Customer Reviews

Organizing for the Creative Person

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Dorothy Lehmkuhl and Dolores Lamping have provided a unique look at issues related to getting organized. When the words "get organized" are uttered, at least half of the American population shudders. There is no early education provided for those not blessed with the organizing gene. These people live their lives seeing being organized as magical. They live with shame, guilt, anger, defensiveness, and sadness. I know that this is the case because I teach them about organizing in Denver, Colorado. My classes have been the site of tears and shouting over the frustration of the inability to create organization. I share this with you because the book, ORGANIZING FOR THE CREATIVE PERSON, is the antidote for the frustration. I recommend it to every group when I speak. It provides such a unique interpretation to the word organized.

Creative people are visual and see this process of being organized in many different ways. They see it as limiting, as impossible, as an intrusion, as difficult to accomplish. They, too, yearn for time saved, relief from anxiety, and a way to increase their creativity and productivity. The analysis and understanding in this book of these issues act as permission to the creative to both get organized and to do it in ways which work for them. These are not conventional systems. Filled with tips about alternative ways to organize, solutions abound. This wonderful book can change lives.

In addition, ORGANIZING FOR THE CREATIVE PERSON has been chosen for study by the National Association of Professional Organizers as a text from which the national certification examination has been written. It has value, not only to those persons struggling to become organized in new ways, but also to the professionals in the industry of professional organizing, assisting them with deeper understanding of their clients. Whatever you interest in organizing, this is a must read. Sincerely, Mary Lou Lundberg, better known as Bunky, Former Chair, National Certification Process Committee, National Association of Professional Organizers and Owner, CHAOS CANCELLED, Denver, CO

I read this book while on jury duty. We spent a lot of time in the hall on hard benches. I regularly startled my fellow jurors by slapping my open hand on the wooden bench, and laughing out loud. Yes, I am now diagnosed a "creative/right brainer" -- especially when it comes to organizing. I have a shelf of books on this topic; I have hired professionals; I have two assistants, and only now realize why none of them understands me. THEY ARE ALL LEFT-BRAIN ANALYICAL ORGANIZERS! I found dozens of useful tips and suggestions. The biggest thing I was left with is this: THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH ME. All other organizing books are written for left-brain thinkers. Thanks to Dorothy and Dolores for finally writing a book for me. Get it, keep it, and tell all your friends who need this. You know who they are.

This is a wonderful book that hones right into the heart of the causes of the organizational challenges of many creative people. I thought I was a hopeless case until I read this book. It gave me so much hope and helped me to identify the way my thinking style affected my disorganization. It helped me to find new ways to overcome my lack of order and I am now much more confident and organized.

It's rather amusing that the few negative customer reviews actually prove one of the major points of this book: That left brain people have little understanding of the difficulties experienced by creative people, and, because of their analytical (and therefore judgmental) inclinations, they tend to be critical and think that there should be only hard and fast organizing rules, rather than methods that can be molded to individual needs.

This book is a classic, on book shelves for over ten years, and is the organizing "bible" of creative people. Because I personally know a professional organizer, I know that it was chosen by the National Association of Professional Organizers as a study guide for it's members and it is still regularly recommended by many professional organizers to their clients.

My recommendation: If you are the creative type and experience on-going organizational problems, buy this book! You will see yourself on every page. It changed my life, and it could change yours!

I was often puzzled by my inability to stick with the organizing tips from the many books I've read on the topic. Finally I discovered this book. It explained to me the wall-to-wall stacks of paper that blanketed my office.
My need to keep my work visible and accessible led to this "all out" array, but it also was hard to manage and retrieve. At last, I could understand where my resistance to traditional organizing originated.
You will recognize a lot of the tips here from other books on organizing, but the author relates them to the creative mind and how it applies to your style. It also explained to me when my cleaning efforts often bogged down due to my "global" view. Getting me to focus on detail and tackle one small part, made it all more manageable.

I have read this book about twice now and I believe the authors completely understand right-brained (RB) people and wrote the book in a way that works well for RB's. My belief is that the people that gave this less of a review were perhaps not as much in the RB mode as they suspected. The book uses diagrams, formatting, summaries, examples and specific advice very well, making it easy for us RBs to understand why we're different and how to make the most of it.

It all made sense after this book. I have the priviledge of being married to a left brainer, and I'm a classic right brainer. Everything in this book was right on the money. It helped both of us understand some of the conficts we've had and allowed us to focus on methods of organization and task assignments that worked for both of us. If you are a highly creative person (not necessarily an artist or writer, but anyone who thinks outside the lines), this is a must read.

We've maintained lots of closets over the years. Closets with drawers, closets with hanging space, closets with shevles. But somehow, they just never worked for us. And we never understood why, until we read this book. Not only does the book explain why (because the seemingly simple act of opening a door is actually a most signifcant block for a right-brained person), but the book also provides the complete solution, in words and in drawings. Fortunately, we picked up a copy of this book as we built our new house in Israel. We had originally scheduled a meeting with our carpenter to design our bedroom, which would have been one more futile attempt to design a series of closets which we would never use. Instead, inspired by the drawing on page 137 of the ideal right-brained bedroom, we cancelled the meeting with the carpenter, and built the bedroom according to the book's open-shelving "multiple doorknob" approach. Not only did we save plenty of money, but we ended up with an organizational system which we both use and enjoy. And although the authors warn that the doorknob system may be "socially unacceptable", we have both had great fun and received enthusiastic responses showing off the bedroom to our (many) right-brained friends!

This book is a life-saver for a creative person who can't find things, always feels overwhelmed, and has never been able to "get organized." The authors explain how creative people, who frequently are right-brain dominant, perceive and organize their world differently from left-brain dominant people. In other words, you're not necessarily *dis*organized, but you are *differently* organized. Just understanding the difference takes a huge load off your mind. Then they proceed to give very useful and practical advice for how to get and stay organized--*your* way

I would say that 90% of this book was mundane, same-old same-old. However, the 10% that was meaningful and useful for me was enough to make a difference in my life. Although much of the book didn't really move me, it was still easy to read and I didn't need to spend much effort finding the information that *was* useful to me. Admittedly, part of the reason I may not have loved this book is that I am not a right-brained person. I am a creative left-brainer who hates to organize.

The key tip I picked up from this book was to choose organizational systems that are highly visible. Drawers, cabinets, and closets that require opening and closing, and that hide things away from my eyes and mind, simply backfire. Since reading this book, I've moved away from drawers and towards shelves and bins. I've realized that the reason I pile things up is because I don't want to hide them away - so instead I organize them in plain sight.

At the same time, the book was not everything I hoped it would be, and I think there is a lot more that could be said. It's a good start to an approach to organizing for people who think differently - but I would like to see more. There was a bit too much "buckle down and accept that you have to do things the 'normal' way", when I really feel that a little more creativity could have come up with better answers. Part of the problem is that a book written in 1993, as this one was, is out-of-date. Computers offer great new options for organizing information, and automatic reminders take a lot of the effort out of maintaining a schedule (if you use a computer regularly, and many of us do). However, this books instead relies on old-fashioned pen-and-paper, instead of newer, more creative solutions.

I recommend this book to anyone who will listen. As a Professional Organizer, I provide trainings and workshops to help individuals deal with their organizing challenges. This book helps you see that there isn't a 'right' or 'wrong' way to organize...it's what fits YOUR style. This is more times than not a relief to people who thought they were doing it 'wrong'. Thanks for this wonderful information!