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kmcquage's review against another edition
4.0
This book is probably not quite that good but it gets an extra star for being free. I actually found it helpful on a mental level, to realize that while I can be lazy, laziness isn't the root of all my problems. Some of the problem is how I think. Being able to admit what was wrong but also see what is right with my brain is changing how I think about my own behavior, which is probably the first step to changing it. It's a little early to say but I just did hella laundry and cleaned my boyfriend's kitchen. Who knows what might have happened if I had read it at home?
Updated to clarify: This is NOT a manual to organize your life. For that, there's Real Simple and all sorts of good things. This book describes the difficulty the more "right brained" (not quite an accurate term, but I suppose it will do) or creatively oriented types have staying organized. If you don't think in a notably linear manner, organization doesn't come naturally. The point of the book is to stop downing yourself and really focus and figure out where the source of your problem is. Is it that you are easily distracted? Is it that you are overwhelmed? Is that you just can't decide what to do with things and thus do nothing? If you can pinpoint the problem, you can figure out your own solutions.
Updated to clarify: This is NOT a manual to organize your life. For that, there's Real Simple and all sorts of good things. This book describes the difficulty the more "right brained" (not quite an accurate term, but I suppose it will do) or creatively oriented types have staying organized. If you don't think in a notably linear manner, organization doesn't come naturally. The point of the book is to stop downing yourself and really focus and figure out where the source of your problem is. Is it that you are easily distracted? Is it that you are overwhelmed? Is that you just can't decide what to do with things and thus do nothing? If you can pinpoint the problem, you can figure out your own solutions.
hmgelo02's review
2.0
This book was written to a target audience of women (and men, though it felt specifically aimed at women) who find themselves living in homes amongst chaos, unable to figure out how best to organize and clean their space despite their tendencies to let it all go.
Being a highly organized person who still struggles with creating a functional and working home office space for myself and who fights against basic housekeeping chores, I was hoping this book would give me some clear-cut answers in a step-by-step guide. Instead this was more of a "You're not the only messy person out there" feel good about yourself book that provides some vague guidance about what needs to be done to become someone who lives in and maintains a clean home. I was really hoping it would say, "First, go into a room and clean this part of it by doing this, then go back and first scrub your baseboards, and then dust your lampshades, etc, etc". It didn't.
If what you're looking for is an ego-boost so as not to feel alone in the world among others who always seem to have it together, this book will be good for you. But if you're looking for a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean your house, visit Fly Lady instead.
Being a highly organized person who still struggles with creating a functional and working home office space for myself and who fights against basic housekeeping chores, I was hoping this book would give me some clear-cut answers in a step-by-step guide. Instead this was more of a "You're not the only messy person out there" feel good about yourself book that provides some vague guidance about what needs to be done to become someone who lives in and maintains a clean home. I was really hoping it would say, "First, go into a room and clean this part of it by doing this, then go back and first scrub your baseboards, and then dust your lampshades, etc, etc". It didn't.
If what you're looking for is an ego-boost so as not to feel alone in the world among others who always seem to have it together, this book will be good for you. But if you're looking for a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean your house, visit Fly Lady instead.
simplyparticular's review
2.0
Some useful advice, but you have to wade through a lot of spirituality, psycho babble and pre-feminist gunk to find any nuggets of organizational info. Overall, not worth the effort - I skimmed heavily.
She trigger a nostalgic moment of how fond I was of the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle stories, so it wasn't all a waste.
She trigger a nostalgic moment of how fond I was of the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle stories, so it wasn't all a waste.
thisfoxreads's review
3.0
From the quiz at the beginning of the book, I knew this was going to be a fun book to read! I like the look at why people are "Messies" and how our brains affect our methods of housekeeping.
I've barely started it, but think I'll read it quickly!
I've barely started it, but think I'll read it quickly!
aubrooke's review
4.0
Interesting read. Definitely for more of the mom or wife type. But I still enjoyed the read. I find much joy in reading organizing books!
chewdigestbooks's review
1.0
Felton believes that there are two kinds of people, Cleanies and Messies. Right off the bat, that term, Messies, offended me. It is negative even though she tried to define them as busy people that have been overwhelmed or perfectionists that just give up with the size of the task.
Still, even after being constantly offended by the terminology, I carried on. Part 5, Interior Design for the Messie, had some of the best tips I have ever read on figuring out your style and decorating. If you have ever been stumped on just how to start with décor, this was great! The idea of starting from scratch is intimidating for people and it can be hard to trust your instincts. The book suggests collecting the things, colors, and fabrics that really speak to you, finding the things that they have in common, then running with that. Living Organized also reminds you to keep reality in mind when decorating. A white silk couch isn’t a good idea when you have three toddlers and a black dog, for example.
I was all ready to forgive being called a Messie and make some changes until I read the chapter titled, Dear Husband, A Letter to the Husband of the Messie. If I hadn’t been reading this on my iPod, it would have been thrown across the room and most likely burned in effigy. I have never had such a visceral reaction to ANY book before.
Let me just give you a taste.
“You resent the condition of the house in which you are forced to live and imagine that the homes of other men returning home from work are havens of rest and order.“
“You felt that surely her pride as a wife and mother- as a woman- would help her overcome this chronic state……Surely if she cared more about you and the children or understood how important it was to you, she would try harder.”
My long hidden feminist hackles came out with a vengeance with this chapter. I don’t know about you, but I see a marriage as a team and the freaking messes don’t create themselves. While I work from home and accept that it means that I am the chief cook and bottle washer, that doesn’t mean that I am the maid. This may have been acceptable in the 1950’s, but it isn’t going to happen in my house today.
There, I am off my soap box.
Still, even after being constantly offended by the terminology, I carried on. Part 5, Interior Design for the Messie, had some of the best tips I have ever read on figuring out your style and decorating. If you have ever been stumped on just how to start with décor, this was great! The idea of starting from scratch is intimidating for people and it can be hard to trust your instincts. The book suggests collecting the things, colors, and fabrics that really speak to you, finding the things that they have in common, then running with that. Living Organized also reminds you to keep reality in mind when decorating. A white silk couch isn’t a good idea when you have three toddlers and a black dog, for example.
I was all ready to forgive being called a Messie and make some changes until I read the chapter titled, Dear Husband, A Letter to the Husband of the Messie. If I hadn’t been reading this on my iPod, it would have been thrown across the room and most likely burned in effigy. I have never had such a visceral reaction to ANY book before.
Let me just give you a taste.
“You resent the condition of the house in which you are forced to live and imagine that the homes of other men returning home from work are havens of rest and order.“
“You felt that surely her pride as a wife and mother- as a woman- would help her overcome this chronic state……Surely if she cared more about you and the children or understood how important it was to you, she would try harder.”
My long hidden feminist hackles came out with a vengeance with this chapter. I don’t know about you, but I see a marriage as a team and the freaking messes don’t create themselves. While I work from home and accept that it means that I am the chief cook and bottle washer, that doesn’t mean that I am the maid. This may have been acceptable in the 1950’s, but it isn’t going to happen in my house today.
There, I am off my soap box.
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