Organizing Magic: 40 Days to a Well-Ordered Home and Life

This should actually be "40 STEPS (rather than DAYS) to a Well-Ordered Home and Life." I love the idea of becoming Martha Stewart in less than two months, but, unfortunately, it took me six months to get through the book. (I wanted to implement each chapter before moving on to the next.) And I'm still not Martha Stewart. This is a great book! The author offers practical and sound advice for behavioral change. It's not a book of "put this here and buy this organizing tool." Rather it is a collection of tiny steps to help people change their behavior toward more organized living. The author doesn't want to give people cleaning schedules; she wants to help people maintain clean and organized homes by encouraging clean and organized habits. The book design is colorful (quite feminine, but I'm a woman, so I didn't mind too much) and easy to read. Sidebars and shoutouts are prevalent. The chapters are short making it perfectly bite-sized reading. Final Thoughts: Definitely RECOMMENDED.

For years I have found myself shifting things from pile to pile. And I can make a mess faster than most people's kids. Magic for me, is learning to put things away. I've been on Flylady's list for years, and although she's done some good things for me, it's Sandra Felton who has emphasized that putting things away NOW is the best way to avoid having a mess to deal with LATER. Until I learned this, I was deeply frustrated, for in my efforts to declutter and organize my house, I was spinning my wheels. I'd work hard, only to find a week later, I was back where I started. This book really emphasizes putting things away ASAP, and getting into that mindset is changing my life.

I have enjoyed all of Sandra's books but I found this one particularly helpful. This is not a how-to book in the sense that it gives a lot of structure for organizing . But I found it to be very helpful as a daily encouragement, almost like a "daily devotional" for those of us who struggle daily to keep up the motivation to keep our homes and lives organized in spite of busy lives and families. (If you struggle like this you will know what I mean and I think this book will help you, too.) Thanks, Sandra!

I find it hard to believe I read the same book these other folks did. Perhaps when they saw "Organizing Magic," they thought it meant "Instant, Easy Organizing." It doesn't. But if, like me, you have read stacks and stacks of household hints books, and organizing books, and you are still fearful about letting others into your home, this book WILL make a difference, IF you actually follow the directions. This book isn't meant to be read in an afternoon or two, even if the generous use of checklists, white space and text boxes makes it look like a quick read. It requires a daily commitment to reading, notetaking, and analyzing YOUR situation and YOUR attitudes. It doesn't assume that the same answers will work for everyone; maybe that's what frustrates some readers. Instead, working through the book a chapter at a time helps instill new attitudes and new habits in dealing with a cluttered home, with solutions tailored to YOU. New attitudes and habits are what people with a serious cleaning and organizing problem need -- not tips and tricks, although those have their place, and there are some in this book. After you can open the door all the way when a friend comes by, THEN you can read all the Heloise, Martha Stewart, and Cheryl Mendelson you want to. Because THEN it will really stick. This isn't a fast-food approach to making a better life; it's from scratch -- takes patience and time, but ultimately more nourishing, healing, and helpful.