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Living Organized: Proven Steps for a Clutter-Free and Beautiful Home
The Organizer Lady™ makes it easy for readers to develop strategies for mess-free living. Author of the best-selling Messies Manual, Sandra Felton shares her insight on the best ways to bring out the hidden beauty in messy houses. Included in this comprehensive guide to "cleaner living" are 100 little-known housekeeping tips, inspiring testimonies from recovering Messies, strategies for living with a disorganized people, and action plans to help win the clutter war. With enthusiasm and humor, Felton makes housekeeping easier and less overwhelming for the organizationally challenged.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
August 28, 2010
Felton believes that there are two kinds of people, Cleanies and Messies. Right off the bat, that term, Messies, offended me. It is negative even though she tried to define them as busy people that have been overwhelmed or perfectionists that just give up with the size of the task.
Still, even after being constantly offended by the terminology, I carried on. Part 5, Interior Design for the Messie, had some of the best tips I have ever read on figuring out your style and decorating. If you have ever been stumped on just how to start with décor, this was great! The idea of starting from scratch is intimidating for people and it can be hard to trust your instincts. The book suggests collecting the things, colors, and fabrics that really speak to you, finding the things that they have in common, then running with that. Living Organized also reminds you to keep reality in mind when decorating. A white silk couch isn’t a good idea when you have three toddlers and a black dog, for example.
I was all ready to forgive being called a Messie and make some changes until I read the chapter titled, Dear Husband, A Letter to the Husband of the Messie. If I hadn’t been reading this on my iPod, it would have been thrown across the room and most likely burned in effigy. I have never had such a visceral reaction to ANY book before.
Let me just give you a taste.
“You resent the condition of the house in which you are forced to live and imagine that the homes of other men returning home from work are havens of rest and order.“
“You felt that surely her pride as a wife and mother- as a woman- would help her overcome this chronic state……Surely if she cared more about you and the children or understood how important it was to you, she would try harder.”
My long hidden feminist hackles came out with a vengeance with this chapter. I don’t know about you, but I see a marriage as a team and the freaking messes don’t create themselves. While I work from home and accept that it means that I am the chief cook and bottle washer, that doesn’t mean that I am the maid. This may have been acceptable in the 1950’s, but it isn’t going to happen in my house today.
There, I am off my soap box.
Still, even after being constantly offended by the terminology, I carried on. Part 5, Interior Design for the Messie, had some of the best tips I have ever read on figuring out your style and decorating. If you have ever been stumped on just how to start with décor, this was great! The idea of starting from scratch is intimidating for people and it can be hard to trust your instincts. The book suggests collecting the things, colors, and fabrics that really speak to you, finding the things that they have in common, then running with that. Living Organized also reminds you to keep reality in mind when decorating. A white silk couch isn’t a good idea when you have three toddlers and a black dog, for example.
I was all ready to forgive being called a Messie and make some changes until I read the chapter titled, Dear Husband, A Letter to the Husband of the Messie. If I hadn’t been reading this on my iPod, it would have been thrown across the room and most likely burned in effigy. I have never had such a visceral reaction to ANY book before.
Let me just give you a taste.
“You resent the condition of the house in which you are forced to live and imagine that the homes of other men returning home from work are havens of rest and order.“
“You felt that surely her pride as a wife and mother- as a woman- would help her overcome this chronic state……Surely if she cared more about you and the children or understood how important it was to you, she would try harder.”
My long hidden feminist hackles came out with a vengeance with this chapter. I don’t know about you, but I see a marriage as a team and the freaking messes don’t create themselves. While I work from home and accept that it means that I am the chief cook and bottle washer, that doesn’t mean that I am the maid. This may have been acceptable in the 1950’s, but it isn’t going to happen in my house today.
There, I am off my soap box.
January 31, 2008
OH MY GOSH. I now understand the psychological reasons of why I am so cluttered/unorganized...this book helps explain the why/hows etc. of organizing and helps you understand your weaknesses in a "kind" way! I am fully aware that I have a problem with this, but this book helped me realize how I can change it! LOVE IT. I want to read all of her books! I think they are good no matter what your organizing status is--from messies to neat freaks. As I was reading this book I felt like it was describing me to a T and it just blew me away. I even read some parts to my husband (he's as unorganized as I am, you can imagine our house).
