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One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good [Paperback]

Regina Leeds
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 1, 2008
Who would you be if you felt at peace and had more time and money? An organized life enables you to have more freedom, less aggravation, better health, and to get more done. For nearly twenty years, Regina Leeds-named Best Organizer by Los Angeles magazine-has helped even the messiest turn their lives around. Anyone can get organized-she’ll prove it to you! One Year to an Organized Life is a unique week-by-week approach that you can begin at any time of year. Regina helps you break down tasks and build routines over time so that life becomes simple, not overwhelming. Master time management Make your kitchen efficient Permanently organize closets and drawers Deal with your finances Reclaim “dumping grounds” like the guest room, garage and basement Declutter the kids’ rooms Organize your travel plans-and the vacation photos and souvenirs Entertain with joy Regina reveals her magic formula for organizing anything, plus her method to stop the chronic cycles of clutter, misplaced items, and lateness. Whether you’re living in chaos or just looking for new ways to simplify, this essential book will help you get the whole household organized-and stay that way.

Frequently Bought Together

One Year to an Organized Life: From Your Closets to Your Finances, the Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Completely Organized for Good + One Year to an Organized Financial Life: From Your Bills to Your Bank Account, Your Home to Your Retirement, the Week-by-Week Guide to Achieving Financial Peace of Mind + One Year to an Organized Work Life: From Your Desk to Your Deadlines, the Week-by-Week Guide to Eliminating Office Stress for Good
Price for all three: $37.61

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Editorial Reviews

Review

From professional organizer and author Leeds (The Zen of Organizing) comes the perfect book for anyone wanting to find important papers instantly or have a navigable closet. The author divides getting organized into 12 monthly sections with four weekly tasks. The first week of every month is devoted to journaling and understanding the psychology of disorganization. The remaining three weeks of every month are for tasks like creating a bedroom sanctuary, packing wisely for trips, and creating a festive holiday atmosphere. Full of useful information for everyone, from the person who needs simply to clean a messy desk to the person requiring a whole new approach to life; highly recommended for all libraries. -- Deborah Bigelow, Library Journal

About the Author

Regina Leeds, a professional organizer and founder of Get Organized! by Regina, is the author of several books, including The Zen of Organizing. She lives outside of Los Angeles.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Da Capo Press (January 1, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1600940560
  • ISBN-13: 978-1600940569
  • Product Dimensions: 7 x 0.9 x 9.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brooklyn, New York is my hometown. I live most of the year now in Los Angeles, California. There are positive and negative things about both cities but my heart is always in New York City. I've been traveling the world since I was 17. I have my maternal grandmother's wanderlust. I've been to China twice and hope to return in 3 years. I want to take the train from Beijing to Tibet. How's that for an adventure? My favorite country to visit has to be Morocco. It's exotic and timeless. And of course I collect camels so I felt right at home!

When I was five years old, I knew two things for sure: I could write and I wanted to be an actress. I have always loved medicine, however, and had expressed an interest in surgery. Imagine my parents surprise when I announced that acting was more important than surgery to me. I don't think they ever recovered! When my fifth book "One Year to an Organized Life" became a New York Times best seller, I was so sorry my parents weren't alive. At last an accomplishment they would have understood! It wasn't easy having an only child as unconventional as I.

I was a professional actress for many years. I had the time of my life. One day i realized that I wanted to do something that would more fully be my own. As an actor you perform the words that someone else has written. And someone else directs...and someone else produces...it's a collaboration. Organizing was my gift to my clients. When I conducted seminars, I was the producer, writer, director and actor all rolled into one. In a unique way, it was a more fulfilling experience.

In all of my books I tell stories about myself as teaching tools. I hope you'll take some time to learn more about me and the art of getting organized. I call my system 'Zen Organizing.' You don't have to do anything foreign to be Zen Organized. You just have to have a deep desire to fulfill yourself...because that's what an organized environment does for you.

I invite you to read one of my books and learn more about me and Zen Organizing. Write to me...I promise to respond!


Customer Reviews

This book shows a month by month way to get organized in your life. Blump  |  17 reviewers made a similar statement
This book is very helpful. Lucie Whitcomb  |  14 reviewers made a similar statement
I've read several other organization books that have not even come close to this one! A. Bright  |  6 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
235 of 279 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Need help organizing - this makes it doable January 9, 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I own over 30 Get Organized books and by far this is the 1 that has made it finally happen for me. The author is witty and straight forward. Organization Tasks are broken down into categories (i.e. kitchen, bedroom, etc.)and are assigned to you to do during a specific month of the year. However, where this book made a difference for me is each month is broken down into weeks, and each week we are given assignments to be completed that are not overwhelming ... just baby steps that are part of the huge overwhelming mess we have created by being unorganized. I highly recommend this book as it holds your hand and never allows you to have to decide "what am I going to do next". It takes the guess work out of organizing, and where my hiccups come in, is trying to decide where to start - well this book removes that by braking everything down for you. Very simple organizing education, it is like having your own personal organizer with you every step of the way, every day.
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86 of 105 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Start organizing your life inside and out! February 10, 2008
Format:Paperback
I read this in during a time of my life that felt most disorganized, chaotic, and out of control. My mom gave me this book, and I thought it would just be about physically organizing my home, but instead, it's actually about organizing yourself mentally and emotionally then physically.

