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Organizing from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System of Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life
Veteran professional organizer Morgenstern has spent years honing the principles of organization into a simple, and universal system. Organizing from the inside out--developing a plan tailored to each individual's psychological needs--ensures, once and for all, a system that won't break down.
Morgenstern explains the basic concepts--analyze, strategize, attack--then provide
...more
Morgenstern explains the basic concepts--analyze, strategize, attack--then provide
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
September 15th 1998
by Holt (Henry) & Co ,U.S.
(first published 1998)
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My mother borrowed this book from a friend of hers and subsequently lent it to me; hoping that, maybe, this would be the breakthrough to getting and keeping my room clean and organized once and for all. I have always been a disorganized person, however that didn't mean I wanted to stay that way. To be fair, I really am only disorganized in one aspect of my life- my room. That made the chapter regarding how to organize and maintain your bedroom the most intriguing part of the book.
I loved this bo...more
I loved this bo...more
I picked this up at a library sale since it was cheap, seemed easy enough to understand and because I'm soooo disorganized. It was only a few weeks ago when I lost my wallet that I decided it was time to get serious about getting my act together and start reading this book! And I have to say I absolutely LOVED it!! The book teaches you some valuable techniques to break down even the toughest messes with simple steps. Since I have no organizational skills almost every page and every tip was like...more
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One of my favorite things about this book is that the author helps you to recognize that you already have organizational systems in place, then she helps you to reach the next level and beyond. She keeps things simple and logical, and encourages the reader to personalize their own systems. The author avoids denigrating or discouraging the reader, instead of presuming that they are doomed to a life-time of desperate struggle against some innate and entrenched personality flaws, she gives clear an...more
2 likes · like · see review
Rating: 4 of 5
Something finally clicked for me while reading Organizing from the Inside Out. Over the last 10 years, after reading mountains of pages on organizing my life, this was the first author who helped me figure out where my once orderly and well-managed life went hinky.
Morgenstern advised to work with natural habits and tendencies instead of against them. For example, if I constantly have a pile of books beside my bed instead of the reading chair in the library, it's probably time to pu...more
Something finally clicked for me while reading Organizing from the Inside Out. Over the last 10 years, after reading mountains of pages on organizing my life, this was the first author who helped me figure out where my once orderly and well-managed life went hinky.
Morgenstern advised to work with natural habits and tendencies instead of against them. For example, if I constantly have a pile of books beside my bed instead of the reading chair in the library, it's probably time to pu...more
Totally useless--requires readers to do all this tedious essay-writing about how you *feel* about your messes and why you want them clean. Then when the organizing advice finally DOES come along (not until page 68!), it is just the tired old, "clean, sort, put into containers" drill. Readers looking for truly motivating and fresh, innovative ideas for organizing their home, paperwork, and lived would do better to read Deniece Schofield's Confessions of an Organized Homemaker: The Secrets of Uncl...more
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SPACE.
Sort
Purge
Assign a home
Containerize
Equalize
Another acronym but this lady's on to something. I like her approach and sensibility. Be prepared to do some self-assessment BEFORE you tackle a project or buy any new-fangled storage system.
This is a solution and, better than that, a PREVENTION approach. By going through a series of target questions, you can determine what your tendencies are and why. So you restructure yourself (YES, this IS possible, the author assures us.)Then, when you start...more
Sort
Purge
Assign a home
Containerize
Equalize
Another acronym but this lady's on to something. I like her approach and sensibility. Be prepared to do some self-assessment BEFORE you tackle a project or buy any new-fangled storage system.
This is a solution and, better than that, a PREVENTION approach. By going through a series of target questions, you can determine what your tendencies are and why. So you restructure yourself (YES, this IS possible, the author assures us.)Then, when you start...more
The first half of this book was the usual information on overcoming your obstacles about holding onto too much stuff. Nothing earthshattering or new there. The second half of the book was more in depth ideas on how to declutter different rooms or aspects of your life. This was the best part of the book and I enjoyed how the author included things that I haven’t seen in organization books before like packing for a trip. She also did a fantastic job about making the book applicable for everyone by...more
I bought this book several years ago and have only recently actually read it from the beginning - instead of skipping to the specific chapters on organizing specific areas of the house. It offers some very helpful ideas that I'm going to use to keep my home and office work spaces from being referred to by others as 'black holes' and help me more easily retrieve the materials I need easily, yet live within the physical limitations of the space available.
