Leslie Josel is the Principal of Order Out of Chaos®, an organizing consulting firm
specializing in student organizing and chronic disorganization. Launched
in 2004, Order Out of Chaos®
offers organizing, time management and coaching services; provides family
education and ADHD resources as well as teleclasses, webinars, videos, and
products to hundreds of families.
Leslie is a graduate of the JST Coach Training Program for
teens and college students with ADHD. She is a Golden
Circle member of the National Association of
Professional Organizers (NAPO) and earned her Chronic Disorganization and
Hoarding Specialist certificates from the Institute for Challenging
Disorganization (ICD).
In 2015, Leslie’s second book, What’s
the Deal with Teens and Time Management, a parents’ step-by-step guide
to help teach their teens the time management skills they need to succeed in
school, home and in life, was published. Leslie is also the creator of the
award winning “Academic Planner: A Tool for Time
Management,” a
student planner that helps middle and high schoolers develop and master time
management skills.
A respected resource on ADHD and Executive Functioning in
students, Leslie speaks and conducts workshops nationally to parent and
educator groups on a variety of issues and topics facing students today,
including The Matan Institute, National Ramah Camping Commission, and Morgan
Stanley. Leslie has also been featured
in national broadcast and print media such as the Hallmark Channel’s “The
Better Show”, “Conversations in Care” radio, The Associated Press, Family
Circle Magazine, and Educational Dealer Magazine.
Also
known nationally as an expert on chronic disorganization and hoarding issues,
Leslie has appeared on many episodes of TLC’s hit television show, “Hoarding:
Buried Alive”, and the Cooking Channel’s
television special, “Stuffed: Food Hoarders”. In 2014, Leslie received a Telly
Award, the Internet/Online programming’s highest honor for her work on
dLifeTV.
She is also the co-author of the award winning “The Complete Diabetes Organizer: Your Guide
to a Less Stressful and More Manageable Diabetes Life” (Spry, 2013).
To
sign up for Order Out of Chaos’ monthly newsletter, read their weekly blog,
access free videos, resources and information or learn more about Leslie, visit
their website at www.orderoochaos.com.
For
More Information
- Connect with Leslie on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about Leslie at Goodreads.
- Contact Leslie.
About the Book:
Time management is
a challenge for everyone, but it is a particularly daunting challenge for
teens. More than 70% of teens in the US struggle with time management and the
numbers are growing. Teens are busier than ever and they lack the necessary
tools to manage their time.
Nationally
recognized time management expert, Leslie Josel, in her new book, What’s the Deal with Teens and Time
Management, takes parents step-by-step through the basics of teaching teens
the time management skills they need to succeed-at school, at work and in life.
Says Josel, “Time management is a skill
that doesn’t come naturally to everyone-but it can be learned. This guide opens the door to the world of
time management, what it really means, why it is important and why teens
probably don’t ‘get it’.”
This is a
user-friendly guide full of best practice solutions for helping teens stay on
top of their homework, avoid procrastination traps, get out the door in the
morning with minimal conflict and manage the use of their electronics.
“Throughout the book I offer up my ‘Triple Ts’ – my tried and true Tips, Tools
and Techniques- to provide support and guidance for parents looking to help
their teens understand, develop and implement time management skills.”
In this book,
parents will learn the FIVE mindsets
needed to start their teen on the journey of time management awareness; how to
create a “Personal Homework Profile”
to better understand how their teen tackles homework; how to help their teen
create a time sense and develop “future awareness”; what FOMO is and how to
manage it at home; how to kick procrastination to the curb; and so much more!
For More Information
- What’s the Deal with Teens and Time Management: A Parents’ Guide to Helping Your Teen Succeed is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
- Watch the book trailer here.
- Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Can you tell us what your book is about?
“What’s the Deal with Teens and Time Management: A
Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Teen Succeed” takes parents step-by-step through the basics of teaching their teens the
time management skills they need to succeed-at school, at work and in
life! It’s a guide full of best practice
solutions for helping teens stay on top of t heir homework, procrastination traps,
get out of the door in the morning with minimal conflict and manage the use of
their electronics. I offer up my “Triple
Ts” –tips, tools and techniques –to provide support and guidance for parents
looking to help their teens understand, develop and implement time management
skills.
Why did you write
your book?
