7 books on how to put things in order in the house, in life and in thoughts

Flylady School. How to clean up your home and life by Marla Seeley

This book is for those who feel like an outcast in a world of organized and disciplined people. Who is tired of the chaos in his house and inside himself, who suffers from the “God forbid, someone will come in” syndrome (and see my bedlam). Marla Seeley claims that she herself was like that. Whether this is true or just a spectacular move, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is that she came up with an effective system for curbing this chaos, which many women around the world follow with pleasure.

The system is called Flylady (from the English fly – “to fly”), because Marla does not teach at all how to cope with cleaning the house, her credo is “How to love yourself and fly.” At first, what she offers may seem like glamorous nonsense. For example, be sure to wear shoes at home and do makeup. But gradually it becomes clear that Scilly draws us into a witty and quite psychological game. And if you play according to its clear rules, then, you see, indeed the space around and inside us will begin to clear.

Alpina Publisher, 2016

“Magical cleaning. The Japanese Art of Tidying Up Home and Life” by Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo, a 30-year-old Japanese home economics consultant, suggests that you surround yourself with only those things that bring joy and create comfortable living conditions. And for this we have to give up a lot of things to which we are accustomed.

Items that are dear as a memory of past events are not only “long-livers” in our house, but also the main source of disorder, the author is sure. She offers to spend some time with a valuable thing for us, take a picture of it and come to terms with the fact that it no longer belongs to today’s life.

Letting go of the past is important to make room for the present and the future, literally and figuratively.

Publishing house “Eksmo”, 2016.

Throw away old shoes! Giving life a new direction.” Robert Bets

The German psychologist Robert Bets does about the same thing as the cheerful housewives who sort out the distant shelves of the cabinets on the days of spring general cleaning: he carefully analyzes the mind-cluttering attitudes, stereotypes of thinking and feelings that interfere with life.

Eternal lack of time and anxiety about other people’s affairs, self-affirmation and the desire to be impeccable, repressed feelings and attitude to the past as a heavy burden … All these are those “old shoes”, habitual patterns of behavior from which we have long grown.

It is quite possible to overcome the old thinking programs and live consciously, if (at least) you try to honestly answer yourself the direct unpleasant questions that the author poses to the reader in large numbers.

Publishing house “Ves”, 2015.

“Muse and the Beast” Yana Frank

If you don’t have time to do anything, the book by designer Yana Frank will help you get rid of chaos. First of all, the author addresses it to people of creative professions, who are sure that inspiration and order are incompatible. Yana struggled with her own disorganization for years, and now she has time for everything – writing books, teaching, housekeeping and raising a child.

Her recipes for time management are clear, witty, and open up such tempting prospects that you want to try them immediately. “A New Life Begins Here” is the title of the second part of the book, but in fact it is all about how to start a new life, much more effective and meaningful.

Publishing house “Mann, Ivanov and Ferber”, 2013.

“Wherever You Go, You’re Already There” Jon Kabat-Zinn

A sure way to calm the mind and free yourself from disturbing thoughts that create chaos in the head and consume mental energy for no good is to engage in meditation practice. The books of one of the main authorities in the field of mindfulness practices, John Kabat-Zinn, will help you get to know her.

The exercises that he suggests should be done daily (like brushing your teeth and other hygiene procedures). They help us focus our consciousness on the current moment, concentrating on breathing, on bodily sensations, on the sounds that surround us. Gradually, step by step, this will help to muffle obsessive thoughts, relieve stress and put things in order in your head.

Publishing house “Open world”, 2006.

“Year of Happiness. Be happy. 365 exercises for every day” Isabelle Filliosa

There are many ways to learn to live your own life. The option offered by the French psychoanalyst Isabelle Filliosa is simple and pleasant: on each page of the book there are exercises that will help you build relationships with others, make peace with the past, or better understand yourself.

For example, on one of the days the author suggests simply breathing consciously, on the other – thinking about who you admire, on the third – bringing joy to the child … To complete tasks, you need to find time, get rid of the usual cycle of affairs and focus on yourself and your feelings.

Publishing house “RIPOL classic”, 2006.

“No fuss. How to stop rushing and start living.” Carl Honore

Another way to bring order to your own life is to slow down its pace. The frantic speed at which we live threatens our health and mental well-being, makes us less efficient, explains Canadian journalist Carl Honore.

The awareness of the danger of such a way of life has come relatively recently, calls to slow down are louder and louder both in the West and in the East. There are more and more adherents of the idea of ​​SlowLife – a slow life, advocating for a reduction in turnover in all areas: at work, in sex, at food, during leisure hours, in communication with children, in music, in medicine.

Carl Honore, one of the influential ideologists of SlowLife, talks about each of these areas and about the bonuses that a leisurely and meaningful living of life gives, juicy and incendiary. Recruiting new supporters among Russian readers does not seem to be difficult for him.

Publishing house “Alpina Publisher”, 2014.