"After going through every box in the house, I saved myself $8,500 in taxes and found 2 checks worth $3,500 that had not been cashed. No wonder I am so motivated to keep this up! I am confident that my organizational relief project will enable me to do more business, be more efficient with my client files, and reduce the stress this career tends to put on my family life....
"You have been a fabulous organizing partner. I have so appreciated your kindness as we have worked our way through our years of stuff, and all of your good organizing and design suggestions."
- Michelle Graunke...
"Thank you for your contribution to the Administrative Assistant's Conference. From my perspective, your presence, demeanor and skill contributed to a higher caliber conference than would have been possible without you."
- Emily McGrath, Director of Professional Development - PNAIS (Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools)
...
"We both understand the principles of getting rid of clutter but somehow there was too much inertia to overcome, which in turn blocked any real forward progress. Each time we tried, we would spend several well-intentioned days working through some files and then other issues would emerge to occupy our time. Consequently, we really did not make sufficient forward progress....
"Laura is very easy to communicate with and she knows how to get to the heart of a project very quickly. I would highly recommend Laura Leist and Eliminate Chaos to anyone needed organizational or computer-related services, no matter how simple or complex. Laura's background and experience offers a customer more advantages than one might think. Thank You Laura!&quo...
"Laura assisted us in creating a database to store important information for our business. Laura guided us in finding pocket pc's that have virtually changed our professional and personal lives and the way we organize. Laura was very patient with us as we moved from having little scraps of paper all over our desks to having critical information at our fingertips whenever...
"Margaret saved my life. She was able to come into my office, which was a disaster and within hours had me on track. It has taken a few "follow up" sessions to keep me clean, but every session there is great improvement. Eliminate Chaos' tag line should really be: 'We give you your life back.'"
- Brooks Powell, Powell Homes ...
"Laura's knowledge and expertise on the function and use of Outlook far exceed any book or workshop I have attended. Laura presents the material in a useable manner and shows patience to all in the room. She is a top notch trainer. I highly recommend anyone using Outlook to take her course and find out all of the hidden treasures of the program."
"If you can find 15 minutes extra each day - what would it be worth to you? I have always considered myself pretty organized, so I was impressed with the ideas that Laura was able to show me that saved me the time each day. Even just saving 20 minutes a day is a big deal. That is enough time for me to connect with a new client or spend time with my daughters."...
"Laura Leist provided our members with common sense techniques on how to organize one's business and personal life in these times of avalanches of information. We are very appreciative and recommend her as a speaker and workshop facilitator."
- Bill Vadino, Executive Director, Kirkland Chamber of Commerce ...
"Thank you so much for your detailed, inspiring class on E-mail Productivity Solutions for Outlook 2007."
- Mari Waltz
"The work Laura has done for us has required her to design and implement a process for the project, to listen well to our needs, goals and limitations, to work closely with members of our staff and to provide us with a plan of action we would undertake after our work with her was complete. I always had complete confidence in her leadership and management. In my interactions with outside vendors, I would rank Laura's level of service in the top 1%! Laura delivers what she promises, on time on budget and with cheerfulness and a positive, uplifting attitude.
I gain two things when I work with Laura: organization and the tools and strategies to stay organized! Laura knows the right products to use in our office and shows me how to use them. She observes how we work and develops systems and tools to help us work more efficiently. Laura holds herself to very high standards and it shows in her work!
Laura has always treated me and members of my staff with respect and kindness. Laura has a special way of making us comfortable when working with her. Laura is completely dependable and reliable. She completes projects in the amount of time that she says it will take to complete them."
- MaryPat Cheng, Net Star Communications
"Laura assisted us in creating a database to store important information for our business. Laura guided us in finding pocket PCs that have virtually changed our professional and personal lives and the way we organize. Laura was very patient with us as we moved from having little scraps of paper all over our desks to having critical information at our fingertips whenever our clients have a request. Thanks Laura. The benefits of your service and expertise are immeasurable."
- Noel & Dave Stockman, Crescendo Concierge;
"If you can find 15 minutes extra each day - what would it be worth to you? I have always considered myself pretty organized, so I was impressed with the ideas that Laura was able to show me that saved me the time each day. Even just saving 20 minutes a day is a big deal. That is enough time for me to connect with a new client or spend time with my daughters."
- Bill Brooks, American Pacific Mortgage
"Laura is very easy to communicate with and she knows how to get to the heart of a project very quickly. I would highly recommend Laura Leist and Eliminate Chaos to anyone needed organizational or computer-related services, no matter how simple or complex. Laura's background and experience offers a customer more advantages than one might think. Thank You Laura!"
