377 of 399 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Clutter for your Kindle..., April 28, 2010
This review is from: Living Organized: Proven Steps for a Clutter-Free and Beautiful Home (Kindle Edition)
First get ready to spend a lot of time reading why some people are Messy. The first half of the book is devoted to explaining why some people are messy and come across as a sales pitch for her other book(s) and Messies Anonymous.
Here is the plan... get three boxes, one for items to keep, one for items to give away, and one for items to toss. Now pick a room and clean it. If you come across an item that doesn't belong where it is put it in the keep box (and when you get to the place it actually belongs put it away), if it is something you don't want but is of some value put it in the give away box, and if it is trash throw it away. Once you have finished that room, go to the next.
Then buy lots of supplies so you can organize your stuff so it doesn't get messy again.
Your husband and children are worthless and will do nothing but hinder your efforts, and you should go around throwing away their belongings that you don't think they need.
Also hiring someone to take care of it might be a good idea.
Once you have taken care of the clutter then you can actually clean stuff and buy all new furniture and decor because you will realize how everything in your house is ugly.
I just saved you however many hours it would have taken you to read this book.
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87 of 92 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Updated Messies Superguide, August 8, 2006
Yes this is the updated version of the Messies Superguide. And I'm so grateful. My Superguide was so well used, it was losing pages! Here and there, there is updated info.
Basics:
Each chapter ends with short questions for you to answer. These are questions to get you to the core of your problems as a messie. Once you know your weaknesses, you can fix them. In later chapters the questions get you to analyse, create strategies, and attack the problem....much like Morganstern's book, Organizing from the Inside Out.
Only this book was written first and explains WHY we do what we do.
This book is wonderful in explaining why some of us are messy, are packrats, are hoarders, are depressed, are afraid to have people over to our homes. And what makes this book so life changing is the fact that it isn't just Sandra's life(which it is) it is also Sandra's RESEARCH! She talks about research on how the brain works and why some of us are messy.
This was really helpful to me. It is one thing to hear, I'm a messy, your a messy we are ok. Lets try to figure out how to help ourselves. It is quite another to hear, research says this is why you are a messy. With this knowledge you can get to the core of your problem.
Another point that sets this book apart from others is Sandra is not a cleanie (This is a person who is naturally able to clean and organize). The benefit to her being "one of us" is that we are much less likely to feel put off or insulted. Then we are able to make progress.
While a previous reviewer is correct in stating there are no direct tips and hints on organizing your home, I believe that is one of it's strongest points. Many a cleanie has written books telling you how to arrange your house. How many of each item you should possess.
The problem, you don't fix yourself! You don't deal with the core problem so the house falls apart again and you go purchase the next book by a cleanie.
They make money and you add another book to your clutter. sigh.
With this book I have made great strides in decluttering and organizing and I have not slid back into the clutter of things everywhere.
If you are a messy, you gotta have this book!
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39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth reading if you're messy, March 12, 2006
When I moved into my first apartment I was faced with a terrible dilema. My mother had always kept our house in good shape, that is of course for myself and my sister's room who were in a continual state of disarray. Therefore I learned to enjoy a clean house without actually learning to do it myself. I was miserable in my own apartment! Thankfully for Christmas my mom got me Living Organized as well as Smart Organizing and The New Messies Manual by Sandra Felton. Living Organized is great for pointing out habits that need to be replaced that lead to disorganization, especially for those of us who are easily distracted, and Smart Organizing is more about what to do once you're aware of your behavior. I haven't made it to the third one yet, but am saving it for if I slip back into my old ways. It must be working because when my sister came to visit last night she said "wow, your place is so clean and organized."
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