Customer Reviews

Restoring Order(TM): Organizing Strategies to Reclaim Your Life

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

 

 

Vicki Norris is an author, speaker, local and national TV personality, organizing-product designer, and topnotch organizing pro with her own company - Restoring Order - and, as of the date of this review, six employees. From time to time, as an author and small business owner, I've used her and her employees' organizing services to my great benefit for six years. I knew she was writing a book and I expected it to be good. Now that I've read it, I feel very grateful that she wrote it.

The subject of the book is organizing. Both time management and space organizing are covered in an integrated way. None of the systems discussed are elaborate.

I'm wondering if Vicki gets what a powerful thing she did with her book. It creates a mental state that allows the reader (client) for the most part to solve their own problems. So with a book she's achieved the ideal consulting situation: The client makes lasting changes by virtue of her presence.

Here's what the book's doing for me right now. With her stories about various organizing situations, it takes me in and out of pain vicariously and then leaves me with either ideas or an action oriented mental state or both. Makes me want to act out scenarios that will bring about the same feelings as experienced by reading the book. Her stories also make me want to read her book again and again.

As she explains well, organizing is an ongoing process having a lot to do with decision-making. And that can happen every day and should be an integral part of life.

"Restoring Order" is not only habit forming, it's a book to embrace and be embraced by. If getting organized has seemed to be beyond your grasp for a long time, Vicki's book is likely to give you a huge payback for your money.

How does this book compare to other organizing books? I've owned several and skimmed a lot more. Many other books are good, as is this one, at helping you set up organizing systems. Where Vicki's book shines is in three areas: (1) customizing of your organizing systems (2) maintenance of your organizing systems and (3) motivation.

Minor point: The book isn't too large and the spine is classy looking, making it a comfortable fit for any office or home library.

Gift idea: Besides being appropriate for busy people who could obviously use it - business owners, parents, teachers, etcetera, "Restoring Order" would also make a fine gift for those going through a major transition. For example, college students (especially freshman and seniors), those looking for work, people who have recently moved or are about to move, the recently divorced, and the recently bereaved.

After reading this book from cover to cover, I found it to be a great resource and guide to help in getting my priorities in order.

I discovered that my priorities and values changed when I realized that time is a precious gift and more valuable than possessions. Vicki Norris gives you the chance to discover where your time and energy is wasted and the steps to remedy disorganization in your life.

As Vicki says "Not only will you learn organizing truths, principles, and strategies, you will learn how to become your own life manager." And that life will be much more personally gratifying thanks to Vicki!

Why do some people make neatness look so easy while others despair of ever seeing their desktop again? Is it something in the way they think, the habits they maintain, or maybe in the genes? Vicki Norris, a professional organizer, tackles her readers' disorganization through changing their thinking in Restoring Order.

Norris believes that people need to analyze why they are disorganized. Some don't know how to organize, while others are packrats, and others are overwhelmed perfectionists. She takes the reader through prioritizing, the process of organization, pruning your stuff, and preparing to organize. She then leads the reader into strategies for organizing, including getting the kids involved. This is less a "what-do-I-do-with-the-kids'-wet-mittens" approach, than a study of the thought processes going into organization. Along the way she throws in some how-to tips for office and home management. She also explains why many people fail in organizing, why shortcuts don't work, and why parents should keep computer equipment where they can oversee their children's ventures into cyberspace.

Norris enlivens the book with lots of anecdotes from her family life and entrepreneurial experience. She provides a pleasant, thought-engaging read that makes the reader consider those troublesome areas in your home or office. Now that I'm done reading, I think I'd better organize my laundry room. - Debbie W. Wilson, Christian Book Previews.com

Do you want to change? Are you tired of the disorganization that has claimed your energy, time and even money?

If you've tried all the tips and bought all the products and your home, office and life in general is still a mess, try reading and putting into practice Vicki Norris' Restoring Order: Organizing Strategies to Reclaim Your Life.

