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The Get Yourself Organized Project: 21 Steps to Less Mess and Stress
Finally, an organizational book for women who have given up trying to be Martha Stewart but still desire some semblance of order in their lives.
Most organizational books are written by and for people who are naturally structured and orderly. For the woman who is more ADD than type A, the advice sounds terrific but seldom works. These women are looking for help that takes into account their free-spirited outlook while providing tips and tricks they can easily follow to live a more organized life.
Kathi Lipp, author of The Husband Project and other "project" books, is just the author to address this need. In her inimitable style, she offers
easy and effective ways women can restore peace to their everyday lives
simple and manageable long-term solutions for organizing any room in one's home (and keeping it that way)
a realistic way to de-stress a busy schedule
strategies for efficient shopping, meal preparation, cleaning, and more
Full of helpful tips and abundant good humor, The Get Yourself Organized Project is for those who want to spend their time living and enjoying life rather than organizing their sock drawer.
Most organizational books are written by and for people who are naturally structured and orderly. For the woman who is more ADD than type A, the advice sounds terrific but seldom works. These women are looking for help that takes into account their free-spirited outlook while providing tips and tricks they can easily follow to live a more organized life.
Kathi Lipp, author of The Husband Project and other "project" books, is just the author to address this need. In her inimitable style, she offers
easy and effective ways women can restore peace to their everyday lives
simple and manageable long-term solutions for organizing any room in one's home (and keeping it that way)
a realistic way to de-stress a busy schedule
strategies for efficient shopping, meal preparation, cleaning, and more
Full of helpful tips and abundant good humor, The Get Yourself Organized Project is for those who want to spend their time living and enjoying life rather than organizing their sock drawer.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
163 people are currently reading
501 people want to read
About the author
Kathi Lipp
42 books340 followersKathi loves giving real help and how-tos to move people forward in every area of their lives. With humor and wisdom, Kathi offers hope paired with practical steps to live with meaning.
Kathi Lipp is the Publisher Weekly bestselling author of 17 books including Clutter Free, The Get Yourself Organized Project, The Husband Project, and Overwhelmed.
She is the host of Clutter Free Academy the Podcast, runs the Facebook group Clutter Free Academy where 8000 women (and a few brave men) learn to live free from clutter. Kathi speaks at conferences across the US.
She is featured on Focus on the Family, MOPS International, Crosswalk.com, Girlfriends in God and Proverbs 31 Ministries as well as a number of other media outlets around the country. And she’s a featured expert on clutter for Women’s World Magazine and has been named “Best of Broadcast” on Focus on the Family twice.
Kathi Lipp is the Publisher Weekly bestselling author of 17 books including Clutter Free, The Get Yourself Organized Project, The Husband Project, and Overwhelmed.
She is the host of Clutter Free Academy the Podcast, runs the Facebook group Clutter Free Academy where 8000 women (and a few brave men) learn to live free from clutter. Kathi speaks at conferences across the US.
She is featured on Focus on the Family, MOPS International, Crosswalk.com, Girlfriends in God and Proverbs 31 Ministries as well as a number of other media outlets around the country. And she’s a featured expert on clutter for Women’s World Magazine and has been named “Best of Broadcast” on Focus on the Family twice.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
December 30, 2015
Initial reaction: Practical organizational (with a somewhat religious leaning) guide that I picked up as a galley a long, long time ago (meaning I've had this galley since 2012 - yikes). I liked Lipp's easy to understand discussions and suggestions. Probably rating around 3.5 stars overall.
Full review:
Quick review for a quick read. At the time I'm writing this review, it's the point when the new year's rolling around and goal-setting/habit-changing might be on the minds of many people. I'm no stranger to organizational and personal productivity books - I've perused them on my own as well as gotten suggestions and approval for galleys via NetGalley.
So why is it that I find myself picking up a read that dates back from 2012? I'm actually disappointed that I totally overlooked this one when combing back through my NetGalley approvals (this was still on my Kindle app, believe it or not). For the most part, it was a fun read - maybe a little heavy on the humor in places, but nonetheless practical and feasible to follow. Kathi Lipp gives a combination of organization suggestions and personal/faith based anecdotes to organization in "The Get Yourself Organized Project". I personally found myself perusing through some of the suggestions and applying them to see how well they worked for me (something I usually try whenever I pick up books like this).
Some of the dialogue didn't apply to me personally (don't have kids yet), but it was good to keep in mind when I'm keeping spaces well in other environments. I though the faith-based (Christian) dialogue was light and accomodating for the most part. Also, some of the practical applications (STEM for Space, Time, Energy and Money) and approaches carried over well with each section of the home and lifestyle projects Lipp addresses.
