At TEASY, we’re always on the lookout for inspiring voices that can guide our readers toward a more balanced and fulfilling life. Recently, we had the pleasure of diving into the world of Regina Leeds, a professional organizer with over 35 years of experience. Known as the “Zen Organizer™,” Regina has authored ten books, including the acclaimed “One Year to an Organized Life.” Her holistic approach to organizing, which blends physical tidiness with emotional well-being, caught our attention and led to this enlightening interview.
Reading Regina Leeds’ “One Year to an Organized Life” is like embarking on a transformative journey. Leeds goes beyond just decluttering physical spaces; she delves into how organizing our environment can profoundly impact our mental and emotional well-being. Through a week-by-week plan, she offers practical tips and self-care practices that build lasting habits, making the process manageable and even enjoyable.
What truly stands out in this book is Regina’s ability to blend practical advice with heartfelt personal stories. She shares how her organizing principles helped her navigate the overwhelming journey of dealing with cancer. This experience underscores the resilience and empowerment that come from living an organized life. Regina’s approach shows that organizing is not just about having a neat home—it’s about fostering a sense of control and peace in every part of your life.
Curious to learn more about the woman behind this transformative book, we reached out to Regina for an interview. Her responses offer a deep dive into her unique philosophy and the personal experiences that shaped her approach to organizing.
What inspired you to develop the “Zen Organizing™” approach, and how does it differ from traditional organizing methods?
When I started 35 years ago no one understood what a professional organizer did. It was the Wild West period of the profession. Nothing was codified. I was blessed to have a very organized mother whose motto was: “There is a place for everything and everything must be in its place so the next time you need it or want it, it will be there.” I don’t think I ever saw a pile or a mess in my childhood home. My mother kept the house clean using a system she worked without fail. Everything was scheduled. I’d come home from school with an assignment and she would ask when it was due. We’d mark that date on the calendar, figure out the steps I had to take and schedule them. My mom was the original Zen Organizer™! I used her example to help others and didn’t have a clue what other organizers were doing. Social Media didn’t exist as it does now.
Zen Organizing™ philosophy was born over my first three years working with clients. It was clear from the start that the physical space mirrored the client’s current emotional state. It was equally clear that the outer could help heal the inner. It was a porous highway. My company slogan: “Inner Peace Thru Outer Order’ was born at this time as was the discover of what I call The Magic Formula, the 3 steps I took no matter what I was organizing. The items in my hands changed from clothing to paper to tools but the steps remained constant.
Zen Organizing™ is about developing the human being not producing a perfect pantry or a closet worthy of a magazine. Those are lucky by-products of a system that offers organizing as a stress relieving tool. My style teaches other forms of self-care as well like nutrient dense eating, meditation, breath work or Feng Shui. I want your organized environment to help you uncover and fulfill your Life Purpose. That goal is unique to Zen Organizing™ and sets it apart.
In what ways do you believe that physical clutter affects mental clarity and emotional well-being?
It’s noisy. You can’t think clearly. You feel unease in the space. Many have grown up in such environments and it’s feels ‘normal.’ Zen Organizing™ teaches there is a better way to live. One that includes an environment that literally nurtures and supports your best efforts rather than sabotage you at every turn.
Can you share an insight or piece of advice from your books that has had a significant impact on your readers?
People have good intentions but the minute the closet door opens or they look into the pantry or the garage or any other area, they feel overwhelmed. I teach that the whole of anything is indeed overwhelming! You need to break projects into manageable chunks in order to achieve success with ease. This is one of the most comforting and powerful pieces of advice in all my books!
As a leader in the organizing industry, how do you stay innovative and continue to evolve your methods?
I love to see what new products have entered the market place. As society evolves there are elements I have taught for decades that get into the zeitgeist and are no longer considered weird. I love watching that happen! Meditation, breath work and Feng Shui were not always mainstream.
How do you balance the demands of your professional career with your personal life, and what role does organizing play in this balance?
Organizing is the bedrock of everything! Watch a building going up in a big city and you’ll see the evidence of years of planning. That’s organizing. Watch a professor deliver a lecture or a mom with a newborn go out into the world armed with everything she needs. Organizing is life!
I urge my clients/students to use a month-at-a glance calendar. That’s my secret weapon as I create balance because I can see how I am expending my energy and when I need to stop and rest or conversely pick up the slack!
