Book Review: “The Easy Organizer by Marilyn Bohn”; FW Media International

When you take a look around your house, do you become overwhelmed at the site of all the clutter? Do you have piles of stuff sitting in rooms that you’ve been meaning to “get to” for quite some time now?

Do you have t dig through random totes and boxes when you’re just looking for one particular item? The Easy Organizer can help you sort through ALL those things and rid of the things you don’t need anymore. So your home is nothing but organized and pretty.

I love this book because every single tip has quick, to the point instructions that will have those piles gone in no time!

Inside you'll find creative ideas for how to organize:

• closets and clothing
• children's toys and artwork
• storage areas
• entryways and mudrooms
• the kitchen
• the dining room
• living areas
• bedrooms
• bathrooms
• linen closets and laundry areas
• craft and hobby materials

HERE are some of my favorite parts of the book. Common sense stuff that we sometimes overlook or don’t quite fit into OUR schedules. These things are easy to do, yet we don’t always make them priorities. By keeping these things in mind, they will make not only our homes clutter free- but they will cut down on the stress of having a cluttered, untidy home.

DECLUTTERING

I really like the “keep likes with likes” paragraph. This explains that you should keep everything has something in common together. Such as drinking glasses, certain hobbies (you’ll keep your sewing stuff together, your crochet stuff together, and your scrapbook stuff together). That way when you begin looking for something, you’ll only have to look in one place.

“Clutter attracts more clutter.” This is absolutely true. A pile may start with just one item and then attracts MORE items. If you don’t put something away as soon as you use it, you’ll spend more time looking for it the next time you want to use it then NOW putting it away.

Make sure that you are going through your house and decluttering everyday. Don’t wait for tomorrow because you’ll say the same thing tomorrow. If you find something where it doesn’t belong, take the time to put it WHERE it does go. That way your home is tidy and free of clutter.

Tidy up every evening. Make sure that take 5-10 minutes every night before a certain time (such as your kids going to bed) to walk through the house and tidy each room. Make sure that you include your kids and husband. Give them “tasks” of putting away stuff that they had gotten out throughout the day. This will help teach your kids to be tidy, give them responsibility, and YOU aren’t having to do EVERYTHING.

TIME

We all want to spend more time doing things we LIKE to do, and less time fulfilling obligations. When we organize ourselves, we may find that we can finish tasks a lot quicker than if we were just winging it. If we add certain “obligations” together, things might go a LOT smoother. EX: It wouldn’t make sense to run to Target for example and then come home put stuff away and then head to the grocery. If we added those trips together, it would save time AND gas. Smart thinking and planning ahead will get you more time doing what you LIKE.

Being distracted is almost 95% of the reason why people have a hard time finishing more time consuming tasks. They can’t keep their mind where their mind needs to be. For instance- your sitting at your computer in your at home office. You’re writing up a new plan to present to your bosses the following week. If you are searching facebook, looking through twitter feeds, reading a book, texting friends, or even talking on the phone—this PLAN may go undone for quite sometime. SO while you’re WORKING on something important make sure to FOCUS on the task at hand. Nothing should be keeping you from being uninterrupted at this time.

Managing your time is something that is very critical to getting EVERYTHING that you need done. Whether it’s on your smartphone, or you go out and BUY a day planner- it could really help you keep organized. This way you can look at each day and know what needs to be done beforehand.

Start a schedule (THIS is what screamed out at me). I definitely need to do this. I am SO horrible at winging schedules and my LIFE suffers because of this. Make sure that the schedule works for your lifestyle though.

Start by scheduling what you DO everyday.

• Wake up time
• morning routine (cook breakfast, shower, get the kids to school, get yourself ready)
• meal times
• work hours & school hours
• appointments, meetings, your kids games and practices
• exercise
• Bed

Then you can start planning things AROUND the things you do normally.

Other advice the books gives:

• Multitasking efficiently so you’re getting MORE done in such a short amount of time.
• When the best time to shop and plan appointments for the doctor and dentist are.
• Clean out your purse twice a month so that you’re only carrying items that you need.
• Planning Meals; even school and work lunches a week ahead.

I am SO in love with this book. It doesn’t just teach you to declutter your HOUSE, but it teaches how to declutter your MIND by working more efficiently, setting schedules, and making lists.

If you’re a clutterbug like I am, this is a book that could work WONDERS for you. It has such an easy to follow, broken down instructions that it would be hard NOT to follow them. These are instructions to live your life by. I LOVE this book and will recommend it for EVERYBODY that needs even a little decluttering. It’s small enough to stick in your purse and be a motivational guide for you when you aren’t feeling like getting anything done.!

BUY IT: You can buy The Easy Organizer for $19.34 from the David & Charles Publishing Website.

 

Jessica Renee