I found that for me, this works as an additional reference to some organizational guides (rather than standing alone). It was worth the time reading, and I'll likely come back to it because of certain ideas Lipp promotes. It's billed as a organizational guide with a more casual approach/for people who aren't so focused on particular processes as much as results with faith based leanings (and personal anecdotes), so that's something to keep in mind for people who are interested in picking this up to see if it's right for you.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Harvest House Publishers.
Full review:
Quick review for a quick read. At the time I'm writing this review, it's the point when the new year's rolling around and goal-setting/habit-changing might be on the minds of many people. I'm no stranger to organizational and personal productivity books - I've perused them on my own as well as gotten suggestions and approval for galleys via NetGalley.
So why is it that I find myself picking up a read that dates back from 2012? I'm actually disappointed that I totally overlooked this one when combing back through my NetGalley approvals (this was still on my Kindle app, believe it or not). For the most part, it was a fun read - maybe a little heavy on the humor in places, but nonetheless practical and feasible to follow. Kathi Lipp gives a combination of organization suggestions and personal/faith based anecdotes to organization in "The Get Yourself Organized Project". I personally found myself perusing through some of the suggestions and applying them to see how well they worked for me (something I usually try whenever I pick up books like this).
Some of the dialogue didn't apply to me personally (don't have kids yet), but it was good to keep in mind when I'm keeping spaces well in other environments. I though the faith-based (Christian) dialogue was light and accomodating for the most part. Also, some of the practical applications (STEM for Space, Time, Energy and Money) and approaches carried over well with each section of the home and lifestyle projects Lipp addresses.
I found that for me, this works as an additional reference to some organizational guides (rather than standing alone). It was worth the time reading, and I'll likely come back to it because of certain ideas Lipp promotes. It's billed as a organizational guide with a more casual approach/for people who aren't so focused on particular processes as much as results with faith based leanings (and personal anecdotes), so that's something to keep in mind for people who are interested in picking this up to see if it's right for you.
Overall score: 3.5/5 stars
Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher Harvest House Publishers.
April 19, 2012
This is a fantastic book written with people like me in mind (you know, people who would like to be organized but don't think a little mess is the end of the world because there are things more important in life). Kathi Lipp has a no-nonsense writing style: funny, to the point, very sincere and candid. She does not pretend to be an expert, a Martha Stewart type. She just knows what the daily life of the average family looks like and gives us pointers on how to make it less messy based on her own experiences and organizational methods, as well as with the help of a few, very clever friends.
The goal is not to have a picture perfect home cut out from a magazine. The goal is to have a home organized around what works for you and your family; it has to work for you instead of you having to work hard to be organized. And we are not talking about your house only, no. Mrs. Lipp sets out to help us organize our life, from the basics (the living room, the bedroom and bathroom) to the more complicated (schedules, paperwork) and even the car. But again, she does all this not with a I-know-more-than-you attitude, but with the attitude of a friend who has been through the same thing and wants to share with you what works for her.
To be completely honest, we have a very messy home, and we've tried to make it better, but every clutter book out there seems to be written in a foreign language for us. Now, we have a space that looks good and works for us. This book made all the difference. The only thing that I didn't love about it was the use of so many plastic bins. I get that they are great (I use them, too), but if I were to use as many as were suggested here we would have very little free space. But we came up with other solutions, which in the end is what the author expects and encourages us to do.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
*I received a copy of this book from Harvest House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
The goal is not to have a picture perfect home cut out from a magazine. The goal is to have a home organized around what works for you and your family; it has to work for you instead of you having to work hard to be organized. And we are not talking about your house only, no. Mrs. Lipp sets out to help us organize our life, from the basics (the living room, the bedroom and bathroom) to the more complicated (schedules, paperwork) and even the car. But again, she does all this not with a I-know-more-than-you attitude, but with the attitude of a friend who has been through the same thing and wants to share with you what works for her.
To be completely honest, we have a very messy home, and we've tried to make it better, but every clutter book out there seems to be written in a foreign language for us. Now, we have a space that looks good and works for us. This book made all the difference. The only thing that I didn't love about it was the use of so many plastic bins. I get that they are great (I use them, too), but if I were to use as many as were suggested here we would have very little free space. But we came up with other solutions, which in the end is what the author expects and encourages us to do.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
*I received a copy of this book from Harvest House Publishers through NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
March 28, 2012
Finally, a book about people who don't necessarily love to organize, but want to for the sake of their sanity. This is the first time I read a book where good enough is exactly the goal. I appreciated the good tips like "Wait for the path to appear" meaning plan the organizational setup around the behavior of the people. There are lots more tips in this book that really focuses on just getting the job done and not having to go the Martha Stewart route. I also like the fact that it's short and to the point--there aren't a lot of real-life tidbits from other "real" people because, really, how real do we have to know about how junk and clutter accumulate in our lives? This is a cool book for those who just want to get it done without making it too complex or hard to maintain.
