Customer Reviews

Organizing the Good Life: A Path to Joyful Simplicity -- Home to Work & Back

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As I read Organizing the Good Life, I was not very impressed. The author touches on many of the common themes found in self-help books on Simplicity (turn off the tv, really listen to your kids, be present in the moment, get out of debt). But her reflection on those themes are very surface and generic.

What sets this book apart from other books about this topic is her choice to only "buy the best" (she spends $500 on a purse that is supposed to last her 20 years or so) and her advice on hiring out all of the mundane, time consuming parts of life. She has a person who runs her errands for her, a house keeper, lawn guy, reading tutor for her kids....and the list goes on and on. I agree, the help is nice. But you have to make a lot of money to support that payroll. She is very career driven, and drives home the point that in order for her to put her family first, career second, she HAS to spend all of this money for extra help. Well, to spend a lot of money, you have to make a lot of money. Unless your family is making quite a bit of cash, you will find yourself feeling like you just wasted your time with this book.

May I suggest Mitten Strings From God, or any of the Elaine St. James books instead of Ms. Rocks self-help book. Because in my opinion, Organizing the Good Life really only applies to a small sector of the American public, and regardless, rings flat and dull upon reading it.

I wish I could give this book 0 stars. I received it last week and read it in an afternoon. There's a summary page at the end of each chapter which Mrs. Rocks could have put into a $1.50 booklet and saved us all the $10.36 price of this useless book.
Most of the suggestions in the book can be found in magazines such as Family Circle, Woman's Day, etc. and other self-help books. I was sooooooo NOT impressed with Mrs. Rock's writing and advice. She must think we are all as wealthy as her that we can hire a team of people to run all our errands and purchase $500 hand bags, and lease a new car every couple of years. I laughed thru most of this book. Skip it. There are so many organizing books out there with real advice for all. Read some books by Julie Morgenstrern and Don Aslett, to name a few.

I was disappointed with this book. There were a few worthwile tips (such as going to bed early to take advantage of the more productive morning hours) but mostly the author solved her problems by throwing money at them. If I could pick anywhere in the country I wanted to live, buy $700 coats and hire people to run all my errands, hey, I'd be organized too! As for "simplicity"....there is nothing here that anyone with even a passing familiarity with the simplicity movement would recognize.

The author lays out in an easy to read and understand style real life-affirming steps to getting organized and ridding your life of clutter and negativity. I read this book in one sitting and then passed it around to all my friends.

A hard-to-put-down book (except I kept putting it down to go organize another closet or take a load of unused "stuff" to Goodwill) that makes you analyze how you want to use your time and money and space to accomplish a Good Life. And to come to the conclusion that Experiences are worth more than Things!

The book itself is organized; to summarize every chapter, Celia Rocks has an illustrated box that says, "If you'e been paying attention, honey, here is what I hope you got:" and then bullets the gems of wisdom like "* If you think you have too much...STUFF....in your life, you do. Make lists and determine to pare down."

Celia Rocks' book is truly a lifesaver! She offers extremely valuable advice on everything from clutter to relationships to finances. The writing flows making it a fast read. There is a lot of good stuff between the covers of this book -- including many ideas I have yet to see anywhere else! I learned a lot of new things that have already started to improve my life. Read it!

What is most important to each of us? Ms. Rocks seems to have really listened to her own negative experiences about debt.
Her advise in chapter 9 especially hit me, that to focus on what we want requires stability and responsibility.
I have been in debt and know that it is hard to focus on anything else but the pressure of bills and not having enough to get by.
She suggests to let go of credit cards and pay them down first.
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
Spend quality time with your family, work toward acheiving learning new enriching skills. Focus on simplicity in life.
Any book that states these real truths has my attention.
Our lives are short enough. We are temporarily here.
In short make it simple, cut your extraneous attachments and allow life to enter in. Organizing the GOOD life is a GOOD idea.

This book is wonderful! I have told all my friends about it but won't let them borrow it because I plan on reading it again and again. I found myself shopping for no reason, my house much too cluttered and no time to get anything done. I knew I was ready to make a change and once I read this, I realize its not that hard. The book is advice on how to declutter your life and be good to yourself and your loved ones. It offers real life examples and lessons. It has become my bible. I strongly suggest this book to anyone who would like a little more organization in their life.

While Celia Rocks has a few good suggestions, you'll need money to follow several of them. She leases a new car every 3 years because "there's nothing like driving a new car." She saves time by hiring an "errand runner" for ten dollars an hour. She bought a $500 purse and after a few years the latch broke. She was able to return it and get a $250 credit which she used toward a new purse.(How thrifty and organized!) And finally,this is my favorite. She hired someone to organize and put all her photos in a scrapbook for $1,500! The subtitle of the book is"A Path to Joyful Simplicity" Ms. Rocks states that on her path to "the good life" it made sense to stop letting work get in the way of her twice weekly visit with her personal trainer. This is simplicity? I guess it all depends on your tax bracket.

Nice, concise book about making things happen for you the way you want them to. Her point is that if you treat yourself well, you and others will treat you as a quality person and you will be happy. However, many of her "solutions" are totally unrealistic for the average person - she has secretaries, lawn guy, babysitters, grocery delivery service, and lots and lots of money to make her life the way she wants it - not too many people have the kind of cash that you'd need to run your life this way. And her insistence on buying quality at any cost is a bit extreme - buying a $500 purse or a $1000 coat so you never have to buy them again does not appeal to me. I like buying a new purse or coat every now and then. She also make the ludicrous suggestion that you if you can't control your impulse buying, get out a $100 bill, spend it all, and then dump your purchases in the Goodwill bin on your way home. Now that's just absurd. Its a good book to get you thinking about you can change your life, but you'll only get so far with this book unless you happen to have a lot of disposable income and the ability to just move any time you feel like it.