Sue Becker

Certified Professional Organizer - Chronic Disorganization, ADD Specialist, CPA, MBA

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ADHD and Chronic Disorganization Expert

Sue Becker Quick Facts

Main Areas: ADHD, Chronic Disorganization, Paperwork, Time Management
Best Sellers: Conversations on Success, The APPLES Resource Guide, Action Notes, Get Organized, Take Control of Your Life: 5 Simple Steps to Discover Freedom
Career Focus: Speaker, Professional Organizer and Productivity Consultant
Affiliation: National Association of Professional Organizers, National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, Attention Deficit Disorder Association

Sue Becker is the founder and owner of From Piles to Smiles® professional organizing service. She is a CPA, and spent 20 years in various auditing, accounting, finance, and marketing positions at a variety of companies, including The Quaker Oats Company and SBC. The organization and time management skills that she used in these positions led to numerous accolades, including a prestigious leadership award. She started From Piles to Smiles early in 2000.

As a full-time working professional and parent, Sue knows the positive impact of an organized home and business. Her goal and passion is to help others achieve the peacefulness and joy that comes from feeling in control and having time to enjoy the things that really matter in life. She has helped people from Washington State to Washington, D.C. live more stress-free and harmonious lives by showing them how to reduce clutter, organize paperwork, and prioritize tasks.

Sue is a featured author in the most recent edition of Conversations on Success along with sales legends Tom Hopkins and Danny Cox, and communications expert Dr. John Gray. In addition, Sue has written articles for, and been featured in, numerous local and national newspapers and magazines, including: Real Simple Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Herald, West Suburban Living, and The Reporter. Sue has appeared on the national TV show "Starting Over" as an expert on time management and space organizing, and has also appeared on an NBC TV news segment offering practical advice for women who need help getting organized. She is quoted as an organizing expert in the book How to Position Yourself as the Obvious Expert.

Sue received a B.S. degree in accounting from the University of Illinois and a MBA in finance and marketing from Northweste University's J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, and is the former Vice President of the Chicago chapter. She is the former treasurer of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, and is the first person in Illinois to earn the title of Certified Professional Organizer - Chronic Disorganization (CPO-CD®). She is also an ADD Specialist, and holds certificates of study in the following areas:

Basic Physical Conditions Affecting the CD Client
Understanding the Needs of the Elderly CD Client
Understanding the Needs of the Student CD Client
Basic Mental Health Conditions and Challenges Affecting the CD Client
Learning Styles and Modalities
Basic Hoarding Issues with the CD Client

Sue serves her community by volunteering with local organizations including DuPage Senior Services, St. Joseph Finance Committee, PADS, and others.

Her website is www.PilesToSmiles.com

Free Articles & Book Excerpts

Discover Freedom Newsletter

www.PilesToSmiles.com

Free Audio & Video Samples

5 Proven Ways to Organize and Simplify Your Life

www.PilesToSmiles.com

Sue Becker Books

Conversations on Success

http://www.pilestosmiles.com/prod_cos.htm

APPLES Resource Guide

http://www.pilestosmiles.com/prod_apples.htm

Get Organized, Take Control of Your Life: 5 Simple Steps to Discover Freedom

http://www.pilestosmiles.com/prod_ebook_takecontrol.htm

Articles by this expert

SelfGrowth articles and saved writing connected to this expert.

68 total

Article

Organize Your Keepsakes: How I Turned My Muddled Mess into Meaningful Memories

I knew the time had come to pare down my burgeoning collection of mementos when I tried to stuff just one more greeting card into one of my four keepsake boxes and a cascade of papers came tumbling down - with no lid to hold back the avalanche, I received a very tangible wake-up call that I can't save everything. Are you hanging on to physical reminders of people and events thinking it will be a great way to reminisce or even to honor the people those things represent? I certainly understand the emotions that greeting cards, ticket stubs, old toys, and even clothing can bring.

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Organize Your Computer

Are your computer files as jumbled and disorganized as your paper files? Are there files on your computer that you don't even recognize? Do you rely on the search function to allow you to find your electronic documents? Are there days that you love your computer and some that you want to send it into orbit? While technical malfunctions are often out of our control, there are things you can do to make your computer more user-friendly.