May 23, 2012
Kathi’s newest book is a great help if you want to have uncluttered space and a simplified life. She writes from the perspective of one who is not a naturally organized person, but who has found a simple approach and practical steps to make things work for her. I would recommend this to women’s groups to use along with a Bible study or prayer group as a way to encourage each other and hold each other accountable.
The book is broken down into 21 projects that can be done one a day, one a week, or however it works best for you. In addition, each project can be broken down into smaller, manageable parts. For example, instead of tackling the whole living/family room, you can start first with the toys, then the videos, then the magazines and loose papers, with a goal of keeping each work session around 15 minutes. Kathi approaches at each project with the purpose of using your STEM (space, time, energy, and money) to the best use for you and your family and in a way honoring to God. Each task begins with having 3 boxes (labeled Other Rooms, Put Back, and Give Away) and 2 bags (one for Garbage and one for Recycling). She then explains what goes into each and how to use them effectively. This concept is used over and over, even in theory when she gets to the tasks of organizing your computer desktop and files or cleaning out your purse.
As a fairly organized person, I wondered if I would find anything new and useful to me in this book, and I was pleasantly surprised. Kathi’s humor and wit, mixed with her common sense approach made this a fun book to read with many helpful ideas that I recommend to anyone who needs some fresh ideas on how to manage their space and time wisely.
Suanne Shidler
The book is broken down into 21 projects that can be done one a day, one a week, or however it works best for you. In addition, each project can be broken down into smaller, manageable parts. For example, instead of tackling the whole living/family room, you can start first with the toys, then the videos, then the magazines and loose papers, with a goal of keeping each work session around 15 minutes. Kathi approaches at each project with the purpose of using your STEM (space, time, energy, and money) to the best use for you and your family and in a way honoring to God. Each task begins with having 3 boxes (labeled Other Rooms, Put Back, and Give Away) and 2 bags (one for Garbage and one for Recycling). She then explains what goes into each and how to use them effectively. This concept is used over and over, even in theory when she gets to the tasks of organizing your computer desktop and files or cleaning out your purse.
As a fairly organized person, I wondered if I would find anything new and useful to me in this book, and I was pleasantly surprised. Kathi’s humor and wit, mixed with her common sense approach made this a fun book to read with many helpful ideas that I recommend to anyone who needs some fresh ideas on how to manage their space and time wisely.
Suanne Shidler
July 31, 2013
I must admit the cute retro cover of The Get Yourself Organized Project helped make me click "Buy," and I can't say I regret buying it. However, as with most self-help books, the reason you bought it was to help convince you to do what you know you should do, more than to seek knowledge about how to. Basically this book is commonsense presented with enough chirp, economy and empathy to make its repetitiveness forgivable. Because, read 15 pages of it and you've got the message already.
I did actually attack the dining room table strictly as ordered by the book: with three boxes and two bags, and, sure, it helped me get the job done, but they are not props that I will turn to again. As with the book itself, it was a fun way to get me motivated. One thing I have come away with that is of lasting appeal is the concept of STEM - but even then, it's an idea that's cuter than it is strictly necessary.
Final verdict: The Get Yourself Organized Project is not a waste of money if you need that voice in your ear telling you to get your ass into gear. Consider it an innocuous little fine-cum-intervention imposed by your conscience for being lazy.
BTW, I'd give it 3 stars if it weren't for the religious references, but maybe I should have noted beforehand that it's a Christian publishing house.
I did actually attack the dining room table strictly as ordered by the book: with three boxes and two bags, and, sure, it helped me get the job done, but they are not props that I will turn to again. As with the book itself, it was a fun way to get me motivated. One thing I have come away with that is of lasting appeal is the concept of STEM - but even then, it's an idea that's cuter than it is strictly necessary.
Final verdict: The Get Yourself Organized Project is not a waste of money if you need that voice in your ear telling you to get your ass into gear. Consider it an innocuous little fine-cum-intervention imposed by your conscience for being lazy.
BTW, I'd give it 3 stars if it weren't for the religious references, but maybe I should have noted beforehand that it's a Christian publishing house.
