Our Parenting World Exclusive Interview Series: Jane Stoller, Author of Organizing for Your Lifestyle
Studies show that decluttering can not only reduce stress, but provides peace of mind and improves your mood. In Organizing for Your Lifestyle, you’ll learn the science behind organization and not only how to get organized, but how to stay organized.
“I’m constantly finding new ways to get and stay organized, and I love sharing these ideas with my friends and family,” says Stoller, “This book is about sharing what I know and what I’ve learned from organizing my own life and helping others organize theirs.”
The book is arranged (very meticulously, of course!) into common themes to help you organize your home. From the kitchen to the bathroom, Stoller shares ideas, advice and inspiration to help you lead a happier and healthier life. There’s also a special chapter for travel. Packing properly for a once-in-a-lifetime trip means you’ll stress less and be able to enjoy that trip even more!
Organizing is a lifestyle, but it isn’t one-size-fits-all. This book is written in such a way that any reader can benefit from. Whether you are single or part of a large family, live in an apartment or a mansion, incorporating organization into your life can help maximize your potential to accomplish more on a daily basis.
Our Parenting World is honoured to be able to interview Jane Stoller (JS) where she shared more about her book and organizing tips:
1. Can you share with us more about what makes you decide to write a book on “Organizing for Your Lifestyle” and what challenges you have faced when you are doing your own organizing?
JS: I truly wanted to put my passion on paper and share how simple and fun it is to be organized. Even though some of my advice/ideas might be more specific to someone who lives something similar to my current lifestyle I think that my life experience has something to offer lots of different people. At my core I’m an expert in adapting, whether it’s adapting from the countryside to the city, from one city to the next, to different sizes of spaces, or to different countries. And whether anyone lives in an apartment or mansion it is important to know how to store your shoes and fold your sheets, and everyone can benefits from the wonders of labelling!
The main challenge I constantly face when organizing is ensuring that I keep my organizing systems practical and that they fit my lifestyle, which is always changing too. Sometimes I would be too inclined to make things look “pretty” vs. practical which often leads to not being able to sustain the organizing system. Therefore I try to follow my own mantra that “organizing needs to fit your lifestyle.”
2. How long does it take for you to write the book and where do you get your ideas/inspirations from?
JS: I started my book in 2007 and completed it in 2016 so it took a long time! However my inspiration came from my constant passion for organizing and helping other people get organized. I’ve fielded a steady stream of requests to help friends organize their closets, offices, and other areas of their houses. And since I have friends all over the globe I can’t be everywhere to personally guide them through the process of putting things in rows and boxes, hence this book was born. So my friends can always access my organizing tips whenever they want!
3. What is your favorite organizing tip?
JS: My favorite quote is from Benjamin Franklin, “For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.”
Also my favorite quick tip is to set aside time daily to organize, even if it’s just ten minutes at the beginning or end of your day. And that being organized means that you don’t have to think about organizing all the time – because you do it automatically, as an organic part of your everyday routine. Organizing is a lifestyle, but it needs to fit your lifestyle.
4. What can readers expect from your book?
JS: I wrote this book to be potential inspiration to help everyone get organized rather than being a prescription, as I don’t want to tell anyone how to live their life only inspire them.
My book is organized (very meticulously, of course!) into common themes that will help you organize your house, closet, and storage rooms. A special chapter for travel and the science behind organizing are included to provide a holistic approach. A constant theme to keep in mind during reading is that organizing is a lifestyle, but it isn’t one-size-fits-all. Incorporating organizing into your life shouldn’t ultimately, involve changing who you are, but rather maximizing it. Knowing where your favourite socks are, and having them stored correctly, means you’ll be able to wear your favourite socks more often, and look better doing it.
5. What’s your next plan and will you be working on a new book?
JS: Yes my new plan is actually to write on the topic of organizing in the workplace and increasing efficiency. I am starting to research this now and would like to have it complete for 2019.
6. Lastly, any interesting thing that you would like to share with our readers about the book and about organizing our lifestyle?
JS: I state in my introduction that being organized lets me live a relatively stress-free life. However I really wanted to give readers a practical link and the first chapter, “The Science Behind Organization and Stress” will hopefully help start the motivation to make organizing a priority. I find that often the hardest part is figuring out where to start, but having some motivation backed by scientific research leads well into the tips and ideas that follow in the remaining chapters.
Thank you for taking our interview!
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Iris, our senior writer has read the book and here are her thoughts on reading the book:
“When I first received the book about Organizing for Your Lifestyle by Jane Stoller, I am delighted and being a person who likes to keep my house neat and tidy, I am eager to learn more tips from Jane.
This book is jam packed with useful information on how to declutter our life, how to properly organised our things, understand the science behind an organized home, how to pack for travelling and most importantly to me, how to organise my house. With kids, things can get pretty messy and now with advice from Jane, I learn valuable tips on how to pack and organise my things in an orderly manner. It makes my house cleaner, neater and easier to find our things. It definitely will improve our health and mental state keeping our home spick and span.
Organizing your life is no longer a difficult thing to do, with the useful tips and information from Jane Stoller’s Organizing for Your Lifestyle will help you to get started. Wait no more, grab a copy today!”
To learn more and grab a copy of the book, please go to
http://www.organizingforyourlifestyle.com/
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In addition, we are pleased to share more tips from Jane Stoller on 4 Simple Organizing Tips to Help You Be More Productive:
It’s no secret that being organized can lead to increased productivity, both in your personal and professional life. The challenge is often where to begin. Below are 4 simple organizing tips to help you get started.
1. De-Clutter
I know you’ve heard this before and you are probably thinking it’s easier said than done, but de-cluttering your space can help you de-clutter you’re brain, making you less stressed and more productive. I always suggest starting small and having a goal for each room or area in your office. Some de-cluttering gurus suggest tackling categories instead of rooms – for example starting with all of your books. If you are having difficulty determining whether an item should go or stay, try listing its benefits. If you can’t explain the benefits of that item, then it probably needs to go.
2. Functional or Pretty Organizing Systems
In order to be more productive, your organizing systems should be functional and save you time. Keep “frequency of use” in mind when organizing your stuff. It is important to keep the items that you use the most within reach. Simple, but this might affect the asthenic look of organized spaces. This is where you need to assess if the practical solution is more important than the pretty one. For example, if you love the look of having your shirts colour coordinated, but then always find yourself searching for different types of shirts or sleeve lengths, why not organize for type or sleeve length, rather than by colour? For my books I employ a hybrid approach that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. I organize my books by genre and then store them by size to make them look pretty.
3. Organize for Your Lifestyle
A constant theme in my book is that organizing is a lifestyle, but it isn’t a one-size-fits-all. Incorporating organizing into your life shouldn’t, ultimately, involve changing who you are, but rather maximizing it. My book Organizing for Your Lifestyle addresses the organizing basics, which you can then adapt to your own lifestyle and organizing goals. You are in control of what will make you the most productive, so organize your life to reflect that and make it sustainable.
4. Sustain Your Organizing Habits
Why not plan to organize every day, even if it’s just 10 minutes. I always reflect back to the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin “For every minute spent organizing and hour is earned” and that sounds productive!
To learn more, go to OrganizingForYourLifestyle.com or connect with Jane on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.
