Contents

1   The Fast Track to an Organized Life

What Is Organized, Anyway?

Organizing Myths and Misconceptions

One Right Way—Yours

Components of an Organized Life

Controlled Clutter

Robust Routines

Organized Spaces

Well-Managed Time

Where Do I Begin?

Start Where the Shoe Pinches

Decide on a Target Component

Set Up Control Central

2   Gearing Up for Self-Change

Discover Your Organizing Style

Your Clutter Tolerance

File It, Pile It, or Deny It?

Your Time-Management Style

Overcoming Personal Roadblocks

Excuses, Excuses

No Time to Plan? Plan to Fail!

Identifying and Setting Goals

Define the Goal

Break It Down

Face the Goal

Study Setbacks

Self-Coaching and Accountability

Be Your Own Cheerleader

Finding Support from Others

3   Kicking Clutter to the Curb

Causes of Clutter

Delayed Decision Making

Deferring Action

Denial

The STOP Clutter Method

The Clear-a-Thon

Assessing Household Storage Options

Setting Up Temporary Holding Areas

Sustaining the Clutter Clear-a-Thon

Establishing Clutter Preserves

4   Clutter Doesn’t Live Here Anymore

Conquering Your Clutter Demons

Sentiment

Scarcity Thinking

Perfectionism

Procrastination

Rebellion

The Miser

Setting Up Clutter Checkpoints

Designate Space

Set the Time

Set Conditions

Exploring Deacquisition Strategies

Borrow, Don’t Buy

Utilize Online Access

Make the Most of What You Have

Buy Good Once

5   Habits, Routines, and Activity Centers

Getting Your Habits on Your Side

Anatomy of a Habit

Habits for an Organized Life

Building Routines into Daily Life

Crafting Robust Routines

Automating Life’s Activities

Creating Activity Centers for an Organized Home

Essentials of an Activity Center

The Household Launch Pad

6   Routines of an Organized Home

Housecleaning and Home Maintenance

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Seasonal

Managing Meals and Menus

Menu- and Meal-Planning Basics

Shopping Tips

Keeping Order in the Pantry

Wardrobe Planning and Clothing Care

Planning Family Wardrobes

Creating a Laundry Activity Center

Crafting Clothing-Care Routines

7   Crafting Organized Spaces

Assigning Household Real Estate

Location, Location, Location

Hot Zones and Black Holes

Clever Containment Strategies

Storage Options High to Low

The World Beneath

Look Up High

On the Walls

Double-Duty Doors

Organizing Multiuse Spaces

8   Organized Spaces, Room by Room

Organizing Kitchen and Food-Storage Areas

Setting Up Kitchen Activity Centers

Creative Kitchen Organization Ideas

Bringing Order to Bed and Bath Areas

Creating Blissful Bedrooms

Bathrooms That Work for You

Creating Orderly Family Rooms

Activity Centers for Shared Spaces

Storage Ideas for Entertainment, Books, and Music

9   Tuning Your Time-Management Skills

Boosting Your Calendar Power

Create a Single Calendar

Basic Routines for Time Management

Shared and Household Calendars

Crafting To-Do Lists

The Master To-Do List

The Daily To-Do List

The Supercharged To-Do List

A Procrastinator’s ABCs

Take Action

Break It Down

Create Momentum

10   Conquering Household Paperwork

Creating a Home Office Center

Establishing Financial Routines

Mail and Paper Handling

Bill Paying and Financial Management

Filing

Setting Up Household Filing Systems

Action Files

Basic Files

Classic Files

Quick Tricks to Conquer the Paper Pileup

11   Getting Organized in the Workplace

Surviving an Alien Organizing Style

Time Management

Space Allocation

Clutter Variances

Controlling Workplace Clutter

On the Desk

In Your Space

Managing Data Clutter

Organizing Office Spaces

Making Your Office Work for You

The Organized Computer

Office Routines and Time Management

Building a Workaday Routine

Creating Calendar Checkpoints

12   Handling Bumps in the Road

Get Family Members on Board

Set the Standard

Consult, Don’t Confront

Establish Household Routines

Get Organized for a Move

Create a Move Planner

Label Everything

Pack Me Last

Plan Holidays and Celebrations

Set Up a Holiday Planner

Break It Down and Begin Early

Stockpile Gifts and Greetings

Last-Minute Company

Reclaim Your Organized Life

Revamp Your Control Center

Corral Creeping Clutter

Learn from Your Mistakes

Appendixes

A   Organizing Resources

B   10-Step Organizing Plan

      Index