Last year around this time (actually, at the beginning of April), I sat down to finally do my gorram taxes. Disheveled, unshowered, and in my pajamas (as pictured), I banged my head against my desk until they were done. Tears were shed, payments were made, and a curse was let loose upon the whole dang system. This year, terrified of a repeat performance of last year, I sat down with a CPA. Not only do I still have that delightful self-employment tax, but I have tax records in

There is a difference between organizing and tidying. One is primarily about neatness and the other is about having a system. When we tidy, we mostly move things around to make them look nice, but they might not necessarily have a permanent and useful home. It can sometimes be like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. It looks nice, but isn't exactly helpful. Organizing for functionality will have a similar aesthetic result but is more like, what, the life boats? I have a

I was inspired by a post from Neil deGrasse Tyson and seeing the prevalence of a gratitude jar or journal in my Facebook feed. Each day, I write 3 different things: 1. One new thing I'm grateful for. No repeats! There is plenty to pick from every day, even if it's just a warm bed or a mostly functional body. 2. One new thing I've learned that day. It's good to work those brain muscles and fun to collect new bits of knowledge. 3. One way I've made the world a better place for

Welcome to Untangle's first blog post! I'd love to share insights and helpful perspectives with you each week. Ready? When I was growing up, "Why?" was always my favorite question. The only way I would do something is if I understood, and agreed with, why I should do it. Why can’t I touch the stove? Because I’ll get hurt? Oh, okay. I'll keep my hands off. Why do I need to organize my backpack? Because I won’t lose things and stress out? Oh, okay. I’ll use folders and labels..