June 26, 2009
Do you feel overwhelmed by your house? If your answer is "yes" than this is a great book for you! This is Sandra Felton's updated and re-titled book:The Messies Superguide. It is a quick read, a simple read, a practical read. You will walk away with hands-on tips and encouragement from those in the trenches. If organizing is not your "thing" this book should be at the top of your "to read" pile. If your house is already running smooth, you may want to choose another book to read.
September 19, 2016
This book was okay.
I feel like I wasn't really the audience for this book. I'm not a middle-aged suburban heterosexual mother. There is nothing wrong with being a middle-aged suburban heterosexual mother, just saying. I'm not being snarky, just stating the obvious. lol
This book wasn't relevant to me or my life, and I had to mine for anything I can actually use in my real life. I'm going to jot down those things and donate this book to my library, where it has a chance to reach it's demographic audience.
I think other people will love it tho.
I feel like I wasn't really the audience for this book. I'm not a middle-aged suburban heterosexual mother. There is nothing wrong with being a middle-aged suburban heterosexual mother, just saying. I'm not being snarky, just stating the obvious. lol
This book wasn't relevant to me or my life, and I had to mine for anything I can actually use in my real life. I'm going to jot down those things and donate this book to my library, where it has a chance to reach it's demographic audience.
I think other people will love it tho.
Read
May 15, 2014Reading a little here and there. Mostly, I'm learning that I'm a lot more right-brained than I thought I was. We'll see how this book is when I get to the parts about doing something about it.
Update: Nope. Doing something about it boils down to instructions to "clean all the things." Thanks. That was helpful.
Update: Nope. Doing something about it boils down to instructions to "clean all the things." Thanks. That was helpful.
April 11, 2010
I’m not a messie (my brain hurts because she doesn’t use the word messy but instead uses the term messie - which I guess means she can copyright it.) on purpose. But according to her, I have a visual impairment that allows me to live in clutter. See, it's not my fault, dear husband. I was born this way!
I really wanted actual advice for being clutter-free but this is more about the philosophy of clutter.
It’s very similar to the principles of feng shui, except that she says I honor God by having a clean house rather than the universe.
She’s famous, I guess but she doesn’t do much for me. Off to find another who inspires me, I guess. Peter Walsh, here I come.
I really wanted actual advice for being clutter-free but this is more about the philosophy of clutter.
It’s very similar to the principles of feng shui, except that she says I honor God by having a clean house rather than the universe.
She’s famous, I guess but she doesn’t do much for me. Off to find another who inspires me, I guess. Peter Walsh, here I come.
August 15, 2011
I'm only into the first part of the book as I am trying to implement her suggestions as I go. I am messy and need help; so far the book is helping me make baby steps toward a clutter-free life!
June 24, 2008
Changed my perspective on my hoarding habit!
October 16, 2014
Didn't really help. Either it doesn't work or I'm hopeless (probably the latter).
July 27, 2025
I do not know how I came to own this book, but I suspect it was meant to pass through my hands to find the person who actually needs it, because that person is not me. This book was published in 2004, and it has not aged particularly well. The language focuses on the wife/mother as the person responsible for maintaining the home, and divides the world into Messies and Cleanies, with no grey areas in the middle, and of course no mention of burnout or ADHD, because those things were just vague whispers 20 years ago. There are a handful of useful tips here, and the author seems to know what she's talking about, so I'd be curious what one of her more recent books is like. But this one has unfortunately become a time capsule, without very much useful application.
February 14, 2022
This book is a bit dated (having an organized phone space to take messages?), but there are a few nuggets of wisdom sprinkled within. While the name "Messie" is not a favorable term, I confess this book describes me to a T. Admittedly, I skimmed the last few chapters about determining your decorating style AFTER the house has been overhauled. I need a bit more time before I can visualize that Magic Room, but it is a goal worth aiming for.
