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I've tried many books on house cleaning and organizing in the past 25 years of being a wife and also a mother to our 6 kids. The systems were either too rigid for my fun-loving personality, or didn't help me see what was causing the MESS in the first place, so it would eventually reappear. I heard Kathy Waddill being interviewed on a radio station and ordered the book from Amazon.com that very morning. Although still reading through the introduction, I have already decluttered and reorganized my desk drawers, dresser, and closet. The Organizing Sourcebook meets you inside your own front door, helps figure out your own #1 source of irritation, and then gives ways to resolve it (mail and other things piling up on my kitchen table ARRGGGHHH!!!). This book gives 9 strategies to create your own workable plan. Check out the 22 pages that are previewed and get a glimpse of what The Organizing Sourcebook can do for you.

This was a wonderful motivating book. From day one that you read this book you will be inspired. Offers easy to follow suggestions. Helps get you started to tackeling those dreaded get organized projects but once you start, there is no stopping. This book shows examples of other people who are in similar situations and how they got organized and stayed organized. The 9 steps are clearly explained and overviewed at the end of each chapter. Then at the end of the book, they go thru the steps one at a time as a check list to make sure your new set up is working for you and your current needs. If not it refers you back to the specific pages to go thru again as needed. It doesn't leave you hanging. This book is a keeper. I am sure I will need to go back to it for reference from time to time. Very inspiring and well worth every penny. Well written and easy to follow. A great book overall. Highly recommended.

I never would have believed that a book on getting organized could be so interesting to read! I was absolutely fascinated by Waddill's stories of some of her past clients, the types of (sometimes pretty amazing, sometimes more mundane) messes they were in, and how she helped them solve the problems that got them into a mess in the first place. I used to think of myself as a "totally disorganized person" but, after reading this book, I realize that, like most of her clients, I'm actually pretty organized in most areas of my life, but there's a few areas that need improving (unfortunately, those areas are threatening to take over my apartment and my life!). I thought the book was written in a very well organized way (it's surprising to me how many books on getting organized are not very well organized themselves), with simple, basic principles that are easy to understand. I especially benefitted from reading about Waddill's first principle, which is to think about the activities that take place in your home, and have an area that supports each (simple yes, but I wasn't doing this till now). I also like the idea of "labelling everything" -- including mentally labelling areas of your home -- I have a two year old son, and have realized I still don't have a designated "play area", which helps explain why there are toys all over our apartment! And she uses examples to show how, even if you're living in a very small space, you can still get organized (with great examples of how to do so). I was jotting down ideas like crazy as I read the book, and now have a long "to do" list. Unfortunately, I haven't found an organizing book yet that will actually do the organizing for me :) but at least this book was interesting enough that I got through the first step, which is reading the darned book in the first place! I think this is the first "how to get organized" book that I've actually read cover to cover. If you're looking for a book on organizing that is interesting enough that you'll actually read it, then this is the one for you!