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May 04, 2011

Mark rated it:

Listened to the Audiobook. Ridiculous amounts of "stories" from four fictional archetypes going through different life changes bludgeon you over the head with the same points over and over, and there's really nothing new here.

- Envision the outcome of your change.
- Does your current status and/or stuff support this change?
- If not, get rid of it.

Organize what's left over according to the "kindergarten" cubbyhole method outlined in JM's Organizing from the Inside Out More...

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Oct 27, 2010

adllto rated it:

I am fast becoming a connoisseur of books on organizing and this probably is the best so far.

Julie Morgenstern offers important insights and but her key ideas are based around SHEDing: Separate the treasures, Heave the trash,Embrace your identity and Drive Forwards.

Simple and logical but difficult to do. Until she suggested that we should look at this as a change in life. Which of course it is! But to give this change a sense of change we should give the life before a theme o More...

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Feb 20, 2011

Dolly rated it:

I'm not sure what made me borrow this book. I am sure I saw it here on Goodreads and thought it might be interesting and helpful. I'm not much of a self-help fan, but I do have a lot of clutter and am willing to take steps to reduce it. I'm probably a good candidate for one of her consultations and should take her words to heart. The fact that I read this immediately after I finished Saint Maybe, where the main character Ian marries a professional cleaner/organizer got me thinking that perha More...

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Nov 28, 2010

Debbie rated it:

Unfortunately, a busy work schedule left this library book sitting on the nightstand unread through the three weeks before it was due back, and also the two week renewal. It is several days late and needs to go back tomorrow. I'll have to check it out again.

I liked that it went beyond the normal "organizing" or "throw it all out" books out there. The first step is to separate out your treasures. Next, you heave the trash. What was different was the step where you More...

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Aug 03, 2011

Rica rated it:

Different from many other books about getting organized: besides shedding physical stuff that no longer serves us, Morgenstern also addresses paring down our overcommitted schedules and our non-productive habits.

I really like her approach, which starts *not* with tossing stuff out out willy-nilly, but with figuring out which "treasures" we want to keep--the stuff and activities that genuinely enrich us and support our vision for the direction we want our lives to take. Only after iden More...

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Jun 02, 2010

Ruthmgon rated it:

This one is a hard read for me, she does not seem to be able to break the book down into little chunks like the other books in this genre seem to.I do come across some interesting bits here and there.

She advocates a slower approach to tossing your stuff, That if you keep certain things, that they are inspirations and clues to your new life ahead. She has you name a theme for your life previous and your life in future. She has you keep only 10 percent of a type of thing, like 2 thing More...

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Jun 22, 2009

Joy rated it:

This book was as much philosophy of why people hoard as a how-to on
getting rid of "stuff." The basic premise was:
S eparate your treasures
H eave your trash
E mbrace your identity
D rive yourself forward
Morgenstern encourages 'material detachment and radical generosity.'
Maryann Hershey: "May your walls know joy; may every room hold laughter
and every window open to great possibilities."
William Morris: "Have nothing in you More...

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Jan 04, 2011

Heidi rated it:

I expected this to be a book that would give me ideas on how to organize the piles of junk threatening to take over my house, but was surprised to find out that is only part of this book's plan. Julie Morgenstern identifies three areas of clutter than overwhelm our lives (physical clutter, time clutter and bad habit clutter) and gives detailed plans on how to SHED them. I appreciated this, because I have bad habit clutter that is leading to physical clutter, so it seems wise to get to the root o More...

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Dec 07, 2009

Alfred rated it:

• The “SHED” program enables you to get rid of the possessions, time commitments
and bad habits that have become burdens in your life so you can start anew.
• Use the program to make a change or when unwanted change is thrust upon you.
• SHED stands for “separate” your treasures, “heave” your trash, “embrace” yourself,
and “drive into the future.”
• Before you shed, develop a new theme for the life you want in the future.

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Jan 26, 2009

Megan rated it:

An excellent book for anyone feeling like they're not sure what to do with their current life. I read it in spurts, so I sometimes lost the flow of the example clients referenced, but I definitely plan to reread it. Offers lots of insight into discovering your own unique identity & creating a life theme that fits you. I liked how she helps the reader work out the personal whys behind clutter &/or bad habits.

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Dec 13, 2008

Kirsti rated it:

I am taking the first step toward organizing my life . . . by jettisoning this repetitious, simplistic, and blindingly obvious book, which is cluttered with "case studies" that are really just the whining of feckless cake-eaters. Go work in a soup kitchen, you dithering upper-middle-class types, and you'll know how good you have it.

5 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 06, 2010

Kbord rated it:

Julie Morgenstern has a way of making you feel good about yourself in spite of your self-described flaws.

I saw this book on a shelf and grabbed it on impulse. My mother is a fan of Julie Morgenstern from seeing her shows on television, so I picked it up.

This book shows the process she goes through with several people to clear out their junk--emotional baggage making a physical presence in a person's home, or cluttering up their schedules.

I didn't read the whol More...

