 [Larger view] | Organizing Plain and Simple: A Ready Reference Guide With Hundreds Of Solutions to Your Everyday Clutter Challenges
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Average user rating:  | |
| Worth the Price | |
| I bought this book in an attempt to bring some semblance of order into my very messy studio apartment. The author has obviously spent a large amount of time researching her book, with a major theme around decluttering. With this book's help, I have gotten rid of clothes that no longer fit or were unwearable (what was I thinking?), that third set of dishes I was keeping just incase (I had to feed an army? c'mon), and several beauty products I no longer used. But perhaps the best thing I've gotten from this book was going through my book case and selling old books I never read or only read once right here on amazon.com. I spent $12 on this book roughly, and so far I've made $80 net on stuff that only gathered dust. I love this book so much, I don't think it'll have a chance to gather dust. | |
| simple is right! | |
| I have been reading this book over the past few months. The ideas are easy to implement and very very effective . Our home is starting to feel more organized and calm. | |
| It worked for me | |
| I have purchased several books about organizing and getting rid of clutter, and they have all had some good suggestions. However, I never managed to apply the principles in anything except a half-hearted and short-term manner. Thus, I ended up with spaces that had been partially cleared and organized, only to revert to their former clutter and chaos after a few months. This was no one's fault but my own, of course, but with Smallin's book, it didn't happen that way. She is able to present information and ideas that make sense, but she manages to do it in a way that builds your motivation to actually try it and to stick with it. I guess the best way of putting it is that I never felt overwhelmed, even when things looked very chaotic (as they always do at some point in a re-organization project). The book is extremely well-suited to reading short sections that will allow you to get started right away. Then, if you need a break from the work itself, or need more suggestions, you can go back to it. Smallin also includes multiple suggestions from other professional organizers, which is very helpful because it gives you more options. I'm almost finished with a two-week de-cluttering and organization project. In the past, I never could have gone that long without giving up and throwing it all back where it came from. But this time, I kept going back to Smallin's book, and she helped keep me on track. I was even able to use suggestions from books I had read before, such as not buying new storage cases until you have actually done the organizing and know what you need to store. A major re-organization project is something like a weight-loss regime. You can try to do it the fast and easy way, but it won't last. Or, you can do it slowly and patiently, refining and modifying your plan as you see how it evolves. That's my goal, and with Smallin's book as my guide, I'm confident that it will be possible. |
