Customer Reviews

The Spiritual Art of Being Organized

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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.

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!

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!

I don't usually go in for the self-help sort of stuff, but I found this book really easy to pick up and enjoy. It is written in a conversational tone without being too chatty or technical. (This is important for me, as I am easily bored and/or distracted...) Fun quotes and flowing style keep an otherwise mind-numbing topic interesting! Thanks, Claire Josefine!

that along with two others, Choosing Simplicity and How to Retire Happy, Wild and Free, I reread yearly for perspective and motivation. The Spiritual Art of Being Organized by Claire Josefine is the one that is read first. Without organization, it is pretty hard to simplify or to be happy, wild and free. With the author's gentle guidance, you will find her 12 organizational steps, i.e., Think!, K.I.S.S., Create and Use, Habits and Schedules, Be Realistic, etc., will help you to create the best system for you. Each of the author's 12 basic principles has its own chapter which explains the reasoning for the step, ways of integrating it into your lifestyle, and a question/answer conclusion providing additional clarifications as to how it works. Appropriate quotes from others are included at the beginning, and sometimes within, each chapter. You can pick and choose the principles that are best for you at the moment in time when you are reading the book, or you can choose to take advantage of all 12 at the same time. The 12 principles are followed by a chapter on clearing clutter, something those of us with organizational skills that are not as finely tuned as we wish they were can definitely use to our advantage.

This little book will help you to enjoy a simpler, better-organized life. Recommended.

I loved this book. Claire doesn't come in like a bulldozer and demand that you throw away everything you haven't touched in 6 months. She is gentle, encouraging the reader to look at the reasons for their clutter or disorganization vs. demanding a completely clutter-free outcome. She touches on time management, gratitude, decision making, and asking for help. After reading this book I felt a sense of clarity and a purpose when it comes to dealing with my "stuff," my time management, and my decision making process.

Claire Josefine comes across as genuinely wanting to help those seeking to become more organized. This is not a how-to book per se, rather, she gives you the tips and methods that have worked for her. Most of them are the same you will find at any other organizational book, but she puts in her own personality and spirituality (her Jewish religion and beliefs) into it. An enjoyable little book. I had already learned about scheduling smaller tasks at a time, instead of thinking of doing the entire project at once long before reading this. 15 to 20 minutes at a time will do. However, she wrote something like "schedule your appointment to do the task and feel good after you succeed on just those 15 minutes, then build on your successes". My AHA! moment was thinking of actually scheduling my appointment with success! Not with the task at hand by with success directly! I get to choose to make my 15, 10 or even 5 minutes of success at will, then build my day and life on those successes. Thank you Claire, you sure are a giver of light!

This is the book for anybody, who needs a way to get it together with ease. Claire defines the need and purpose of organizing your life without stressing. Great job.

This organizing book is very easy and fun to read. Jill Annis-Simply Organized