One Year to an Organized Work Life: From Your Desk to Your Deadlines, the Week-by-Week Guide to Eliminating Office Stress for Good [Paperback]

One Year to an Organized Work Life by Regina Leeds. I had previously reviewed two other books by Regina Leeds (the "Zen" Organizer) . Those were One Year to an Organized Life and One Year to an Organized Financial Life. Since both were excellent, I was really looking forward to the middle book in the series, dedicated to organizing your work life. After all, I spend a lot of time at work, and the consequences of being disorganize at work can be even more serious than falling to pieces at home.

I was not disappointed. This is a wonderful book on workplace organization - but even more, on integrating your work life and your personal life seamlessly. As with her other "one-year" books, Regina takes what could be a daunting subject and makes it manageable by breaking it down into easy weekly goals for a one-year gradual makeover. Follow the program and you end up with a complete organizational makeover for your work life. You can pick up the book and start the program at any time, as most of the assignments are not prerequisites of each other.

Each month also includes a work "habit of the month" and a HOME "habit of the month". What's really amazing is the range of topics covered in this book. It's not just another book on time management and paperwork. Sure, there are excellent chapters on those topics, but there are also a lot of topics that you don't often see discussed. How to pack for a business trip. How to prepare your office to run smoothly while you're on vacation. How to integrate your holiday plans with your work responsibilities. How to organize your computer, laptop and other virtual environments.

As usual, Regina devotes considerable time not simply to the mechanics of organizing, but to your mental attitudes. How to set goals, understand and overcome procrastination, and how to balance your family and work responsibilities. Even how to plan your vacation. She never forgets that the purpose of organization is not simply for it's own sake, but to make our lives better. She also keeps an eye out for the particular needs of the working woman, which is a topic where some other books fall short.

You can get excellent specialized books in any of the several areas Regina covers in this book - from goal setting to filing and paperwork. But for a well-constructed plan to overhaul every aspect of your work organization, it's hard to beat this book. Give Regina a year and she'll make your work life sparkle.

Follow Regina Leed's advice, and you will create miracles, even in the smallest of office spaces. I reduced the clutter in my small office cubicle and ended up relieving my mind of extraneous stuff too. Regina's empathetic, personal approach and keen appreciation for the positive power of new habits and affirmations made me feel that she was right beside me. Although it is written in a month by month format, don't let that stop you from jumping into Zen Organizing at any time of the year. What a delight to open a drawer or go to a shelf and have just what you need right at your command. A revelation for a person used to piles of papers and heaps of books everywhere. The same approach will work miracles at home too.

Much more than a simple "how to" book. Emphasis is on understanding behavior before starting new actions and sticking to newly created habits.

This is a great book. As Director of a a busy physical therapy practice, I find that that is easy to become distracted and overwhelmed with paper. This book provides the insights and the tools of organization to overcome office stress. I highly recommend this book.