If you asked me the one person I’d most like to meet, you might expect me to say something like Oprah or President Obama. And, surely, meeting either of those people would be life-changingly awesome.
But, for my little Penelope self, my answer would be organizing guru and bestselling author Julie Morgenstern. I love her style and every one of her books. She inspires me to be my most effective both at work and at home. In fact, I’ve written about my favorite of her books here. It’s literally one of my “Books to Live By”.
So imagine my excitement when Julie said she’d be willing to answer some questions for us. She was so forthcoming that I decided to split her answers into 2 posts. We’ll be in Julie Heaven this week, Penelopes.
In today’s post, we got to know her a little more personally, which is a huge treat for a fan like me. The next post will give us some insight into how she keeps herself organized, including the tools she uses on a daily basis. Oh, and we’ll also be doing a GIVEAWAY of her new book. Look for that post next Monday.
Here’s what she shared:
Julie Morgenstern
Penelope Loves Lists: Were you neat and tidy as a kid or teenager? What did your room look like at 16?
Julie Morgenstern: I grew up as an exceedingly disorganized kid. My room was so messy, one friend recently told me she used to be afraid to visit me, because every time she did, she’d end up losing something in the chaos.
As a theater person and dancer, I collected everything, from costumes, props and vintage cooking utensils to old class notes, souvenir restaurant menus, and playbills. These were my treasures. But I could never find anything.
There wasn’t a day that you could see even a square inch of the floor. It was a nice floor, too — Congoleum, a jazzy turquoise and blue design I had begged my parents for and which they bought me in the hope that it would inspire me to keep my room neat and navigable. No such luck. Within a day of being installed, the Congoleum was covered in rubble, rarely to be seen again.
Every six months or so, my parents would “hit the roof,” and banish me to my fourth floor “jungle” for the weekend with a direct order not to come out until it was cleaned up.
Truth is, I wanted to be organized because it was almost as frustrating to me to have my room in such turmoil as it was for them to see it that way. I’d begin by dumping out all the drawers and emptying all the closets in an effort to decide what “junk” I could get rid of. In the course of sorting through this stuff, I would rediscover lost treasures I hadn’t set eyes on since the last time I’d attempted to get my room in shape. “Wow, this reminds me of that trip I took” or “Gee, I could really use this someday,” became constant refrains, slowing the clean-up process to a crawl.
The clock was ticking. Sunday night was fast approaching. Soon there would be a knock on the door. My parents ready for the grand unveiling! I would look around my room and realize that it actually looked WORSE than when I started. In a panic, I’d quickly gather stuff from every direction and shove it into drawers, closets, and under the bed with no rhyme or reason.
The knock arrived; my parents came in, saw the Congoleum, and applauded me for my efforts. The room was perfect. But I knew better. Sure enough, by the next day, the Congoleum would start to disappear again as the piles returned. I’d have spent sixteen hours of determined activity with no visible payoff for my efforts whatsoever; another marathon organizing session down the tubes! In six months I would be at it again.
PLL: How do your naturally organized or “Penelope” tendencies inform your role as “Mom”?
JM: Being a mom and an organizational expert, I have always known that it is important to avoid insulting and judging your child when it comes to organization. I feel great that I never told my daughter Jessi that she was disorganized…no matter how messy her room got (and it got messy!). I always focused on where she was organized. Within the piles, there were systems…her dance things, friends phone numbers and stuffed animals were always well organized. And I just told her that when the other things started to be as important to her, she would organize those as well. And she did! Starting in junior high school, she began to organize her homework and school papers, then it was her clothes, and today she has a system for just about everything.
Every teenager and child is organized someplace, somewhere, in some way. I feel that one of the most important motherly jobs is to help them change their “hopelessly disorganized” self-image. Eliminate phrases like “You’re such a slob” and “Your room is a pigsty!” Instead, concentrate on the positive — maybe your kid’s room is mess, but they always turn in their homework on time. Maybe they have papers piled everywhere, but their photo albums and scrapbooks are in enviable order. Recognize the ways in which your child is organized, and let them know you are confident in their ability to apply those skills to other areas of their life as well.
Julie working with one of her clients
PLL: What’s your best advice for maintaining work/life balance?
JM: People often make the mistake of dividing their lives into just two parts—work and home. That’s misleading—there are multiple elements to your life outside work, and it’s important to balance your time between all of them.
“Balancing your balance” is the real secret to being in control. You need to balance three categories of your personal life to give yourself true energy:
Physical Activity
Taking care of our bodies through sleep, exercise, a healthy diet, and regular medical check-ups provides the physical well of energy we draw upon to accomplish everything we need to do. Yet, this is often the first thing to go, when we are stressed.
Escapes
Hobbies and activities that instantly transport us to a place of joy provide one of the most efficient ways to recharge our batteries. Reading, dancing, gardening, golf, playing Frisbee with your dog, or sauntering through a museum can get you quickly out of your head and into another world— renewing your spirit, and giving you the opportunity to come back to work with a new perspective.
People
When overwhelmed with work and stress, it’s very easy to take our relationships for granted or get disconnected. Keeping our relationships strong feeds our spirits, grounds us, enforces our identities and brings out our best selves, which is all very important in a time of transition, in which we can feel lost. Spending time with the people who know and love you can remind you who you are, and give you renewed confidence for tackling your greatest challenges.
Together, these three categories form the acronym PEP, which is exactly what they will give you.
PLL: What’s the best book you’ve read lately? Or, your favorite book of all time?
JM: When I was trying to write my first book, I had the worst writer’s block. Here I had a book contract and a deadline, and spent three months writing and rewriting the first three chapters. At this pace I would not have finished the book in time. A dear friend recommended Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott, which is the most influential book I’ve read for my business. Her wisdom cut right through my paralysis, and unleashed my voice. I got the next 12 chapters done in the following three months, and my book went on to become a New York Times bestseller. Five books later, I still draw upon the lessons I learned in Bird by Bird.
Again, The next post will give us some insight into how Julie keeps herself organized, including the tools she uses on a daily basis. We’ll also be doing a GIVEAWAY of her new book. Look for that post next Monday.