A simplified life is something I've always wanted, but never knew how to go about it. After reading this book plus referencing other minimal lifestyle tips, I'm on my way and loving every minute of it. :)
3.5 Stars
A simplified life is something I've always wanted, but never knew how to go about it. After reading this book plus referencing other minimal lifestyle tips, I'm on my way and loving every minute of it. :)
3.5 Stars
October 25, 2021
This is the 2005 print, read in 2021. The book was dated even in 2005, despite the modern and marketable cover. What I found the most challenging is the authors voice, which falls somewhere between an elementary teacher and an enthusiastic parent. Combine this with long-winded stories (i.e. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, or, Joseph the fat duck), that meander at getting to the point, and you have the perfect distraction for a "Messie" to avoid taking this - and themselves - seriously. There are some gems to uncover, but, this book could have been half as long and not lost a single point.
September 7, 2022
This author is infringing on my Canadian Trademark. Although this might be a US site where there is no jurisdiction, she is infringing on it by selling books with my legally trademark name Living Organized. I have spent 16 years creating a brand that is well known. Now this author is using it to line her pockets. I have asked her to stop. She has ignored my requests. So here I am in hopes that she will make the right choice and stop selling her wares in my country.
October 23, 2021
Some useful advice, but you have to wade through a lot of spirituality, psycho babble and pre-feminist gunk to find any nuggets of organizational info. Overall, not worth the effort - I skimmed heavily.
She trigger a nostalgic moment of how fond I was of the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle stories, so it wasn't all a waste.
She trigger a nostalgic moment of how fond I was of the Mrs Piggle-Wiggle stories, so it wasn't all a waste.
July 20, 2020
While this book looked promising, it was just "meh". Too much focus on the left v. right brain reason for "Messies" v. "Cleanies". Just get down to brass tacks! Also, seemed like she felt busy moms and women were the worst messies. She needed to give equal focus on men.
September 7, 2019
Unimpressed by utter oversimplification and patronizing tone.
January 4, 2020
Interesting read. Definitely for more of the mom or wife type. But I still enjoyed the read. I find much joy in reading organizing books!
dnf
May 6, 2024This seemed like a lot of fluff, so I stopped reading.
Read
January 7, 2020Interesting read, definitely more for the mother/wife type of organization. But I still enjoyed this book, I really like reading organizational books!
October 1, 2021
Outdated
I purchased this book because I was hoping to understand the pitfalls of a client and to help her overcome her hoarding lifestyle. I felt the info was dated .
I purchased this book because I was hoping to understand the pitfalls of a client and to help her overcome her hoarding lifestyle. I felt the info was dated .
June 18, 2010
This book is probably not quite that good but it gets an extra star for being free. I actually found it helpful on a mental level, to realize that while I can be lazy, laziness isn't the root of all my problems. Some of the problem is how I think. Being able to admit what was wrong but also see what is right with my brain is changing how I think about my own behavior, which is probably the first step to changing it. It's a little early to say but I just did hella laundry and cleaned my boyfriend's kitchen. Who knows what might have happened if I had read it at home?
Updated to clarify: This is NOT a manual to organize your life. For that, there's Real Simple and all sorts of good things. This book describes the difficulty the more "right brained" (not quite an accurate term, but I suppose it will do) or creatively oriented types have staying organized. If you don't think in a notably linear manner, organization doesn't come naturally. The point of the book is to stop downing yourself and really focus and figure out where the source of your problem is. Is it that you are easily distracted? Is it that you are overwhelmed? Is that you just can't decide what to do with things and thus do nothing? If you can pinpoint the problem, you can figure out your own solutions.
Updated to clarify: This is NOT a manual to organize your life. For that, there's Real Simple and all sorts of good things. This book describes the difficulty the more "right brained" (not quite an accurate term, but I suppose it will do) or creatively oriented types have staying organized. If you don't think in a notably linear manner, organization doesn't come naturally. The point of the book is to stop downing yourself and really focus and figure out where the source of your problem is. Is it that you are easily distracted? Is it that you are overwhelmed? Is that you just can't decide what to do with things and thus do nothing? If you can pinpoint the problem, you can figure out your own solutions.
June 30, 2016
This book was written to a target audience of women (and men, though it felt specifically aimed at women) who find themselves living in homes amongst chaos, unable to figure out how best to organize and clean their space despite their tendencies to let it all go.
