[.uk] Restoring Order: Organizing Strategies to Reclaim Your Life (ISBN 0736916474)

No substance here...:
I got this book because I thought Ms. Norris would share some specific strategies for getting organized. I didn't find any here. Instead, I found that 90 percent of the book was bashing and psychoanalyzing people's shortcomings. I was surprised at how much she put people down. I know I have a problem getting organized. That is why I picked up the book. I don't need to be brow-beat or ridiculed. It appears that Ms. Norris is lifting herself up by putting others down. You won't find any practical help here. Just a lot of psycho-babble. I'd give it a zero if I could.

The Why of Disorganization:
Does anyone really know why their house fell into such a disorganized chaos? Get some insight into the cause of your clutter.

Organization found!:
I couldn't find it in her bio information, but I think Vicki Norris must be 'Professional Organizer meets Therapist/Counselor!' This book really helped me understand the reasons behind my clutter and disorganization -- as well as all the reasons (and encouragement) as to why I want to invest the time and energy to build systems that work for my family and me. No little 'stop clutter in 3 easy steps' pandering, but solid recommendations for better living! She paints word pictures and provides catchy names for organization strategies (I loved 'pruning') that I believe will help me greatly. I'm looking forward to the holidays ahead to start tackling some big projects, armed with Ms. Norris' advice. I even bought books for 5 friends for Christmas! Thank you, Ms. Norris, for helping me end my disorganization!

Inspirational but Redundant!:
First off, I really enjoy watching Vicki Norris on television and seeing her work her magic. However, I don't think it takes 252 pages to convey the idea that if you are disorganized you need to assess your values and priorities before coming up with personalized systems of organization. I wholeheartedly agree that magazine articles and quick fixes are just band-aid solutions and don't work in the long run. I faithfully read each and every page until Part 3, Organizing Strategies (pg. 179) at which point I started to speed read because I felt like I was being hit over the head again and again with the same concepts and very similar examples from earlier in the book. Including some self-discovery worksheets would have been helpful because it would make the assessment process tangible. I still highly recommend it for individuals who need inspiration due to their feelings of being overwhelmed by the enormity of organizing their space.

A great reminder!:
People find such humor in my well-organized life. Simply, I work well in an orderly environment. I found Ms. Norris' book very insightful. Beyond my fine tuning the learned tasks of sorting, labeling, storing, and tidying, this book reminded me that organization is much more. Sure, the tasks are important and needed, but the objective is not to exclaim, "I HAVE CLEANED MY ROOM!" As the book describes, organization enables me to identify and then focus on my priorities - the things the REALLY matter to ME. A great reminder!