Customer Reviews

Getting Organized

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read literally countless organizational books by some of the most famous authors and having just started reading this book, I am both surprised and thrilled at what I find! Stephanie really knows where we are coming from with our clutter! It's NOT so much a matter of straightening and becoming more organized...It IS about facing our fears of throwing stuff away! FINALLY! An organizing book that hits the nail on the head! It gets to the SOURCE of the problem so I can fix it permanently, not just temporarily with some band-aid techniques! :) I also want to take this opportunity to recommend what could easily be it's companion book, (also available from Amazon), called "Trading Your Worry For Wonder". It is an excellent adjunct to Getting Organized and helpful in overcoming the "What if I need it someday?" syndrome; the deepest source of the chaos in our homes and in our lives! I highly recommend them both and would give them 6 stars if I could!

When I first stumbled on Stephanie Winston's book, I thought that I had found a treasure! Then I asked everybody else that I know, and they said, "Of course! Her book is the best." May I please ask the reader why they had not told me about it? I buy organizational books every once in awhile hoping that they will do all my work for me. I have about 10. Some are real "killers". Details, details, details. Push, push, push. Then there are the voluntary simplicity ones. "If it's difficult, then don't do it." This is true! In my opinion (and it seems everyone else's), this is the best. You will find this book like a kindly companion guiding you along the way. My favorite is her method of choosing names for your files (no! She does not like a "miscellaneous" file. She will explain why after you start using her book). She suggests that you "feel" what name is right for a file. And it can be anything! But it will set off a trigger in your brain. This is a stroke of genius. I'm sorry to criticize. But this is a review. Another book which I won't name ("The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Organized" HA!) has all these horrible plexi-files that can be fitted together for a "complex" system. All it gave me what was a headache. Will Rogers stated, "I have never met a man I didn't like". Bill Butler stated, "I never read an Idiot's book that I did NOT dislike." Anyway, BUY THE BOOK. It is so simple. While accomplishing so much.

Whether you are an Oscar, a Felix, or something in between, there is something in this book you can use. The book itself is neatly organized into sections about managing time, money, paperwork, and your home, and is indexed so that you can locate what you need to know without reading it from cover to cover. There are step-by-step instructions for setting priorities and completing specific tasks--however, the basic organization methods outlined are very flexible, so that they can be applied to almost any untidy situation, ranging from the annoying (such as continually running out of shampoo, or not being able to find your favorite shirt) to the potentially catastrophic (you have to itemize your tax return, and you always misplace your receipts and canceled checks). Even if you have it reasonably well together, this book can be quite helpful, since Ms. Winston also offers shortcuts for onerous tasks, suggestions for living within your means, and creative storage solutions--and who has enough time, money, or closet space these days?

I have read many books in my life, many of which I have made the grand statement that my life was altered afterwards. None has had such an impact in such a short period of time. In the beginning of the book, Ms. Winston provides readers with a self-evaluation. My wife and I sat down and did it together, and reluctantly added up our points. We ranked in the "Disorganized to the point of Chaos" category.

But, in the past two weeks or so, we have begun to implement the author's suggestions, many of which boil down to common sense. One reviewer is harsh in his criticism because of dated material, because of her suggestion to use carbon paper to make back-up copies of all correspondence. I, too, was surprised at this anachronism in a newly revised edition, but I forgave her for all of the other great advice. If you too are disorganized "to the point of chaos", BUY THIS BOOK. It may change your life, too.

This book spells out what areas to organize and thats it. It covers everything from files to designing custom closets--but with very little detail. I went through this in one night and felt very cheated. I did get the use of one good tip--how to get rid of my magazines. But that's all! Either this book is very elementry or I am extremely organized--and I know the latter is not true. If your really serious about orgainizing, keep looking. I wish I did.

I thought it was a book for housewives until I read it thoroughly. Men can use this infomation, too. I borrowed it from a colleague and had to buy a copy for myself. I'm glad it's still in print. Bottom line, anybody who has 'stuff' can use this book. Do you know anybody who doesn't have 'stuff?'

I have been collecting and reading organization books for the last 21 years. This was one of the first books I purchased, in 1978. It is an excellent step by step simple way to begin putting things in order- From paper to finances to home. It is written in such a way that a man or woman could read it and benefit!

This book is an overly-detailed, almost academic discussion of organizational theory. Some of the basic organizational principles include listing a project's "processes or system[s] into manageable parts" , breaking down projects into prioritizing projects by how aggravating they are, tackling the #1's first, etc. Her discussion of how to compose and analyze the daily to-do list is overly-detailed -- for example, calling a student's mother to determine why he didn't show up for class yesterday is an immediate task that just cropped up, while getting in touch with an equipment supplier is "a basic, medium range task." What does that mean?? And I don't think most of us struggle with figuring out what is really important and what isn't; what we need is something that will help us accomplish what is most important. The financial planning section is overly detailed -- assess income, analyze fixed expenses, prepare a budget, etc. I'm consulting a Getting Organized book because I need to get motivated and empowered to plow through the pile of clothes on the floor and the pile of papers on my desk -- This book is better-suited for folks who are already organized and want to be even more so. This book might be a good choice if you are already reasonably organized and are looking for detailed discussions of the processes that might enable you to become more organized in all aspects of your life. If you are currently at a lower level of organization, I recommend Don Aslett's books on clutter; for me, they have been much more readable and useful.

This book is so outdated as to be laughable. She talks about carbon paper and white-out! Computers are treated as something for technologists. She says Sidekick is the most popular software. In fact it is no longer marketed or supported. Memory typewriters are compared favorably to computers! However, her Two-List Time Plan was worth the price of the book.

When I took over the daily operation of a National Guard Armory I wasn't sure what I was getting into. The Armory had a staff of one, Me! I needed to get organized fast! The administrator whom I was replacing had his own system in place. I was fortunate, I was able to work with him before he left for his new assignment. The National Guard runs and thrives on chaos and a crisis management system. Every day there was a new crisis to cope with, mostly the making of the higher headquarters. There was always too much useless work and never enough time to get it accomplished. At least once a day I would get a phone call from higher headquarters about some useless piece of paperwork the just discovered they needed yesterday at the latest and now wanted everybody to jump through hoops! Short and long term planning were never practiced, just given lip-service. Winston's book was a great starting point. It helped me get ahead and stay ahead of the Puzzle Palace Jockeys. There is something here for everyone. If you learn just one new idea and put it to work for you, the price of the book will have been well worth it!