I regularly travel the country presenting to parents,
students and teachers on issues surrounding teens today. Over the years, the
single most requested subject I am asked to speak on or parents are concerned
about is time management, an issue filled with emotion, anxiety, and confusion.
Not a day goes by that I am not speaking, writing, emailing, coaching or
talking on this subject. Having developed an arsenal of what I call “The Triple
Ts” –tips, tools and techniques—for teens and time management (and for
parents!), it was time to write a book.
What kind of message
is your book trying to tell your readers?
Time Management is a
Life Skill that Doesn’t Come Naturally to Everyone. It Can be Learned.
Time Management is a
challenge for everyone, but it is particularly daunting for middle and high
school students. There is an expectation that at their age they should be
independent and know how to get things done. Add in the fact that they often
lack the tools to manage their time; maybe it’s a little unrealistic for
parents to expect their teenagers to instinctively know how to manage
time. So I created a step-by-step guide
to take parents through the basics of teaching their teens the time management
skills they need to succeed at school, at work and in life.
Who influenced you to
write your book?
My son, my husband and my hundreds of clients!
Is it hard to publish
a nonfiction book?
I was a very lucky girl. My publisher found me and asked me
to write this book so I found the process very easy. This is actually my second
book. I am also the co-author of the award winning, “The Diabetes Organizer:
Your Guide to a More Manageable Less Stressful Diabetes Life”. That publisher
only publishes non-fiction books so again it was a super easy collaborative
process. Both publishers really gave me a lot of freedom to write what I
wanted. They truly trusted that what I wanted to write would be well received
by readers.
What would you do with an extra hour today if you could
do anything you wanted?
One hour? It depends
on the day. Some days it would be exercise, others it would be sleep! Some
would be spending time with my husband or having lunch with my friends. I need
a lot of one hours! For a girl who wrote a time management book I never have
enough time!!!!
Which holiday is your favorite and why?
Thanksgiving hands
down. I love the fact that everyone across this country is celebrating the same
holiday. It lets us realize that there is something greater than ourselves at
this moment. It gives us a day to reflect, connect to family, eat great food
and just be together. But I get a huge kick out of the fact that no matter where
you live – New
York, Alaska, Hawaii, Alabama – we are all celebrating our country on the
same day and Together!
If we were to
meet for lunch to talk books, where would we go?
Depends on the
season. Us New
York
girls like to be outside as soon as the weather turns lovely. So I am thinking
a lovely little cafĂ© on the water near my house. If the weather is cold, we’re
heading downtown to a small restaurant with a fireplace, good wine and we can
chat for hours!
What do you like to do for fun?
I love to cook-I
find it relaxing and inspirational. I love to dance, music, bike ride, travel,
and needlepoint and spend time with the people I love. Oh, and when I really
need “Leslie time” you can find me parked in our neighborhood supermarket’s
parking lot eating frozen yogurt and reading People magazine. That’s my
favorite 15-minute escape!
Can you tell us about your family?
Sure! We’re a typical in your face kind of family.
We are loud; you need to talk fast to get your point heard. We love to be
together and joke that we live in one room. But I wouldn’t trade it for
anything. I lost both my parents at a young age so my family is my everything.
I’ve been married to
my husband for the last 23 years. We met at a wedding in college and it was
love at first site. Lucky for us we still really like each other. He works in
the music business so the love of music and going to see concerts comes from
him. We have two children. Madelyn
(Maddie) is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis and is majoring in political science and
Chinese. She is clever, sharp, loyal, hysterical and beautiful. Lucky to be her
momma. I learn so much from her every day. And my little guy (who is 6 feet
tall!) is Eli. He is 17 and a senior in high school. He is the reason my
business started. He has ADHD and Executive Functioning Disorder. And I am so
proud of how far he has come. He amazes me everyday with his resilience and
determination. He is funny, creative, soulful, and talented. He is my theater
kid-sings, acts, plays music, etc. He is in his happy place when in a theater.
So it’s going to be a busy year for us. He is applying to colleges and next
spring we will have two graduations. I can’t believe how time has flown.
Feeling old!!!
What kind of advice
would you give other non-fiction authors?
Write what you know. Write what you are passionate about. It
doesn’t need to be perfect but it needs to be authentic. And it has to sound
like you. The best complement I get from people reading my book is that they
tell me when they read it they hear my voice in their heads. And that I write
like I speak. That’s when I know I’ve done a good job.