Getting Started: Organization

For most people, outer order contributes to inner calm. Getting control of our possessions helps us feel more in control of our lives.

The Benefits of Being Organized

In the context of a happy life, a messy desk or a crowded coat closet is a trivial problem—yet getting control of the stuff of life often makes it easier to feel more in control of our lives generally.

Outer order saves time, money, space, energy, and patience. By getting rid of the things that you don’t use, don’t need, or don’t love, you can make room for things you truly value. When you’re surrounded by less clutter, you spend less time being distracted, looking for things, trying to put things away, and feeling guilty or over-burdened.

“Outer Order” Manifesto: Tips for Getting Organized

Tools for Getting Organized

Outer Order, Inner Calm

With clarity and humor, Gretchen Rubin illuminates one of her key realizations about happiness: For most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm. And for most of us, a rigid, one-size-fits-all solution doesn’t work.

Memento Journal

The Memento Keepsake Journal is made for those who want to collect keepsakes of their experiences, but are overwhelmed by souvenirs or the prospect of scrapbooking. Recalling happy times can boost happiness in the present, and mementos are a powerful way to keep those memories vivid.

The Happier™ App

The groundbreaking Happier app puts transformation within reach, by taking happiness from the abstract to the concrete. How? Habits. Research shows that around 40 percent of behavior is repeated daily, so when we change our habits, we change our lives.

Clear the Decks Bingo

Kitchen-Clearing Bingo

Desk-Cleaning Bingo