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What? Your home doesn't look like a perfectly organized home shown in a magazine? Why not?
The authors of Pretty Neat, Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch, explain that those idealistic pictures are unrealistic and can cause a person to be dissatisfied with their organization, even if it sufficiently fits their needs. Instead, they encourage us to rewire our minds to see our organization as satisfactory even if it's not perfect.
However, Pretty Neat doesn't leave the reader hanging not knowing how to organize. The book is divided into twelve chapters. The first five chapters are mostly psychologically-oriented, helping us grasp and embed the “imperfect organizing” concept. While chapters 6-12 target specific problems areas such as the to-do list, family schedules, home clutter, kid's toys, work clutter, virtual clutter, and meal planning.
This book is full of interviews and experiences of people with various circumstances with their own two cents on what has worked for them. These are designed to inspire us to pick just what type of organization works for us. The authors interview moms, single persons, people with hectic work schedules, people with lots of kids, and people with extraordinary circumstances.
Overall, the authors help us realize organization is not about perfectly labeled boxes or sparkling bare surfaces, but having a system that keeps stress to a minimum and helps us get the most important things done. Recommended.
Pretty Neat - The Buttoned-Up Way to Get Organized and Let Go of Perfection by Alicia Rockmore and Sarah Welch, published by Seal Press, © Copyright January 2011.
(Note: The views expressed in this blog post are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of The Housekeeping Channel, LLC.)
