Perhaps my expectations were too high after reading all of the 5-star reviews, but frankly I'm disappointed in this book. I've tried to give it a chance several times over a couple of days, but can't get over my distaste for it. I get the distinct impression that it was written mainly to promote the Professional Organizer industry and sell the author's own products.
The description said it would be useful for stay-at-home moms as well as business people. It's true that every household has paper to handle, but the system described seems like overkill for a personal or household filing system. In addition, no other aspect of home organizing, child-related or not, is covered at all. I found the author's website, where she has lots of family-oriented tips, but none of them have made it into this book.
I don't agree with another reviewer who said the book was well-organized. There are questions you are supposed to read to determine which chapter to delve into first. Instead of having all the questions at the beginning of the book, they are placed at the beginning of each chapter. So you have to go back and forth through the whole book looking for each set of questions just to try and pick which chapter to start actually reading. Also, there is no index.
In the introduction, we learn that "what Thomas needed most was a pair of incredibly fabulous new shoes." His eventual purchase of a pair of $540 handcrafted Italian shoes apparently changed the direction of his life. The implication that throwing money at a problem will solve it continues throughout the book.
We should buy a $50 system of file folder labels (yes, just the labels, which the author just happens to sell). We're told we need to buy 8 boxes of hanging file folders (that's 200 folders, but "you will really use that many and maybe more")-- even though in another place she talks about a writer who only required 128 files. (Hmm, you would think a writer would require more files than the average person, yet we're all supposed to buy 200 at the outset?) There's little instruction on what can be the biggest part of getting your papers organized, and that's deciding what can be tossed and what can't. She simply says to "toss the unimportant papers" before sorting into her categories, and that if you feel overwhelmed you should hire a professional organizer. Supposedly hiring an image consultant will save you thousands of dollars--but I can't see it unless you've been spending wildly on clothes to begin with. There really isn't that much meat in the clothing chapter; if you want more detail you have to buy her "essential wardrobe elements" booklet ($5.95 to $11.70 with the form in the back of the book, depending if you want to download it or get a paper copy.) Contact management software costing "between $100 and $2000" is suggested.
Granted, the book might have been written before the financial meltdown of late 2008, but in the current economy some of this stuff just sounds ridiculous.
The first five pages in the paper chapter are wasted on why you should try to get papers under control. If someone has picked up this book, they are already sold on the idea. There's a whole chapter just on organizing office supplies, where she suggests simplistic things like keeping printer ink on hand so you don't run out. There are lots of garden-variety tips you read everywhere, like not checking your email too often, using one calendar, opening the mail near a trash can. The concept of grouping tasks together, like making all your phone calls at one time, is not new and has been promoted by many authors. Yet she's taken the trouble to create a trademark for her version of this old standby as "Umbrella Your Day." That was about the last straw for me; just too much of the author trying to build her business and her industry, and not enough new, substantive content. There is even a chapter at the end encouraging people to become professional organizers.
There are plenty of other authors who have covered these topics better, in more depth, and in a way that empowers readers rather than trying to make them consumers of a particular product or service. I'm not naturally organized, and was desperately hoping for some new inspiration to start the new year right. This book didn't provide it, so I'll go back to my tried-and-trues:
Totally OrganizedThe Organizing Sourcebook : Nine Strategies for Simplifying Your LifeSidetracked Sisters Happiness FileGetting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free ProductivityThe Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free PlayHow to Get What You Want In Life With the Money You Already HaveMessies Manual, The: A Complete Guide to Bringing Order & Beauty to Your HomePlease note that my review is dated after the publication date (rather than before), that I actually purchased the book, and that I have written many other reviews besides the one for this book.
