Smart Organizing: Simple Strategies for Bringing Order to Your Home

Promptly receieved and appreciated-Did not know about this one until I was searching for another Felton book but very useful.

I would recommend this book to anyone who cringes at the idea of having friends over for dinner and anyone who wants to transform their "house" into a "home". This book is not just about housekeeping but about how to put the least amount of effort into any project and get the biggest effect. It stresses the difference between being a perfectionistic housekeeper and one who is effective. Perfectionists put off cleaning because they don't have time to do everything perfectly; effective cleaners put 20% effort into a project, and reap 80% benefit for their efforts. Learning to be an effective organizer is a skill that can be applied to time management, budgets, and just about any other aspect of life. I highly recommend this book.

In the last month since I have been reading "Smart Organizing" my use of time and space have been revolutionized by appling the 20/80 principle that Sandra Felton discusses her book. The principle states that 80% of the results we get in our lives are from focusing our effort on the most important 20%. Each day when I have felt overwhelmed by the list of things to do in my limited time, or things to buy with my limited money, or things to store in my limited space I have asked myself, what is the most important 20% to do today with my time, money or space. It has been wonderful to see the results! I am making steady progress in organizing my space, time and money and feeling so much better about my decisions. This book also focuses on specific areas of the house, plus suggestions for taking care of laundry, meals, and even messy cars. Very helpful in finding motivation to change and suggestions of how to change. Thanks, Sandra.