Kindle Edition Amazon Karen J Hicks Barnes & Noble Amazon Category:  Self-Help Publisher: Humanics (Now Green Dragon) ISBN-10:  0893342939 Type: Non-Fiction Pages: 113 Copyright: 2000 ISBN-13: 9780893342937 Price: $0.99 (eBook) Short book featuring 10 steps to organize your life: body, mind, and spirit. A valuable and common-sense approaches to getting organized in The Tao of an Uncluttered Life, the book is a must read for anyone who has ever felt over-whelmed by all the details and paperwork of living. This organizational wonder will help you be more efficient and assist in making your life more whole. Taking a wholistic approach to removing clutter from the reader’s time and space and spirit, the 120 pages are a breezy read – yet the 10 easy-to-follow principles can be effective in establishing order at home, at school, at work and at play. Excerpt FORWARD BY STEVE ALLEN One of the questions I am most frequently asked is: How are you able to be active in such a variety of professional fields and to produce such a volume of work? First of all, perhaps I should note that there is nothing of conceit or pride in reporting such a question since it is quite possible to turn out a great amount of material, none of which is high quality. But when others praise my efficiency, they are usually referring to the sort of unexamined system by means of which I professionally operate. My techniques for producing a good deal of creative work is largely a matter of playing-it-by-ear, which happens to be the way I play the piano. I have no doubt that it would be wise if, in addition to being so naturally prolific, I could consider my creative work as part of a formal instructive technique. This is what Ms. Hicks has done as regards the subject of efficiency and organization. When Ms. Hicks applied for a position on my staff–in 1988–she brought with her several letters of recommendation from which I quote below: · "She processes written material efficiently, accurately, and with considerable thought. It is no exaggeration whatsoever to state that she did the work of two to three competent and motivated individuals." (Nicholas Sieveking, Ph.D.) · "Karen proved herself to be a remarkably organized, resourceful and honest individual." (Kenneth Anchor, Ph.D.) · "While in her position as HUD supervisor, Karen re-organized the department and had it operating in a greatly improved manner. Systems and files have been established that expedite the handling of paperwork." (Joycelyn Hinkle, NCHP Property Management) · "While in our employment, Karen worked directly under me, performing the work of one and one half girls. But this was still not enough work to keep her busy. . . . Before I could finish telling her what the project was to be, she already had figured out in her mind how she was going to present it." (Larry Beyreis, Industrial Engineer) · "Karen's forte is untangling messes and setting up systems. If you need an organizer, she's it. . . . She has performed two full-time jobs at once." (Patricia Warhol, Target Stores, Inc., Advertising Services) That was enough for me. I hired her on the spot. And I have not been disappointed. One day, after Karen had completely re-organized our files and created systems that allow even the enormous volume of paperwork that floods my office to flow smoothly, I suggested that she write a book to share her secrets with others. The Tao of an Uncluttered Life is the result. Most books about efficiency concentrate either on "rules" to be memorized and followed, or generalized examples of how to be organized at work or in your home. Ms. Hicks's approach to the subject is much broader. She does give us ten–well, she calls them suggestions rather than rules, since she believes that each person must adapt the general principles to fit his or her own particular lifestyle. But she also presents detailed, step-by-step procedures which show how these recommendations can be applied in the home, on the job and even in our leisure time. By presenting the material in an easy-to-read-¬and-understand manner, she gives us a book that is not only enjoyable to study, but one from which anyone could profit. She touches on the importance of using our common sense–our reasoning skills–to alter systems to work for us, and sprinkled throughout the manuscript are quips that provoke thought and encourage an attitude conducive to an organized life. The Tao of an Uncluttered Life is not heavy-handed. It is Ms. Hicks's contention that the importance of being organized is to enable us to enjoy life more. Her final suggestion–“Relax . . . Have Fun"–reinforces this belief. This is a book you will want to refer to often and share with your friends.

An Excellent Tool
I have had a copy of this excellent book on my business bookshelf for many years. I recently bought a copy for my youngest daughter and advised her to start by picking whichever of the author's suggestions resonated most and looked easy to implement.

She did and she has and is now enjoying her first taste of a less-cluttered life.

An excellent tool, keep it close to hand, read it often.

Inspiring and Refreshing
This book tackles the challenge of organization with an approach that is inspiring and refreshing. From the very start, we are encouraged to imagine and visualize what a perfect day would be like using the reporter's technique of: who? what? when? where? how? What a great idea! For how can we even begin our quest for organization and a balanced life unless we know where we're headed and what we want when we get there?
Another unique illustration for time management is to step back and reevaluate the task on our to do list. Break it down in steps, writing down step-by-step instructions if need be, as if we were teaching a child how to do it. Using this system helps us see that a big task is really made up of little ones, and that's how we should approach it, one little step at a time. Before we know it, the job is done.
Using common time management tools may seem obvious to some, but they are often overlooked by many - we're just too busy! Streamline repetitive tasks, creating a system or form for mail, communications, grocery lists, and other routine jobs. Rule of thumb: if it's done more than once a week, streamline it! We are surrounded by time-saving tools, so why not use them? Paper shredders, universal remote controls, rubber stamps, paper sorters, and a kitchen timer -- all of these inventions can save valuable time in our lives and free us to do more important things during our day.
Time management and clutter control are not separate issues in our busy lives, but intertwine and overlap. Managing our time, honoring it, unclutters our minds and daily actions and diminishes much of the clutter around us. By reading this book, you'll learn how to manage both, and I think that's a wonderful time-saver!

Extremely Good Way to Live
After reading this book, I looked for other ways to unclutter my life and found an iPhone App called Uncluttered Todo. Much like the book, it allows you to focus on just the things you need to focus on, without the typical distractions of other approaches. I post it here because I believe others may find it useful as well.