Best Organizing Tips from Our Book Reviews, Part 1
We've gathered some of the best organizing tips from authors, ADHD experts, and organizing pros to help you wrap up your year armed with the knowledge you need to organize, declutter, and stay motivated.
From Brené Brown - The Gifts of Imperfection
We talk a lot about learning to be ok with imperfection. Striving for perfection actually makes it more difficult to be organized, because we get hung up on what's not right instead of celebrating our accomplishments. That's why we love Brown's book and this message:
“Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.” ― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
From Carol S. Dweck - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
In talking about perfectionism and trying to change our point of view about being perfect versus making progress, Carol S. Dweck has some of the most insightful research on the topic. She explains the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, so that we can understand how to better shift our own perceptions (and raise our kids) to better overcome failure.
“In the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail—or if you’re not the best—it’s all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome . They’re tackling problems, charting new courses, working on important issues. Maybe they haven’t found the cure for cancer, but the search was deeply meaningful.” ― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Charles Duhigg - Smarter, Faster, Better
Motivation is a key factor in getting organized, but we often look at organizing as a chore. With a simple mind shift, Duhigg suggests that we can see our to-do list as an opportunity or choice instead.
“Self-motivation becomes easier when we see our choices as affirmations of our deeper values and goals.” ― Charles Duhigg, Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business
ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg and Kathleen Nadeau
As professional organizers who work with people who have ADD and ADHD, Kolberg and Nadeau's book of organizing tips for people with ADD is filled with great insight. We particularly love this tip, and have written about organizing your life one email at a time.
“E-mail is an “opener,” not a closer. Open it up first thing in the morning and you’re off on a dozen different tasks. Instead, close something from the day before. Finish something first before you open something new.” ― Judith Kolberg, ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life: Strategies that Work
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
Magnusson takes a very heavy topic and uses it to gently teach us all about the art of decluttering and finding meaning in giving things away.
“You can always hope and wait for someone to want something in your home, but you cannot wait forever, and sometimes you must just give cherished things away with the wish that they end up with someone who will create new memories of their own.” ― Margareta Magnusson, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter
Organizing Tips from Jon Acuff, author of Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done
Acuff explains that “developing tolerance for imperfection is the key factor in turning chronic starters into consistent finishers.” In his book, he explains that perfectionism not only keeps us from accomplishing our goals but also forces us to "hide." Hiding can be watching Netflix or scrolling through social media instead of doing what we intended to do, but it keeps us from doing the things we need or want to do.
“Perfectionism always makes things harder and more complicated. Finishers make things easier and simpler. The next time you work on a goal, I dare you to ask the following questions during the middle of the project: Could things be easier? Could things be simpler?” ― Jon Acuff, Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done