About Harriet Schechter
Born in New York City and raised in San Diego, 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 a pioneer in the field of professional organizing she developed a reputation as one of the top organizing experts in the world.
(View a video clip of Harriet's appearance on Good Morning
America; see other media mentions.) She also 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 Fireside/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 now available in German and Japanese editions.
After moving to Santa Barbara in 2002, Harriet decided to "let go" of public speaking and book writing, and now focuses on writing helpful, tip-filled articles and columns. If you'd like Harriet to write for you, please
e-mail her.