The steps that I skipped before were the 'a...more
The steps that I skipped before were the 'a...more
So, I guess I can call myself "done" reading this book. It is a multi-layered text, that eventually becomes a practical "manual" style book of organization, so I read the majority of the book in detail, and then skimmed the specific chapters, with the intent to go over them with a fine tooth comb each time I need said chapter. So far, I have 'implemented' the "bedroom" chapter. It took two days, but I re-organized the room, right down to the furniture to give the room a more organic and logical...more
There were some helpful ideas in this book, including identifying your personal styles/habits that lead to disorganization (mine is constantly getting distracted mid-task to do something else and then having multiple half-finished tasks laying about...) Also, I liked reading about "what's working" and "what's not working" from real-life interviews. For example, irons her clothes before putting them in her closet, so that if they are hanging in there, she knows they are ready-to-go. Never thought...more
I am currently re-reading this book and so far, am finding out some new things about myself. Such as, I think sometimes I organize and then re-organize even when I don't really need to. I need to learn to organize something (closet, drawers, room, whatever) to the stage where I am happy with how it looks, how it works and how the family works with the system and then just be done with it. I know I will always need to fine-tune things and change systems as the family changes, but I also need to l...more
Jan 29, 2011
Janet Barclay
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
professional organizers or anyone wanting to get organized.
I read this book when I was getting started as a professional organizer.
One of the things I like about it is that it suggests various ways of organizing each area in the home. This can be very helpful when working with clients with different personalities and lifestyles than your own. It also includes time estimates for various organizing projects. Although this will naturally vary depending on the situation, it’s a useful guideline when you’re quoting on a job, especially when you’re new and h...more
One of the things I like about it is that it suggests various ways of organizing each area in the home. This can be very helpful when working with clients with different personalities and lifestyles than your own. It also includes time estimates for various organizing projects. Although this will naturally vary depending on the situation, it’s a useful guideline when you’re quoting on a job, especially when you’re new and h...more
1 like · like · see review
Practical!!!!!! I would read a chapter and then act upon it. Just don't get anal about organization. The book is meant to enhance your life not rule your life.
"Julie Morgenstern helped me tame piles of paperwork and organize our house. In our modern life it seems like we have way to much stuff to manage. This book suggests simple but practices tools and techniques to organize things. I am particularly fond of her ""Kindergarten"" principle... everything should have a place to be put away right by where where they will be used. Reading this book also helped me appreciate how my tendency to want to organize things ""exactly"" can lead me to get nothing...more
May 27, 2009
Chary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
life-revisited-and-revise,
fyi-reference
If you need to get your act together in terms of your personal space, time management, and decor for your home (here, there, and everywhere), THIS IS THE BOOK to help! It was so good that I bought the book on CD so that it will remind me to keep things organized (basically kicking my behind in my mind's eye). Using this as a tool was (and is)VERY liberating because it's a long term strategy that will force you to make your organizing system a lifestyle instead of a weekend; it'll give you some p...more
To be fair, I did not read this book word for word; I ended up just leafing through it after the first section. I felt it was geared more towards organizing businesses than homes. Also, when it comes to home organization, you have to find the right fit for you. This just wasn't it for me. I think all that this book could have offered me I had already gotten out of reading House Works by Cynthia Townsend Ewer.
This book did open my eyes to one thing, however. I don't think organization is necessar...more
This book did open my eyes to one thing, however. I don't think organization is necessar...more
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The entire first section of this book is excellent! The other sections are helpful, but I really liked the beginning.
The book starts by going into the theory behind being organized. Julie Morgenstern helps us figure out why we aren't organized and what, specifically, is holding us back. Then she gives practical steps for organizing a little at a time. She has ideas for staying motivated, and she is sensitive to the fact that sometimes we cannot part with things that have sentimental (but not pra...more
The book starts by going into the theory behind being organized. Julie Morgenstern helps us figure out why we aren't organized and what, specifically, is holding us back. Then she gives practical steps for organizing a little at a time. She has ideas for staying motivated, and she is sensitive to the fact that sometimes we cannot part with things that have sentimental (but not pra...more
This book was very useful for me. I read several organizational books this spring and this one was by far the best. Rather than falling back on cliches about unorganized people, Morgenstern cites several fresh psychological obstacles to clearing clutter. (I discovered I was a "Conquistador of Clutter".) The book is set up in several sections. The first section helps you understand the underlying causes of clutter/messiness. The second gives you the tools you need to plan how you will clear out y...more
I guess once you read one organizing book, you've pretty much read them all so this book has pretty much put the nail into the coffin for me as far as organzing books go. It's ok. Has some good little bits here and there. It's A LOT like "One Year to an Organized Life". So much so, I'd say you can read one or the other and pretty much get the exact same advice, tips, plan of attack, etc. I still recommend Clearing your Clutter with Feng Shui if you're interested in clearing out your house and ge...more
This was a pretty worthwhile book! I can probably boil it down to a single helpful sentence -- you can't organize anything until you understand what's needed. (OK, two sentences). Jumping in to organize without first designing a system that serves your organizational needs will not bring success.
I tried this as an audiobook (which served me better than my American classic short stories), perhaps because the content wasn't literary and was read by the author (?).
For someone striving for pristin...more
I tried this as an audiobook (which served me better than my American classic short stories), perhaps because the content wasn't literary and was read by the author (?).
