Ready, Set Organize!: A Workbook for the Organizationally Challenged

"Ready, Set, Organize! A Workbook for the Organizationally Challenged" by Pipi Campbell Peterson with Mary Campbell is just what it claims to be, a book of useful, entertaining, and quick advice for work and home. If you are unorganized, you don't want to read a huge length text on what you need to do. After all, time is something you are most likely short of, that is part of the problem! One thing I really liked about "Ready, Set, Organize!" is that it was a quick read. Being disorganized wastes time. This book takes no time at all to gain advice that you can put to use now. If you like lists, you will especially like "Ready, Set, Organize!" The book contains numerous list and charts to assist you with your planning and organizing. While you could just fill them in, I would recommend photo copying the pages and keep the book where you can make additional copies as needed. Or, you may wish you use the forms and lists in the text as guides to make you own on the computer so you can print them out when needed, or even keep your planning on the computer entirely. The book is organized with nine chapters divided into three parts. Each chapter is simple, to the point, and relevant to get you organized right away. Part One focuses on taking the time to find time. It is the planning before the organizing. This is a very important step. If you are someone who already writes out your priorities, your mission, and your goals, this part might not be as beneficial. There are more complete texts on these topics. However, if you have never completed exercises such as these, do them. This is a great little primer to start. Chapter one gets you thinking about what your priorities are, how you use your time, and determining what your goals and objectives are. Chapter two then goes into determining what you want to accomplish with annual, monthly, and daily agendas. This leads to the third chapter which focuses on using a planner to organize your days. Part Two focuses on your stuff. Chapter four gets you looking at what kind of belonging you have and what places you have to store them. And just like the rests of the book, there are lists and ideas to help you along. Chapter five covers a problem that many people seem to have with their clothes. No room to keep them all! If your clothes are unorganized this chapter will help! Chapter six goes into one of the biggest areas of clutter for just about everyone. The paper chase. Short chapter on creating files from piles. There are entire books on this topic, so if you need more help it is out there. But this chapter will give you a good start, and may be all you need. Part Three focuses on organizing your household. Chapter seven will help you organize your home office, both for personal and business activities. Chapter eight has suggestions and ideas on organizing children's stuff and how you can get them to assist you with the organization. If you have kids, there are some good

Great book! I found the information to be very helpful. This book is concise and easy to read. However, I found the illustrations to be below average quality. I think I could do better.

This book is especially valuable because it gives much more than just organizing tips. It outlines an organizing SYSTEM, based on your values and needs, that can last a lifetime. There's a lot of humor but the book is serious about organizing, from closets to home offices to kids' school papers to other important papers -- insurance policies, financial records, etc.