Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern

When Jessi was three weeks old, I decided it’d be a beautiful day to take her for a walk by the waterfront. My day of reckoning came when I had a baby. As a result, I was always scrambling at the last minute, and frequently didn’t get things done on time, either because I forgot I had to do them or because I couldn’t find whatever I needed to get the task done. I was one of those people who lived “in the moment”: spontaneous and charming, but never planning more than one minute into the future. I once spent four hours searching for a friend’s car in the parking lot at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, because I hadn’t paid any attention to where I had left it. I’d lost things that belonged to other people. I’d permanently lost everything from little stuff to big stuff: passports, birth certificates, cameras, jewelry, shoes, and clothing.

I was a classic right-brained creative type, always living in chaos, operating out of piles, spending half my days searching for misplaced papers, lost phone numbers, and missing car keys. I don’t remember you ever being particularly organized.”įrom the day I was born until I had my own child, I lived in a constant state of disorder. One brave soul-dear, sweet Martin G.-put his arm around me, discreetly pulled me off to the side, and whispered politely, “Uh, Julie. Since professional organizing is such an unusual field, all of my old friends found the concept absolutely fascinating. Naturally, as we all got caught up on what everyone was doing with their lives, I spoke with pride about my work. A few summers ago, I went to my twenty-fifth summer camp reunion. In fact, everyone who “knew me when” is amazed at the irony of how I make my living today. How do I know? Because I was once a notoriously disorganized person myself. In fact, it’s a remarkably simple skill that anyone can learn. Some lucky people are born with it, while others, like you, are left to suffer.įact: Organizing is a skill. Misconception: Organizing is a mysterious talent. Here are some of the most common beliefs about organizing, and the debunking facts that will change your thinking. Misconceptions affect the way you think about any process, poisoning your attitude toward it and eroding even your best efforts to succeed by convincing you before you start that you’re bound to fail. When we are organized, our homes, offices, and schedules reflect and encourage who we are, what we want, and where we are going.” I’d like to propose a new definition of organization: “Organizing is the process by which we create environments that enable us to live, work, and relax exactly as we want to.

Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern