If your New Year's resolutions include getting organized, this is the time to get started. January is 'Get Organized Month.' This could mean anything from sorting mail to throwing out mystery foods in the refrigerator. Just 15 minutes a day can make a huge difference over time.

The truth is, effective multitasking is an oxymoron. Research has shown that your brain can only process one activity at a time. But what the brain is extremely good at is rapidly switching from one task to another.

It turns out what I'd been good at was putting stuff away. In my new place there was no "away." As the movers filed out, it looked as if Christo had done an installation using to-the-ceiling stacks of boxes.