I am a big list-maker - I get it from my Mum, who always had lists for everything. I write lists for my shopping, lists of where I’d like to go, lists of peoples birthdays and occasionally lists of lists.

I have always used Daily To-Do Lists, even before I got involved with personal development in my early twenties, but one of the best lists I ever wrote was my Not To-Do List.

It’s a simple concept - Have a think and write down all the things that you frequently do when you aught to be doing something else… Those things that you like to do, the things you pretend are productive or important, or the things that you know are just plan wasting time. Any activity that gets in the way of you doing something productive, or any activity which tends to drag on too long.

I find that having a list like this, which I keep on a 3″ x 5″ index card, gives me a gentle nudge whenever I am starting to drift off on a project.

Here are some suggestions for your Not To-Do List:

• Do not check your email more than twice a day
• Do not stop for a “meditation break” unless you actually meditate
• Do not try to beat your score on Wii Tennis
• Do not channel hop the TV indiscriminately
• Do not check your phone for text messages (that’s what the beep is for)
• Do not tidy your desk in the middle of the day
• Do not eat the cakes your colleague brought in
• Do not keep checking your eBay auctions
• Do not browse the Digg recent list
• Do not play with your mobile ringtones
• Do not tidy your DVD collection
• Do not straighten the cushions on your sofa
• Do not browse eBay for bargains
• Do not tweeze your eyebrows
• Do not eat all the biscuits (or pies)
• Do not forward joke emails
• Do not send irrelevent text messages
• Do not flick through your cookery books looking for things you won’t cook
• Do not check your portfolio with a little smile
• Do not index your comic collection
• Do not open a bottle of wine (alone)
• Do not go to the shops for chocolate (always have a stash)
• Do not browse the trailers on the Apple website
• Do not pick up your phone every time it rings
• Do not write long blog posts when you should be working
• Do not throw your pants at your partner (business or domestic)
• Do not plan your next Toastmasters speech
• Do not ponder whether you can hack it
• Do not tell your boyfriend he’s going grey
• Do not check for grey hairs
• Do not watch Big Brother
• Do not re-write your To-Do Lists
• Do not wonder if the guy in the tank-top is gay
• Do not start decluttering your Inbox (Ctrl + A, then Delete)
• Do not check your Google AdSense, Analystics or PageRank
• Do not play games on your BlackBerry
• Do not look in a mirror to see if your underwear shows
• Do not reshuffle your Hipster PDA
• Do not water your plants
• Do not start learning to juggle

I wonder if anyone can guess how many of those were on my list?

There are loads of things that could be added, and each one of us knows the things they should and shouldn’t be doing. Don’t drop a meaningful project to write a Not To-Do List, but next time you’re putting off something you know you should start, think about what would be on there…

Continuing the theme for this week of organizing your personal environment, the next topic to tackle is your keys and keyrings - one of those combined items that everyone, regardless of gender, has to carry in modern life.

After optimizing my wallet, my key bundle was the next thing that I decided to sort out many years ago. At the time, I realised that I was carrying 7 or 8 different keys, with several keyrings and other paraphernalia all in one “convenient” bundle. I’d never considered this a bad thing before, and at one point had even considered myself “cool” and “grown-up” because I had a multitude of places that I had access to. It wasn’t until I sat down, took out the prodigious collection of metal that I had accumulated and looked at it that I realized I had an opportunity to optimize!

