Organizing is a process and not one that requires you to tackle the entire house in one sweeping session. As such, youll find that this book is arranged according to the various hot spots in the home, starting with the area inside the front door and continuing through to the garage. Chapter by chapter, room by room, youll find helpful and practical techniques for creating (and maintaining) order.

Introduction
Chapter 1: The Ins and Outs of Organizing
The Big Picture
Plan Your Attack
Rules to Live By
Keeping Order

Chapter 2: Entryways
Outerwear and Outdoor Gear
Information Centers

Chapter 3: Kitchens
Essential Ingredients
Cooking Tools
Dishware

Chapter 4: Gathering Places
Media Equipment
Books

Chapter 5: Private Spaces
Bedrooms
Closets and Dressing Rooms
Bathrooms

Chapter 6: Kids Spaces
Bedrooms
Homework Helpers
Play Spaces

Chapter 7: Work Spaces
Home Offices
Laundry Rooms
Garages

When I mentioned to friends and family that I was writing a book on organizing, I was greeted with silence. Then came the jokes and the ribbing. Would writing such a book empty my apartment of the dozens of Chinese figurines that fill my many bookshelves? How could someone who couldn't bear to part with piles of old decorating magazines enlighten others on the art of order?

Simple, I replied, because for me, a well-ordered home has always been an obsession. And, yes, my Chinoiserie stands at perfect attention and my magazines are boxed and labeled. Organization is a topic that I've both studied extensively and practiced professionally, both in my career as an interior designer and my work as a contributing home editor to Parents, Better Homes and Gardens, and a number of other national magazines.

But obsessed though I may be with the art of organizing, I did feel the need for additional backup as I wrote this book. And what I learned from talking to friends and expertslike Jill Markiewicz, the owner of Closet Couture, a high-style New York-based organizing service, and Lyn Peterson, an interior designer, mother of four, and all-around organizing guruwas that many of us (myself included) avoid tackling organizing projects because we know things will only get worse before they get better. But that'fs simply how the process works and once you've accepted that, the rest is easy.

I also discovered that organizing is a process and not one that requires you to tackle the entire house in one sweeping session. For this reason, you'll find that this book is arranged according to the various hot spots in the home?starting with the area inside the front door and continuing through to the garage. So if like me, you're obsessed with closets (I've not only said good riddance to wire hangers, I've also coordinated the contents of mine by color), you'll know right where to look.

What are you waiting for? Get organized!