Stephanie Winston's Best Organizing Tips

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.

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsHow to Use This Book"Where Do I Start?" -- An Organizing InventoryPART ONE THE PAPER TRAP1. Conquering Paperwork Gridlock* The TRAF System: Toss, Refer, Act, and File* Streamlining and Simplification Tips and Tricks2. Following Up and Following Through* Two Easy Follow-up Methods: The Calendar/Holding File and the Tickler File* Other Ways to Follow Up3. 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 Cards4. Organizing a Home Office5. Reading Expeditiously -- Zipping through Newspapers, Magazines, and Catalogs6. The Paperwork of Money: Making Short Work of Bill Paying and TaxesPART 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 Priorities8. 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 Ahead9. Coping with Interruption Overload* Private Time without Guilt* Making Your Contacts Productive...and Crisp* Telephone Tactics10. Combating Procrastination and Perfectionism -- and Finding Your Optimum Workstyle* Procrastination and Perfectionism* Finding Your Optimum Workstyle11. 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 RestPART THREE CLUTTER AND CLOSETS12. 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 Tips13. Storing Stuff* Closets, Cupboards, and Cabinets* Outside the Closet -- Finding Storage Opportunities throughout Your Home* Books, Recordings, Films, and Videos14. The Organized Clothes Closet* The Organized Clothes Closet -- How to Make It Happen* Space-Stretchers* Planning Your Wardrobe* AccessoriesPART FOUR HOMESTYLES AND LIFESTYLES15. Recipe for an Organized Kitchend* Making Your Kitchen Space Work* The Fine Art of Stashing and Storing* Groceries, Meal Planning and Preparation, Recipes, and Kid-Wise Kitchen Tips16. 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 Tips17. 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 AutoSend us your best tips!BibliographyIndex

The New York Times This book is the next best thing to a pile of stuff animating itself and disappearing.