That's not me yelling at you; that's the title of the latest organization book I picked up. I'm a total lit junkie, so I read all the time, but I don't often find a book I like well enough to give it the ol' college try. Organize Now! by Jennifer Ford Berry may be one of those books.
The first thing that caught my eye is that the book is spiral-bound, which implies quick reference and interaction to me. Sure enough, there are checklists for each week, along with space for notes. And, although there are 52 weeks of topics, the author invites the reader to use them as she feels best. Good - that means I can skip stuff I don't like! Oh, did I say that out loud? I meant I can skip over areas in which I'm already perfectly organized. The book is a compact 6" x 8" or so, so I can bring it with me if I like, and has hard covers to endure the trip. This author obviously has a real life and thought of some of this stuff! Actually, she's a professional organizer in the NY state and has kids and everything. See? She is real after all. Here's her website, Organize This Life.
This week I'm trying Week 1: Organize Your Mind. Ha! Oh, sorry, was that out loud again? Actually, it was really easy to incorporate the weekly goals into my usual weekly planning (I use a Franklin-Covey paper planner, not a PDA or computer program). I just added the goals to my tasks or appointments or on my Compass Card as needed. Most of the goals for this week are very useful and practical - basic, "square one" stuff that I should be doing all the time. Some people may find it redundant, but I needed the reminders. For example, one of the goals is to get 7 hours of sleep a night. No, I don't, but I am keeping track of it this week and actively working on getting more and better sleep. Two of the more challenging goals are to well, make goals, and to eliminate negative "energy drainers" in my life, including unhealthy relationships and clutter and unfinished projects. I kind of feel like if I could do all that in a week, I would be the one writing the book, but I appreciate the direction she's taking, starting with taking care of the reader herself before worrying about where to file receipts. That's nice.
I don't anticipate doing everything in the whole book, and I won't bore you to tears with tales from my sock drawer, but I will let you know my overall opinion of this book over time. There are SO many resources out there that it's a relief to find a really good one. I'm hoping this is one of them!
Namaste'
