Amy Knapp's Family Organizing Handbook [Paperback]

Knapp (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Amy Knapp, businesswoman turned stay-at-home mom, discovered that the productivity for which she was renowned at the office disappeared in her home environment. She started creating tools to help busy moms organize their multifaceted lives, beginning with the Amy Knapp's Family Organizer engagement calendar-which now sells over 125,000 copies each year.

In this useful book, Amy gathers the best strategies, tips and ideas in a unique approach that goes beyond time management and organizing and gets at what's really important in life:
--Your family's unique style-there is no “one organizing method fits all”
--Why it's important to pay attention to the little stuff
--If it's not fun it's not going to happen
--Expectations can make or break you
--This is for you and your family-no one else is noticing
--Organizing is a means to an end, not an end in itself
--This is the best thing you can do for your kids

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Knapp, who has built a small empire on helping stressed-out moms bring some semblance of order to their homes, follows up Amy Knapp's Family Organizer with a bevy of techniques and organizing strategies that can be tailored to individual needs and goals. Encouraging small steps rather than sweeping but superficial changes, Knapp urges readers to make organizing "part of your standard operating procedure, not an additional task that needs to be done when the ship is sinking." Included are detail-oriented ideas ("If you are writing an appointment on your calendar, write the contact phone number next to it") as well as ways to get a handle on the big-picture, longer term projects. Most insightful are her ideas for getting the entire family to help keep the home organized, throw out the junk ("Toss all the products you were suckered into purchasing") and keeping the home running smoothly. The text is brisk and to the point, which is a boon for busy mothers who have to read on the go. Though some ideas may take more time than they're worth ("Write your grocery list to roughly match your store's layout"), readers looking to cut down on clutter have a good starting point here.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

Make time for what is--truly important in life

Since each family is unique, there is no one organizing method that fits all. Amy Knapp’s Family Organizing Handbook uniquely compiles strategies, tips and ideas that go well beyond time management and organizing to help your family make time for what you all most want-more togetherness!

You’ll find out:
--Why it’s important to pay attention to the little stuff
--How to make organizing fun for the whole family (because if it’s not fun, it’s not going to happen)
--Why realistic expectations are key
--That organizing is a means to an end, not an end in itself

Organizing your family in a way that is compatible with your lifestyle is the best thing you can do for you and for your household.

Amy Knapp is a businesswoman turned stay-at-home mom who discovered that the productivity she was known for at the office disappeared in her home environment. She started creating tools to help busy moms organize their multifaceted lives-the Amy Knapp’s Family Organizer engagement calendar is a bestseller and has brought Amy into contact with thousands of moms who benefit from her organizing strategies. Amy lives in Michigan with her husband, son and daughter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.; 1 edition (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402207611
• ISBN-13: 978-1402207617
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,207,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Same-old things, July 23, 2007

By 

DustyMountainShadow "DustyMountainShadow" (back East!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Amy Knapp's Family Organizing Handbook (Paperback)

The author just keeps repeating herself. I was excited to have 365 ideas, but came to discover she just keeps saying the same few things over and over again phrased slightly differently. Save your money.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quick & Easy, May 1, 2009

By 

Christina Anderson "Citysteading Unschooler" (Springfield, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amy Knapp's Family Organizing Handbook (Paperback)

A quick and easy read full of valuable snippets of family organizing information. I've read a lot of organizing and family help books, and none of them have had as much info as this little manual that fits in your purse.

There are sections on every aspect of family organizing and happier living, including special sections worked in for how to get your family (and kids) to cooperate, and taking a little time for yourself every day to recharge your motivation.

The only other book I have found to be as helpful or fun to read has been Amy Dacyczyn's Complete Tightwad Gazette.

My copy even arrived bookmarked at the procrastination section, the part I needed most!

I read it in two days in my spare time, and if you know how hectic and lacking in time a cluttered home can be, that's really saying something! I simply couldn't put it down.

This is one of the few books that will live in my family's personal library forever.