Harriet Schechter

Born in New York City and raised in San Diego, California, Harriet perfected her time management skills at San Diego State University where she received her BA in Comparative Literature at the age of 19. After graduation she worked as a proofreader before becoming a writer and editor. She held positions ranging from managing editor at an award-winning community newspaper to editorial assistant at The Journal of Immunology, an internationally acclaimed biomedical journal.

In 1986, Harriet decided to make the leap from editing words to editing time, space, and clutter: she founded The Miracle Worker Organizing Service in San Diego. As one of the pioneers of the field of professional organizing she developed a reputation as a top organizing expert. She became a popular speaker and workshop instructor, developing courses on organizing and time management for adult education providers such as San Diego State University College of Extended Studies and The Learning Annex.

Organizing, consulting, and speaking led her back around to writing: in 1995, her first book was published in hardcover by Dutton. Provocatively titled More Time For Sex: The Organizing Guide for Busy Couples, the book was subsequently published in a Plume/Penguin paperback edition and several foreign editions.

In 2000, her second book was published by Simon & Schuster: Conquering Chaos at Work. This was quickly followed in 2001 by her third book, Let Go of Clutter, published by McGraw-Hill and available in German and Japanese editions.

Harriet is happy to answer questions about organizing and storage solutions through her blog, www.AskOurOrganizer.com. Her websites are www.ConquerChaos.com and www.WriteInTime.com .