Eliminate Your To-Do List

"Dawa's Designed To-do list" by Juhan Sonin is licensed under CC BY 2.0

It’s a new year and a time to get organized. You probably have a lot of catching up to do after the hectic holiday season, so how do you keep up with it all? The to-do list, of course! Whether yours is digital or handwritten, there are ways to cut down on your time and increase your productivity. Follow these tips from Apartment Therapy and get those tasks crossed off today!

Include sub-tasks in your lists.

Getting things out of our heads and onto paper (or digital "paper") quiets the nagging anxiety that can creep up, that feeling of I have so much to doooo that can make us twitchy with stress and downright irritable. Channel the energy required to remember what you have to do into actually getting it done by freeing your head space through a list. Make your list detailed, including sub-tasks. For instance, instead of just Make key lime pie for office party also write everything you have to do to be able to make that happen: buy limes and whipping cream, make crust, etc. Your detailed lists give you the info you need to combine tasks and save time.

Combine tasks to save time.

The last thing we need to do is waste time. If you know what you have to get at the store for projects by having created a complete list, you can get them all at once rather than stopping by multiple times. If you're making more than one of something, combine these tasks as well. Sewing new curtains for two rooms, for instance? Buy all your fabric ahead of time, and parcel out the tasks across both projects into groups (for instance, all the measuring and cutting for both projects at once, before even getting out the sewing machine).

Multitask, multitask, multitask.

One excellent way to check a few items off your list — once you have a clear picture of what these items involve — is to work on a task while doing something else. Calling your great-great-aunt to wish her a happy birthday? Fold the laundry you need for your road trip while you're on the phone. Been meaning to have a get-together with some close friends? Turn it into a post-closet-clean-out clothes-swap party. You'll enjoy the company of loved ones and get the pleasure of finishing a task that's probably been hanging over all of you.

Use down times to update your lists and continue planning ahead.

Your list should be a constantly evolving road map of what you have to do. Crossing things off, updating notes (ask Sue to pick up the bread), and adding to it should be happening regularly so your list is always a snapshot of where you are and what you have to do to get where you're going. Use the time while you're on hold with Amazon, or while you're waiting for your bakery order to be filled to check your list again and again.

Budget-Friendly Art

"DIY Animal Silhouette Art" by Emily May is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Artwork is a great way to put a finishing touch on a room’s decor, but filling your apartment with art can quickly get expensive and not all of us have an inner Picasso. However, there are plenty of options for affordable artwork, besides flea markets and thrift stores. Style at Home has these suggestions:

1 Get 'em while they're young

The most affordable artwork comes from emerging artists, often for three figures or less. If you want your collection to include "name”"artists, expect to pay more -- a lot more -- due to supply and demand, and because costs must recoup expenses like a dealer’s cut, studio maintenance, assistant salaries etc.

If you're keen to buy art you love, which is the approach you should take because your chances of making a future killing on "investment" pieces aren’t great, truth be told, browse the local gallery circuit to see what’s on display at the independent galleries.

Check the websites of galleries in your city and subscribe to their e-newsletters so you’ll know whenever a group show is coming up. Bring your cash or checkbook and strike if you see something you love: it may go fast.

2 Buy art books

Art books are another option. If you love browsing, keep your books in an accessible spot on the coffee table. Or if you're not averse to a bit of slicing, cut out a page and frame it so you can enjoy it all the time. Carte Blanche, V.2: Painting came out in 2008 and features a juried selection of work from Canada’s top emerging, mid-career and established painters. (Volume 1 focuses on photographers.)

3 Turn your vacation shots into wall art

Print your digital vacation snapshots onto photo transfer paper and transfer them onto a canvas. Mount the canvases onto the wall, unframed.

4 Enlist the kids

Frame your kids' paintings. Or give them a canvas or board and glue gun (if they're old enough), and let them go nuts on a mixed media project. Who knows, maybe Jr.'s the next Marla Olmstead, a child prodigy artist featured in the doc My Kid Could Paint That. Olmstead's abstract canvases, compared by The New York Times and BBC to Jackson Pollock and Wassily Kandinsky, have sold for thousands of dollars!

5 Skip the canvas and button up

Toronto's Gallery TPW offers a set of 10 buttons featuring the photo-, text- or found-art based designs of 10 up-and-coming artists in Button Glutton 2006. Mount them inside a shadow box, or take a more creative approach by pinning them onto cushions or upholstery. The cost? A mere $50 plus $5 shipping.

6 Make like Andy Warhol

The Pop Art provocateur was right: commercial packaging design can be beautiful. The next time you find yourself admiring some packaging, mount it. Or take a cool can (Chinese water chestnuts, Italian pasta sauce, artisanal coffee) and use it as a cool, recycled flower pot.

7 Buy student work

Many art and design colleges and universities have end-of-the-year studio sales. They're a great way to pick up paintings, prints, mixed-media and textile pieces from the next generation of emerging artists at cut-rate prices. Search your local institution’s website for details.