Being a highly organized person who still struggles with creating a functional and working home office space for myself and who fights against basic housekeeping chores, I was hoping this book would give me some clear-cut answers in a step-by-step guide. Instead this was more of a "You're not the only messy person out there" feel good about yourself book that provides some vague guidance about what needs to be done to become someone who lives in and maintains a clean home. I was really hoping it would say, "First, go into a room and clean this part of it by doing this, then go back and first scrub your baseboards, and then dust your lampshades, etc, etc". It didn't.
If what you're looking for is an ego-boost so as not to feel alone in the world among others who always seem to have it together, this book will be good for you. But if you're looking for a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean your house, visit Fly Lady instead.
Being a highly organized person who still struggles with creating a functional and working home office space for myself and who fights against basic housekeeping chores, I was hoping this book would give me some clear-cut answers in a step-by-step guide. Instead this was more of a "You're not the only messy person out there" feel good about yourself book that provides some vague guidance about what needs to be done to become someone who lives in and maintains a clean home. I was really hoping it would say, "First, go into a room and clean this part of it by doing this, then go back and first scrub your baseboards, and then dust your lampshades, etc, etc". It didn't.
If what you're looking for is an ego-boost so as not to feel alone in the world among others who always seem to have it together, this book will be good for you. But if you're looking for a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean your house, visit Fly Lady instead.
September 9, 2010
When I starting reading the book and the author started talking about "messies," I knew she was describing me. It feels so good that someone can get into the head of a messie and help you leave those tendencies behind. What I really like about the book is that it didn't just tell you what to do. The author made you take a look into yourself, she explained things. It's like behavioral therapy in the form of a book. A lot of chapters include questions to help you take a good look at yourself so you can see what you need to concentrate on.
January 23, 2012
so there were a lot of bad reviews for this book but I actually liked it. I thought that it was simple and to the point. Several times while reading it I felt like it was written "for me" it was motivating and a good quick read.I would recommend it for anyone..I also looked over her website and that seems to have some good tips on it too.:)
on a sarcastic note though there was a quote from a lady that said "next to the Bible this book has done the most to change her life.." now IDK if I will go that far... but yes I like it.
on a sarcastic note though there was a quote from a lady that said "next to the Bible this book has done the most to change her life.." now IDK if I will go that far... but yes I like it.
February 27, 2008
So it turns out I'm not as messy as I thought. Or at least, not enough to qualify as a "Messie" as defined by Sandra Felton. Which is to say that this book wasn't really as useful to me as I'd hoped. I let the cover art of the tidy boxes and towels persuade me that the book would be more about practical here's-how-to-fix-this-clutter-problem solutions than it turned out to be. A life lesson in not judging a book by its cover, I guess!
February 17, 2012
I got this book for free on amazon. I'm not a very organized person and I really enjoyed the beginning of the book. It started getting a little dry at the end and I didn't enjoy it as much. But I did feel like the beginning shed some new light on why I'm messy and why it's hard to let go of things that have sentimental value. It was a good time to read this book since I've been clearing out stuff while making room for this new baby. I don't even remember what I got rid of so I'm glad I did.
March 4, 2012
I was intrigued by the first book I read from this author, but this one was just OK. Not so many practical guidelines - more about the philosophy of being cluttered and messy, or "a messie" versus "a cleanie" as she calls it (annoying!) This author has written tons of organizing books but I am thinking I am not her target audience. I have one other book of hers checked out from the library so I will give her one more read before moving on.
April 24, 2010
This book does address important societal issues re: women's work and time, but there are other books that accomplish this in a more meaningful way.
This is written as if it's the 1960s or 1970s, with 1-2 comments (possibly revisions?) that are 21st century thrown in--a very few. Ok book on cleaning techniques, but still seems sexist and not up to date.
This is written as if it's the 1960s or 1970s, with 1-2 comments (possibly revisions?) that are 21st century thrown in--a very few. Ok book on cleaning techniques, but still seems sexist and not up to date.
May 8, 2010
This book was a mess! Not a fan of the way it was written or layed out. No real practical advice. Mostly delves into the reasons why we are messy and the psychology of "messies". The only thing I did get out of this book was from a little insert from a poem .... "Do it now!" (see something that needs to be put away, do it now, put it away)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews