The Quick Guide to Home Organizing by Sandra Felton

by Sandra Felton

This proven forty-day plan helps readers achieve a well-ordered home and life. Practical and easy to apply, it shows how to get control of clutter, chaos, and disorganization. Each day readers learn tried and tested organizing tips such as how to recognize the time realities of modern life, keep email and paperwork under control, simplify solutions, and more. An orderly home is only forty days away!

Genres: Nonfiction

Paperback

First published March 18, 2014

Reviews

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent guide for organizing and eliminating clutter! The book is divided into small and manageable chapters (perfect for someone really wanting to spruce up his space without spending too much time getting tips on how to accomplish that) and each focuses on a different aspect of the home. I particularly liked the section with laundry tips. Very helpful!

This little book would be perfect for someone looking to pare down and clean up and would make a great housewarming gift. Recommended.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ok if you're looking for some home organizing tips. It's 40 short chapters and the author says to read one a day one your way to a more organized home, but I just read it straight through. Since the book is from 2006, some of it is outdated. It was a little funny that the book predicted that people wouldn't really use digital cameras in 10-20 years since they added cameras to phones.

Some of the tips were just common sense like putting things away after using them, but I found one or two that I can use. The author seemed really stuck on the idea that people were wasting too much time on hobbies (especially crafting), kept suggesting quitting them and even dedicated a whole chapter on how to organize the items for those hobbies. She also really wants me to go to her website. I get self promotion, but by chapter 5, I knew the website by heart.

There are little bubbles on the pages with quotes from famous figures or the author about cleaning and organizing that might be helpful. Some of them were good and some seemed condescending. I also don't get why bible quotes were included to prove points in this book, but I think that's more of a personal gripe.

[Edythe · Rating 2 out of 5]

What you can learn from this book is the different organizational styles:

The Planner- develops basic strategy with a master plan and calendar
The Delegator- appoints or hires other to help bear the load
The Lister- has weekly and daily lists for activities
The Vigilant- completes a task shortly after it presents itself
The Worker- puts in long hours, needs to remember to take a break
The Focuser- prioritizes and handles important things efficiently

Which style can you claim? Personally, I would be the ‘planning lister’ being that I like to put everything on a calendar listing daily activities. In addition, included is the six-week program, The Maintenance Program. The program entails a weekly projected bullet list of things to do, which is actually nothing new in the world of organizing.

This home organization book is focused on instructions for total order in your life, with a few tips on actual home organizing. I was looking for new and creative ways to re-organize the dining room, bedroom, and bathroom. I chose this book based on the picture and short synopsis, and it does not live up to the challenge in that respect.

The resources list at the end of the book, in my case, would be a little more helpful in looking for the home organization I was seeking. I recommend this book to persons who want to organize their lives more than just a room in their home.

I received this book from Revell Books through the Net Galley Review Program for an honest and unbiased opinion.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

And now for something completely different...
I know I run a blog about new adult and young adult books, but I really wanted this book when I saw it on NetGalley because I am a huge organizing freak!
I do what I can, but dream of doing even more organizing in my life. I scour Pinterest looking for things that will simplify my life.
So I requested and was granted this book, and I was very excited just looking through the table of contents.
Some of the chapters include "Sort and Store Paperwork, "Free Yourself from the Burden of Options," "Zap Hidden Hindrances," and "Revamp your Family Room and Kitchen."
Each chapter is very take-charge and asks you the hard questions, which you can't help but ask yourself. Sandra Felton gives very specific advice about what to do, how to approach each process and she does it in a comforting way. "Let's do this together."
Organizing and cleaning and tackling the clutter in your life can be very overwhelming. While the steps are broken down to Day #s, and the idea is to do this in 40 days, I like the idea of tackling this book just one day at a time, but not necessarily 40 days in a row. You don't have to do it all at once, but just do what you can and then go on to the next when you're ready.
I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, as there are so many about the organization of the house and spaces, it has the added advantage of being an example of the schema that the author proposes to decluttering your home, assuming that the house is not nothin more than "the extended self", freeing us from the unnecessary things and starting now, we do us the favor of not drag our problems forever. Listening to the world optimization and depriveing us of all the useless things of which we tought we could not do without, seems pretty easy to live better our space and therefore our lives.

Questo libro, come ce ne sono tanti riguardo l'organizzazione della casa e degli spazi, ha comunque l'indubbio vantaggio di essere un esempio dello schema che propone l'autrice per decluttering la casa; partendo dal presupposto che la casa non é nient'altro che "il proprio sé" allargato, liberandoci delle cose inutili e cominciando subito ci facciamo il favore di non trascinarci i problemi per sempre. Al grido di ottimizzazione e di privarci di tutte le cose inutili di cui non potevamo fare a meno, sembra piuttosto semplice vivere meglio il nostro spazio e di conseguenza la nostra vita.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND REVELL FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Abigail Burdett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This books was ok but it was more about how to not be a hoarder than how to be very organized.

[Leanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful Tips

While I was reading this book, I found many tips that I would like to try. There were some places where I felt like the book was written just for me. I did a quick read on my kindle, but I also found the paperback at a yard sell and I am going to read it and try to apply changes as I go.

[Tera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent guide with a variety of tips on how to look at things differently. Breaks things down into 40 day goals that can be implemented at readers own pace if needed. To me it was nothing amazingly special but I did feel it was pretty good none the less.


ARC from NetGalley

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, concise guide to organization. This book doesn't attempt to make you change your whole life in order to get things done, it just nudges you into doing things that fit into your life. A great resource!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful tips! Written in 2006, some of the technology-related bits were WAY out of date (fax machines?)...but not enough to hinder the message. The forty day set-up could really be helpful for someone who benefits from a long-term challenge.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

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