The author takes you on a step by step process of imagining and reflecting on why you are the way you are--why you are always late or why you impulse buy or why you can't seem to find your keys. Through reflection, you are able to organize yourself internally and then begin the challenging but completely doable process of clearing and organizing your living space.

It also has a helpful section about moving, which happens to be a timely project for me (my husband and I are moving cross-country in a few months).

I plan on giving this to all my friends!
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135 of 172 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars Good idea, not so great execution April 19, 2008
Format:Paperback
This book has a great premise, breaking down a specific organizational task over the course of a month, and has you writing a journal while you do this. So why only 2 stars?

Too much info about the author. We continually hear about her own experiences, her high-end clients, etc.

Too much focusing on the past in the journal exercises. The more you dwell on the past, the harder it is to make the future better.

She calls herself the Zen Organizer, but there is a lot of New Age content in the book also. Would rather have had more organizational tips.

She has an entire month dealing just with Thanksgiving. Really. If she'd combined it with Christmas and New Year's, as "holiday planning", it would have been plenty.

The chapter on moving was pretty good, but should have been written with lists instead of all the good information being buried in paragraphs (and this was also a problem in other chapters).

Overall, I would rate the book 2.5 stars. Good premise, and several good organizing tips, but it gets bogged down in places. Check it out from your library first--you might prefer her approach to that of FlyLady.
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22 of 27 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Helpful September 23, 2008
Format:Paperback
A picked up one helpful "jewel" from this book. That you need to understatnd what, in your past, makes you behave the way you do in order to change your behavior. This tidbit made it worth the cost of the book and the time to read it. You can staighten things up, but if you don't change your behavior, then it won't last. Other than that, the "Just Do It" attitude and the importance of taking things a step at a time are well presented in this book.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars The best, with caution September 7, 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm an organizing book "junkie." This is the best I've found. That could be personal/timing-related. Leeds approach is to go through your house in a year, one area/month. That month is divided into four weeks of reading. Usually the first two weeks of reading is motivation, planning, and her past experiences/clients, etc. The meat is in the last two weeks of each month with specifics for doing the work. I've used the book as a bit of workbook, adding notes, lists, plans. I did my worst room (along with real life) in about two weeks. She has a zero condemnation approach which entails setting up the environment which is absolutely essential to succeed in organization. There is no "clean your sink" advice.

Her approach is a basic three-fold: eliminate, categorize, organize (like things contained.) With this focus firmly in place, the projects are less over-whelming. But do take breaks!

There is a lot of New Age in the book. For example,(from memory) burning incense in a hotel room releases the spirits of previous occupants. Surrendering belongings from deceased relatives, releases their spirits. Huh? But if you can ignore that "clutter", the book is valuable. While Leeds seems to be a single, city-dweller, she is sensitive to the organizational needs of families, even large families. She does have the ability to guide the reader to plan and "zoom-out" in order to consider your space with fresh perspective.

I do not share her New Age views and found that content to be surprising, unnecessary clutter, and a bit offensive. I came to this book for organizational help, not spiritual indoctrination. Four stars for unnecessary, distracting New Age clutter in book. Otherwise I'd give it five stars for the help I've found.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful - walks you step by step
I read some excerpts from the book on Amazon and liked how
simple it would take me through each step. The book is in great
shape and shipping was ideal. Thank you.
Published 11 days ago by Alyssa
4.0 out of 5 stars A de-cluttering which works
The monthly tasks made the job more manageable rather than overwhelming. It all made sense and I liked the reasons given for why it is okay to get rid of sentimental objects like... Read more
Published 25 days ago by ghoward
5.0 out of 5 stars organized life
I read a portionof this book from one of my clients, I was amased of all the practical information, is like this book was written for me. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Patricia G. Murillo
5.0 out of 5 stars Organized life
I had checked this book out of the public library and found it to be full of helpful information. I was glad to find it online and will use it to refer to for ideas on organizing... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Rose Van Houten
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Got this because the author really hit home with the 8 minute organizer
this takes it to a new level and breaks it down more
good plan and book arrived in waterproof... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Christine
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book for organization
I love this book I will use it and then pass it on to friends. I would recommend this book to people who are wanting some kind organization in their lives.
Published 4 months ago by Mel
3.0 out of 5 stars not what I expected
I haven't read much of this book, but I do not find it interesting or helpful so far. I ordered it from a "recommended for me" list. It has an older copywrite date. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jean Lake
4.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful
One year to a organized life. Helped me get the basement cleaned as well as all of the closets. If it had been more than two years since I have used an item it was gone
Published 5 months ago by margaret walshire
5.0 out of 5 stars Book
The book is awesome. It is easy to follow and very helpful. Love the personal stories and sample as well as how to modify to to own situation.
Published 6 months ago by K. Fell
5.0 out of 5 stars ONE YEAR TO AN ORGANIZED LIFE
This book has some great ideas on getting organized. It is just what I have been looking for to clear the clutter in my unit. Read more
Published 11 months ago by CU
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Unexplained ankle swelling
Drink water...lots and lots of water. I used to have foot and ankle swelling as well. My New Year's resolution was to drink water, rather than soda, iced tea, etc. It has made an enormous difference! I can't tell you how much it has helped. I have absolutely no swelling and even my shoes fit better!
Mar 1, 2008 by Beagle mom |  See all 4 posts
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