How to Unclutter your Keys

1. Check out your bundle - This step is simple… Get out your keys, whether they are in one or several bundles, and have a good long look. You might be instantly surprised at how much you are carrying.
2. Identify what keys you are carrying - Take a good long look at your keyring, and make sure you identify each key on there. If you are carrying keys you can’t identify, it’s probably a safe bet that you don’t need them, at least daily. Put the keys you can’t identify in a one pile, the ones you can in another.
3. Identify what else you are carrying - This is keyrings, karabiners, tools, torches etc. If these items outnumber your keys then you are on the right page. Take time to think about why you are carrying them - Are they useful? Are they keepsakes? Sort them into essential and non-essential piles.
4. Reassemble intelligently - Beginning with the keys you know you use daily, start putting things back together. Keep related keys together on the same ring. Keep car keys seperate from house keys. Attach only those keyrings that serve a useful purpose (see below for info on sentimental keyrings).
5. Consider mutiple keyrings - If you have several logical sets of keys (e.g. daily, car, garden and garage, windows etc.) then I’d recommend keeping them on seperate organized keyrings. I don’t have enough keys to warrant one at present, but I am a big fan of those boards you can get with the little hooks on - a great way to intelligently store all your sets of keys in one sensible place. Tip: Put the key board somewhere central, but out of the sight of windows (So intruders won’t spot them).
6. Dealing with sentimental items - Most people will probably have some sentimental items, or keepsakes, on their keyring. Great. Nothing wrong with that. But think… Is hiding that item in the bottom of your handbag or pocket the best place to keep something you treasure? Can you enjoy it there? Is it being cared for? When I first did this, I took my sentimental keyrings (there were two), and hung them both from my rear view mirror in my car. Result: Lighter pockets, and I could see my treasured items more frequently.

Further Points

• If the array of keys you carry daily could be used to club someone unconscious, then it might be time to pare it down a bit.
• Too many bills from your chiropractor? Wondering why you get backache a lot? Why not stick your entire bundle of keys on a set of scales and weigh them…
• If you run or bike outside, and need keys to get back in, get a copy made of the main door(s) that you need access to and keep them seperate - only take the keys you will absolutely need.

Many people believe that things like the way you speak, your reading speed, IQ, intellect and other factors about you remain the way they were when you were born, and don’t really change as things move on. As a keen personal development student, I like to debunk this myth as often as I can.

Your voice, which you use many times a day without thinking, is one of the easiest things to improve - though it helps to have a bit of guidance in doing so. The benefits of improving your voice can be considerable, from improved communication with others, increased confidence at work and in social situations, eloquence and possible a viable political career (pursue at your own risk).

How to improve your voice and speech via Digg.

Following up on my post yesterday about sorting out your pockets, I thought that this tip from the boys at Lifeclever would be of use to anyone who is currently trying to cut down on pocket clutter.

How to organize all your rewards cards from Lifeclever.

When embarking on a quest to become more organized, there are hundreds of different places you can start… Places where you know there are improvements to be made, where things are not quite as tidy as they could be or places that are just driving you round the bend. Almost every book, website and resource on getting organized will have their favourite recommendations on where to start your quest for personal organization nirvana.

My personal journey began many moons ago, with what I was carrying around with me on a day to day basis… The stuff I had strapped to me, or around me and what I was carrying in that stuff. This involved (as I was and still am a bloke) removing my watch, emptying my pockets and any frequently-carried bags and having a good look at the contents.

This made sense to me, as it was all stuff that I physically lugged from place to place, even if those places were desk and coffee machine. I was surprised at all the stuff I had on me, most of which was not really through conscious choice. The experience was (en)lightening to say the least.

Rather than re-iterate all the steps I went through to optimize and organize my own pockets and personal effects, I recommend you read the blog post Zen Pockets by a guy called Robert, who has taken this concept to a level way beyond what I aspired to.

The article does have strong links to the personal organization system GTD, or Getting Things Done. For those who’d like to find out more, follow the links in the article, or check back soon for my take on the GTD system.

Welcome to Unscrambled.org a new website, dedicated to helping you sort things out.

In case that’s a little vague, here are some of the key things this website is going to be addressing:

Getting Organized - Turning the chaos in any part of your life into an orderly calm, free from worry. Helping you optimize your weekly shop

Clutter Busting - Getting rid of the useless bits of life, to make the rest of it a bit better - from the junk in your desk, the rubbish in your pocket and the friends who never return books.

Productivity and Time Management - Ensure that the time you have is being used the way you want it to be used, and isn’t getting sucked into a huge vortex of distraction and procrastination (for example ).

Lifehacks - Not something used by serial killers, lifehacks are quick, practical tips to help you take short-cuts, solve problems and find the best way to do things. We like lifehacks here at unscrambled, and are hoping to bring you the very best of the Webs growing collection.

There are probably loads of other things that we will cover as time goes on, but in short, our manifesto is to help you make the best of your life, one idea at a time.

Please, have a look around, see what you can find, and let us know what you think.

Lee