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Unclutter Your Life In One Week (2009)

by Erin Doland(Favorite Author)

3.4 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

143915046X (ISBN13: 9781439150467)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Gallery Books

review 1: Let's talk about a few ironies, such as this book that was supposed to take a week to read actually took six, and that's only because I couldn't renew it anymore from the library. (My guess is that "continually renewing library books because it's easier than taking them back" is not a recommended trait for uncluttered people.) The other irony is that I followed the Unclutterer blog for a while, until it cluttered up my google reader and I decided I needed simplicity. I had a bit of a roller coaster relationship with this one. When I got to the part about how I was putting my career at risk because of my messy desk, I was like, EFF YOU BOOK and refused to read it. Then I cleaned my desk at work the next day. I skipped the enlightening parts about how my smart phone could sa... moreve me time and space, and most of the ideas relating to normal 9-5 desk jobs. When I sort of liked the book (at the beginning), I briefly considered adopting a "uniform" until I realized this takes ALL THE FUN out of planning any outfit. I just laughed when I got to the part about always getting gas for the car on Saturday mornings because apparently, if you live the uncluttered life you become a robot who always needs gas on Saturdays and can never deviate from any routine. FUN!Sure, there are some decent ideas in here but they could be summed up with common sense, such as: get rid of clothes you don't wear! And books you don't need! Figure out when you are most productive during the day! Have a place to put your keys and mail! Clean on a regular basis because cleanliness will help you feel settled! I get that if you are a very important person you need a lot of systems to manage everything, and as it turns out, I'm pretty happy with both my level of importance and organization in life, thanks.
review 2: Ok, two big weaknesses right up front:1. This author unequivocally assumes that ALL readers (amen) work a 9 to 5 desk job. Maybe that's her primary audience, sure, but I at least wanted acknowledgement that the WHOLE UNIVERSE is not sitting in an office all day 5 days a week. Teachers? Nurses? Moms? Part-timers? Salespeople? Need I go on? 2. Completely unrealistic. As in, really, I'm going to pull everything out of my clothes closet, sort through, purge, reorganize all of it, and put it back in one morning BEFORE leaving for my 9 to 5 desk job? Really? No, not really. Her plan, while ordered well, is a recipe for disaster for anyone who truly has a lot of clutter to clear. Overwhelmed a feeling like a failure from day one? Not cool.But, having said that, I love books like this. Especially in the nesting phase of a pregnancy. This one is full of great ideas and no-nonsense, be-a-responsible-adult advice. I love knowing that the author did, long ago, really have a problem with clutter, that she gets what clutter-bug people are dealing with.So, I'm not going to spend 7 days overhauling my life and all its routines and structures, but I may take a few of her great and ideas and use them to work toward the "remarkable life" (her phrase) that I'm trying to build with my family. less

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