8 Frame your old LPs

CDs and digital music files are convenient. But the golden age of album-cover art definitely was during vinyl’s heyday. (This may be one of the reasons why vinyl's currently undergoing a resurgence among music fans these days.) Got some great album covers kicking around? Display them in custom frames.

9 Rent before you buy

Ultimately, the best way to support living artists is to buy their work. But if you're not sure you can live with an expenditure in the up-to thousands of dollars, consider "testing" the goods by renting them first. The Art Gallery of Ontario, for instance, rents pieces for as little as $20/month. A portion of rent can usually be applied towards the purchase of a piece if you realize you can't live without it. And if you're commitment-phobic, renting lets you enjoy art while supporting your local gallery.

10 Give some, get some

And now for something a bit different: If you're thinking now's the time to bust some taboos or confront your body-image issues, consider signing up to be a nude figure model. (Journalist Emily Yoffe of Slate.com did it to humourous effect here). For safety's sake, only work in a studio setting at an established art college or school. See a sketch of yourself that you like? Speak up: chances are you can either buy it cheap or get it for free from the student artist. Bonus: getting paid to hold those poses!

Living without a Closet

"two-twenty-six/three-sixty-five" by Laura Bittner is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Apartment living does not always offer ideal storage space, especially if you’re a shopaholic. While most apartments include closet space, more often than not, the available closet isn’t big enough, leaving us to find other, more creative ways to store our clothing and accessories. What are some alternatives to a closet? Apartment Guide offers some solutions:

An Armoire or Dresser

One of the most obvious solutions is to buy a large armoire or dresser to store clothes in. What’s great about armoires over dressers is that they offer a place to hang any clothing that you’d rather not fold.

Dresses, blouses and easily wrinkled items won’t have to be shoved into a dresser drawer, which could potentially save you from having to pull out the iron every day before work.

Dressers, on the other hand, are great for people with a lot of foldable clothes. Either piece of furniture comes in various sizes, so those who live in a small space will be able to easily find something that fits their room.

A Clothing Rack

Stores like Target and Ikea sell clothing racks of all different shapes and sizes. You’ll easily be able to find smaller standing clothing racks that have a single bar on which to hang your clothes.

There are also full closet organizers that you can mount to a wall with multiple shelves and rods great for holding an entire wardrobe. Though not as affordable, these are a one-and-done solution to not having a closet, and they’re pretty easy to install on the wall.

Bookcases

The variety of bookshelves available in stores and online is truly amazing, so they’re a great organization option for bedrooms with nonexistent closets. The bookshelves with cube-shaped cubbies are particularly useful for organizing different types of clothing and accessories.

If you’re planning on using bookshelves in place of a closet, be sure to buy plenty of baskets and bins that will help you keep the shelves neat and uncluttered.

Floating Shelves

Floating shelves are another useful storage option, and they’re especially great because they can fit onto walls of any size. Hang floating shelves across the width of an entire wall, or stack them from floor to ceiling. You can even install dividers on your shelves to keep all of your clothing items separated.

Under the Bed

Installing drawers under the bed is both practical and unobtrusive, so it’s a perfect solution for people who live in a small space. You can also inexpensively lift your bed to create even more storage space under it, using store-bought bed risers.

Consider storing shoes, handbags and other less-often-used items under the bed so you don’t have to get down on the floor every time you change clothes.

A Trunk

For a storage solution that’s part decorative and part amazingly effective, find an antique or vintage trunk to keep at the foot of your bed.

Trunks are very spacious, so you’ll be able to store a lot of your wardrobe in just the one area. Use it for bulky items like sweaters, sweatshirts and sweatpants that don’t stack as easily on shelves.

Create Pretty Decor

Some of the prettiest and most colorful items in a person’s apartment can be found in their closet, like shoes, handbags, scarves and jewelry. Instead of tucking those items away into storage, find creative ways to display them around the room and apartment.

Buy a small coat rack just for your scarves and hang them by the front door. Line pretty high heels and handbags along the bookshelves in your living room or entryway. Hang your statement necklaces from pretty hooks on the wall above your toilet, rather than using that space for a piece of art.

Use a Curtain

Many of the storage solutions in this survival guide will leave your clothing out in the open or on display, but simply hanging a curtain can help you tuck your wardrobe out of sight. Attach a curtain to your bookshelves or simply hang one from the ceiling in front of your shelves to hide your clothing.

Mix and Match

If you have one wall in particular that would work well for a “closet,” mix and match the ideas to create exactly what you need for storing your own personal belongings. Hang floating shelves across the entire wall, then attach a closet rod to the wall beneath them. Or, find two small armoires and put them on either side of a short bookshelf.

