45 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clutter Turned Comedy, October 13, 2005
This review is from: The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, And Keep Your Life Clutter-free (Paperback)
According to Rita Emmett, the Deadly SINS of Clutter require just a little repentance. If you are saving everything, insisting on bringing stuff into your house that you don't need or setting things aside until you "decide about it," then you will definitely want to read this hilarious book about clutter. She believes there are only four steps to eliminating clutter and gives the four primary causes of clutter.
She explains how you can prevent clutter from returning, forever. If you are tired of sorting, wondering how you accumulated so much "stuff," or just need to organize your house, then this book gives excellent advice and even a "clutter quiz."
The book begins with a funny letter and then introduces you to the clutter generation. There are wonderful bits of information like the inspiring:
"Cleaning professionals say that getting rid of excess clutter would eliminate 40 percent of the housework in an average home."
Rita Emmett is also the author of "The Procrastinator's Handbook" which only took her 38 years to write. She is a recovered "Pack Rat" who knows how to motivate with humor and insight. She gives advice on how to organize books, notes, greeting cards, paper clutter, business cards and clothes. She delves into creative storage ideas and give excellent advice on how to sort a closet. She also addresses issues like:
What do I do with all this furniture I just inherited?
Do I really need to put some things in storage?
Will removing clutter lower my stress level?
What do I do with all these holiday decorations?
Her advice on e-mail has been very useful on a day-by-day basis. I like her idea of not even opening some e-mails. If I see "FW" it is gone. You may have to get a little selfish with your time, but it is "YOUR" time.
I started to read this book while my mother was moving. She is now sorting her office, but we were able to effectively organize the rest of the house while I was there for a week. We had some funny moments sorting through the "junk box" and it was quite the healing experience to see a house filled with boxes turn into "home."
As an organizer at heart who has helped numerous people clean up the clutter and organize their houses, I can highly recommend this book. My mother says I should do this for a living, but currently I'm exclusive.
One of my own secrets for reducing clutter involves giving away things to charity and consistently going through my house to find things I don't use anymore. I think if you take one room or one closet at a time, it is much easier to deal with clutter. I also find that putting a pile of unrelated items in the middle of a room makes it easier to decide what you don't need.
Books organized. Check.
File cabinet organized. Check.
I had to laugh when I noticed the picture on page 144. My mother used to teach me to organize my room as a child by pulling everything out from under the bed and everything that was disorganized in the closets. There I would sit organizing until I had a wonderful sense of satisfaction I never forgot.
~The Rebecca Review
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Help for the Clutter-Overwhelmed!, September 17, 2005
This review is from: The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, And Keep Your Life Clutter-free (Paperback)
My name is Don. I'm a Clutter-a-Holic. I come from a long line of Clutter-a-Holics. Can we be saved?
My wife was so thrilled when she saw this book come in the mail that I thought she would jump into my arms with joy.
The only reason that we can see the floor in our house is because my delightful wife is a neat freak . . . and she constantly takes action to contain my piles and clutter.
If I leave town for a few days, many piles will permanently disappear. I can't find anything when I return, but they do disappear.
Rita Emmett uses humor to deal with us Clutter-a-Holics. I assume that she believes that if she can help us laugh at ourselves we'll do something about the clutter. I found that her best jibes describe my relatives, leaving me feeling superior for being so much less of a Clutter-a-Holic than they are. I'm not sure that was her intention.
The book points out the close ties between procrastination, wishful thinking and negligence . . . all of which contribute to clutter.
If you really want to get rid of clutter (without getting rid of your Clutter-a-Holic) this book offers a good plan: Be the Clutter-a-Holic's buddy in erasing clutter.
Although ostensibly aimed at the Clutter-a-Holic, this book is more for the Clutter-a-Holic's co-inhabitants.
I came away from the book feeling like I knew a lot more about how to get rid of clutter (such as replacing my piles with files), but not feeling much more incentive to eliminate clutter than before.
Now if a book can make me want to get rid of clutter, that would be something.
The best method for me is to simply have to move every so often. Every time we move, a lot gets thrown away. If I haven't opened a box since when I moved it, the box gets dumped. I like that system!
Seriously, this is one of the best anti-clutter books I've seen. If you want to get rid of clutter but don't know how, Ms. Emmett is your author.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Help for the chronically cluttered, September 16, 2005
This review is from: The Clutter-Busting Handbook: Clean It Up, Clear It Out, And Keep Your Life Clutter-free (Paperback)
We all accumulate some amount of clutter over time but some of us gather much more than our share. This book is for those people who tend to have clutter lying about consuming any and all flat surfaces available in their home. The author takes a light-hearted look at the clutter problem while still offering good advice, specific techniques, and encouragement to help not only clean it up but change your lifestyle so it does not become a problem again. For those who have chronically cluttered homes, offices, garage, or whatever, The Clutter-Busting Handbook is a recommended read.
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