Best Results Organizing

Longtime readers of the Paper Doll blog know that the majority of the time, I’m writing about paper and information flow, and how to keep it all managed, but there’s one time each year where we go beyond to explore all sorts of organizing knowledge and innovations. Every year, just after the National Association of Professional Organizers’ Annual Conference and Organizing Expo, we spend weeks talking about the education and the products that can help organizers and clients (and you!) get and stay better organized and productive.

This year, I’m starting the series with something new about the NAPO conference experience. NAPO members have access to a variety of Special Interest Groups (SIGs), sub-groups that help NAPO members focus on their areas of concentration. SIG offerings support those who work with students and seniors, who specialize in relocations or small businesses, who speak and coach, who deal with technology and protect the environment, and more. Paper Doll is a member of the Authorship and Publishing SIG (led by my colleagues Debbie Lillard and Deb Cabral).

This year, as part of the NAPO EXPO, the Authorship and Publishing SIG ran a bookstore booth, carrying some of the industry’s best-loved books, authored by our own SIG members. This included newly released titles, classic organizing books, and recorded media and information products created by our members, whose number includes true celebrities of the organizing world, including Judith Kolberg and Barbara Hemphill. We even had a day and a half of fancy-schmancy book signings!

All of this was put together by organizing profession ROCK STAR authors Donna Smallin Kuper and Ramona Creel, who quickly, efficiently, and creatively constructed an outlet for organizing authors to spread the gospel (if you will) of organizing and productivity.

(That’s iconoclastic, straight-shooting Ramona at the left, Paper Doll in the center, and prolific writer and speaker Donna on the right. Trivia note: both Ramona and Donna are full-time RV-ers. Apparently genius preserves well in tin cans!)

If you’re reading this but were unable to attend NAPO 2015 and feel like you missed out, never fear — Paper Doll has you covered! I’ve listed each of the books and resources from our booth here, with links so you can check them out in depth, and perhaps make them part of your own personal library. Where possible, I’ve linked to Amazon paperback copies (because, well, I am your Paper Doll); you should be able to easily navigate to Kindle versions. (Please note that these are affiliate links and I will receive brownie points in the form of green pieces of paper if you purchase after clicking through this links.)

Home/Life Organizing Books

A Mom’s Guide to Home Organization by Debbie Lillard

DeClutter Your Life NOW! A Motivational Guide to Tackle All Aspects of Clutter in Your Life by Deborah Cabral

Make Room for Clarity by Rick Woods

How to Declutter and Make Money Now (2nd Ed, 2015) by Donna Smallin Kuper

50 Shades of Organizing…Your Life by Susan Unger and Lauri Mennel

Organize This! Practical Tips, Green Ideas, and Ruminations about your CRAP: Clutter That Robs Anyone of Pleasure by Vali Heist

Now What? A Simple Organizing Guide by Diane Quintana

(On the left is TV superstar Geralin Thomas; on the right is my longtime NAPO-Georgia friend and colleague and chronic disorganization specialist, Diane Quintana. They’re flanking the lovely and talented Valentina Sgro, author of the Patience Oaktree novels. Val wasn’t displaying her books, but she came out to support those of us who were!

Organizing Paper at Home: What to Toss and How to Find the Rest by Barbara Hemphill

The A-To-Z of Getting Organized: A Grown-Up Picture Book for the Chaotic and Cluttered by Ramona Creel

Life Cycle Organizing Books

Don’t Toss My Memories in the Trash – A Step-by-Step Guide to Helping Seniors Downsize, Organize and Move by Vickie Dellaquila

The Organized Bride’s Thank You Note Handbook: Let Systems and 101 Modern Sample Thank You Notes Take You from Overwhelmed to Organized by Stacey Agin Murray

Business Organizing Books

57 Secrets for Organizing Your Small Business by Julie Bestry (Hey, that’s Paper Doll!)

Don’t Agonize: Organize Your Office Now by Diane Hatcher

(The indefatigable Diane Hatcher has been keeping South Floridians on their toes since 1998!)

Professional Organizing Business Books and Resources

Before the Big O: Professional Organizers Talk about Life before Organizing by Regina Lark

Custom-Branded Clutter Flow Charts by Hazel Thornton

The Professional Organizer’s Bible: A Slightly Irreverent and Completely Unorthodox Guide for Turning Clutter into a Career by Ramona Creel

Student Organizing Books

What’s the Deal with Teens and Time Management by Leslie Josel

The Academic Planner: A Tool for Time Management by Leslie Josel

(The clever Leslie Josel is a fellow alumna of Cornell University. It’s obligatory that I note: GO BIG RED!)

Psychology Books

Psychic Debris, Crowded Closets: The Relationship Between the Stuff in Your Head and What’s Under Your Bed (2nd Ed., 2014) by Regina Lark

Chronic Disorganization and Hoarding Books

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg

Getting Organized in the Era of Endless by Judith Kolberg

Get Rid of Your Stuff Flash Cards by Judith Kolberg

From Hoarding to Hope by Geralin Thomas

Fresh Start: Overcoming Chronic Disorganization Group Manual by Karen Kruzan and Barbara Jo Dennison

Rise Above Your Stuff by Karen Kruzan and Barbara Jo Dennison (This title is new; check back often for an updated link.)

Inspirational Books

Less Clutter, More Life by Barbara Hemphill

Clear the Clutter, Find Happiness by Donna Smallin Kuper

For the Gifts We All Come Bearing by Jane Campbell

Time Management Resources

The Streamlined Time Solution by Miriam Ortiz y Pino

Until 2016…

I believe that the resurgence of a NAPO authors’ booth (we had one a decade ago, but it fell by the wayside) under the auspices of the Authorship and Publishing SIG is good for everyone. Professional organizers will be inspired by their colleagues to share their advice, which will, in turn, give the public more of an opportunity to see a wider variety organizing and productivity concepts and strategies presented by new voices and in different styles.

I’m inclined to believe that the authors of the above books — experts all, on productivity and organization — help bring that belief closer to reality.