Stephanie Winston's Best Organizing Tips

Contents

Acknowledgments

How to Use This Book

"Where Do I Start?" -- An Organizing Inventory

PART ONE THE PAPER TRAP

1. Conquering Paperwork Gridlock

* The TRAF System: Toss, Refer, Act, and File

* Streamlining and Simplification Tips and Tricks

2. Following Up and Following Through

* Two Easy Follow-up Methods: The Calendar/Holding File and the Tickler File

* Other Ways to Follow Up

3. How to File It -- and Find It Again

* How to Figure Out What to Name a File

* Making Files Easy to Find and Keep under Control

* Addresses and Business Cards

4. Organizing a Home Office

5. Reading Expeditiously -- Zipping through Newspapers, Magazines, and Catalogs

6. The Paperwork of Money: Making Short Work of Bill Paying and Taxes

PART TWO GET TIME ON YOUR SIDE!

7. How to Set Priorities and Get Things Done

* When Two Lists Are Enough: The Master List and Daily List

* Setting Priorities

8. Organizing the Day: Figuring Out What to Do When

* Finding Your Peak Time -- and Taking Advantage of Your Biological Rhythms

* Power-Packing Your Days

* Looking Ahead

9. Coping with Interruption Overload

* Private Time without Guilt

* Making Your Contacts Productive...and Crisp

* Telephone Tactics

10. Combating Procrastination and Perfectionism -- and Finding Your Optimum Workstyle

* Procrastination and Perfectionism

* Finding Your Optimum Workstyle

11. Too Many Things to Do and Not Enough Time to Do Them? -- A Cornucopia of Timesaving Tips

* Power Packs -- Getting the Most Out of Five Minutes

* Up and Out and On Time

* Too Much to Do? Do What You Do Best -- Find Ways to Delegate the Rest

PART THREE CLUTTER AND CLOSETS

12. The Clutter Crisis -- Eliminating Distressing Disarray

* Three Strategies for a (Reasonably) Clutter-free Future

* The Seven-step Deep Clutter De-clutter Plan

* Hanging On to the Little Losables and Other Convenience Tips

13. Storing Stuff

* Closets, Cupboards, and Cabinets

* Outside the Closet -- Finding Storage Opportunities throughout Your Home

* Books, Recordings, Films, and Videos

14. The Organized Clothes Closet

* The Organized Clothes Closet -- How to Make It Happen

* Space-Stretchers

* Planning Your Wardrobe

* Accessories

PART FOUR HOMESTYLES AND LIFESTYLES

15. Recipe for an Organized Kitchen

d

* Making Your Kitchen Space Work

* The Fine Art of Stashing and Storing

* Groceries, Meal Planning and Preparation, Recipes, and Kid-Wise Kitchen Tips

16. Lightening the Load of Household Chores: Cleaning, Laundry, Errands, and More

* Tips for Hassle-Free Housecleaning

* A Few Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Tips

* Living with Linens

* Shopping, Errands, and Chores: A Roundup of Tips

17. Family Organizing -- How to Make It Work

* Getting Everyone Involved

* Your Kids Can Get Organized!

18. Rooms and Other Spaces -- Adding Comfort to Your Home

* The Family Room

* The Bedroom

* The Bathroom

* The Workroom -- Sewing, Knitting, and Crafts

* Some Ingenious Solutions for Small Spaces

* The Organized Auto

Send us your best tips!

Bibliography

Index

Stephanie Winston is a bestselling author, professional organizer, and the founder of The Organizing Principle, a time-management consulting firm whose clients include American Express, Xerox, and Campbell Soup. She lives in New York City.