Marcia Zina Mager - 31 Words to Create an Organized Life: A Simple Guide to Create Habits That Last - Expert Tips to Help You Prioritize, Schedule, Simplify, and More

Inner Ocean Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 1239
Makawao, Maui, HI 96768-1239
www.innerocean.com

2006 by Marcia Zina Mager
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means or in any form whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.

Cover and book design by Yoori Kim

Inner Ocean Publishing is a member of Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit program dedicated to supporting publishers in their efforts to reduce their use of fiber sourced from endangered forests. We elected to print this title on 50% postconsumer recycled paper with the recycled portion processed chlorine free. As a result, we have saved the following resources: 1 tree, 944lbs of solid waste, 8,085 gallons of water, 2,250 lbs of net greenhouse gases, 17 million BTUs (Source: Environmental Defense Paper Calculator). For more information on the Green Press Initiative, visit http://www.greenpressinitiative.org.

PUBLISHER CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

31 words to create an organized life : simple strategies and expert advice to win the battle against chaos and clutter/ edited by Marcia Zina Mager. Maui : Inner Ocean, 2006.

p. ; cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-930722-60-6

ISBN-10: 1-930722-60-5

A month-long guide to help you prioritize, schedule, and simplify your life.

1. Orderliness. 2. Housekeeping. 3. Storage in the home. 4. Time management.

I. Mager, Marcia Zina, 1968- II. Thirty-one words to create an organized life.

TX309.T55 2006

648.8dc22

Printed in the United States of America

05 06 07 08 09 10 DATA 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

DISTRIBUTED BY PUBLISHERS GROUP WEST

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T his book is dedicated to my husband, Dennis, and my son, Reyn.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, for your never-ending love and support.

M ahalo nui loa (thank you very much) to Karen Bouris. I couldnt ask for a more generous or kindhearted publisher. Heartfelt thanks to my editor, Angela Watrous, for her clarity, flexibility, and focus. And a round of applause to the rest of the dedicated folks at Inner Ocean whose hard work made this book happen.

And a special thank you to all the experts I interviewed who took time out from their busy lives to share their wisdom.

S ix months ago, I would have died before letting anyone peek inside my closets.

They were a nightmare. Half-gallon plastic bottles of stale drinking water (in case of hurricanes) shoved onto dusty shelves. Toys, puzzles, and games piled precariously on top of one another. Bottles of glitter and acrylic paint squeezed up against jars of paintbrushes, knitting needles, and skeins of wool, all of which I havent touched in years. Baskets and hat boxes stuffed with colorful remnants, in case I ever decide to take up sewing. Coat hooks holding too many rain jackets and canvas shopping bags. Black patent leather tap shoes my friend Heidi gave me when she moved to Colorado, in hopes I would finally register for that dance class Ive been talking about for years. Not to mention the loose vacuum cleaner parts and the sloppily folded wrapping paper and ribbons I was recycling from gifts Id received in the past. Did I mention that this was just my downstairs hall closet?!

Then there were my appointment calendars...

I had three. One downstairs in the kitchen, another one hanging in my office, and the cheap day planner I carried around in my bag. Not that this system was working. I regularly forgot appointments, double booked myself, and ended up running around like a nut trying to fit in everything I had to do. And I swear, Id been meaning to straighten up my desk and file for months. I was also having trouble finding important phone numbers in my overstuffed Rolodex (maybe because I filed peoples names under a random system of first names, last names, or nicknames, depending on my mood).

I always vowed to clean up my act, but whenever I decided to begin and took one peek inside that hall closet (which wasnt easy, since simply opening the door involved having Scrabble and Candyland fall on my head), Id blanch, slam the door shut, and find myself back to a very cluttered square one.

I was stressed and stuck, and my closets were living proof. Experts of feng shui, the ancient Chinese science of organizing space so that positive energy flows everywhere, believe that clutter and chaos in your closet, home, office, or life is a reflection of a muddled inner life. In other words, you cant get organized on the outside without taking a look at what goes on inside.

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I obviously needed this book myself. I started the research with a combination of excitement, interest, and a hearty dose of fear: What if I was incapable of getting organized? What if organization was in the genes? What if there were no real answers?

Slowly and tentatively, I began to try out the techniques and tips I was learning. Start small, all the experts told me, so I began with a junk drawer. Get help, they suggested, so I asked friends for support. Focus on whats important, they insisted, so I examined my goals and values. Buy less stuff, they emphasized, so I started reducing and recycling. Gradually, things began to improve.

The good news for you in all of this is that this book was researched from the very messy front lines of my life; it was written from the untidy trenches of a disorganized battlefield. And the really good news is that not only did I survive, Im thriving. The battle of the bulging closet is over. The scheduling catastrophes are no more. Victory is mine! Every expert tip and piece of advice I uncovered is actually doable and uncomplicated. My newly ordered hall closet and calendar are proof that these strategies work!

So take heart. Creating an organized life is entirely possible. Whether you want to manage your time so you can relax more, clean your home so you can feel nourished and at ease, or get your office in order so you can be productive and successful, the process of getting organizedinside and outthats described in this book isnt difficult or stressful or overwhelming. It doesnt take years of study to understand. It takes applying just thirty-one simple ideas (which you can complete in thirty-one days if you choose). And by picking up this tidy little book, youve taken a very big and very orderly first step.

B efore you throw away a single piece of clutter, you need to realize that getting organized is an inside job. Its a job that requires facing our inner clutter even before we face the piles of magazines and shelves of knickknacks. We need to understand why being organized is truly important to us and to the people around us, and how it can impact our everyday life. In order to do so, we have to get to know ourselves better. And thats what this section is all abouthow to focus more clearly on who you are and what really matters to you. Youll get in touch with your life dreams, vividly imagine those dreams and desires coming true, acknowledge the uncomfortable feelings that rise up when you try to bring more order into your home, learn how to work with your unique personality, and discover what really motivates and pleases youall of these are foundational steps that lay the groundwork for creating a more organized life.