“Celebrate the mess! The worse, the better! Why? Because you are in control of your personal space. YOU created this mess, so YOU are the one in charge of doing something different and better.
Looking towards the future, what trends or changes do you anticipate in the world of organizing?
I hope new materials will be used so we can be more sustainable in our choices of products.
I also hope we will purchase less and realize that Fast Fashion and Fast Food destroy our health, the planet and a lot of innocent beings along the way from child workers to animals trapped in factory farming. We’re self-soothing with food and stuff when there are other ways to truly achieve those worthy goals.
What advice would you give someone who feels overwhelmed by the chaos in their life and doesn’t know where to start organizing?
Celebrate the mess! The worse the better! Why? Because you are in control of your personal space. YOU created this mess so YOU are the one in charge of doing something different and better.
Be reminded the whole of anything is overwhelming and break your project into manageable chunks. Schedule time on your calendar. Plan rewards. Prepare yourself mentally, emotionally and physically for success.
Take one action at a time. It all counts. Very often you are stuck with an energetic glue holding the mess in place. With the first decision to remove an item, the glue is broken. You continue on from one decision to the next.
Can you discuss a pivotal moment in your career that redirected your path or reaffirmed your commitment to your work?
I loved organizing from the start because it was familiar to me. I had been in therapy and on the Spiritual path so I understood my clients better than most organizers might be able to. I believed there was an emotional component but organizing was basically a skill that allowed you to make an environment function better. I didn’t realize how deep organizing was as a life tool.
About a decade into my new profession, I was diagnosed with third stage uterine cancer and told the odds were against me. My best friend at the time wisely suggested I had to take my organizing philosophy and apply it to my treatments. Two surgeries and 6 rounds of 2 different chemotherapy drugs seemed totally overwhelming to me. She said: “What do you teach your clients? ‘The whole of anything is overwhelming.’ When you wake up tomorrow you have to prepare for a hysterectomy and nothing else. After that you prepare for the first chemo and nothing else. And so on until it’s done. You don’t have to deal with all of it every day.” The lights went on and the world of organizing was suddenly way more than a perfect pantry. It was the foundation of life. It was a self-help tool and a way to express self-love. One Year to an Organized Life was written after I completed treatments. On August 26 of this year, I will be a 22 year cancer survivor. Cancer was a gift in many ways. It gave me more than it took away.
What does ‘success’ mean to you in both your professional and personal life?
Well, I’m not averse to grand living and big bank accounts but success to me is fulfilling my life purpose. I would identify mine as ‘uplifting humanity.’ If my organizing work helps one person, I am a success!
“Zen Organizing™ is about developing the human being, not producing a perfect pantry or a closet worthy of a magazine. Those are lucky by-products of a system that offers organizing as a stress-relieving tool.
How do you adapt your organizing principles for different cultural contexts, especially considering your audience may have diverse backgrounds?
Humanity is pretty much the same across the board. When I was 17, I went to live in Brazil for 3 months and saw poverty on a level I had not experienced before or even imagined. I soon realized that whether you lived in a tent or a mansion all humans want the same things: family, health, to care for our children etc. That universality makes Zen Organizing™ applicable across the world. Of course, in big cities in America or in some countries like Japan you find tiny closets so you modify solutions.
Can you share a humorous or unexpected moment that occurred while working with a client?
I was organizing someone who happened to be a dear friend so there was an ease in our communications. We were working on the master bedroom and started with the closet she shared with her husband. It ran the length of one wall and was directly opposite the left side of the bed as you entered.
I came across an item I could not identify and asked her what it was. I was not expecting the answer she gave me: “Oh, those are the ashes of Bob’s first wife” she said casually. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I thought it was a joke. We stopped organizing to find a better place for the urn than the floor of a closet that faced the marriage bed! Ultimately there was a day planned when the family gathered and the ashes were scattered. I’ve found loaded guns, huge bags full of sex toys and everything in between but nothing tops the discovery of human remains in a closet.
Regina Leeds is author of 10 books including New York Times best seller “One Year to an Organized Life.”
She just released her first 8-week online class and it will be offered again Monday, August 5th.
Regina travels to interested clients all over the world.
Visit her website for more: https://www.reginaleeds.com
Amazon Store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/thezenorganizer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thezenorganizer/
Substack: https://substack.com/@reginaleeds
