Jamie Novak clears the clutter in Madison talk

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By Geri Silk

For half the evening, the audience was laughing hilariously; for the other half, it was taking notes studiously.

Such is the appeal of Bite Size Living, author Jamie Novak’s philosophy of clutter-busting.

The organizer extraordinaire — a familiar face on HGTV, QVC and The Today Show — shared helpful hints and homespun examples at the Madison Public Library earlier this month.

Jamie’s Bite Size Living starts with the observation that people tackle projects that are too large and overwhelming, and therefore are doomed to fail. She shares short cuts and clever ideas that are easy to remember and implement.

Jamie Novak. Photo: BiteSizeLiving.com
Jamie Novak. Photo: BiteSizeLiving.com

One of her main teachings is to start small cleanup projects in 18-minute increments. Almost anyone can keep up the concentration for 18 minutes, and surprisingly, that’s enough time to get something done.

Jamie, a Scotch Plains resident who has written four books, illustrated how to store kids art in pizza boxes, how to utilize a lost and found box as a dumping ground for mystery objects, how to pare down what’s in your closet, and useful ways of power recycling.

She demonstrated how laundry lists of things to do go awry, how bills and coupons get lost, and how to store items in containers you probably already have at home (the shop-at-home concept).

Jamie’s latest book,  Stop Throwing Money Away, entertainingly points out how much time and money we waste looking for things.

Jamie will return soon to the Morristown area with more lectures and workshops. Her website is www.BiteSizeLiving.com

Her motto: “More space, more time, more joy.”

Geri Silk is a Dance Movement Therapist, and amateur flute player in the Morristown area.

1 COMMENT

  1. I saw Jamie at the Madison Library and she was right on target with her tips to clear the clutter. I consider myself an organized person, but I learned new things too – I especially liked her idea of using an over the door shoe holder to store all the cords that go with electronic gizmos!

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