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Jan 09, 2011

Sharon rated it:

This book takes over from basic organizational strategies. If you are ready to take a Steven Covey type approach to life change, this might be a helpful tool. Too heavy for my purposes now, but may be appropriate for others facing a more emotional "decluttering" process and those wishing to take the next step.

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Jun 01, 2009

Barb rated it:

I was thinking of my messy basement when I checked this out of the library. This book surprised me ~ both in content and delivery. It made me think more about my mental clutter.
I almost think it would be a valuable book to have on everyone's shelf as a reference guide for clearing out home and head.

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Aug 07, 2009

Natalie rated it:

I was hoping for something a little different, but this turned out to be mostly pop-y self help in the form of getting rid of emotional clutter in the form of physical clutter. Still, pretty useful. Satisfied my reader-nesting-instinct.

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Apr 03, 2010

Kevin rated it:

Got to about page 43. Don't think I'll read this book. It was recommended to me as a how-to for time management, and it doesn't appear to be that at all. It's more of a therapy guide for coping with the challenges life throws at you.

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Nov 27, 2008

Judith rated it:

This was a pretty interesting book about getting through transitional phases in your life. She has a lot of tricks to help you get yourself on track. I am a sucker for books about organizing and this was a good one.

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Jul 21, 2009

Trena rated it:

Admittedly I didn't get very far in this book. I got it from the library thinking it might help me part with possessions and get organized. Instead, it is for people whose lives are in transition or who hope to make a big change. I am happy with my life as is and so the message meant nothing to me. Even discounting the irrelevance, though, the book was a little too self-help-y for me. There was a long introduction in the vein of "I have a great idea! You're gonna die when you hear it! More...

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Feb 13, 2009

Adrienne rated it:

This is a good book and the author has a lot of great insights, advice, and wisdom; however, I thought the first half of the book was more helpful than the second half of the book.

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Sep 26, 2008

Amy rated it:

OK, so I didn't read this book cover to cover, but I think I got a lot from the parts that I felt I needed. I admit, I am somewhat of a hoarder, a definite clutterbug. This book helps people like me realize why we feel the need to hold on to things, and how we lend ourselves to personal growth by letting go. She suggests devising a theme for the future (mine is Self Exploration/Discovery) and only keeping things that support that theme. The SHED system referred to in the title stands for: S- More...

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Oct 08, 2009

April rated it:

I needed this book. Didnt read it word for word. Really, just reading the title every few days was enough to get me on my horse and clear out a bunch of clutter from my life.

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Jan 10, 2009

Denise rated it:

I like Julie Morgenstern's books and I think this one is great. She really gets to the bottom of things but in a good way. I found this book to be very helpful

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Nov 16, 2008

Lychee marked it as to-read

This book is very embarrassing to read -- she's developed an acronym "SHED" for her process and in an extremely unfortunate publishing choice the acronym is BOLDED everytime it's used which is multiple times on EVERY PAGE (or so it seems). I feel like I'm being hit over the head with it, not to mention she keeps quoting clients who say they LOVED her previous books. I still think I'll get some useful information from it, but there's a big turn-off factor to get past. It reads like th More...

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Feb 20, 2011

Monica rated it:

Not really at the right point in my life for this book. It was O.K. but really more for someone who needs to make a major life change or who was forced into a major change recently and wants/needs to plan for the next stage of their life.

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Feb 08, 2011

Cindy rated it:

While I appreciated Morgenstern's "Organizing from the Inside Out," this one was a bit to system's oriented. It is a personal preference, but I am not big on systems with acronyms!

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Aug 20, 2008

Marjorie rated it:

This book is amazing. The author takes you by the hand and leads you down the path of getting the "stuff" that's in your way: physical, schedule and habit wise, and helps you take a real look at it so that you can either keep it as a treasure, or release it from your life without looking back. Many de-cluttering methods focus on just chucking everything, but this way seems to make sense in that it will be a more complete transition. I'm not quite done with it, as it's sort-of a work More...

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Jan 23, 2010

Gloriavirtutisumbra rated it:

This would have been a better read than listen, because of how the chapters were laid out. Still, good advice, and a creative way of looking at the whole organization thing. Her focus on goals, and how our stuff plays into those said goals really is something to get you moving forward on projects that stalled in the middle of the road.

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Feb 13, 2011

Elly rated it:

Good information to share with students (and even inspired me to clean out some college textbooks!).

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Mar 07, 2010

Jeff rated it:

Very interestig book. Never realized how much stuff one can give rid of or just manage time and the things we really enjoy. Time for a little spring cleaning!

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Sep 07, 2010

Joan Paulette rated it:

I am currently reading this book, but I am having a hard time with it. I liked Julie Morgenstern's earlier books, Organizing from the Inside Out and Time Management from the Inside Out. Unfortunately, I donated both of those books during one of my purges. Oh Irony!

This one seems much more drawn out and self-helpy, and much shorter on practical advice. Fortunately, I got it from my library, so if doesn't kick into gear soon, I can return it.

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