Clutterology Getting Rid of Clutter and Getting Organized!

Rating:
Summary: Mostly Clutter
Review: “Clutterology” lacks a strategy or plan for getting the reader organized, unless “get rid of clutter” counts a plan. Although the chapters are generally divided by rooms, the content of those chapters is not well organized. It’s a bunch of random tips, in no logical order, many of them annoying trivial. An early topic in the paperwork chapter is “paper clips vs. staples.” Filing comes later. And the first bedroom topic is bed linens--generally not the source of the mess in most messy bedrooms.

The book is full of clutter, such as cute little anecdotes about Nancy and her husband Mike, and tidbits about the British Royal family, having nothing to do with organizing. Does the reader need an entire paragraph about how many pillows Nancy and Mike like on their bed?

I got a few useful things out of the book: the chapter on how to prevent junk mail, a good list of questions to ask about each piece of paper, and the reasonable time periods for keeping various types of business records (bank statements, cancelled checks, and such). But I don’t think this book is worth anywhere near ....

Rating:
Summary: Mostly Clutter
Review: “Clutterology” lacks a strategy or plan for getting the reader organized, unless “get rid of clutter” counts a plan. Although the chapters are generally divided by rooms, the content of those chapters is not well organized. It’s a bunch of random tips, in no logical order, many of them annoying trivial. An early topic in the paperwork chapter is “paper clips vs. staples.” Filing comes later. And the first bedroom topic is bed linens--generally not the source of the mess in most messy bedrooms.

The book is full of clutter, such as cute little anecdotes about Nancy and her husband Mike, and tidbits about the British Royal family, having nothing to do with organizing. Does the reader need an entire paragraph about how many pillows Nancy and Mike like on their bed?

I got a few useful things out of the book: the chapter on how to prevent junk mail, a good list of questions to ask about each piece of paper, and the reasonable time periods for keeping various types of business records (bank statements, cancelled checks, and such). But I don’t think this book is worth anywhere near ....

Rating:
Summary: One of the worst organizing books ever...
Review: I like books on organizing & clutter removal & have read quite a few.This is one of the worst I've ever seen. The recommendations were neither helpful nor realistic & the author's writing style is annoying.

Rating:
Summary: I Liked It!
Review: I'm a messy person. Every once in a while, I try to organize my living quarters and my office. There are certain rooms in my house that I already have a very good organization system for (bathroom/kitchen), and others where the little details are out of control (papers on my desk at my office, "clutter" on the floor of my room and on shelves). This book gave very specific tips on how to think about your space, to let go of the items that are unecessary and to find proper space for ones that you decide to keep. The greatest part of the book is the compassionate understanding Nancy Miller has for the unorganized person's emotional attachment to clutter. She makes it painless and liberating with relatable chapter headers like "Don't Throw That Away- It Fits Something- I Just Can't Remember What!" It was so inspirational and easy, I reorganized my room the next day and cleared off my desk at the office. For people who constantly seem to be on the verge of chaos, these handy tips will add up to a giant leap towards organizing your life. Thank you Nancy!

Rating:
Summary: I Liked It!
Review: I'm a messy person. Every once in a while, I try to organize my living quarters and my office. There are certain rooms in my house that I already have a very good organization system for (bathroom/kitchen), and others where the little details are out of control (papers on my desk at my office, "clutter" on the floor of my room and on shelves). This book gave very specific tips on how to think about your space, to let go of the items that are unecessary and to find proper space for ones that you decide to keep. The greatest part of the book is the compassionate understanding Nancy Miller has for the unorganized person's emotional attachment to clutter. She makes it painless and liberating with relatable chapter headers like "Don't Throw That Away- It Fits Something- I Just Can't Remember What!" It was so inspirational and easy, I reorganized my room the next day and cleared off my desk at the office. For people who constantly seem to be on the verge of chaos, these handy tips will add up to a giant leap towards organizing your life. Thank you Nancy!

Rating:
Summary: Disorganized and Disappointing
Review: Nancy Miller starts off with the idea that it makes more sense to change your environment to fit you than to try to change yourself (or your loved ones) to fit your environment. Unfortunately, the book does not quite deliver the promised help in "getting rid of clutter and getting organized."

The chatty, conversational style is engaging, but it quickly wears thin as the same advice ("change your environment") is repeated again and again with few concrete suggestions for change. The book itself is disorganized, with Miller jumping from advice for the home to advice for the office and back again, with little or no warning. There are entire chapters on junk mail and holiday decorations, and then one chapter to deal with the rest of the house. The most helpful information - a clear list of how long to keep the important documents that tend to get shoved into boxes and file cabinets and never seen again - is buried in an appendix. The cartoon illustrations are cute, but they add little to the book.

In addition, the book is poorly edited. A second, revised edition should not be riddled with typographical errors or include entire duplicate pages inserted in the wrong chapter, nor should it make the reader wait fifty pages for the explanation of a full-page example.

There are many organizational books on the market - this one offers nothing new.

Rating:
Summary: Disorganized and Disappointing
Review: Nancy Miller starts off with the idea that it makes more sense to change your environment to fit you than to try to change yourself (or your loved ones) to fit your environment. Unfortunately, the book does not quite deliver the promised help in "getting rid of clutter and getting organized."

The chatty, conversational style is engaging, but it quickly wears thin as the same advice ("change your environment") is repeated again and again with few concrete suggestions for change. The book itself is disorganized, with Miller jumping from advice for the home to advice for the office and back again, with little or no warning. There are entire chapters on junk mail and holiday decorations, and then one chapter to deal with the rest of the house. The most helpful information - a clear list of how long to keep the important documents that tend to get shoved into boxes and file cabinets and never seen again - is buried in an appendix. The cartoon illustrations are cute, but they add little to the book.

In addition, the book is poorly edited. A second, revised edition should not be riddled with typographical errors or include entire duplicate pages inserted in the wrong chapter, nor should it make the reader wait fifty pages for the explanation of a full-page example.

There are many organizational books on the market - this one offers nothing new.

Rating:
Summary: Cute title, that's it
Review: There are a few bits of useful information buried in this book but it wasn't worth it to me to wade through the awful writing style, disorganized format, lack of substance, timewasting information ("basic rules for alphabetic filing" (p. 94), you need a trash can large enough to hold the trash (p. 51)), and more detail than you will ever want to know about the author's private life. There are plenty of really good books about reducing clutter, home organization and general organizing skills, and this is not one of them. I'm glad I didn't buy this book; it's going right back to the library.