Julie Morgenstern

by Christine Vick

You probably recognize Julie Morgenstern, time management and organizing expert, from her television appearances or her best-selling books. She talked to us about beginnings, psychology, and why her new book, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, gives decluttering a whole new twist.

S&S: Were you always an organized person?

JM: I was actually notoriously disorganized as a child. I collected everything. I was a theatre person and thought that every item had the potential to be a prop or an inspiration.

S&S:What changed?

JM: I have always been very creative and was able to pull amazing things out of chaos. But when my daughter Jessi was born I saw how that would limit her ability to engage in life. I suddenly felt a renewed and different kind of desire to get organized.

S&S: You studied theatre in college and in graduate school. How did you end up with a career as a professional organizer?

JM: When my daughter was born, I needed a different life. I was recently divorced, and the theatre required working nights and weekends. I recognized that my own experience in getting organized might be valuable to others. In 1989 I borrowed $100, had business cards and stationary made, and put a $25 classified ad in a New York City monthly paper geared toward parents.

S&S : You have a unique approach to organizing; tell us about it.

JM: The media messages about organizing promote a very strident, outside-in approach. One of my goals was to send the message that you can be organized and creative. You don't have to change who you are.

S&S: Your books focus on the psychological aspect of organizing. How did you get interested in that part of the process?

JM: I was looking for the holes in the process, and found that what was missing was the psychological side. My father is a humanist psychologist, and I grew up with the idea that each person is an individual with a unique contribution to make. I'm in the business of removing obstacles that keep people from making their unique contribution.

S&S: I learned a lot from your take on decluttering in SHED. How does it relate to organizing?

JM: You don't actually have to throw anything out to get organized. If you have 500 concert T-shirts, what you need is a system to put them on the shelves so they can be accessed. Decluttering is a very different process . You do it for different reasons at different parts of your life. It's about getting rid of what is obsolete when you are in transition and need to un-anchor yourself. It is about growth.

Tips on how to SHED:

Identify Your Points of Entry:

In understanding what's holding you back, it's essential to view clutter as a clue and not as a sign of disorder or messiness. Cluttered areas have no movement, says Morgenstern, and they can direct you to areas of your life that have become stagnant. Schedule a time to inventory your home. When you see pockets of clutter, in a room, drawer or cabinet, identify them with a Post-it note.

Why Are You Making Room?

"Nobody lets go into a vacuum," says Morgenstern, "it's important to know what you are making space for." Your answer will likely be vague, but consider what parts of your life are "stuck" and where you'd like to go. You may be creating space for creativity, energy or more connections. The goals of organizing are concrete: move the files from the floor, bookshelves and desk and create order in one filing cabinet. The reasons for decluttering maybe less specific, but they're just as important to articulate.

Choose An Area:

Look at the post-it notes, and select an area in which to apply the SHEd process (be sure to give yourself a time limit). To help you decide what to get rid of, ask two questions:

1. When I've made space (for creativity, energy, connections etc.), what would I want to have with me?
2. If all of this were gone tomorrow, what would I miss? (Give explicit answers, so you understand what you are keeping.).

Dive in and SHED:

Based on the answers to the questions in the last section, decide what is going and how you are going to heave it. Donate it, recycle it, call bulk trash, but make sure it is gone within 48 hours, recommends Morgenstern. "If you haven't gotten rid of items, says Morgenstern, "you haven't SHED, you've just rearranged.