One Thing at a Time: 100 Simple Ways to Live Clutter-Free Every Day

I usually find these types of books to be celebrations of the obvious, written by people who want to sell books. But this one is really different. Cindy really "gets it" and her expertise and experience in working with real people in the real world is obvious. Instead of addressing the issue of disorganization and clutter by outlining 17 new, onerous systems to organize your life like some authors do (which everyone, including those authors, knows full well no one will ever follow), she gives a series of simple, practical tips that can actually be implemented - even in the lives of the busiest people. The other thing she does that makes this book unique is that she offers brief, but insightful psychological observations for why we might save useless things, or why we don't clean up regularly, or why we get disorganized all over again right after we've just re-organized our lives. Last, this is an easy read. She says what she has to say briefly, succinctly - and then moves on. No droning on and on for 27 pages about something that could be addressed in 5 paragraphs. A very easy read, but a wealth of great practical insights. Don't think about it - just buy this book. It's a gem.

Read through in two evenings and began applying certain aspects of the book immediately. It gives you recommendations on how to live clutter free and then you can add to it to customize how you live. I have read a lot of these books on organizing. I liked this because you didn't have to start organizing a room -- you organized the way you do things. Very helpful. Will be reviewing the book several more times to learn to follow the suggestions.

I'm a professional organizer and I loved this book! It puts in writing much of the advice I give my clients to help them maintain the organizing systems we put in place. Plus I picked up a few new tips! I know a book is good when I take notes from it. One of my and my client's favorites is to make our own "Container Store". I've found that people who struggle with organizing usually have so many organizing tools we rarely have to shop for more! We just empty everything and put it one place. After purging the unneeded stuff and sorting like with like, we then choose the appropriate container from our "store". This is a new concept for some people. Many people buy the storage first then try to figure out what to do with it. The best way is to know what you are going to store and THEN buy the container...or better yet, get it from your own container store! When we are done organizing, we create a home for all the unused containers in the garage or basement. There are a few out of the 100 that are kinda odd or not what I would have written, but for the 10$ there are many other great ideas in the book that you can really use. Even if you are fairly well organized, you are likely to find a few tips you can use!

Enjoyed ONE THING AT A TIME by Cindy Glovinsky . . . its subtitle says it all: 100 SIMPLE WAYS TO LIVE CLUTTER-FREE EVERY DAY. There's nothing here that you may have not already thought and/or read about . . . yet to actually do as Glovinsky suggests is a whole separate matter if you're anything like me; i.e., prone to have papers accumulate . . . it seems that whenever I get rid of piles of them, their friends return in even greater force! Glovinsky presents each tip in the form of a short chapter that contains such sensible bit of advice as the following: One thing at a time; Stop perfecting, start bettering; Make a list of minitasks; Throw away coupons; Put up pictures now; Move from quality to quantity; and one I need to think some more about: Break the clipping habit. There were several memorable passages; among them: Invest a little time and money that may save you trouble in the long run. Buy 100 stamped postcards. For the next month, each time you receive a piece of junk mail from an outfit that has frequently contacted you, send its employees a postcard pointing out that they're wasting money and asking to be removed from their mailing list. If the junkmail contains a 1-800 number or an e-mail address, use these means to contact them as well. Some businesses will ignore your request and continue to send you unwanted mail, but others will get the message. Dump all junk mail into the recycle bin as soon as it comes in the door. If they're on the floor, put them in the hamper. If they're in the hamper, put them in the laundry baskets. If they're in the laundry baskets, put them in the washer. If they're in the washer, put them in the dryer. If they're in the dryer, hang them on the line or fold them and put them back in the laundry baskets. If they're on the line or in the laundry baskets, put them in the closets and the drawers. Clothes that get stuck somewhere in the laundry cycle create big mounds of clothes clutter, all of which can be easily removed. Just keep the clothes moving until they're all back in the closets and drawers and watch the piles disappear. When you're ready to sort, stand next to a recycle bin and toss everything useless into it. Don't bother to open envelopes if you're really sure they're junk mail. Then divide what's left into three piles: items to send or give to somebody else, action items and file items. Get rid of the Send/Give pile ASAP by mailing or handling papers over to their proper recipients. Meanwhile, put the File items--papers you want to put away--in a to-file box. Its size depends on how often you're able to file and how many papers you typically have. Schedule filing time in your planner within the next week to empty the box.

If you have clutter, this book is a must-have. The tips are practical and how-to without being just Band-Aids. They get at the root of the problem and show you how you'll feel afterward. Covers such things as preventing junk mail, shrinking a book collection, parting with coupons etc. that never get used, getting errands done in less time, and actually fixing the broken stuff that's been waiting for months or years. I can't say enough good things about this book--GET IT. And read it all.