Regifting 101

"More Presents!" by Aaron Jacobs is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Let’s say “your friend” received a gift that he or she will absolutely never use, has a duplicate of, or straight up does not like at all. Said friend also happens to know someone who could actually use or like this gift, and gives it to this person instead...that’s fine, right? We have all been there at one point or another - the temptation to regift. When is this okay? What precautions should we take? Apartment Therapy offers this advice:

1. No used gifts — Let's get this out of the way right now: if you've clearly opened the packaging or have worn your gift, it's no longer a candidate for a regift. End of story. You're not fooling anyone with that scotch tape on the box, so if you've tried it out and then decided you don't want it after all, into the donation pile it goes.

2. Keep good records — Let's all avoid the nightmare of getting caught in a regift. Keep good notes about who gave you what so you can avoid regifting it right back to them (or their mom, sister or best friend). We all know how word gets around in some families and offices so a recipient in a different sector of your circle is ideal.

3. Regift only when appropriate — That is, if you would BUY this item for this specific person and you just happen to have received one, then by all means pass it along. Make sure your motivation is pure — you truly think this person would really love this gift, you're not just trying to clean out your stash. You may need to let some time pass to let the "regift" stigma lessen and to find exactly the right recipient.

4. Don't mention it's a regift — This may seem obvious but you'd be surprised how often someone accidentally spills the beans. If you've done your job in choosing a gift (see above) then they'll probably be delighted to open your pick and all you need to do is smile and say "you're welcome."

5. Or, do — If you feel awkward about regifting, there's no rule that says you need to pass it off like a purchased present. If you know someone who would appreciate this gift more, feel free to say something like, "This gift just isn't my style but I thought you might really enjoy it." See? Still thoughtful without a hint of deception.

Applying for Apartments

"Small-SS_checkbook" by RikkisRefuge Other is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Does the new year have you thinking about moving to a new city? The process of tracking down an apartment or rental can be half the battle, especially if the move is long-distance. Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential places to live, next comes the application process. So what materials should you have prepared to make the application process go as smoothly as possible? Apartment Guide offers this advice:

Filling Out the Application

The first step, of course, is filling out the rental application. In more urban areas, it’s usually a good idea to do this as soon as possible after finding your desired apartment, since landlords will continue showing it until someone has officially applied.

I’ve had more than one apartment swept out from under me within one day of seeing the place for the first time! On the application you should expect to include all of your personal information, including either a social security or driver’s license number, along with employment information and references.

Application Fee

Applying for an apartment also generally comes along with a few different fees, some refundable and some not.

Depending on the landlord and building, you’ll have to pay an application fee, a processing fee and sometimes a security deposit. Expect to pay as much as $100 or more per person just to apply for an apartment in some areas.

Proof of Income

Most landlords include an area on the application for your monthly income, and they will almost always require you to provide proof.

It’s a good idea to bring two or three recent pay stubs along when looking at or applying for apartments so you have that proof on hand. Some will accept a W-2 form as proof instead of pay stubs as long as you’ve held the job for more than a year.

Most landlords and building managers also call your employer for proof of employment, and may ask questions about you personally and your salary. Many companies don’t answer those questions for legal reasons, but it’s a possibility.

Credit Check

When applying for the apartment, you’ll also have to give the landlord permission to check your credit. The credit check is really important for landlords because it gives them an idea of how financially responsible you are.

If you don’t have credit or have really new credit, it’s a lot harder for them to get a feel for your dependability, so it’s a good idea to talk to them about it at the time of application. They may ask you to provide a co-signer or depend solely on your roommate’s credit.

Background Check

The criminal background check is another thing that your landlord will need your authorization for. Landlords check your criminal history and will show your landlords your criminal history, again to get an idea of your personality and dependability.

There is also usually a spot on the application to explain any felonies on your record, so make sure to fill that section out in your own words if you have any.

Landlord References

Most landlords and building managers will do an extensive check on your rental history by speaking to your past landlords. If this is your first time renting, you won’t have any past landlords and they’ll have to rely only on your personal references.

Provide references outside of your family, like college professors and employers, so that they’ll be able to give the landlord an idea of your work ethic, responsibility and other important character traits.

Co-signer Application

Co-signers or guarantors are people who sign the lease with you, saying they take legal responsibility for covering your rent if you can’t. Providing a co-signer is a good idea if you’re a first-time renter for a lot of reasons.

For one, if you don’t have a rental history, landlords won’t have any information about how dependable you are with rent or if you’ve caused damage before.

Landlords may also request a co-signer if you have poor credit or if your income isn’t more than three times the cost of the rent – that’s a pretty typical income rule that landlords use.

Lease

If your rental application gets approved, you’ll then be able to sign the lease!

Everyone living in the apartment will have to be present to sign the lease, and the co-signer will need to sign their own agreement as well. The lease covers expectations for the term (typically apartments are rented out for 12 months at a time), rent, pets, maintenance, subleasing and a variety of other aspects of renting.

Expect the lease-signing process to take awhile, since you’ll be covering so much ground. You’ll also most likely have to pay the first month’s rent and any move-in fees or security deposits required by your landlord and the building.