New Order

Book excerpt: For readers of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and The Power of Habit comes a revelatory, witty guide to a clearer home and a more creative mind. Can a decluttered space fuel a creative mind? Heck yes, says organizing expert Fay Wolf, who has helped everyone from Hollywood celebrities to schoolteachers to work-from-home parents achieve a simpler, more fulfilling life. Here, Wolf outlines her basic rules for saying goodbye to the stuff crowding up your space and hello to new habits that free you up for the things you’re passionate about. And it can all be done in as little as a few minutes a day. Learn how to create productive to-do lists • stem the flood of paper • downsize digital clutter and social media • arrange your space to spark creative juices • curb your desire to accumulate • collaborate and connect with others for support • embrace imperfection • keep up the momentum Wolf also shares her favorite productivity apps and resources for donating your many, many items. From the outer clutter of your home to the inner clutter of your chatty mind, this handbook will help you make room for artistic inspiration and invite you to treat yourself to less. Praise for New Order “Clarity, control, peace and quiet: All of these ‘nebulous golden nuggets’ can be obtained by following Wolf’s sensible decluttering program.”—The New York Times Book Review “Less stuff. Less paper. Less digital. These are some of the ingredients for a decluttered life to be found in New Order.”—Los Angeles Times “New Order seriously changed my life.”—Emily Deschanel “Fay Wolf is some kind of superhero.”—Jesse Tyler Ferguson “Full of millennially minded tips that will help you clean-attack your space.”—Refinery29 “The KonMari alternative you’ve been waiting for . . . [Wolf’s] approach is about reducing chaos so you can focus on more important things, like creative pursuits. . . . The New Order method resonates with me.”—PopSugar “Fay Wolf is living proof that being highly organized doesn’t have to mean being sterile and rigid.”—Apartment Therapy “Her message is about fun and freedom, rather than healing and fixing.”—The Guardian “How can one possibly be productive when faced with so many obligations? Enter: The Triangle of Productivity.”—InStyle “A smart, accessible, sensitive and charming book about clutter.”—Hello Giggles “Wolf has helped individuals clean out and create space in their lives for decades . . . and now she’s sharing her best tips with the world in this book.”—Romper