If there is a prize out there for the sweetest ass-kicker in the world, I think Mayi Carles would win it.

I love this lady and all that she does – and today I’m super-happy to share this Q&A I did with her where she lets us in on some of her super-business-organiser secrets – including her 3-Step Clutter-Free Formula!

1. For those who don’t know you, can you tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Sure thing! I love talking about myself.

Kidding.

Alright so my real name is actually Maria Alejandra Carles. At least that’s what my parents called me upon birth, but please call me Mayi (pronounced m ah jee).

For theatrical drum roll purposes I call myself an artistic inventor + organizational master + pocket-size creative business fairy. Pow!

Ohh + I’m addicted to cupcakes. Severely hooked to the Red Velvet kind.

2. You have a lot of stuff going on in your business – do you ever find it hard to stay on top of everything?

Hell yeah, I get baked sometimes.

Other times I manage to pull it off. It helps to have inherited my fathers intensity + obsessive discipline + so extraterrestrial capacity to juggle a gazillion things at once. The result is undeniable an unnatural-like self-drive + hyper active personally that kicks me in the pants every time.

You see, I truly believe that it doesn’t take winning a Willy Wonka ticket + flashing shiny diplomas to do what you must, but rather a T-Rex size commitment to the things that matter most to us.

But if you hear anything about Umpa Lumpa cloning please let me know. I could use a hand (wink).

3. Us creative types tend to be a little chaotic… have you always been super-organised, or is it something you’ve had to learn and work at?

I’m obsessive compulsive by nature. It’s not a lifestyle choice; I was born this way. Obsessing over every miniscule detail is not a trait I’m particularly comfortable talking about in public or bringing up over cocktails, but since you brought up chaos, I couldn’t resist.

Since the age of 5 + so I remember, I mastered the art of Zen organizing – arranged my room in various different compositions; perfectly color coordinated my school supplies; kept tabs on every penny that when in + out of my piggy bank; spaced out my hangers with a 2 finger distance for optical effect perfection. See? I told ya’, OCD is running through my veins.

Now while this is a bit socially unacceptable it definitively comes in handy for running my business, but most importantly to help other creative entrepreneurs, near + far, to beat chaos from every from + get the shortcut to an organized life, cuz seriously though, who has time for the encyclopedic version, right?

4. What’s your personal favourite organizational tool?

You mean, besides my Life is Messy Planners right? LOL Just kidding.

I’m currently digging these fab resources:

– Boomerang for G-mail
Boomerang let’s you write an e-mail now + schedule it to be sent automatically at the perfect time.

– Pocket
Pocket (formerly Read It Later) lets you save what you find on the web to watch + read + play on any device, at any time. It’s really like a Tivo for the interweb. Booyah! Save videos + articles or pretty much anything you find interesting to your Read It Later queue. Warning, it’s addictive.

– FreeMind
FreeMind is a premier mind-mapping software that helps keep tabs on your projects + untangle your ideas + add links to your research + visualize your collection of notes + expand or contract as necessary + brainstorm + use color to create taxonomies. It’s like a flexible ever-growing database with structure that leverages your creative genius.

– Rescue Time
A web-based time management + analytics tool that helps you understand how + where you spend your time and attention online, no data to enter, sweet! You basically tell Rescue Time what you consider “productive time” online + what you label “procrastinating gremlins” (yes, Pinterest I’m thinking about you), and Rescue Time plots out how your spend your time. Prepared to be shocked. Plus, Rescue Time allows your to voluntarily block certain websites when you need to really focus + get sh*t done, know what I’m saying?.

5. What made you decide to create the Life is Messy Bootcamp?

I created Life is Messy Bootcamp* because I could no longer sit back + watch how so so many immensely gifted folks out there wasting away their dreams because of the paralysis + the noise + the resistance that chaos brings.

That’s why I designed this results-driven bootcamp, inspired by my famous Life is Messy Planners (ahem ahem, with more than 5 thousand copies sold to date + counting), to help streamline messy lives + plot one-of-a-kind roadmaps + get people closer to their world domination aspirations.

6. What are the key lessons that people will take away from the Bootcamp?

Oh yeah, I’m all for no fuss, insanely practical content. With Life is Messy Bootcamp, here are my top 5 fave take-aways:

1. Break down your BIG ideas into bite-size chunks you can actually achieve.
2. Get more done in record time.
3. Design thriving routines that leverage your creative genius.
4. Deal with information overload + stop decision paralysis.
5. Organize your money (at last).

6. Can you give us one tip that will help us get more organized, and help us to fight that feeling of overwhelm right now?

Absolutely. My specialty. I’m going to share with you the world’s most useful shortcut to organizing your life + space inside / out, cuz who has time for the Almanac version, right? I call this technique the 3-STEP CLUTTER-FREE FORMULA because all it really takes to beat chaos from every front are these 3 basic steps:

STEP 1: ELIMINATE
By “eliminate” I not only mean getting rid of the trash, although that’s part of it, of course. Eliminating is about removing anything + everything that no longer serves you in order to make room for your splendid life + your brilliant ideas too. Throw away supplies you haven’t used for 5 years + return borrowed items + toss expired artifacts + recycle whenever possible + discard all that causes you discomfort + give away what you have to spare.

STEP 2: CATEGORIZE
Taxonomies are the lifeblood of an organized system. Knowing at a glance what you’re dealing with gives you great understanding. With understanding comes power. In your kitchen, for example, you might chose to group all your spices alphabetically in the same cabinet for easy access. Your studio desk is no different. You can choose to sort your supplies into categories like height + type or color to streamline your workflow + save you time.

STEP 3: ORGANIZE
Organizing your categorized items so that your finished projects look oh so beautiful is the ultimate mission. An organized life will make you more productive + save time + give you back your space. With the congestion gone you can use your work surface to do just that, work. An organized life will increase your productivity. As clutter disappears you’ll find that you can think more clearly. Clutter has a type of noise to it, doesn’t it? And when that noise is silenced you are free to devote your energies to what you need to accomplish + what you were put on this world to achieve. An organized life will save money + resources + the trees of the world will be grateful. It’s a win-win-win for all.

See? It’s not that complicated. Anything you’re confronted by messy gremlins just whip out the 3-STEP CLUTTER-FREE FORMULA + you’ll be fine (wink).

Check out the Life is Messy Bootcamp here.

Read Mayi’s blog (and watch her adorable and awesomesauce videos) here.

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*I’m an affiliate of the Life is Messy Bootcamp, ’cause it’s awesomesauce.

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