Laura Leist

Laura Leist, MOS, CPO®, CRTS

Founder, President and Chief Organizing and Productivity Consultant

Since launching Eliminate Chaos in 2000, Laura Leist has walked her own talk about getting more done to allow "More Time for Life®." A poster child for gettingmuch accomplished, this self-described overachiever and award-winning entrepreneur has grown what was once a one-woman show into a thriving business. She has also written eight books, including the newest release - Eliminate the Chaos at Work: 25 Techniques to Increase Productivity (Wiley 2011.)

Today Eliminate Chaos operates five divisions - speaking, business, home offices, residential organizing, and relocations for residential/commercial clients.

Appreciative clients include CEOs of multi-billion dollar corporations, paper-and-systems-fatigued law offices, high-profile authors, speakers, athletes and media personalities, solopreneurs, and divas of domesticity. Though they come from all walks of life and work, they all share a universal need to invest in professional help to escape the clutter, disorganization and lack of productivity that slows them down, steals valuable time from their lives, and puts a crimp on their upside earning potential.

Eliminate Chaos employs productivity and organization specialists who are united in their belief that everyone can enjoy life more if they just get organized first. Laura sets the example for the team. She has the rare ability to serve as a strategic, big-picture thinker AND handle the most complicated, detailed projects without letting anything slip through the cracks.

Laura's IT Experience Eliminates Chaos at Work

Laura's education, training, and dynamic background in information technology bring welcome calm to the technology storm. Her proven ability to streamline processes was rewarded early in her career when she was recognized as the employee of the year for SAFECO Surety. For over a decade Laura designed computer systems to manage work processes and information to help employees store and retrieve information quickly. What makes her contribution to client success so valuable is the combination of her prior career experience and her gift for explaining how to make the most of technology in a non-geek-speak way.

Creating Order Out of Chaos So Clients Find What They Need Fast

Clients come to Laura overwhelmed by technology tools and the steep learning curves associated with making the most of them. Laura consults with clients about their business processes and creates custom productivity systems. As a result, clients gain control and mastery over mobile devices, customer relationship management tools, and file sharing systems that save them valuable time and make life a whole lot easier. For those for whom technology tools were once a challenge, this is cause for celebration.

Clients Rave

Client's rave about how the company delivers on its promises. Laura and the entire Eliminate Chaos team listen compassionately and deliver systems, professional advice and customized organization and productivity solutions that really work. Best of all, they can be easily and seamlessly maintained. Clients breathe a sigh of relief as they put into practice systems created just for them that deliver practical, priceless, and life changing benefits.

Success by the Numbers

After a decade of dramatic growth that spans the dot-com bubble burst of 2001 and the Great Recession of 2008, Laura has built a company that is proud to have served thousands of clients. They sing the praises about how the power of organization, systems, processes, and logical work flow has changed their lives, advanced their careers, and saved hours of frustration. Along the way, Laura has:

• Earned tens of thousands of fans of her eight books that guide people to eliminate chaos, including her newest book Eliminate the Chaos at Work: 25 Techniques to Increase Productivity (Wiley 2011) released in March of 2011.
• Presented 500 seminars, keynotes, and speeches about business productivity and organization in the workplace and at home to appreciative audiences across the nation and internationally.
• Given 300 media interviews to publications such as Entrepreneur, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Real Simple, Chicago Tribune, Family Circle, MSN Real Estate, Cosmopolitan, Balance, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, Fidelity, the Seattle Times, 425 Magazine and more.
• Served in four board positions for the National Association of Professional Organizer (NAPO) since 2004, including the top position of president. In addition, she earned the NAPO Shining Star Award, recognizing her vision, project management, leadership in redesigning the NAPO website.
• Written five books on Microsoft Outlook and Business Contact Manager; helping thousands become more productive utilizing this tool at work.
• Influenced hundreds of people to enter the profession and enjoy rewarding careers as organizing or productivity professionals.
• Shown thousands of people the value in acting on market opportunities for electronic information organizing to earn a great living.
• Been among the first in the nation to earn the prestigious Certified Professional Organizer, CPO® designation and a company leader who is proud to employ several team members who have followed her lead.
• Earned a degree in management information systems from Washington State University and a certificate in Software Product Management the University of Washington.
• Earned recognition in 2001 as one of the 40 business executives under 40 years of age making a difference in the marketplace and the community by the Puget Sound Business Journal.

Laura's Organizing Genius Took Root Early and by Necessity

Laura came by her organizing genius out of necessity. From a very early age, Laura made sure her Mom - a visually impaired, music teacher -- could find what she needed when she needed it. These early acts of service and love built a strong appreciation for form, function and order. Today she and her team orchestrate beautiful and elegant organizing systems, processes, and work flows to create symphonies of order, productivity, and more.

What many would be surprised to learn is that while Laura's home in Snohomish, WA is lovely and well organized, it is also a welcome haven for treasured pets (Bear {the Alaskan Malamute} and Chaos {the Bernese Mountain Dog}) and past four-legged family member's Teddy and her beloved Saint Bernard named Mozart.

Mozart joined Laura at the same time she launched her company. With Laura's training and focus on desired end results, Mozart quickly learned to stop at the door to have his paws wiped off. He also learned to stay out of the living and dining room. Setting up systems, boundaries and expectations paved the way for many happy, joyful moments with Mozart through the years, much like business systems and processes do for clients. She'll quickly tell you that it is treasured moments in life that matter most and not the stuff.

Laura's favorite place to travel is Hawaii. Lounging on a beach chair while holding a fruity drink adorned by a paper umbrella, Laura loves to read and do a lot of nothing while pondering beautiful sunsets with her husband Rob by her side. They married on the well-ordered date of 9-10-11.