Julie Morgenstern Helps Put Your Life In Order

Julie Morgenstern is an organization and time-management expert, and when it comes to getting organized she helps her clients to not only make the clutter go kaput, but also to put their lives in order and create a plan for positively managing change in every aspect of their life. I had the opportunity to interview Julie and find out a little more about her four-step SHED plan and I am excited to share her secrets. Keep reading to find out why getting organized just isn’t enough…

Interview With Julie Morgenstern:

1.    Tell us about yourself and how your “Inside Out” philosophy came to be.

I’ve been a professional organizer since 1989 –(20 years)…and early on in the business—I realized that if clients spent money on my services—and the place looked good when I left, but went back to chaos within weeks, my business wouldn’t survive—because the word of mouth would not be good. I determined that the only way to ensure that any systems I designed would last, would be to build them around the client’s natural habits, unique way of thinking and goals. By working from the inside out, it would be almost impossible for the client to mess the system up—because it was so organic to the way they naturally operate. Whether organizing time, space, or even change, creating solutions based on the client’s unique personality is working from the inside out.

2.    Tell us your definition of what it means to “S.H.E.D.”

SHEDing is a process for decluttering your life to make room for change. By letting go of the tangible clutter in your physical space and schedule, you gain the clarity, energy and insight to move forward and discover what’s next. But SHEDing isn’t just about getting rid of things. It focuses on what you do before and after letting go to ensure a true transformation. SHED is an acronym for the 4 steps of letting go:

•    Separate the treasures—Identify the gems are truly worth hanging on to
•    Heave the trash—Eliminate the obsolete items that are weighing you down
•    Embrace your identity from within—Discover who are you without all your stuff
•    Drive yourself forward—Explore the direction that connects to your genuine self?

When I use the term clutter, I am not referring to what is disorganized. Clutter, as I define it, is anything that is obsolete and weighing you down, holding you back, keeping you anchored in an unhealthy way. A perfectly organized closet, filled with things you no longer wear is clutter. So is a well-ordered schedule filled with activities that neither fuel you nor connect to your current or future goals.

3.    What is the difference between SHEDing and organizing?

Organizing is what you do when you know where you want to go, but don’t know how to get there. SHEDing is what you do when you don’t know where you want to go, but where you are isn’t it. It involves eliminating the obsolete in your life so you have the room to think, energy to explore and courage to discover what’s next.

Think of it this way: if organizing is dropping anchor once you know what you want, SHEDing is lifting anchor so you can go some place new. Here are some additional distinctions:

1. Organizing gives you access to what’s most important to you. SHEDing helps you discover what’s most important to you.
2. It’s possible to get organized without throwing anything away. It’s impossible to SHED without letting things go.
3. You organize to become more efficient. You SHED to get unstuck.
4. While organizing has a clearly defined end point (e.g. you can organize your garage or home office in a weekend), SHEDing is an ongoing process that generates movement, and fuels transformation. SHED is another phase in the journey of living a rich and fulfilling life.

4.    Organization is not just an idea or a hobby, it’s a lifestyle. Tell us how someone can start the SHED process and how it can be implemented in everyday life.

1-Recognize that no one lets go into a vacuum – no one lets go of anything without reaching for something else. Come up with a one word theme for what you are making room for: Connections, Security, Self-acceptance, Freedom, Mobility.
2-Aim for a radical release. Once you’ve separated the treasures from trash…get the trash OUT. Not 2 items a day….but in one fell swoop to make room for moving forward—you should be able to measure the space gained in pounds (remove 100 pounds of stuff from your house)—or inches (remove 50 inches of files…) or hours (removed 5 hours of time wasted on a bad habit).
3-Be prepared for the Wall of Panic. After heaving a bunch of stuff—you will have a moment when you feel lost, disoriented…asking who am I without my stuff?  What the heck do I do with all this space? Respond not by reaching for what you just tossed, or rushing to fill the space with anything new…but by embracing your identity from within—know that you have everything you need inside you to reinvent your life.

5.    One of the biggest challenges people face when getting organized or establishing routines/systems is where to begin. What are some ideas or habits you recommend that can help a beginner get clutter free and stay that way?

The best way to get started is to Inventory your home or office and search for pockets of clutter – suspiciously stagnant areas where stiff is just not moving: piles of untouched papers, clothes that haven’t been worn in years, a de-energizing to-do list that never seems to reduce. Then choose one pocket of clutter to begin the SHED process with.

Before tackling any pile, establish your treasure guidelines. Ask, “What purpose does this stuff serve? What is my attachment to it?” And most important “If all this were gone tomorrow, what would I miss?” Write that down on the post-it, and use it to guide what you keep.

6.    In your new book, SHED: Shed Your Stuff, Change Your Life, you talk about how the SHED process helps a person let go of the little things so they can focus on the “big stuff.” Tell us how this goes farther than getting organized and being better with time management.

Our pockets of clutter are what I call “Points of Entry”, because they provide an insight into an old belief system, a clue to your core identity, a very healthy impulse gone awry.  Taking the time to find the value in the clutter before heaving it overboard provides a gateway to self-discovery, insight and growth. Analyze the role the clutter is playing in your life before releasing it. You are in a position to find a healthier way to achieve that goal.

7.    One of the most interesting bits of wisdom you bestow in SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life is how you feel that we are always learning, discovering, or creating. And as we transition through these phases, it is a good idea to come up with a theme for that chapter in our lives. Can you expand on that and your three rules for naming your theme?

This goes back to the fact that when we are in transition, we don’t know exactly what we want-we can feel paralyzed. Change that involves loss (i.e. letting go) is hard. Change that involves acquisition (i.e. reaching toward) is easier, more exciting. A Theme is a simple word or phrase that captures the essence of what we want to feel or express next—taking the pressure off of knowing exactly what we want to do. A theme such as Creativity, Self-acceptance, Connections or even Unbridled Joy, gives us something to reach toward—without having to know exactly how that theme will specifically evolve. The three rules to naming your theme are:
1.    Keep it broad enough to cover all aspects of your life—if you want unbridled joy for example, you could have that at work, at home, with friends, even finances!
2.    Keep it simple. A one or two word phrase is ideal.
3.    Give yourself permission to say exactly what you really want, not what you think you “should” want.  If no one were looking, and anything were possible, what do you want the next chapter of your life to express?

8.    May is the month to recognize mothers and praise them for their hard work and love. What are some tips and pointers you can give to anyone from a 10 year old to a 50 year old that wants to help a busy mom get organized.

If you live with that busy Mom—offer to take over full responsibility for one or more of the regular household chores. Offer to do the weekly meal planning and/or shopping; to cook dinner once per week, to take out the trash, shuttle the kids to an afterschool program.  Offer to watch the kids for 2 hours once per week so she can have some “Me” time to do  whatever recharges her—a walk in the park, lunch with a friend, a mani/pedi.

9.    With all your experience and knowledge gained over the years, are there any specific products you would recommend that would be helpful with SHEDing and getting organized?

I’m always a fan of a good planner to reduce all the paper piles in your life since paper is the number one form of clutter in most people’s lives. And paper clutter is more often a signal of a time management problem than an organizing one. It’s a sign that you’ve overcommitted, that you have things on your backlog that you are having trouble letting go.

I truly hope that you enjoyed Julie’s expert advice and can take to heart some of the suggestions she offers to have a richer, more meaningful life. Stay tuned for more organizing techniques and approaches from Julie in future posts! And don’t forget to enter for a chance to win her book, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life.
Happy Organizing!

- Mrs. O

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2 Comments May 27, 2009 on 5:12 pm | In Uncategorized