If you, too, have been feeling overwhelmed (by things including but not limited to: gift guides; the state of the world/our democracy; your to-do list), then this one is for you.
I interviewed globally recognized home organizing expert and bestselling author,
. It’s another 2-for-1 podcast/newsletter (like the one with Nir Eyal), so read on for insights and/or download the 30-minute episode to consume at your leisure.In this 6 minute read, you’ll learn:
How a daily practice begun in Covid lockdown led Shira to publish three books
A simple framework that can help you feel less overwhelmed in all areas of life
What Shira has to add to the (already quite extensive) habit literature
The framework is part of
’s new book, LifeStyled, which comes out December 3. Like everything Shira touches, it’s immensely helpful and aesthetically pleasing. You can pre-order it via the link below.How I met Shira Gill
Like the annoying co-worker who reminds you repeatedly that he saw Taylor Swift open for Rascal Flatts, I feel compelled to share that I first met
nearly 6 years ago when I hired her to help us reclaim our dining room.1We had converted our dining room into a playroom when our younger son was born. When I reached out to Shira, our kids were 6 and 3.5, and we were ready to take back the playroom and start pretending we had a social life hosting dinner parties again.
After devouring Shira’s blog (now a newsletter,
) and following her on social media, I reached out to her for help taming and organizing the kid-related chaos.In one intensely productive day, Shira restored our dining room to a blissfully refined state (see photographic evidence below — I neglected to take a “before” picture, so you’ll just have to trust me that it didn’t look like this when she began).2
At that point in my working parent journey, I’d already hired several experts to help streamline our home and my wardrobe. Shira was the first who had kids of her own and therefore deeply understood the forces I was up against.
I appreciated that Shira not only helped clear the clutter, she shared brilliant methods to maintain a clutter-free home with kids (such as giving each kid a special box in which to store their “treasures” and using an art portfolio book for school pictures and awards/certificates). We still use these methods today, nearly 6 years later.
The power of an anchoring practice
The day we worked on the dining room, Shira mentioned that she’d spoken to a publisher about writing a book while she was driving to my house.
That call turned into her first book, Minimalista, which came out in 2021. She’s since written two more books, so I asked how she went from that one phone conversation to writing three books.
She explained that she thought writing a book was going to be a “one and done” bucket list item, but she found she really loved the creative experience of bringing a book into the world.
One day on her solo morning walk (a practice she began in Covid lockdown days), Shira got the idea for her second book, Organized Living, which involved documenting how professional organizers all over the world live in their own homes.
I’ve written before about how an anchoring practice can help you feel more grounded. While Shira started her solo morning walk as a way to cope during lockdown, it ended up inspiring a creative idea that led to a dream project. Definitely a strong case for deliberate rest.
Your toolkit for feeling less overwhelmed
Shira’s third book, LifeStyled, focuses on applying her expertise in the home organizing space to other areas of life, such as health, relationships, and finances.
Having benefited personally from Shira’s home organizing expertise, I was eager to get my hands on an advance copy of her book and see how it works.
There are three steps to Shira’s framework that’s helped so many clients (including me) tame their homes:
Adjust volume - figure out the right amount of volume for any given space
Establish systems - find the simplest solution to a challenge or problem
Implement habits - form habits so that your system works and maintains itself
It sounds so simple. But its simplicity is precisely why this method has relevance beyond our kitchen cabinets.
Part One of the book walks through Shira’s toolkit in more detail. Part Two gets into how it can be applied to other categories, such as “Health and Wellness,” “Home and Environment,” “Relationships and Community,” “Career and Finance,” and “Personal Development.”
Before Shira and I started recording, we talked about how this is a wild time to be promoting a book on streamlining our lives. Won’t the naysayers ask “With everything going on in the world right now, should we really be focusing on our limited mental and emotional energy on optimizing our finances?”
Personally, I’ve long been a believer in focusing on what you can control instead of stressing about what you can’t. Having your finances in order, for example, is not only empowering — I’d argue it’s a prerequisite to being able to make other positive changes in your life and in the world.
So yes! By all means, optimize your finances. And once they’re squared away, donate to a cause you care about.
Habit formation, but make it feminine
A lot has been written about habit formation, especially by men. I asked Shira about her philosophy on habits and how it has been shaped by her personal experience.
I loved her answer, which centered on adding a feminine take to the habit cannon, including:
Making habits feel like rituals;
Figuring out how to make habits more fun, including by bringing in a friend;
Setting a timer for 15 minutes and diving in to a daunting task (Shira calls this the 15 Minute Win);
Giving yourself a treat, like ice cream or a matcha (my personal go-to) as a reward for doing the thing
Shira’s brand of habit formation is positive, uplifting, and fun — much like her as a person. Pre-order your copy of LifeStyled today and feel instantly more in control.
Abby’s Latest
It’s been super rainy in San Francisco recently. Last Thursday, I helped chaperone my son’s 4th grade class during an all-day outdoor field trip. My favorite Blunt umbrella kept me dry, didn’t flip inside-out in the wind, and (better yet) its covered tips didn’t poke anyone in the eye.
I have the Metro in red. It is on sale through December 2nd for Black Friday.3 Of course, feel free to ignore this if you already have an umbrella you like.
To those who celebrate, have a very happy Thanksgiving!
Deliberately yours,
Abby
I say nearly 5 years ago in the podcast but I fact checked myself and it was actually nearly 6 years ago. Where does the time go?!
Our pristine dining room lasted a little over a year until we were forced to convert it into a one-room schoolhouse during Covid. We now need to declutter it again — sigh.
Share this post