We've become a society that accumulate possessions, and we haven't had any guidance to dig out of our disorganization. Norris provides a detailed outline of how we sabotage ourselves (because we expect immediate results) and also a clear strategy to reclaim peace and organization by establishing our priorities and investing in a personalized plan.

Norris describes five basic ways people become disorganized; through:

1. situations,
2. habits,
3. family history,
4. social behavior and
5. chronic issues.

These five categories, if addressed can help the disorganized find their own remedies for their disorganization. The first step is intervention (getting help), followed by rehabilitation (the process of transformation) and maintenance (choices that protect your investment in organizing).

Organizing and staying organized is painful--and there are no shortcuts. But identifying that there is a problem and being disciplined in following your personal plan will result in success.

Armchair Interviews says: Freedom from stress and an increase in productivity is just around the corner if you commit to success. We recommend giving Norris' strategies a try.

I got this book because I thought Ms. Norris would share some specific strategies for getting organized. I didn't find any here. Instead, I found that 90 percent of the book was bashing and psychoanalyzing people's shortcomings. I was surprised at how much she put people down. I know I have a problem getting organized. That is why I picked up the book. I don't need to be brow-beat or ridiculed. It appears that Ms. Norris is lifting herself up by putting others down. You won't find any practical help here. Just a lot of psycho-babble. I'd give it a zero if I could.

I was disappointed. This book is okay, but nothing great. (Sorry, Ms Norris, you seem like a nice person but I felt the book came up short.) I kept waiting to get to the meat of the subject; her strategies for organization. I found many generalizations like, "Establish Systems" and "Consolidate Activities." There were many nice stories about people she helped, and those who would rather die than change their habits.

She promotes her web sites and her services. That's fine, but the products she sells are very similar to what you can buy at any office supply store, although her's look very well made and are therefore expensive.

Check out, "HOW TO GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT RESORTING TO ARSON" by Liz Franklin. She has many different approaches depending on your style and needs, and gives nut-and-bolts solutions. The book is also a fun read.

People find such humor in my well-organized life. Simply, I work well in an orderly environment.

I found Ms. Norris' book very insightful. Beyond my fine tuning the learned tasks of sorting, labeling, storing, and tidying, this book reminded me that organization is much more. Sure, the tasks are important and needed, but the objective is not to exclaim, "I HAVE CLEANED MY ROOM!"

As the book describes, organization enables me to identify and then focus on my priorities - the things the REALLY matter to ME. A great reminder!

I couldn't find it in her bio information, but I think Vicki Norris must be 'Professional Organizer meets Therapist/Counselor!' This book really helped me understand the reasons behind my clutter and disorganization -- as well as all the reasons (and encouragement) as to why I want to invest the time and energy to build systems that work for my family and me. No little 'stop clutter in 3 easy steps' pandering, but solid recommendations for better living!

She paints word pictures and provides catchy names for organization strategies (I loved 'pruning') that I believe will help me greatly. I'm looking forward to the holidays ahead to start tackling some big projects, armed with Ms. Norris' advice. I even bought books for 5 friends for Christmas!

Thank you, Ms. Norris, for helping me end my disorganization!

First off, I really enjoy watching Vicki Norris on television and seeing her work her magic. However, I don't think it takes 252 pages to convey the idea that if you are disorganized you need to assess your values and priorities before coming up with personalized systems of organization. I wholeheartedly agree that magazine articles and quick fixes are just band-aid solutions and don't work in the long run.

I faithfully read each and every page until Part 3, Organizing Strategies (pg. 179) at which point I started to speed read because I felt like I was being hit over the head again and again with the same concepts and very similar examples from earlier in the book. Including some self-discovery worksheets would have been helpful because it would make the assessment process tangible.

I still highly recommend it for individuals who need inspiration due to their feelings of being overwhelmed by the enormity of organizing their space.

Does anyone really know why their house fell into such a disorganized chaos? Get some insight into the cause of your clutter.