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Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living
by
Tsh Oxenreider (Goodreads Author)
Remove the Mess, Add Meaning
Simplicity isn't about what you give up. It's about what you gain. When you remove the things that don't matter to you, you are free to focus on only the things that are meaningful to you. Imagine your home, your time, your finances, and your belongings all filling you with positive energy and helping you achieve your dreams. It can happen, and...more
Simplicity isn't about what you give up. It's about what you gain. When you remove the things that don't matter to you, you are free to focus on only the things that are meaningful to you. Imagine your home, your time, your finances, and your belongings all filling you with positive energy and helping you achieve your dreams. It can happen, and...more
Kindle Edition, 256 pages
Published
(first published October 25th 2010)
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Updated: Fantastic. I can't wait to get started. The book is beautifully organized, well-written, attractive and, well, tidy. As someone who is always on the brink of being really well-organized I feel a renewed commitment to that life. I see myself referring back to this book often and I'm looking forward to the upcoming family meeting in which we discuss our family mission statement. No. Really. Read the book. You'll see.
Quarter finished review: I was flying through this book until I realized...more
Quarter finished review: I was flying through this book until I realized...more
Non-Fiction; Home Improvement
3.5 stars
Dare I say that I never tire of reading books about being organized? There is just something about the 'a place for everything and everything in its place' that appeals to the inner core of my being. My husband says it's a illness... go figure. ☺
I liked how this book was laid out dividing organizational steps room by room. Most of it was repetitive for an OCD person like me who is naturally drawn to organizing anyway, but for someone just getting started wit...more
3.5 stars
Dare I say that I never tire of reading books about being organized? There is just something about the 'a place for everything and everything in its place' that appeals to the inner core of my being. My husband says it's a illness... go figure. ☺
I liked how this book was laid out dividing organizational steps room by room. Most of it was repetitive for an OCD person like me who is naturally drawn to organizing anyway, but for someone just getting started wit...more
Organization and "simplicity" have become such buzz words right now that I was skeptical when I borrowed this book from a friend - but now I plan to buy it. Tsh Oxenreider really does apply the concept of simplicity in a meaningful and wise way, encouraging the reader to purge the home of anything unnecessary (events, things, emotions, baggage, etc) in order to allow the reader to live more fully that person's "purpose". One of the things I found most interesting here was that Mrs. Oxenreider ad...more
I really enjoyed this book. It was very well-written and well-organized. You would have thought Tsh had been writing books for years. We don't have a family purpose statement and to be honest, the thought of making one is pretty daunting for me. But I think the concept of having a purpose statement is excellent. Businesses and corporations have them and refer to them often in their decision making. My childrens' school has a purpose statement that the whole school quotes every morning. Every chi...more
I agree with about 90% of what the author says. I've been streamlining my life and home for the past three years or so, and it's made a huge difference on my happiness and ability to have time for the things I truly love in life. It's also enabled me to invest more time in my writing career, since I'm able now to live off less money: simpler life = fewer bills = less time required to earn money for bills = more time to write (or run or hike or travel to see family and friends).
One of the things...more
One of the things...more
This book is divided into two sections. In the first section, Tsh defines what living simply in the real world looks like. Her definition of living simply is to "live holistically with your life's purpose." She talks about creating a purpose statement for your family and how every family's purpose statement will look different. What is important to one family may not be important to another. With that in mind, we are to reevaluate how we spend our time and money. Once we do that, we will realize...more
This book is divided into two parts: the first is more simple-living philosophy, and the second is a specific 10-day home cleanup. I absolutely loved the first part (5 stars) and really disliked the second part (1 star), so my rating is the average of the two.
I'm on a life simplification kick, and so the first part of the book really spoke to me. I think the author did a great job of summarizing the rationale behind and benefits of simple, intentional living. She has an exercise of creating a pu...more
I'm on a life simplification kick, and so the first part of the book really spoke to me. I think the author did a great job of summarizing the rationale behind and benefits of simple, intentional living. She has an exercise of creating a pu...more
I think if someone really, really loves simplemom.net, they'll love Organized Simplicity. If, like me, they take what they can use from Simple Mom and ignore the rest, then this book will probably just be okay -- especially since most of the useful info in the book is already covered in the author's blog.
Much of the first half of this book is devoted to explaining why we should buy into simplified/intentional living, and while there are some good points, this section as a whole feels a little ju...more
Much of the first half of this book is devoted to explaining why we should buy into simplified/intentional living, and while there are some good points, this section as a whole feels a little ju...more
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Four stars for encouraging a simpler life. Less is more - less stuff, less activities, less time and money spent on things that aren't important to us. The first part of the book discusses the why of aiming for a simpler lifestyle, and the second gives ideas on how to declutter, clean, and organize. I believe it is an extension of her blog at simplemom.net. I liked the first half best. I came away with a renewed commitment to simplify (activities, clutter, finances) with the bigger purpose of ha...more
Aug 10, 2011
Kathryn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011,
simplicity-and-organization
The author's approach to Organized Simplicity is all about intentional living. Her approach to do this with all members of the family as equal participants is essential for it to truly work and last. Being retired and just the two of us at home our home is organized and runs well. I have always gravited towards organizing techniques and ideas as well has appreciating every day and all that we have. This book is excellant.
