6 Online Tools to Make Decluttering Your Life More Efficient

It’s time to get serious about sorting out your life before heading out on an endless summer of epic journeys. Take advantage of all the tech options at your fingertips and put that smartphone to work to declutter your work life, your personal life and — most important of all — your closet space. We’ve teamed up with Close5 to make the process of decluttering your life WAY more efficient.
You can use all the apps below to sell your no-longer-coveted pieces, make the days at your desk more streamlined, take care of household chores, turn all those Polaroids and Kodak prints into sharable digital copies and (finally!) unsubscribe to the endless stream of subscription emails in one powerful click. Basically what all these apps will provide is more time to do what’s most important in life: stay longer at happy hour. Oh, and be more productive, of course ;)
1. Close5: Give your home a spring clean the easy way with this classified app. No more trekking your stuff to resale stores and getting an insulting price or posting on Facebook for no one to see. All it takes with this one is a photo and your defined price, and you’re on your way to making some extra cash. This safe + secure selling tool — buyers and sellers are verified through their Facebook profiles — makes giving away your gently used items more convenient, as buyers are typically within a 5- to 10-mile radius of your location. No more going out of your way to that shady gas station for the tradeoff. Sort of similar to Tinder’s location-based partner finding, you and your buyer could end up doing more than exchanging goods + money.
2. Evernote: Organize everything work-related within one app to get the job done efficiently and scatterbrain free. This digital workspace gives busy gals the opportunity to work anywhere and stay productive, without having to hop from one app to another. Write notes, make checklists, conduct research, organize all your reading materials, mark up docs and store photos — seriously, what does this app not do?! If that’s not enough, you can also make your team more productive by discussing work projects, presenting ideas and attaching important files all within the app. DL this one to make work life just a little easier each day.
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4. HomeSlice: The avalanche of passive aggressive roommate notes be gone! This app, saving relationships and living spaces alike, gets the whole house involved in chore completion, supply buys and even keeping track of who’s paying the bills this month before you get tackled with a late fee. It’s time every cohabitant does their share digitally + IRL.
5. Todoist: Toss out that assortment of to-do lists scattered across your desk, kitchen counter and bedside table and trade it in for this all-encompassing task manager. Make the ultimate get-it-done master list by adding details to tasks, delegating the ones you’re not amped about to others, assigning due dates for everything and more. The time to clean up your week and your life is here.
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It can be intimidating to step out on your own and build a business from the ground up. As part of our collaboration with Office Depot, we're talking with Selfmade alum and solopreneur Colette Lawrence, the faith-based motivator and relationship builder behind The M.E.E. Movement, about ways in which women in business can find success.
B + C: How did you know M.E.E. Movement was your business to start?
The M.E.E Movement represents motivation, empowerment, and encouragement for women. It is what represents me. I did not know at first that it was my business to start, but then the thought of monetizing what I loved came to me. It scared me, however. I registered the business in July 2020 and have been slowly building my wings since.
B + C: What's one strategy that's helped you start your business?
Thinking through and researching what the requirements are to start my business, and then asking questions of people who are in the business. Not all advice worked; however, it helped me to figure out what I needed to do and not to do.
B + C: Did you always know life coaching would be your entrepreneurial path?
(Smiles) No, I did not. I 'stumbled" on it. I knew that people were always coming to me for advice and I found that I loved having conversations with them, especially with women, young and old.
B + C: What was your most valuable takeaway from Selfmade?
My most valuable takeaway was the first day of training: Get out of your own way. There were a lot of great moments and important takeaways from every presenter. However, getting out of my own way, pushing past doubts, was for me my most valuable takeaway. Doing something that I had never done before took courage. If I do not focus on what is happening with me mentally then I cannot deliver to my clients successfully.
B + C: What's one piece of advice you would give to female entrepreneurs on the brink of starting?
Get out of your head. You have something to offer. You have what you need to succeed so go ahead and do it.
B + C: How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by listening to music and listening to motivational speakers, and sometimes someone will just reach out and talk about the impact that I made in their life. That adds the extra juice or sauce I need to pummel through the day.
B + C: What's your best organizational tip?
Keep a diary and journal. It's the best way for me to keep organized and it also provides a source motivation as I record not only my "losses" but my wins as well.
B + C: Who inspires you in the entrepreneurial space?
Shirley Toliver – She motivates and empowers and makes me always want to show up.
B + C: What has receiving the Office Depot scholarship to Selfmade done to help you start or grow your business?
The scholarship was a blessing in that all the areas that were covered offered valuable information that I needed, from social media to HR. As a new business owner, I needed to know this to increase my own personal awareness in what it takes to run a successful business. The candidness of the presenters made it easy to see myself in their shoes and helped me to realize that I can also get there.
Thanks Colette! You can follow The M.E.E. Movement on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Want to feel motivated to take the next step for your business? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you'll find the tools to reach new customers with confidence.
Head to Office Depot's Selfmade page to check out even more amazing business resources (and discounts!) to help you accomplish more on your entrepreneurial journey. These offers are available for a limited time only, so be sure to take advantage of all this goodness while supplies last. Want to join the next Selfmade cohort this summer? Check out all of the scholarship details right here.