Neat vs Slob

Organizing and Time Management from the Inside Out: An interview with Julie Morgenstern

Most of us wish we were better organized and could manage our time better. To help, in today’s Psychology Today The Eminents interview,  I talked with Julie Morgenstern.

13 Cures for Disorganization: Which will help you get more organized?

Disorganization can be caused by 13 things. My PsychologyToday.com article today offers a possible "cure" for each of them. HERE is the link.

A Customized Approach to Going from Disorganized to Organized

It seems that most formulations on how to become better organized assume that there's only one cure for disorganization--whatever it is that the author most believes in.

With my clients I've found that the cure depends on the cause, much like the cure for a headache will be different if its cause is tension rather than a brain tumor.

My latest article at USNews.com was published today. It identifies ten causes for disorganization so perhaps you can find yours among the list. Then it lists possible cures for each. HERE's the link.

Getting Organized

Here are tips on getting organized from Linda Samuels, who runs OhSoOrganized.com:

• Picture the benefits. Will being more organized make you calmer? More efficient? Improve a relationship? Allow you to entertain? Make you seem more professional?
• To get rid of "important" stuff, say goodbye to everything you haven't used in a year, especially if, on the off chance you really need it, you could replace it. Take a picture of your emotionally important items and put them in a scrapbook. Find a new home for your items: e.g., have a garage sale. If you've inherited a bunch of stuff from a loved one, keep just one or two as a keepsake.
  
• Commit to a sacrosanct 10 minutes a day to declutter. Listen to upbeat music as you clean up. Monitor your self-talk: Say "This will help me live the life I want to lead," not "I hate doing this, and it's a waste of time."
  
• If needed, get an organizing buddy--"I'll help declutter you if you help declutter me."