For someone striving for pristin...more
This book is by far the best one in its class. In fact, I would be so bold as to claim it is the only book anyone would need for learning the skill of organizing "stuff." I used this book many years to organize parts of my home and I still use the system I set up according to this book.
My only recommendation is to search the web and find out how to do affinity diagramming as a part of applying Julie's ideas. In the end, that's all she is advocating. The book simply breaks down this skill, room b...more
My only recommendation is to search the web and find out how to do affinity diagramming as a part of applying Julie's ideas. In the end, that's all she is advocating. The book simply breaks down this skill, room b...more
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Nov 03, 2012
Jo
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
non-fiction,
read-in-2012
I ordered this online having read a review on here and thinking it might help me with my hoarding tendencies.
It is divided into sections, the first part is about the psychological aspects, and soon made me realise that I'm actually not disorganised, I just have a lot of stuff. There were insights which helped me understand why certain family and friends do what they do which was helpful. Then she breaks it down into specific areas. In my initial enthusiasm I thought I would read each chapter the...more
It is divided into sections, the first part is about the psychological aspects, and soon made me realise that I'm actually not disorganised, I just have a lot of stuff. There were insights which helped me understand why certain family and friends do what they do which was helpful. Then she breaks it down into specific areas. In my initial enthusiasm I thought I would read each chapter the...more
I think that perhaps I've gone further down the road toward decluttering than many people have. This book throws a LOT of ideas out there and calls them "micro-actions". Many of them are huge actions, actually. Like going car-free. She also seems to assume that her audience are all extroverts. "Go knock on your neighbour's door with a plate of cookies."
She also mentions things that I've had bad experiences with, such as "share and borrow stuff". In my experience those relationships are often ma...more
She also mentions things that I've had bad experiences with, such as "share and borrow stuff". In my experience those relationships are often ma...more
Nov 09, 2012
Diane
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
home-and-office,
reviewed
I agree with negative reviewers who wrote that there are no secrets to organizing revealed in this book, and most of the tips are plain commonsense. But there we part ways, because I found this book tremendously inspiring and useful - not for the "what to get rid of" and "how to store it", but for the writing exercises in the beginning. Taking the time to inventory my home, really looking at how I use my space, considering what I want to be able to do and where, and putting it all down on paper,...more
Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern is one of those books packed with useful information on how to organize every aspect of your life. I do have to admit that I did not read the book in its entirety. In fact, I barely even read half of the book. Why you may ask? Because Ms Morgenstern offers some great suggestions on how to get organized in every room in your house in great detail for more than 2/3 of this book. The rest of the book is about evaluating yourself which Ms Morgenste...more
Ok, so I must admit that I’m a bit of a neat freak, totally interested in topics of all things organization. So, my rating may be biased. I imagine a teen who is forced to read this by a parent or guardian might not find it so fascinating. However, I think the authors took reluctant readers into account. The layout of the book is interesting with a nice flow of picture, text, and charts. The tone of voice wasn’t preachy or overly parental, more of a friend. The authors (a mother and daughter tea...more
Feb 26, 2009
MsSmartiePants ...like the candy...
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2008
A very good book for addressing those things which are bugging us - clutter! This book attempts to help the reader understand the forces within us which contribute and actually drive the procrastination, disorganization, over-committed, and overwhelmed behavior.
There is a better book: The One Life Solution by Dr. Henry Cloud.
Dr. Cloud's book is a great way to do some detective work on ourselves which underlie the problems we face in corporate and personal relationships and activities.
There is a better book: The One Life Solution by Dr. Henry Cloud.
Dr. Cloud's book is a great way to do some detective work on ourselves which underlie the problems we face in corporate and personal relationships and activities.
Jun 20, 2008
Loren
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
overwhelmed and disorganized people
Recommended to Loren by:
Oprah magazine!
I love this book! It introduces a kind and forgiving method of evaluating the "why" of your lack of organization, and then helps one sort out the "how" of getting it all together. She gives lots of examples and stories and anagrams, and breaks things into manageable pieces. Ms. Morgenstern never scolds one for having "too much crap,' she just helps you look at what you are keeping and why, and then you can see the logic or lack of logic in your choices and go from there. She doesn't have any str...more
After the holidays are over and the new year comes around, I almost always get the organizing bug. I start to think of all the projects I want to do over the new year and have this urge to reevaluate and find ways to be more efficient, more organized, more productive. For those of you who have similar tendencies, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
A few years back, a friend gave me Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out, and it really changed the way I think about organizing....more
A few years back, a friend gave me Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out, and it really changed the way I think about organizing....more
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Julie Morgenstern, dubbed the “queen of putting people’s lives in order” by USA Today, is an organizing and time management expert, business productivity consultant, and speaker. A New York Times bestselling author, Julie's five books are timeless reference guides that are insightful, reader-friendly and jam packed with innovative strategies. Each volume features techniques and observations culled...more
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