Best Results Organizing

What are the best gifts to give to prevent clutter?

As a professional organizer, I think that the best gifts aren’t things at all. They’re experiences. There’s even academic research from various studies to back this up, including those funded by the National Science Foundation and one conducted by professors from Cornell University (my alma mater!) and the University of Colorado. The findings? That experiences (like vacations and concerts) are more likely to bring a sense of happiness, or at least satisfaction, than material possessions (like clothing and electronic gadgets).

Part of this stems from the fact that we can visually compare our possessions with those belonging to our friends, and feel that what we have is lacking. It’s much harder, however, to compare experiences, which are so much more personal, and the memories of our experiences gain value over time because they are all the more “ours” for that personalization.

Don’t buy it? Close your eyes and try to remember three tangible gifts you got last year. Or even one from the year before that. With few exceptions, the joy of receiving material goods fades from our memories…but each time we recall pleasant experiences, we tend to relive the action as if we had tiny TIVOs in our heads.

This year, give yourself and your loved ones the gift of a clutter-free holiday season. Instead of scavenging stores and wrapping oddly shaped boxes, give experiences that will never have to be stored, exchanged, dry-cleaned or dusted. Consider these clutter-free gift categories, excerpted from my ebook, Simplify the Season and Save Your Sanity.

Gifts of Entertainment — Buy your loved ones tickets to professional or college sporting events, concerts, or comedy clubs. Take them to the symphony or present them with tickets for a lecture series, winery tour or theater event. A booklet of movie vouchers, season’s tickets for the theater or even a weekend trip to see a Broadway or Vegas show will yield fond memories long after the big event.

Gifts of Pampering — For friends with too much stress or not enough money, give certificates for haircuts and styling, spa facials, or relaxing massages. (Yes, even macho men like “sportsmen” spa packages.)

Gifts of Adventure — For the thrill-lovers on your list, consider certificates for hot-air balloon rides, rock climbing or zip lines. Race fans might love the NASCAR Racing Experience or the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure. Athletes will appreciate a week of baseball fantasy camp, pre-paid rounds of golf, or time in the batting cages. For the more casual (and loosely-defined) adventurer, bowling, miniature golf, or paintball work equally well.

Gifts of Practicality — Any driver would benefit from gift certificates for oil changes, car washes and detailing…even memberships in AAA or a similar auto club. Multiple months or even an annual subscription for internet service, Netflix, cable or satellite TV, or cellular service are practical but charmingly unexpected. For college students or those on a fixed income, comping these expenses can really lighten the load.

Gifts of Education — Knowledge is power, and skills, once learned, can last a lifetime. Consider cooking, music, or self-defense lessons. Pre-pay for a series of classes in ballroom dance, quilting, horseback riding, driver’s education, scrapbooking…whatever delights the people on your list who thirst for knowledge.

Gifts Of Whole New Year — Secure a fishing license, a U.S. National Parks pass, or a year of alumni or professional association dues. Memberships at local attractions like zoos, art galleries, science museums, and historical societies may even be reciprocated by sister organizations when your recipient is traveling nationwide.

Gifts of Organization — Such gifts aren’t just practical; they can be sanity-saving!

For a friend or colleague who is drowning in disorganization, paper shredders, fire safes, and label-makers are great clutter-reducing gifts. (Colleague Liz Jenkins reports that Staples has some super-low prices on label-makers this week, including a Brother PT-90 for $9.99 and a PT-2030 for $29.99!)

A year of off-site cloud-computing backups via Mozy, Carbonite or CrashPlan will keep someone’s digital files streamlined and the data safe and accessible, letting your recipient sleep better at night.

And, of course, you can give (or request) a personalized clutter-reducing option — a gift certificate for time with a professional organizer.

There are a variety of other great organizing-themed gifts. Paper Doll is no Oprah, but I’ve made a list of a few of my favorite things for the favorite people on your list.

1) The (Hardworking but Overwhelmed) Teacher — My colleague Helene Segura‘s new book, Less Stress For Teachers: More Time and an Organized Classroom, will help teachers tame the chaos so they can focus on what they do (and love) best.

2) The Traveling Tech Guru — Does someone in your life have a commute or a schlep with pockets and bags full of chargers and gadgets? Grid-It! from Cocoon Innovations was one the most popular of all of the items I reviewed from this year’s NAPO Conference and Expo. (I’m still moping that I got to the Grit-It table too late to get one of the giveaways, so I’ve put it on my own wish list!)

3) Your Favorite Iron Chef — Would your chance of getting your favorite dinner increase if the chef in your house could find the counter under all of those recipes? Consider a one-year gift subscription to Eat Your Books, as reviewed here just a few weeks ago.

4) The Super-Shoppers — You know those moms (and dads) who make sure that the household never runs out of toilet paper or graph paper or construction paper (yet always manage to stay under budget)? Those shoppers have special needs. For them, I have a few favorites:

• I never get over the simple utility and stylish presentation of the Card Cubby, suitable for gift cards, loyalty cards, and all forms of ID. (For background on this nifty item, see one of Paper Doll‘s 2010 NAPO expo reviews.)

• For all those treks to the grocery store, the pharmacy, the toy store, and the public library, your Super-Shopper has amassed a fine collection of re-usable tote bags which are threatening to take over the mud room, the kitchen, and the trunk of the car. The Tote Buddy, which I reviewed back in May, brings order to that chaos.

• Whether your Super-Shopper is set for a debut on Extreme Coupons or just likes to save a few shekels here and there, The Couponizer ensures that cents-off makes good sense.

5) Loved Ones At a Distance — Do you have a special someone who won’t make it back home for the holidays? Consider this eminently more practical version of a post card, the Postcup! Long after post cards yellow and fade, your message will live on in this customizable mug from Design Milk.

6) The Keepers of the Home (and Office) — Readers, you know how crazy it made Paper Doll to have to keep the Rubbermaid Bento Boxes a secret between April’s NAPO Expo sneak peak and October’s official launch. Now, this sublime line of gorgeous, practical storage can make any home or office more efficient and delightful. (Buy extras — you know you’ll want to keep a set for yourself.)

7) The Hostess With the Mostest — Do you know (or are you) a host or hostess with great party mojo but not the best culinary time management? If a little more kitchen time is necessary, the guests can be kept busy with Origami Napkins from Spinning Hat.

8) Fishy Friends — Truth be told, Paper Doll isn’t much of a pet person, but I imagine I might get along swimmingly (hee! swimmingly!) with the inhabitants of this not-remotely-paper-related gift. But there’s something terrifically nifty and organized about this Umbra Fish Hotel. The individual “suites” are stackable, in case you want to go condo!

Happy gifting, and when loved ones ask what you want for the holidays, tell them you’d like a clutter-free gift — either an experience you can remember always or a something that can add a little organization to your life.