There have been a lot of discussions lately about cleaning, intentional living, and organizing your home and life. thank you marie kondo and netflix!
While this webcast series helps provide a picture of how it can be organized, there are also many excellent books on the subject. each touches on the subject in a different way and highlights the need to slow down and be more intentional.
You are reading: Books on intentional living
here are a dozen of my favorites:
I consider this book the bible of the organization.
organizing from the inside out provides a framework on how to look at any organizing project and create a system that works.
julie’s space the technique (sort, purge, assign a home, containerize, equalize) is simple and straightforward and doesn’t require a lot of fancy organizing products. The other key to organizing from the inside out is an emphasis on the intuitive nature of effective organization.
so many times I have been asked: “can you organize me?”
no, but I can help you get organized. for the organization to be sustainable, it has to be intuitive to you and you have to do the work. living an intentional life works the same way: you create it day by day, choice by choice.
I first met courtney when she was speaking at a women’s conference and couldn’t wait to read her book. What impressed me most was the authentic voice Courtney uses throughout, offering advice and suggestions, never falling into a “here or the road” tone.
This book outlines the joys of living with less and ways to achieve it that are doable and feasible for anyone who wants or needs a change.
for anyone who has struggled with a messy wardrobe, courtney is a godsend. she created project 33, keeping the 33 most essential items and creating an entire wardrobe around them, be sure to check it out.
brene brown is the cool big sister, best friend, and confidant that everyone loves. I have read or listened to all her books and one of my favorites is still very daring.
Starting with a wealth of research, Brene delves into the stories of people just like you and me, people who want to live their best lives but sometimes get stuck with mediocre (or worse).
What I like most about being extremely daring is that it challenges us to be vulnerable; be authentic; to be our complete and flawed selves.
Without that kind of openness and honesty, with ourselves and others, it’s hard to create an intentional life that supports ourselves and those around us.
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I also highly recommend brene’s netflix special. my favorite line is “if you don’t resolve your own *&(%), you’ll end up resolving it with someone else”. great!
This book is an absolute must-have for anyone who has experienced setbacks in any area of their life, including organization and order.
The author does an amazing job of explaining how habits are created and why they are so hard to break. If he’s ever wondered why he can’t stay organized, eat healthy, or make positive financial decisions, this book explains a lot.
living intentionally depends on creating and maintaining positive habits; without positive habits, disorganization and reactive decisions are bound to return.
One of the biggest obstacles to living intentionally and consciously is getting started and staying motivated.
Mel’s book really delves into the obstacles we put in our own path and how we can change our thinking and actions.
It really is our thinking that drives what we do, so she starts with that: how changing the way we look at situations changes everything.
mel doesn’t paint a rose-tinted world where change is easy but change must happen if you want something different. if you don’t change, nothing changes.
reading gretchen is like catching up with a friend over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine: authentic, fun, and down to earth.
Better Than Before focuses on the power of positive habits to create the life we want to live and looks at how we’ve been sabotaging ourselves.
The book focuses on the little daily habits (get a little exercise, eat a little healthier, get a little more sleep) than feels feasible.
It’s not about creating a training regimen to run a marathon or creating a 10-step plan to retire when you’re 35, it’s about focusing on the little things that affect us every day.
gretchen’s newest book – outer order, inner calm – hallelujah for planners!
what’s going on outside in your life (what your office looks like, what’s piling up in your car, how finding something to wear in your closet is like an archeological dig) reflects what’s going on with you mentally and spiritually.
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everything in the universe has the energy and energy of disorganization and disorder is negative and noisy. it’s hard to make our best decisions and intentionally live with all that noise and negativity.
Are you looking for more motivation and direction to start living an intentional life? If so, I highly recommend Brendon Burchard’s charge: Activate the 10 Human Drives That Make You Feel Alive.
brendon is a dynamic speaker and powerful writer and the title is written in a really accessible way.
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in the book, he focuses on control, competition, congruence (living by your values), caring, connection, change, challenge, creative expression, contribution, awareness and celebration.
Living a fully intentional life means being aware of what is holding you back in life, and by focusing on impulses, you create the life you want to live. listen to this book if you can – brendon reads his own books and has a wonderful voice.
When I started my organizing business, how to organize (pretty much) everything was a great resource.
peter is funny and down to earth and sees disorganization and clutter as a problem to be solved, not a character flaw.
For visual learners, the checklists and step-by-step instructions are really helpful, and while the book covers a lot of ground, I left out anything that didn’t belong in my organizing work.
It’s All Too Much remains one of my favorites because it really taught me to get to the ‘why’ of organization and how clutter and disorganization in our lives rob us of the potential to live our best life.
We create obstacles in our lives with our things, and by removing everything that slows us down and stops us, we can enter more fully into our lives.
this book, it’s too much, was a catalyst to write my own book.
the four agreements by don miguel ruiz is a masterpiece that reminds us that by being kind to ourselves and to others, we create a more beautiful, peaceful and intentional world.
The folklore Ruiz uses in the book may not resonate with all readers; I must admit I struggled a bit with him, but the message from him is positive and powerful.
in few words, be impeccable with your word; don’t take anything personally; don’t make assumptions, and always do your best. The premise may seem simple but it is in the execution that we struggle.
living an intentional life is based on kindness, towards ourselves, towards others and towards the world around us; Ruiz gives us a roadmap to get there.
I can’t finish this list without adding Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. covey emphasizes again and again (and again) that we create the life we have through the choices we make and the habits we maintain.
While this may not seem like a book about living intentionally, it is actually really effective at describing how we should act to create our best intentional life.
covey’s number one principle is to be proactive and I couldn’t agree more. when we react to situations, we are usually fearful and defensive. being proactive does not mean that we are not afraid; it simply means that we choose to face the fear and act positively and decisively anyway.
Some of the content feels a bit dated, but the message is still powerful and transformative.
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