Julie Morgenstern

A sensible and thorough guide to tackling organization, which I re-read recently. It gives an overview of a strategy based on deciding what's important to you, and then organizing your spaces and your time to suit. The guide is a wee bit dated, because some technology has outpaced her suggestions since the last revision in 2004. PDAs have been replaced with smartphones, for instance, and few people use Rolodexes. It's a solid reference, though, and I found good tips in every section.

Morgenstern says there are three causes of clutter: technical errors, factors beyond your control, and psychological obstacles. Technical errors: things don't have a home, storage is inconvenient, you have too much stuff, your system is too confusing, you leave stuff out as reminders, or you find organizing boring. Uncontrollable factors include too much work, uncooperative partners, not enough time or space, and life transitions. As for psychological obstacles, abundance make some people more secure, while others enjoy the thrill of living in chaos or use clutter as a shield. Some aren't clear about their goals or fear failure or success, or they are perfectionists. Some connect disorganization with creativity, or look to it for distraction, while others just hate the space they are using. Finally, sentimental attachment can be a huge obstacle. Each obstacle must be tackled differently, and you can't deny their existence.

She suggests starting with a needs assessment in each area you organize. Ask: What's working, what's not, what items are essential, why do you want to get organized, and what's causing the problem. She advocates the "Kindergarten" model of organization - a zone for everything, with things stored at their point of use. Build them around your natural habits - don't try to banish books to the bedroom, for instance, if you only read them in the living room. Then estimate the time it will take you to sort, purge, assign homes, put things in containers, and "equalize" (that is, allot time for maintaining your organization system).

I used her system to tackle my handbag, which always causes me problems. I have a big collection of (capacious) bags, I change them often, and I have a tendency to carry too much "in case I have time." Once I looked at it, I realized I don't need to carry a book with me or even my iPad (I can keep another book at work to read, and my iPhone is sufficient), and I should only bring home work if I have scheduled time to do it. Also, I should empty out my bag every night and re-pack it. My wallet should consistently be in the inside zipper pocket (I don't use it much and it's safer there), and my phone in an outside pocket so I can reach it because it is unrealistic to keep it inside. I bought two lipsticks in my favorite color so I can keep one at home and one at work, and did the same with my asthma inhalers, because I had to dig in my bag too often at the wrong times. Once I did all that, I was surprised at how little I was carrying and how easy it was to find things.
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I've always had a soft spot for organizing and decluttering how-tos. Not that any of them really helped me much in this area, but the idea of it intrigues me and I hope to find the guide that will someday make it a reality for me. I bought this book years ago for my daughter, and she had no interest in it. It's been sitting and taking up space in my life -- so today I zoomed through it, just so I could get rid of it. [Yes, I do have a problem with books, I feel guilty if I get a book and decide to discard it without having read it.] My biggest issue with this book is that it is just too cluttered! Not a good thing. Too many lists, side stories, forms to fill-in, instructions. I can't believe a teenager, who isn't already an expert organizer, wouldn't find this book overwhelming and exhausting. Take a look at just one example: Three Basic Tools for Organizing your Space and Stuff
1. Supply list [this list includes trashbags,3 boxes or containers, dust buster, dust cloth, spray cleaner,broom and dust pan, markers and post-its or labels, notepad and pen --PLUS optional stuff: label maker and box of manila folders]
2. Space Formula [Sort, Purge, Assign a home, Containerize, Equalize - S.P.A.C.E.]
3. Rules for visible, dramatic results [followed by a set of rules, such as Attack what's visible first]
While it does contain some good ideas and suggestions, it all seems overly complex. There might be some teenagers for whom this approach to organizing will work, but none that I know.… (more)