Laura Leist

Founder, President and Chief Organizing and Productivity Consultant

Laura Leist walks her talk when it comes to living an organized life – just ask any of the individuals who have taken classes in Laura’s home. Laura founded Eliminate Chaos in 2000, an organizing and productivity services firm that has helped thousands of clients have “More Time for Life®.” Appreciative clients include CEOs of multi-billion dollar corporations, high-profile authors, speakers, athletes, media personalities and divas of domesticity. Laura has authored eight books including Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home & Life. In addition to working with clients and writing, Laura speaks to audiences of all sizes on a variety of organizing and productivity topics. She served seven years on the board of directors for the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO), including the top job of president from 2009 to 2011. Laura loves to travel, and her favorite destination is Hawaii. She and her husband Robert were married on the well-ordered date of 9-10-11 in Maui. They share their home north of Seattle with their four-legged children – a cat and two dogs: Bear and Chaos – the only “Chaos” Laura will not eliminate! Laura will tell you that it’s the treasured moments in life that matter most; not the “stuff.”

Use pegboard to help organize tools

Trying to decide how to honor the special father in your life for Father’s Day? Why not skip buying another accessory for the barbeque or gadget to improve his golf swing, and give the gift of organization instead? Use my 10-step process to create an organized workbench that’s sure to inspire greatness . . .

Read more about An Organized Workbench for Father’s Day

{ 0 comments }

Rebuild Your Life

by on June 8, 2013

Reach out to your support system of family and friends when rebuilding your life

Remake, remodel, redo, rework, rethink. It’s June, half of the year is almost over, but we’re coming into a great time. It is sunny (in most places), schools are out, kids are playing outside, and vacation plans are underway. There is a renewed energy all around, but maybe not for all of us. For some it may be time to regroup, and start rebuilding a life. . . .

Read more about Rebuilding Your Life

{ 2 comments }

Planning ahead will help you organize your life and reduce stress

A key component to successful time management is planning ahead. The habit of assessing, prioritizing and planning for tomorrow at the end of the work day is one of the most important aspects of my day. It helps me wrap up the day feeling in control and one step ahead of tomorrow. As a bonus, it also provides a mental break once the day is over; I no longer have to think about what tomorrow holds or what prep work needs to be done. . . .

Read more about Successful Time Management

{ 1 comment }

Organize your ironing

Is your laundry room taking you through the wringer? Here are some quick and easy tips to implement as well as product ideas to streamline the storage and function of your laundry room. . . .

Read more about Creating an Organized Laundry Room

{ 0 comments }

Avoid common mistakes in order to have a successful garage sale

You wouldn’t think there would be any art, science or psychology to having a successful garage sale, but there is. It involves all three, believe it or not. If you are even pondering the idea of putting on a garage or yard sale, think first about the things that can easily make it unsuccessful. . . .

Read more about Garage Sale Mistakes to Avoid

{ 0 comments }

Rather than giving more "stuff," consider giving the gift of organization or a shared experience for Mother

For Mother’s Day, many people wait until the last minute and then rush out to purchase something for their mom. That something may be stuff she doesn’t need, doesn’t have a place for, or even want. Sure, flowers are nice, but they don’t last long. This Mother’s Day, why not give your mom something that will last much longer than a beautiful bouquet of flowers? . . .

Read more about Giving the Gift of Organization

{ 0 comments }

Moving can be stressful, but you can reduce the hassle by following simple steps toward an organized move

I probably don’t need to tell you that moving is one of life’s more stressful events. But I can assure that with a little preplanning you will save yourself time, money, headaches and much of the unneeded stress. I have been managing clients’ moves in the greater Seattle area, across the country and internationally for well over a decade. They call in a panic because they are moving in a couple of weeks and want to know how they are going to get it all done. . . .

Read more about Planning an Organized Move

{ 2 comments }

Organizing your home and reducing clutter can be easy if you follow a step-by-step process

By definition, clutter is a confusing or disorderly state or collection. You wouldn’t want people to think of you as confusing or disorderly, would you? So why would you let them think that of your home or office? Think of the reasons that got you into this mess, and let’s start to dig you out from under it. . . .

Read more about Getting and Staying Clutter Free

{ 3 comments }

Shopping for scrapbooking supplies can be fun

Maybe you’re like me, and scrapbooking is far from being on your life’s radar. For some, scrapbooking can feel a bit daunting with all the doodads, embellishments and imaginative designs to choose from. Well, we non-scrapbooking types don’t have to shelf the concept entirely just because we might lean more toward the left-brained side of life. In order to make the whole scrapbooking idea more approachable, I’ve broken down the process of how to plan . . .

Read more about Organizing a Simple Scrapbook Plan

{ 1 comment }

Organizing your home can involve eco-friendly choices

This past Monday was Earth Day, which means the entire week in the Pacific Northwest has been full of reminders to live “green,” reduce our “carbon footprint” and think about our impact on the beautiful planet we call home. A quick Internet search indicates that American’s use hundreds of millions of shopping bags and tons of paper per year. In honor of Earth Day, consider two ways of getting more organized that can also help eliminate waste: Switch from disposable to reusable . . .

Read more about Reducing Chaos and Living Green

{ 2 comments }