Ep 32 | Transcending Joy: The Global Impact of Clutter with Evan Zislis

Evan Zislis, professional organizer and social entrepreneur, sparks a clutter free revolution by looking at consumption through a lens of fair trade, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

How does your personal clutter impact the world?

Today’s guest on Spark Joy is Evan Zislis. He is a professional organizer and bestselling author of Clutter Free Revolution. Evan helps people focus on the things that matter most: who we love, what we do, how, and why we live…because everything else is just stuff. Currently, Evan is the founder of Intentional Solutions, a business focused on organization, operational systems, time and task management and more.

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In this episode, you’ll enjoy:

• How Evan's diverse list of job experience all had a theme of organizational leadership that tied it all together and led him to helping people organize their life

• The free services Evan provides to public school teachers and classrooms

• How Evan gives back to the community on his terms through 1% For The Planet

• How Evan's book Clutter Free Revolution picks up where KonMari drops off

• Products and companies that empower local communities through fair trade and socially just practices: The Good Trade ; Pact

• The ridiculously simple three step process - simplify, clarify, and inspire - that makes up Evan's organizing philosophy

• How Evan builds his client's sense of self efficacy and confidence by focusing on incremental successes while incorporating a bit of tough love

• Evan's lid-on-a-box helps accumulators with little to no self control

• Why Evan believes, in some cases, your joy is not enough your joy is not enough

• The technique that Evan uses to get his daughter to voluntarily clean and honor her room daily, without fail

• What monks and mountaineers have in common

• Why "The Velveteen Rabbit" is the Zislis family's favorite book

• A thank you to Evan's friend Dr. Melva Green (Episode 19) who inspired this interview

Gems:

"Need less."

"Abundance is having a sense of gratitude for having that which is needed when it is needed and not a single item more."

"Was anyone harmed in the making of this item?"

"Things are easy to find and convenient to put away."

"Proximity equals urgency."

"You don't love it, you don't have a place for it, and storing it is an inconvenience for you."

"This sense of joy can be transcended [by] this sense of purpose."

"The things that I need..support the idea of generosity, and compassion, and philanthropy."

What sparks joy for Evan: Working on his new book project "Good Company" that highlights entrepreneurs that support fair trade, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

To connect with Evan Zislis, visit www.clutterfreerevolution.com and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

You can find Karin Socci at The Serene Home
You can find Kristyn Ivey at For the Love of Tidy

Special Guest: Evan Zislis.