- Karen Cassell
"Laura did a wonderful job of organizing my home office. My office was a disaster and Laura helped sort through piles of paper and showed me effective ways to keep business and personal information in order. Her filing system is very effective."
- Paula Feldman, Money Mailer
"Thanks so much for your helpful work today. I can see why you're so much more valuable than a book. You got into my work and way of thinking in order to determine what systems would best suite me and my business. You watched and listened to me and brought me the system that fits me like a glove. I feel so much clearer. You eliminated MY chaos!"
- Renee Adsitt, Color Whiz
"Laura saved my sanity and helped my home-based business immeasurably. She has a unique ability to tackle the logistical problem head-on while dealing with the stress and frustration created by the situation simultaneously. I could not recommend anymore more strenuously!"
- M.K.
"I got my car in the garage today!! No more scraping ice off. I can't thank you enough - you are my hero. I'm telling everyone about your service."
- Kim Gillespie
"I was at Denise's delivering product and heard a great compliment that I wanted to share with you. One of the gentlemen installing cabinet hardware told Denise that based on what the inside of her office cabinets and drawers looked like 'Martha Stewart would be envious of her organizational skills.' Denise told him all about you and told him that you were very talented and had been a great help to her."
- Jill Turner- Willox, Designer
"Laura and her team steered us with firm and friendly hands through our move into our new streamlined office space. They took time to understand our unique challenges as a large graphic design firm, and offered expert advice on the big picture and the small details. Eliminate Chaos motivated us to purge 10 years of paper samples and various paperwork and provided us with a plan to use as a guide for where the post-purge essentials would live in our new office. They offered fresh ideas about the casework for our new space and on moving day they worked with our staff to unpack and help organize our new spaces. We were in good hands!"
- John Carroll, Methodologie
Laura Leist, owner of Eliminate Chaos LLC., provides productivity consulting services to corporations, small businesses, and individuals as well as helping them achieve computer literacy.
In this day and age, many people feel stressed, overwhelmed and surrounded by chaos. One of the most frustrating factors is figuring out where to start organizing, or more importantly, how. That's where Eliminate Chaos comes in.
Laura primarily works with businesses to help them increase productivity while also assisting them in achieving computer literacy. She designs systems based on each client's strengths and custom tailors these systems to their particular needs. Purposely not industry specific, Laura recognizes that while her clients have similar needs, they may be at completely different technical levels. In this age of computer technology and information, she has found that the great majority of her clientele count on both her organizing skills and her sophisticated knowledge of computer programs.
Simply put, Laura's organizational expertise brings calm to the storm. Her goals for her clients remain simple: when she finishes designing an organizational system, they'll find meaningful information in just moments. Many of her clients discover that by applying these methods to other areas of their lives, they experience increased efficiency and functionality while their stress levels drop dramatically.
Prior to forming Eliminate Chaos, Laura was Director of Product Management for several companies as well as a business-process consultant. She also taught technology courses worldwide.
Laura received her B.S., Management Information Systems, from Washington State University. She also has a certificate in Software Product Management, University of Washington. Laura's award-winning organization, process design and re-engineering work have been recognized at the corporate level, and she was also named a Safeco Employee of the Year. Laura was recognized as one of Washington State's "40 Under 40" Entrepreneurs in 2001.
Laura's work has been featured on Radio and TV - including NW Afternoon, Evening Magazine and Seattle Live. She is a regular columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Additionally, her work and articles have appeared in Entrepreneur Magazine, Real Simple, Family Circle, Cosmopolitan, 425, NW Home and Garden Magazine, Balance Magazine, the Puget Sound Business Journal and a variety of national newspapers.
Laura is a regular presenter of Organizing Seminars for IKEA and also speaks to a variety of groups nationally. Laura's book "Eliminate Chaos...The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home & Life" (Sasquatch Books, 2006) is available in bookstores nationwide. Previously published books include "Eliminate Chaos...In Your Home" and "Organizing and Customizing with Microsoft Outlook."
Laura serves as the President of NAPO (National Association of Professional Organizers). In May 2007, Laura was one of the first in the nation to earn the prestigious Certified Professional Organizer, CPO® designation. She also holds the CRTS (Certified Relocation and Transition Specialist) designation and is one of a few to have earned both certifications. Having been in the industry for over five years, she is also recognized as a Golden Circle member of NAPO. Additionally, Laura is a member of the National Speaker's Association.