May 17, 2012
This is my kind of organizational book. She is realistic and takes things in small chunks. Rather than organizing to her expectations, she guides you to actually think about how you live in your rooms, shows you what you should be looking for, and then has you organize in a way that fits your own life.
In my experience, most organizational books focuses on the physical things in your life with a few focusing on your time. In The Get Yourself Organized Project there are sections that deal with your home, your family, and your personal life. She doesn't just want you to have a tidy home, she wants your entire life to be to the point where you can actually enjoy that tidy home.
I have slowly began implementing some of her ideas on organizing and am planning on getting our bedroom in order this weekend, and have enlisted my dear husband to help out.
Read more: http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.c...
In my experience, most organizational books focuses on the physical things in your life with a few focusing on your time. In The Get Yourself Organized Project there are sections that deal with your home, your family, and your personal life. She doesn't just want you to have a tidy home, she wants your entire life to be to the point where you can actually enjoy that tidy home.
I have slowly began implementing some of her ideas on organizing and am planning on getting our bedroom in order this weekend, and have enlisted my dear husband to help out.
Read more: http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.c...
April 19, 2012
Loving this book so far! There is hope for my cluttered home yet!
Read
July 8, 2019Just wasn't for me.
February 13, 2014
I bought this on a whim in the grocery store, because I'm always looking for ways to be more organized, and the cover looked like it would be a fun book. I was right about that. The author provided good information, but in a light hearted and humorous way, so that you felt like you were chatting about getting organized with your friends over coffee. It wasn't dry or technical. She uses lots of her friends' stories and tips too, which I appreciated.
I liked that she spent time on getting a variety of parts of your life organized, not just your house and work area, but also your schedule, your meal planning, and your computer, to name a few. That was great.
She did not delve into great depth into each area of organization, but would give tips and resources if you wanted to go into further detail. In the chapter "Your Schedule," for example, she gives 2 book recommendations, one on how to say no, and another on how to manage your time to be most effective (I hope I'm distilling that down correctly, since I haven't read the suggested book yet). In other chapters, recommends free resources that you can access on her web site. So I feel she gives you enough to think about and get you started, and then gives you places where you can get more info.
Some of the pearls I gleaned from The Get Yourself Organized Project: 1) For meal planning, she has you look at your calendar for the month and determine what kind of meals you need for certain days. You might want a slow cooker meal if you're going to be gone all day, but have a freezer meal if kids are coming home at different time, etc. She categorizes all sorts of meals, like freezer meals, planned leftover meals, on your own days. I never thought of that before.
2) Your to do lists should have a master list with the main projects you're trying to get done, then there should be another list with all of the steps that need to happen to get the main project done. She explains well why this works, and it made sense, and again was not something I had thought about.
The book's not overly religious if that's not your thing. Overall, an entertaining, yet informative read.
I liked that she spent time on getting a variety of parts of your life organized, not just your house and work area, but also your schedule, your meal planning, and your computer, to name a few. That was great.
She did not delve into great depth into each area of organization, but would give tips and resources if you wanted to go into further detail. In the chapter "Your Schedule," for example, she gives 2 book recommendations, one on how to say no, and another on how to manage your time to be most effective (I hope I'm distilling that down correctly, since I haven't read the suggested book yet). In other chapters, recommends free resources that you can access on her web site. So I feel she gives you enough to think about and get you started, and then gives you places where you can get more info.
Some of the pearls I gleaned from The Get Yourself Organized Project: 1) For meal planning, she has you look at your calendar for the month and determine what kind of meals you need for certain days. You might want a slow cooker meal if you're going to be gone all day, but have a freezer meal if kids are coming home at different time, etc. She categorizes all sorts of meals, like freezer meals, planned leftover meals, on your own days. I never thought of that before.
2) Your to do lists should have a master list with the main projects you're trying to get done, then there should be another list with all of the steps that need to happen to get the main project done. She explains well why this works, and it made sense, and again was not something I had thought about.
The book's not overly religious if that's not your thing. Overall, an entertaining, yet informative read.
August 28, 2012
I liked the idea of STEM (Space, Time, Energy, Money) and that you should focus on these things. There were some cute ideas such as having pull-out drawers under your sink and then two plastic containers on top, a mismatched sock bin, and just all the emphasis on if you don't use it, ditch it. Nothing really groundbreaking as a lot of it focused on children (not her fault, I don't have children) and she mentioned her husband a bit excessively. Not bad, may be useful for others and not the super Pinterest addict that I am who knew much of this already.
