D. Experience. It is always important and necessary to give someone the gift of organization – it will always benefit one’s life

Happy Graduation!!!

-The O.C.D. Experience
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11 Apr 2012

If you have a hard time keeping your money, receipts, membership cards, and business cards from bulging out of your wallet, this post is for you. Organize & Create Discipline has specific suggestions that will definitely help you keep your wallet neat and not bulky.

Say NO MORE to this:

and say HELLO to this:

Step 1:

Collect all of your receipts and take them out of your wallet. Receipts for large merchandise purchases or merchandise you might return keep them in a folder Label each tab or section by date or categorize your receipts by item. For example: Shopping, Accessories, Electronics, Home Goods, Appliances, etc. For all other cash receipts, they should be reconciled with your accounts and then put into an envelope or folder that is labeled for the current year. This keeps your files organized and just in case you get an audit from the government for tax purposes, you will have your receipts in order.

Receipts that are significant and that have warranty’s associated with them should be scanned and filed appropriately on your computer. If items are especially important, they should also be added to an insurance policy which will require proof of purchase/receipt confirmation. A scanner can be found at most local office supply stores. This is an efficient way to keep your receipts organized and consolidate the amount of papers you have. Our O.C.D. favorite is the Fujitsu ScanSnap.

Step 2:

Organize your cash in numerical order. $1 bills go first, then $5, $10, $20 etc. Your cash will be easily accessible whenever you need to get money out of your wallet.

Step 3:

Use your loose change. Everyone hates the jingle of change, so when you have the chance, spend it! Or, at the end of the day put your change in a cup, jar, or box and once it gets full take it to the bank and exchange it for bills. Most banks and even pharmacy’s have Coin Stars or coin exchange systems that you can dump your change into in exchange for store vouchers or cash for a 3% service fee.

Step 4:

You do not need to carry around your membership cards. Take pictures of both sides of each card so you have your name and ID # and the bar code recorded. Make sure you either take the picture with your phone or email yourself the picture so you have it stored on your mobile device. This way, you don’t have to carry all those cards that take up unnecessary space in your wallet. O.C.D. Experience consultants also recommend that you use password protectors for your credit cards. If you lose your card you will have your card’s information backed up on your phone.

Step 5:

Get a business card holder for your desk. When someone gives you their business card your should discipline yourself to add their contact information in your phone immediately. That way you don’t have to search through a pile of cards or papers to find the person or company you are looking for. If you have the chance, give the business card back to the person who just gave it to you. This will give you another reason to strike up conversation and they will be shocked you already put the info into your phone. If you decide to keep the card use a business card holder like the one below. Make a habit and discipline yourself to input all of the cards from the holder by the end of each work week so the holder is empty at the start of each week.

Step 6:

Watch this helpful video of O.C.D’s Justin Klosky on how to organize your wallet the O.C.D. Way!
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