Rating: 
Summary: Where's The Spirituality????
Review: I bought this book in the hopes of finding out the meaning behind the clutter in my home and how it connects to myself in a spiritual manner. I thought the focus would be on awareness of what it all means and enpowerment to change. Unfortunately, what I got was how to file. Very disappointed since I purchased 2 books and gave one to a friend, who feels the same way. A total waste of money.
Rating: 
Summary: Love this book!
Review: I found the book to be a really nice blend of inspirational and practical techniques. She provides lots of worksheets that I found to be quite helpful. This is the first book I read that made me look at organizing my stuff as an interesting job rather than some drudgery to make myself trudge through. Ms. Kristan occasionally veers off into New Age psycho-babble, but not enough to de-rail the usefulness of her book for non-New Agers like me. Her approach is to look at our piles of clutter as a rich source of material to figure out who we really are and what will make us happy. Sort of like a personal archaeology project. Very inspirational and fun!
Rating:
Summary: An approach that works
Review: I never thought the "why" of why I was disorganized was that important, but after I took a course with Pam Kristen and became better organized after it, I realized "why" actually matters. And what's more, recognizing "why" is key to getting organized. I began to see specific examples of "why" and "how" working together. For example, my desk was always cluttered with stacks. Why? I had no idea; I just wanted it cleaned up. But, after exploring "why" I began to see that the clutter serves a purpose. Yup, a purpose: If I can't find the memo from the client-from-hell, I don't actually have to write back! How handy. Now, I just bite the bullet, write back (or decide not to) and move on. Another example, I had stacks of invitations, lists, etc. piled high because I couldn't decide about those invitations and list items. Again this realization of "why" made it possible for me to "do." Now, I decide on the first or second view of the invitation/list/etc. or I throw it out. Again, the pile shrinks.
Rating:
Summary: An approach that works
Review: I never thought the "why" of why I was disorganized was that important, but after I took a course with Pam Kristen and became better organized after it, I realized "why" actually matters. And what's more, recognizing "why" is key to getting organized. I began to see specific examples of "why" and "how" working together. For example, my desk was always cluttered with stacks. Why? I had no idea; I just wanted it cleaned up. But, after exploring "why" I began to see that the clutter serves a purpose. Yup, a purpose: If I can't find the memo from the client-from-hell, I don't actually have to write back! How handy. Now, I just bite the bullet, write back (or decide not to) and move on. Another example, I had stacks of invitations, lists, etc. piled high because I couldn't decide about those invitations and list items. Again this realization of "why" made it possible for me to "do." Now, I decide on the first or second view of the invitation/list/etc. or I throw it out. Again, the pile shrinks.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I very much wanted to like this book. But... while there is good material herein, it is sporadic and buried. I find the book ultimately hard to use, particularly the way one is encouraged to flit back and forth throughout the book. The information is not presented in a clear, easy-to-access manner. Which is too bad, because the author comes across as a very likable person.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding your mess and yourself!
Review: Kristan offers guidance - with no judgment - about how to understand why we have trouble getting organized and what to do about it. This book works for the collector of huge amounts of junk to the occassionally-my-desk-gets-too-messy and I don't know where to start person. There are how-to's for filing and sorting and making decisions about stuff. On a more involved level, Kristan helps one prioritize and feel less stressed managing a life or job that requires constant multi-tasking. On the deepest level she offers spiritual or philosophical perspective on the relationship between us and our stuff. I don't usually read how-to or self-help books, but this was a real find and has something for everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: This book is a great of blend of practical, hands-on advice and a larger, more spiritual perspective. Personally, I like the tangible stuff (to-do lists, worksheets, etc.), but I can see how this book can appeal to a whole range of people who are looking for ways to deal with their "stuff."
Rating:
Summary: Something for everyone
Review: This book is a great of blend of practical, hands-on advice and a larger, more spiritual perspective. Personally, I like the tangible stuff (to-do lists, worksheets, etc.), but I can see how this book can appeal to a whole range of people who are looking for ways to deal with their "stuff."
Rating:
Summary: like walking into a well-lit room
Review: This book is really good at helping to identify and clarify the key elements of the process of organizing one's environment, belongings, and materials. The unique format allowed me to quickly tune into the skills that I needed most to work on in order to really see a difference. Pam's kind and gentle voice helped steer me away from shame about my clutter, which really freed me to make some changes. What I liked most about it, though, is that the book crystalizes those elements that are common to every all of our activities but which often go by unconsciously -- using her book automatically makes every process more satisfying and meaningful.
Rating:
Summary: like walking into a well-lit room
Review: This book is really good at helping to identify and clarify the key elements of the process of organizing one's environment, belongings, and materials. The unique format allowed me to quickly tune into the skills that I needed most to work on in order to really see a difference. Pam's kind and gentle voice helped steer me away from shame about my clutter, which really freed me to make some changes. What I liked most about it, though, is that the book crystalizes those elements that are common to every all of our activities but which often go by unconsciously -- using her book automatically makes every process more satisfying and meaningful.
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