November 19, 2012
I was unfamiliar with Kathi Lipp's MO and didn't know she considered this a "Christianity-based organizational book" until after i'd read a few chapters. I can't even remember how i heard about it - it might have been on a banner of the library's e-book page - but cannot resist a book about organization so i put it on my Hold List. Anyway, this type of book is not one i usually like but the organization tips were solid and the bits about praying or organizing so you can become the person God wants you to be were innocuous enough to skip over if they don't apply to your life.
April 23, 2013
I've read up a lot on organization and this was the most realistic in my opinion. It motivated me to clean out my kitchen and pantry and I love it! It flows so much better now and it isn't a pain to find what I need. I was happy to see she uses some of the systems I have in place, but it helped me tweek them to be more efficiant and I am seeing such a difference in a few areas. Very easy read, author is funny and a Christian writer who includes spirituality in the mix.
December 3, 2013
The strongest message I took away from this book was to use the "paths" that are naturally created in the rhythm and flow of your home to help you organize. I'm not too keen on formulaic organizational books so the "21 days" idea doesn't really work for me. I prefer books that take a more behaviorist approach to clutter (like "Sink Reflections" by Marla Cilley) but there are some gems in here for sure. Good read.
August 14, 2015
Bummed out! I am always looking for new and creative ways to be organized, and I have liked a lot of Lipp's other books. With that being said:
A - I do not have kids or a husband so a lot of this was not practical advice for me
B- I am pretty organized and clean as it is - so there were no great ideas that jumped out, except I should probably clean out my make-up bag more than I do.
C - If you need some serious help to get organized, then this book is for you.
A - I do not have kids or a husband so a lot of this was not practical advice for me
B- I am pretty organized and clean as it is - so there were no great ideas that jumped out, except I should probably clean out my make-up bag more than I do.
C - If you need some serious help to get organized, then this book is for you.
March 30, 2014
This book had some great tips and really helped break down organizing into workable projects. I think the best tip was to work with processes you already have in place - e.g. if your key rings always end up in a bowl in your kitchen, consider that a process that works for you and your family, don't look to replace that.
January 21, 2016
I will be the first to say that I wasn't too sure about this book at first and only started reading it out of desperation. I found myself not only surprised but thoroughly enjoying this book. After tucking my children in to bed, time and time again, this is the book I would refer back to and leave on my nightstand for that reason. Surprising I know.
March 13, 2019
This is a great organizational help book. I like how she breaks down organizing into easy projects you can do simply with a little amount of time. It also helps to give you hints on how to make this a family friendly organization. Some of the tips she added from others are great. I cant wait to use some of these in my own home.
January 4, 2020
3.5 stars
This book has many good ideas, tips and tricks for going from mess to organized.
This book has many good ideas, tips and tricks for going from mess to organized.
November 6, 2012
This was a fabulous organizing book. I picked it cuz it was a Kindle book, but I'm seriously thinking of buying it. She has a good basic system that be used on either a small or large scale which she applies on rooms, closets and even your purse. Really neat.
March 6, 2013
I love reading books on organizing! (It's weird, I know, but I also love organizing closets.) This book was interesting and I really enjoyed reading the hints from other moms. I picked this up on a whim at the library and I'm glad that I did. Now back to organizing my office!
July 10, 2013
This book was awesome! Kept me motivated to organize my living space and my life! Everything is in the process of having a system and it feels great! Plus the author is hilarious and kept me entertained the whole time.
Thank you, Cindy Sutterfield for such an awesome gift!
Thank you, Cindy Sutterfield for such an awesome gift!
July 3, 2018
I loved this book. It inspired me to reorganize my laundry room, bathroom and medicine cabinet. The author breaks each task down to simple, manageable steps that anyone can conquer. Definitely recommend this to anyone that needs help organizing.
May 25, 2017
This book was excellent. The author gives great tips and techniques, without expecting every idea to work for every person/family. She gives a realistic approach to decluttering and cleaning your home, and simplifying your life.
June 30, 2014
An organization book for those who aren't naturally organizing personalities. Breaks down room by room in to a manageable system to get rid of clutter. My hubby needs to read this!
June 20, 2013
This book has some really helpful organizational tips. I especially liked her ideas for organizing kids' bathrooms.
July 24, 2013
love her books! excited to start implementing some of her ideas in my house, so i can start entertaining.
August 4, 2013
This book actually had a lot of practical and useful advice!!
September 4, 2013
I found some of the tips useful and liked the easy, conversational tone.
April 13, 2015
A bit repetitive, but helpful in the organizational way she walks you through the process.
June 4, 2015
I loved this book the suggestions already has helped me and I plan to use more. With two kids I need all the help I can get.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews