Organizing Plain and Simple: A Ready Reference Guide With Hundreds Of Solutions to Your Everyday Clutter Challenges

by Donna Smallin Kuper

Book Overview

Take control of everyday disorder. With strategies for everything from keeping track of mittens and scarves to combining two households, Donna Smallin takes a personalized, nonjudgmental approach as... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580174485
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 1.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

doable organization

this book offers a lot of sound advice and cost saving/ time saving tips. i like it because you don't have to do all of your organization at once-- you can do it at your own pace. she covers a lot of topics-- memorabilia, finance, travel, kitchen, bedroom, etc. it's a great reference and good to read.

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.

the Suze Orman of organizing

Sometimes the problem with clutter and disorganization isn't simply to buy storage and other items at an office supplies store. You could do that endlessly, and end up with lots of RUBBERMAID and STERILITE containers piled up in your garage or closet, and still not make any progress on stopping bad habits that lead to clutter. Smallin touches upon various areas of one's life that all lead to disorganization. In my case, and one that a friend related to for herself, Smallin hit the mark by stating that perfectionists can be the messiest because they keep waiting for the perfect organization plan; it's not that they like the mess, but they don't get started because they haven't come up with the ultimate strategy.The book is laid out like a magazine and has lots of side-bars to keep you interested. Unlike many self-help books, Smallin isn't selling herself and claiming to make up her own new science. She quotes various other organizing experts in those sidebars, and provides a pretty extensive set of references and links that the reader can follow up with to continue their newly organized ways.

Useful Tips for the Average Joe

This book is written for real people - those of us on the go who want to organize using the (usually limited) space and accessories readily available in our homes. Donna Smallin offers practical solutions for corraling clutter and organizing everything from decor, gadgets, clothes, linens, papers and toys on a room-by-room basis. No need to purchase expensive closet organizers or remodel your home for the sake of storage - this book offers tips on making room for everyday items in places that already exist. The author is a big proponent - as am I - of getting rid of useless junk, so packrats beware! The book is written clearly and concisely, with well-organized (of course!) paragraphs, sidebars and chapters that make it easy to find the information you're looking for quickly. A perfect book for anyone wishing they were more organized but don't know where to start.