Product Description
Professional organizer Peter Walsh presents this witty and enormously practical guide to getting it — and keeping it — all together. With more than 500 easy-to-follow how-to instructions, How to Organize (Just About) Everything is packed with shrewd advice and insider tips to make your home, your workplace — indeed, every imaginable aspect of your life — run more smoothly. Step-by-step solutions help even the most organizationally challenged take on: Kids Sched… More >>
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It’s hard to describe a book of over 500 pages as superficial, but that’s exactly what it is. Chopping up complicated problems into a half-dozen “steps” might make them seem more achievable, and it does make fairly entertaining reading, but it trivializes the very real problems that I think most people would buy a book on organization for. I don’t think it will help you get a handle on your paperwork or household clutter, won’t help you organize your weekly schedule any better, and won’t give you a more serene approach to inevitable problems. Elements of those challenges are touched on in dozens of one-page chapters, but not in a systematic way. This book makes you work way to hard to dig out the advice you need.
Reading through the other reviews, I note that most say they look forward to reading the book or plan to keep it as a reference. That’s fine, but it doesn’t make it a great book on organization for those who want to get or stay organized. For them, a single page to “Create a Flawless Filing System” is inadequate and a comparable amount devoted to “Become President of the United States” is absurd.
Rating: 3 / 5
I had high hopes for this book based on the 5 star reviews, and they were not even close to being met. Many of the lists were overly simplistic without any helpful organizing tips at all. Even more annoying was that virtually every list crossed referenced at least one other list, so one had to keep flipping around to get some sort of cohesive idea of what the organizational tips were. Perhaps if less time had been spent on titles like “how to win an academy award” , “how to fend off pirates” and/or “what to do in an ebola break out” (I am not kidding, these are actual lists)and more on actual real life organizing, I would have gotten much more out of this book.
Rating: 2 / 5
I’ve been following Peter Walsh’s advice since “Clean Sweep” was first broadcast, and it makes a world of difference. To have this advice – and more – in one place, accessible at any time, is invaluable! He addresses just about anything that comes up in life – home and garden, personal issues, office, social, careers – you name it! Each entry has step-by-step instructions, along with “Tips,” “Who Knew?” and “Warning” notes on the sidebar. The instructions are clearly written and easy to follow. Anyone who is “born organized” will find that this is a great confirmation of what they’ve been doing…and they will still learn more tips! A definite 5-star rating, and worth every penny! You won’t regret buying this book – I’ve read a lot of organizing books, but Peter’s is definitely the best of the lot!
Rating: 5 / 5
Perhaps if the book had been titled differently, I wouldn’t have been so disappointed. It seemed like many articles would be a stretch to be categorized under organizing and so specialized it seemed like many people wouldn’t even find helpful: “Become a concert violinist,” “become a catholic nun,” “Organize an archeological dig,” “start a knitting circle,” “organize a film festival,” etc.
Those subjects that were helpful were so short and general that it seemed to be total common sense, and usually could be distilled into 1. clear out the place 2. toss what you don’t need 3. go shopping for things to help you organize and 4. put it all back neatly in groups. I’m being overly simplistic but those who are looking for detailed nuts and bolts for getting organized will be disappointed.
If they had called it “500 Ways to Getting It All Together” it would have been more appropriate. However, calling it a book on organizing only fits in a loose sense.
On the positive side, I do have to say it was a nicely organized book in terms of layout and logical order!
Rating: 2 / 5
This acquisition is perfect if your purpose is to organize a household methodically. The author provides details on how to
weed junk mail, establish tickler files and calendar important
deadlines. The book assists in balancing home life with work,
budgeting and “to do lists”. The volume even covers the details
of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, as well as junk food avoidance.
The author provides websites for selling off unnecessary personal
items. i.e.
- Craigslist.org
- Bidadoo.com
- Monster.com job search
- Half.com
- Makeovermatic@substance.com
Purchase this book if your purpose is to bring permanent
organization into your house for the foreseeable future.
Rating: 5 / 5