Smart Organizing: Simple Strategies for Bringing Order to Your Home

by Sandra Felton

For busy moms, organizing is something that is always on the to-do list but never gets scratched off. In this new book from a trusted organizing expert, readers discover the key to turning a chaotic house into a clutter-free home in no time at all. In order to do this she teaches three simple consolidate, condense, containerize. Then, once a house is in its prime, just identify and maintain the most important 20% of household tasks and the house will never be a mess again.
From chore charts to making cleaning a fun family task, Smart Organizing is packed full of commonsense tips from other moms, websites and books that will inspire the reader to start today, one closet at a time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

If just the thought of cleaning/organizing your house overwhelms you, this book is for you. It teaches you how to organize your house one area at a time and how to keep it that way with a fool proof three point plan. It makes house cleaning simple and worry free by using the bare bones way. This book has helped me tremendously because I can go into a serious panicked state over my how clean my house is. This book has a load of information in it that goes along with the tips. I still go back to this book from time to time when the state of my house starts overwhelming me.

[Karen Roman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mediocre book at best, with plenty of ideas that are solid enough, but the strong religious bias running through it was very off-putting.

I, my family, and the vast majority of my friends have no need or desire to fit god into my home organization plan or cleaning schedule. Unless of course you can arrange to have Jesus come over to fold and put away the laundry. That would be really helpful.

I am holding out for a how-to source that doesn't rely on me depending on the author's imaginary friend. Sorry if that sounds callous, but religious-based advice is an impractical solution to real world problems.

[Cari · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am so good at reading about getting organized. i like this book because it gets at the reasons why we tend to keep junk and how we can over come the sabbotage of family members to our organizational plans. i would have given it 5 stars if it had cleaned out my closet.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK! Before this book, my house was constantly a mess, not that it is perfect now people. But, it helped me see things in a different light and helped me like cleaning. I also loved the little organizing tips as well.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another library sale find. I like to read books like these to pick up hints for better running my own household. Alas, for an organization book, this one was badly organized. I also didn't like the constant religious references. The tone of the book was preachy. Not recommended.

[Relyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always reading organizing books looking for new tips.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Marie Kondo's books for organizing and decluttering. I still use a lot of her ideas. I saw this book when I was sorting books as a volunteer for the library and after reading the back of the book, I decided I had to get it and read it. I got some good ideas from this book. I especially loved the 10 things to do to get organized as well as the section on prioritizing what is most important for me to work on now. It was very encouraging to see what can be done in a short amount of time once a person gets organized. I especially liked how the author described the mental health issues that are part of being disorganized.
My niece is interested in reading this, so I'll pass it on to her. When she's done, I will keep it on my shelf so that I can review the tips. I made a great investment when I spent 50 cents on buying this book. It did take me a little longer than usual to read this book, because I would go back and reread sections to make sure I understood the information.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book for families new to organizing, Sandra Felton offers a step-by-step process that can be personalized to your home. She lists 3 Steps to Organize the House (Consolidate, Containerize, Condense), 2 Routines that Maintain the House and 5 Habits to Keep Clutter on the Run. Each chapter ends with Decision Time and gives numerous practical tips. I would rate the book 3.5 stars because it lacked anything new for clothes closet organization.

[Robbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too wordy for my liking

There is an unconventional amount of filler in this book. I guess I was expecting something a bit more simple and concise. I feel like I spent a lot of time searching for advice on actually organizing, and instead I found stories from other people. The book seems to glaze over the basics unfortunately. Some books are worth returning to, but unfortunately to me this one misses the mark.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. I quit on page 65. Any author that suggests I rank items on a 1-15 scale is not the right match for me. If that matched me, I don't think I'd need to read a book about smart organizing.

I'm not sure who the audience of this book is. It feels so complex, trying to touch on psychology, religion, and organizing, but not in a way that works for my brain. I'm comparing this to Dana White's style, but it reminds me of an Emily Barton book. I don't finish those anymore either.

[Wolfie0516 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful

Great tips and checklists to use. Helps you prioritize and out things in a realistic perspective so very practical. She emphasizes working to attain 20% change rather than trying for 100% and perfectionism that is unattainable.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved her thinking around doing the 20% that makes it 80% better. And on not being over organised!

[LemontreeLime · Rating 2 out of 5]

S’Alright

[Jean Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Applies the 80/20 rule to home organization.

[Stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe i managed to grab this little gem for free. Although I consider myself organized (this book showed me i may be a bit too organized) there was something even for me there. Lots of useful tips from many different organizers too. Lots of advice to pick and choose from. Something for everyone.

[Dogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Bare bones methods--what are the 20%activities that give max result? I'm getting to this point with some consistent easy routines. DPL e book via overdrive

Re-read in 2019, good support of bare bones methods. DPL ebook via Libby

[Sabrina]

Oh how I need this.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few good ideas here, but not a whole book's worth. Just don't ask how many of those ideas I've put into practice.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love books on organizing and homemaking, but found this one to be extremely repetitive and rather boring. Nothing useful in this one for me, unfortunately.