The Messies Manual: A Complete Guide to Bringing Order & Beauty to Your Home [Paperback]

Sandra Felton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2005

This is the book that started it all! First published twenty-five years ago, The Messies Manual has helped over 350,000 people get rid of their messy habits. Sandra Felton's foolproof advice on organization has made this book a proven best seller that has helped organizers of all ages overcome a lifetime of messy habits. Expanding on the hot, new trend of home improvement television shows, this updated edition includes a new foreword and loads of insightful ideas. Presented in an easy-and fun-to-read format, this practical and perceptive book will help readers -organize activities -pay bills on time -keep a clean house -enjoy spare time without feeling guilty -and much more Felton's compassion, humor, and practical tips will help anyone make chronic messiness a thing of their past.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Do you constantly misplace books, keys, bills, shoes, pets, or . . . children? Are you tired of fighting an avalanche every time you open a closet or cabinet door? Do you never answer the phone because you can't find it? Welcome to the world of a "messie"! Before you run home and apply for a home makeover, let The Organizer Lady™ turn your anxiety into inspiration. Sandra Felton's practical advice will make your dreams of an orderly lifestyle become reality. Whether you are the "messie" or are living with one, The Messies Manual provides loads of resourceful tools that will help you - organize your activities - pay bills on time - keep your house clean - enjoy your spare time without feeling guilty With over 350,000 copies sold, The Messies Manual has a new foreword and a wealth of insightful ideas that will help you make chronic messiness a thing of your past! "Sandra expresses powerful ideas in an easy and fun to read format. I laughed and cried as I recognized myself in these pages."-Marsha Sims, president, Sort-It-Out, Inc. "Felton has done it again! The Messies Manual is a fun book to read, filled with practical advice and a voice of compassion that rings through in every chapter."-Judith Kolberg, director, National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization

About the Author

Sandra Felton, The Organizer Lady™, is the founder of Messies Anonymous, a group established to help women organize their households. She is the best-selling author of several books, including Living Organized and Smart Organizing. She lives in Miami, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Revell; Revised edition (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800759796
• ISBN-13: 978-0800759797
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In 1982 Sandra Felton was a disorganized wife and mom with three kids
and a full time job. Plus a chronically messy house. Desperately seeking
relief from clutter, she sought help from information in books and from friends.
She found the "secrets" that finally worked for her. Sandra's first book, The
Messies Manual unlocked how naturally disorganized people could apply those
secrets successfully to their lives. More books followed. With humor and good
will, sandra reaches out to those she calls Messies with words of hope and with
practical techniques that really work

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real help for the MESSIE, January 16, 2008

By 

P. Pierson (Idaho United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Messies Manual: A Complete Guide to Bringing Order & Beauty to Your Home (Paperback)

Ok, I admit, I am a MESSIE... I throw stuff down wherever it lands, I "stuff and shove" in a hurry to make my home presentable, I loose things continuously, I have too much and I am overwhelmed by it all!
I really hate the clutter around me, but haven't known how to change and make it stick.

I've read other books and still hold to much of what I have learned there, but I NEEDED to learn more, more about myself- what makes me tick- and how I can work with my own unique personality (Ok, so not so unique after all!) to not just "clean the house"-- but to kick the messie habits and reform.

I am in the process of "recovery." Cleaning out places that haven't seen the sunlight in 10 years. I am learning (with Sandra's help)- to SIMPLIFY, SORT and STORE- sounds easy doesn't it? NOPE! but easier with her help and tutoring.

This book is part of my journey- not just to a presentable house today, but to a truly peaceful home and lifestyle. I recommend this book to anyone who has tried and failed and is ready to try again.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must have for the forver messie, May 21, 2007

By 

megcate (Pitman, nj United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Messies Manual: A Complete Guide to Bringing Order & Beauty to Your Home (Paperback)

Sandra Felton is my hero! I was thrilled to see that I could order her books through amazon rather than having to go through paypal on the messies anonymous website. Although I receive her daily emails, this book goes into more detail about the personality of a messie and why we have a difficult time doing things that come so naturally to "cleanies". It also explains methods that make sense and help me to see how to get something accomplished without sacrificing the rest of my life. After reading several other books on organizing (which suggested Sandra's website in the first place), I feel this is finally the one that will help me truly reach my goal of an organized home. You will not regret making this purchase.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book and I AM organized!, May 8, 2006

By 

Joanne E. Boyd "Joanne Sgrignoli Boyd" (Harrisburg, PA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Messies Manual: A Complete Guide to Bringing Order & Beauty to Your Home (Paperback)

I love being organized - it makes my life so much simpler. But, I raised a "Messie." In fact, long before Sandra Felton wrote "The Messies Manual," I had dubbed my daughter "Messie Jessie."

So, why did I buy this book? I bought 3 copies for: my daughter, and my 2 stepsons - all of whom are in their early 20's. My daughter wasn't reading hers, so I asked to borrow it because I know I don't "know it all" and I am always happy to learn more, new & different, or better!

That's the bottom line - I learned more, new & different, and better ways of organizing! As a bonus, I learned how to help my ADHD husband while saving my own sanity in the meantime.

I want to read ALL of Sandra Felton's books! I love her easy style of writing, her humor, and her interjections of faith along the way.