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Digging Out from an Avalanche of Mail

Although not as intimidating as the ten days’ worth of email l valiantly plowed through, the size of the pile of ten days’ worth of snail mail I recently faced upon return from a trip was rather impressive. Even though I’ve done my best to get off mailing lists (I’ve subscribed to www.CatalogChoice.org to eliminate unwanted catalogs and have opted out of credit card and insurance offers through www.OptOutPrescreen.com) there still seems to be an unwelcome quantity of mail that comes into my home through my mailbox. Here’s how I dug my way out from under the backlog:

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A Master To-Do List Can Free Up Your Brain

Have you ever said to yourself, “I have to remember to do such and such” but then forget to do such and such? If you’re like me, the older you get, the harder it is to remember things. I recently read the book Getting Organized in the Google Era which states that our brains can only hold five to nine items in short-term memory at one time. As soon as we try to add a tenth item, something will fall out of short term memory.

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AD/HD and (Dis) Organization

September 13-17, 2010 was AD/HD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Awareness Week. AD/HD is characterized by inattentiveness, impulsivity and sometimes, hyperactivity (the official name is AD/HD regardless of whether or not someone has the hyperactivity component). Although someone may have some or all of these traits, personal history, collaborative reports and testing are required to provide an official diagnosis. Whether you have AD/HD or live or work with someone who does, these tips offer information to help you understand how AD/HD affects people's organization skills.

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When Just a To-Do List Isn’t Enough

I’ve written previously about the benefits of keeping a to-do list. The process of writing down everything you have to do (either on paper or electronically), prioritizing the list, and scheduling when to do each task can be an efficient and powerful way to get things done. That is, of course, if you honor your commitments and do things when you’ve scheduled them.

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How to Hold an Ineffective Meeting

Whether you work for pay, do volunteer work, or manage a household, meetings are a fact of life; unfortunately, they’re often an extremely ineffective fact of life. There are meetings for the business, social and volunteer organizations to which you belong; meetings at work; meetings with household service providers such as architects, lawyers or accountants; civic meetings; and meetings at your child’s school.

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Slow Down and Enjoy Life

A recent article in Real Simple Magazine about the toll that impatience can take on our enjoyment of life got me thinking about my own hurriedness. It’s a rare day that I’m not bouncing from one thing to another without taking a break. Most of my time (probably 90% of my waking hours) is spent working: client appointments, making and returning phone calls, networking, developing the content for presentations, writing my blog or newsletter, processing email, etc.

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Organize Your Life, Up and Away! 5 Liberating Lessons for a Lighter Life

I recently saw the Disney-Pixar movie Up, and discovered it was entertaining and instructional. The movie imparted some of the same messages I teach my clients. I actually retrieved a pen and small notebook from my purse during the movie and took notes. (Yes, I am an organizer at heart!) In case you haven't see Up, here's a plot summary: Carl, the grumpy main character, uses thousands of helium-filled balloons to carry his entire home through the sky to move to Paradise Falls, South America, to fulfill his late wife's childhood dream.

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Get Ready for an Organized New Year

It seems that everywhere you look there are signs that the holidays will soon be upon us. And while we enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of this special time, we know that seemingly all too soon, another year is coming to an end. Here are some ideas to help you end the year in an organized way, and get the New Year off to a great start.

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How Much Time Does Email Steal from Your Day?

Did you ever pay attention to how much time you spend processing email each day? I couldn’t find a decisive analysis of the subject, but various studies conclude that Americans spend anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours on average. That’s a significant amount of time, especially considering that most people I know would like to have more time for themselves in a typical day.

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The Joy of Doing Nothing

I spent this past Saturday essentially doing nothing, which is very unlike me. Well it wasn’t exactly nothing, but as far as the analytical part of my brain was conce ed, it was a day of rest and relaxation. My husband and I drove 2 ½ hours each way to visit our son at college and attend his (indoor) track meet. For those of you unfamiliar with track meets, there’s a lot – I’m talking hours and hours – of sitting around. Our son participated in only two of the dozens of events, so we spent lots of time watching people we didn’t know compete.

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