Feb 25, 2012
Melanie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
blogger,
home-economics,
how-to,
non-fiction,
intentional-living,
simplicity,
contentment,
own-ebook,
read-as-ebook
Author's thing is about "intentional living" or "living holistically with your life's purpose." This means you have to have a mission statement about what you and your family are and want to do and let your life reflect that. It's sort of a countercultural thing, like that you jump off the affluenza treadmill and spend time doing things that matter to you, not things that you "should" do.
Big thing about purging all the clutter in your home in order to liberate you. Also really into "natural" cl...more
Big thing about purging all the clutter in your home in order to liberate you. Also really into "natural" cl...more
the first few chapters read great, and got me excited. by the end of the chapters on simplicity and why to simplify and how she has organized her whole life made me feel completely inadequate. lol. i was bored with the overall tone of the book. a bit judgmental really. i believe in the simplicity movement, in being organized, in doing less, but it is a journey for each of us to find, maybe preachy is the word i am looking for in the tone. i read the first half in an afternoon, and the second hal...more
Jan 24, 2012
David
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-reading-challenge
This author provides some thought-provoking, creative tips to living clutter-free. The idea of simplifying life appeals greatly to me, and Oxenreider offers insights as to how to move in that direction. While a substantial portion of the book instructs the reader on how to be better organized, the best portions are at the very beginning. There she makes the case for a simpler lifestyle, and recommends the development of a "family purpose statement" for each household. At the end of the book ther...more
"Organized Simplicity" by Tsh Oxenreider has common sense information about organizing your schedule and essentially spring cleaning your home. The first section was a little wordy for me, going on about how most families waste time and money, though the second section held quite a few good ideas and suggestions for cleaning and cutting down on clutter. Much of the information was basic, but it will be good advice for a new homemaker.
My absolute favorite part of this book was the instructions on...more
My absolute favorite part of this book was the instructions on...more
For free, you can't beat this book! (Kindle version is free, thanks again Karen for telling me:) I will be honest and did not read it in its entirety as I feel I'm about as simplistic as I want to be in most regards (living room, kitchen, bedrooms). Now closets are a whole other story and the garage that is supposedly not my domain is atocious :( Perhaps I can get the husband to read it, but I won't hold my breath! But if your house isn't as tidy as you want it, or you're like me and just want a...more
Dec 27, 2011
Keren Threlfall
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2011-reading
Organized Simplicity is one of the better “home-organizing-books-geared-for-women” I’ve read. I think part of that is due to the fact that, in an interesting twist of irony, so many of these organizing books are quite unorganized and cluttery in appearance themselves (and make you feel guilty if you don’t use their specific methods and become organized within 24 hours of reading the book). Oxenreider’s book appealed to me aesthetically for that very reason: it was a simple, modern, spiral-bound...more
Mar 25, 2012
Shelley
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
home-and-hospitality,
non-fiction
This is an inspiring little resource on holistic homemaking. That sounds a little bit like Betty Crocker meets L. Ron Hubbard, but essentially the book argues for ditching superfluous clutter and activities in an effort to create an intentional home culture that aligns with the family's core values and fosters peace and organization within each living space. I appreciated the author's vision and felt that we had more than a few values and beliefs in common. I took away some tips and ideas for fu...more
As someone who was looking for practical advice, this book was a slow start. There is a rather long narrative (about 50% of the book) that explains the authors philosophy which will probably inspire some, but I was already of a mindset to downsize, and wanted to get down to business. Once the book gets to organizing, it is practical, straight forward, and easy to follow. However, I think a few people will be overwhelmed by the brisk pace of the organizational overhaul as it's presented. I'd say...more
I downloaded this book when it came up as free on the Kindle app. I occasionally read Oxenreider's blog, so I expected that this book would be enjoyable.
Organized Simplicity is definitely written for families with lots of children and lots of stuff. We aren't really "stuff" people, and while I know we have some items that are worth donating or tossing most of her book was beyond anything we have. I did pick up a few good tips and tricks for storage and organization. Her tips on simplifying commi...more
Organized Simplicity is definitely written for families with lots of children and lots of stuff. We aren't really "stuff" people, and while I know we have some items that are worth donating or tossing most of her book was beyond anything we have. I did pick up a few good tips and tricks for storage and organization. Her tips on simplifying commi...more
I must admit, I have a habit of reading how-to books, particularly the organizing and simplicity type. Sounded like a match made in heaven, right? Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in this one. While there was a fair amount of useful information, Oxenreider spent so much of the book explaining how she wasn't talking down to you, that it just came across as condescending. Very much along the "me think thou doth protest too much" line.
