The Spiritual Art of Being Organized [Paperback]

Claire Josefine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

Organizing as a spiritual art?

Yes. After all, being organized is a spiritual process. Chaos is conquered as much by awareness, gratitude, grounding, and breath as by a well-labeled filing system. Simplicity and order are valid -- even crucial -- choices. And they are found within.

Organizing can also be creative and fun. Peppered with poetry, snippets of song lyrics, inspirational quotes, and wisdom from the ages, The Spiritual Art of Being Organized is a unique and enjoyable book on organizing. While most organizing authors tell you how to organize your kitchen or your files, Claire teaches you the 12 Basic Principles -- practical and spiritual -- that embody every organizing tip you've ever heard. By learning the "why" instead of just the "how," you can easily organize anything, anytime, anywhere.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Claire Josefine advocates a simpler and lighter life. Her book, The Spiritual Art of Being Organized, is filled with imagination and joy, and engages disorganization not as a moral issue, but as a spiritual one. --Judith Kohlberg, founder of NSGCD

About the Author

Claire Josefine is a pioneer of simplicity-based organizing, and of recognizing organizing as a spiritual process. She is a Golden Circle member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, and holds specialist certificates in working with chronically disorganized clients and clients with ADD. She is also the founder and moderator of the Simple and Sustainable Organizers Yahoo! group. Claire conducts workshops and lectures on organizing, and works one-on-one with clients to create organizational systems that make their lives simpler. She lives with her cats in Northern California, surrounded by dairy pastures, redwoods, and sounds of the nearby ocean.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Winter's Daughter Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974737240
• ISBN-13: 978-0974737249
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,123,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Joy to Read, August 26, 2004

By 

E. Hardesty - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Spiritual Art of Being Organized (Paperback)

I once read a columnist who said her goal was to write columns that
felt like you were getting a letter from a good friend. That's the
way this book is. Its lovely cover feels personal rather than mass
produced -- a nice contrast from the bright, glossy covers of most
"How To" books. And its personal anecdotes, spiritual insight, and
simple suggestions make it both easy to read and easy to implement.
I've read other books that help you organize your life, but this one
was by far the most enjoyable.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For anyone who feels overwhelmed with life's chaos, May 7, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Spiritual Art of Being Organized (Paperback)

In The Spiritual Art Of Being Organized, Claire Josefine reveals that having and living a successfully organized life necessitates a foundation of spiritual underpinnings. Josefine emphasizes the necessity for a conscious approach to organizing our daily lives with an emphasis on living simply. Of special note are the "12 Basic Principles of Organizing". Offering a text laced with humor, poetry, quotes, and non-judgemental advice to understanding our clutter, The Spiritual Art Of Being Organized is welcome and highly recommended reading for anyone who feels overwhelmed with life's chaos and persistent disorder despite all of their previous attempts at trying to set up organizing systems without first modifying their own beliefs and behaviors in order to use those applied systems to clean up and clean out the debrie of their lives. Easy, accessible, inspired and inspiring reading!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than a material guide..., March 5, 2006

By 

Laura J. Walker "Fantasy Librarian" (Humboldt County, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Spiritual Art of Being Organized (Paperback)

This book was very helpful to me because rather than addressing merely the do's and don'ts of household organizing, it deals with the underlying attitudes that cause chaos in the first place. Have you ever seen the supposedly humourous placard hung in a disaster of a home, declaring that "A clean house is the sign of a sick mind?" Claire Josefine's book shows how the opposite is true, without making any such judgments about the psychology of slobs, of course. She only points out that if we are not fearful of letting go, or afraid of having it all together and getting on with our lives, we can eliminate clutter and disabling excuses based on confusion. A tidy home, or desk, or time schedule, is actually the sign of a healthy mind.
Claire's book doesn't dwell exclusively on these spiritual or psychological factors, however; she also gives us the tools to pare down, simplify, order, and prioritize effectively. The book is about half of each: self-help attitudinal assistance, and hands-on training for practical application.
All in all, an extremely helpful book. It would make a lovely gift for somebody who seems overwhelmed by the logistics of life. And the beautiful cover makes the volume itself welcome on any coffee table--part of your newly appealing decor!