Jennifer Louden - The Life Organizer: A Womans Guide to a Mindful Year

Praise for The Life Organizer

As a busy creative entrepreneur and mom, I find it tempting to be run by my to-do list. If Im not careful, I wind up feeling stressed and I dont get to fully enjoy the process of all that Im doing. Seeing The Life Organizer on my desk gently reminds me there is another way, a way to live with joy and productivity. I love this book!

Karen Salmansohn, bestselling author of Prince Harming Syndrome

Ive been a fan of Jennifers work since her first book, and she never disappoints! The Life Organizer is not only smart and practical, its compassionate and soulful something most books on organization lack. This work takes mindful living to a whole new level and teaches concepts in a delicious and palatable way. Buy it, highlight it, get it messy. Watch your lovely life grow.

Susan Hyatt, master life coach and author of Create Your Own Luck

This wonderful book is a tribute to the sacred and very practical aspects of time management. If you want a more soulful, clear life, follow Jennifer Loudens advice.

Judith Orloff, MD, author of Positive Energy

You are not holding a book in your hands. Instead, imagine a set of sacred nesting dolls that you open, one by one, each delighting you more than the last. As you get to the precious one in the center, you find your own heart. It whispers, welcome home.

Dawna Markova, author of Spot of Grace and cocreator of Random Acts of Kindness

Other books by Jennifer Louden

The Womans Comfort Book

The Couples Comfort Book

The Pregnant Womans Comfort Book

The Womans Retreat Book

Comfort Secrets for Busy Women

Copyright 2007 by Jennifer Louden

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Illustrations by Alicia La Chance
Text design and typography by Tracy Cunningham

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Louden, Jennifer.
The life organizer : a womans guide to a mindful year / Jennifer Louden.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-57731-554-4 (hardcover. : alk. paper)
1. WomenConduct of life. 2. WomenPsychology. 3. Goal (Psychology).
4. Self-realization in women. 5. Self-help techniques. I. Title.
HQ1221.L747 2007
158.1082dc22

First paperback edition, January 2014
ISBN 978-1-60868-245-4
Printed in China

10 8 9 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

T his book is my attempt to name, and give a form to, one way of living that I see emerging. Its a way of living in tune with what is, aware you always have a choice in how you react and what thoughts you believe; its a way of living where paying attention to your inner knowing and intuition is as important as logic and to-do lists; its a way of navigating life that embraces imperfection while heeding your true desires, where enoughness is your benchmark, and delight and savoring thread through it all. Most of all, its a way of living rarely more than a breath away from astonishment at the marvel of simply being alive.

This is not a typical self-help book its not meant to be read cover to cover, its not offering you advice, and it doesnt contain a single idea about how to make yourself better than or different from how you already are. Rather, its an interactive guidebook, a collection of possibilities to inspire you in creating your way of participating with life and with your gifts. It invites you to use it in any number of ways, toggling between sections, creating your own Life Planner to record responses, depending on what you need or what you are curious about in the instance.

Having said that, here are some suggestions for possible ways to read the book, in case youre not sure where to dive in:

Start with the Mood Shifter (p. 60) to find mindful questions, life-organizing tips, or stories that address the mood or situation youre in.

Follow the questions in the Life Planner pages in order, recording your responses in your own Life Planner notebook.

Open the Life Planner at random and choose a question or two that beguile you, irk you, or feel just right. Explore your responses using the five steps (pp. 89).

Start with the Shape of Life Check-in (p. 224; all or any part of it), especially when you are feeling out of touch with yourself or havent been life organizing for a while.

Use one or all of the life-organizing steps (pp. 89) and the daily questions (pp. 2628) and weave their insights throughout your daily life, especially when you are feeling off center, unsure, or in need of guidance.

Visit jenniferlouden.com/lifeorganizer for more support, including an app, printable question pages, audios, and videos.

My prayer is that you will take the ideas and questions and stories Ive collected here and create a life you love. I hope that this book will help you reduce stress, widen your perspective, take better care of yourself, manage your multiple roles, and let go of what you cant control and that it will help you live in the sweet spot of self-compassion and action.

This is a book that you will finish by making the process your own. Then perhaps you will share what you have learned on Facebook at facebook.com/jenlouden.writer. Be sure to download all the free support at jenniferlouden.com/lifeorganizer. I host Life Organizer live events often to help you stay connected with yourself and other wise women. Join us please.

W hat if there was a way to organize and guide your life that more closely resembled lying back on an inner tube as the current carried you along (with you occasionally adjusting your course because you want to smell a wild rose onshore or because you hit a bumpy stretch) rather than a furious, exhausting upstream paddle? What if self-mercy and listening to your authentic desires were your truest guides, far more trustworthy than gauging how much you accomplish in a day or what you earn? What if feeling confusion and uncertainty was actually a sign that you were on the right path? What if you could erase your sense of never having enough time or energy by cultivating a constant loving connection to yourself?