All of the suggestions are doable (especially if, as th...more
All of the suggestions are doable (especially if, as th...more
This book is great when considering how to simplify your "stuff". Her tone did resonate with me because we have similar lifestyles (Christian, homeschool, stay-at-home mom). I've heard that it's a little more difficult to "get" her if you don't fit into those categories. However, I do think that her methods could be adjusted to any lifestyle. I really liked the part about decluttering/cleaning the home in 10 days (it may take longer depending on your circumstances). I really did enjoy this book....more
I so appreciate this lady's philosophy on living the simple life. The first half of the book was a tidy compilation of thoughts she's blogged over the past few years. It was my favorite part of the book.
The second section takes one through each room in the house putting the principles into practice. I skimmed through this part--mostly because we've moved twice in the past year, and I feel quite happy about what we currently do and don't have in our house.
Toward the end of the book the author pre...more
The second section takes one through each room in the house putting the principles into practice. I skimmed through this part--mostly because we've moved twice in the past year, and I feel quite happy about what we currently do and don't have in our house.
Toward the end of the book the author pre...more
This book was not what I expected. I was looking for practical ideas to de-clutter and suggestions on things to keep and things to pass on. This read more like a memoir on having garage sales, moving overseas, and keeping ridiculously long lists for one's family. Do I really need to make a list of my daily "chores" such as wipe down counters, wash the dishes, replace the toilet paper? Not a good use of my time.
There were a few good pages in the, "Money is a Tool" chapter, but that was all. I def...more
There were a few good pages in the, "Money is a Tool" chapter, but that was all. I def...more
I thought this book did a better job in defining simplicity and helping me get a hold of what a simpler life would look like in my house than it did in the chapters that basically addressed decluttering the house. It did help me identify which areas are the most cluttered (toys, kitchen, master closet) and made me feel like my house is probably in better shape than I give myself credit for. I want to re-read the section on drafting a purpose statement for my family; I think that's probably the m...more
I love books on organizing. I just do. I liked this particularly because while it gives some on organizging, most of it focuses on why a simple life brings blessings. The first half focuses on finding a family mission statement of sorts and the second half gives details on how to declutter and clean. This wasn't fully loaded with details on how to declutter (Peter Walsch is the man for that)but it was still thorough. She gives a lot of resources and ideas for further research. She even gives det...more
I thought a lot of this book was very helpful. I will definitely use her 10 day plan for cleaning the whole house, but I think making all my own cleaning supplies is out of my level of DIY. A lot of the book focuses on kids, and about trying to pay down debt and have a one income household. I skipped all the parts about organizing kids rooms and schedules (since i dont have any). What I really liked were the parts about finding what works for you, and setting up your priorities on what's most im...more
Eh. 1.5 stars.
For every hundred suggestions, maybe five of them were useful. The rest were either common sense or unworkable for my situation. The ten-day plan is fundamentally ableist in that it requires more physical exertion in a day than many even mildly disabled people can accomplish in two weeks running. Also annoying is the use of the rhetorical "we" in the beginning of the book, in which she preaches a sermon on what all is wrong with the world today. I found myself wondering what plane...more
For every hundred suggestions, maybe five of them were useful. The rest were either common sense or unworkable for my situation. The ten-day plan is fundamentally ableist in that it requires more physical exertion in a day than many even mildly disabled people can accomplish in two weeks running. Also annoying is the use of the rhetorical "we" in the beginning of the book, in which she preaches a sermon on what all is wrong with the world today. I found myself wondering what plane...more
The book Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenreider is a good book. Strange first name for the author though. Did she simplify the vowels out of it? She has vowels in her last name though. Hmmm....
Anyway, she explains reasons why one should simplify and then gives tips and guidelines on how to simplify our lives. I like that she said "we should calculate every item's value by asking:... 1. Is this thing useful to me (us)? and 2. Is this thing beautiful to me (us)?.
I have been inspired and am going...more
Anyway, she explains reasons why one should simplify and then gives tips and guidelines on how to simplify our lives. I like that she said "we should calculate every item's value by asking:... 1. Is this thing useful to me (us)? and 2. Is this thing beautiful to me (us)?.
I have been inspired and am going...more
May 04, 2011
Amanda
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Julie Allen
I enjoyed this book. I think Oxenreider has some good ideas for home organization. One thing she says is that if people have less stuff, they gain so much more time. Time that can be used to make life more fulfilling.
Her approach has people take ten days to declutter, reorganize and clean their homes. I would love to do this - but Bryan would have to take the kids away for 10 days for it to happen!
I thought the section of each area of the home got a little repetitive and she didn't give any id...more
Her approach has people take ten days to declutter, reorganize and clean their homes. I would love to do this - but Bryan would have to take the kids away for 10 days for it to happen!
I thought the section of each area of the home got a little repetitive and she didn't give any id...more
I read One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler first, even though this book was published first. After reading One Bite at a Time, this book felt really like a lot of the same information, but Oxenreider admits that some of the ideas from Organized Simplicity were published in One Bite of a Time (which came out a year later). Organized Simplicity was more specifically about organization, whereas One Bite at a Time covered a broader range of topics, therefore I liked One Bite bett...more
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