REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Hot Mess:
A Practical Guide to Getting Organized
A Practical Guide to Getting Organized
by Laurie Palau
Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized by Laurie Palau is currently on tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Most of us have too much stuff and not enough places to put it. Combine that with our hectic modern lives, and you’ve got a recipe for clutter catastrophe. Luckily, help is at hand. Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized can show you how to simplify your life - and get control of your stuff.
In this new guide to streamlining and organizing your belongings, your house, and your life, author and expert Laurie Palau gives you all the strategies you need to clear your clutter once and for all. This comprehensive book offers clever storage ideas and decorating tips, but more importantly, it shows you where your clutter comes from and how to change your approach. This makes it the definitive how-to for dropping all the dead weight that’s been keeping you stressed and anxious. Just follow the hacks, tips, and strategies Palau clearly outlines, and you’ll soon be sipping a vodka martini in your beautifully tidy living room.
Whether you’re naturally neat or a total chaos magnet, this informative and amusing guide takes an approach to organizing that’s as unique as you are. Let this witty little handbook be your new secret weapon in the war on disorder!
Excerpt
When my older daughter first started school, she would get off the bus, have a snack, and immediately start her homework. That’s what I always did as a kid, and it made sense that she would follow in my footsteps. I never really gave it much thought until my younger daughter started school. She would come off the bus utterly exhausted. It was a struggle to get her to unpack her backpack, let alone start her homework. Some days she would actually fall asleep within minutes of walking in the door. Naturally, I wanted her to get her homework done, not just for her sake, but for mine. I fought with her to sit down and do it immediately. I never took into account she had ADHD and needed to decompress after sitting in school all day. Homework that should have taken 30 minutes was taking upward of two hours.
After months of battles and tears (hers, not mine - I preferred wine), I finally had my light bulb moment: I realized she goes into a valley in the afternoon. I never factored in her peak productivity time, only mine. I discovered that if I gave her time to chill out and relax for an hour first, she would come back more focused and less combative.
We all know when we are at our best, and when we are basically just going through the motions. Decluttering and organizing take both mental and physical strength, so being cognizant of your peak productivity time (and that of those around you) is an important part of the process.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“I always knew clutter was an issue for me, but I never knew where to begin to get a hold of it. I started reading Laurie's book "Hot Mess" and it helped me identify my clutter type, so I could start the process of taking control of things in my life. The weight from clutter feels as if it is being lifted, but it is going to take time to be completely free. I feel if I try to work on things each day, life would be good!” ~ AW
“Laurie Palau understands there is no shame in being a Hot Mess. She not only offers solutions to declutter you home but more importantly she guides you to understanding how the clutter came to be a Hot Mess in the first place. She is an organizational therapist, by forcing you to examine your own ‘cluttering behavior’ she guides you to change your behavior so once you declutter an area of your home it will stay clutter free. Highly recommend this book because all of us are a Hot Mess to some extent.” ~ Amazon Shopper Mom
“A helpful guide in a busy world ... if you feel you are overwhelmed, read this book!!! Laurie's practical witty humor to taking control of your clutter is a must read.” ~ Mrs. Michelle M. Curtis
“Love this book! Laurie Palau approaches clutter in such a practical way that it quickly shifts from scary to manageable with all of her amazing strategies. A must read for anyone ready to take control of their clutter!” ~ Dana W. Siverd
“Very Motivating! Absolutely a must read for anyone who needs to get their life organized quick! The book is refreshing and broken down by chapters on ways to de-clutter your life. We are all busy and this book is a guide in tackling our messy lives!” ~ Cindy Sherman
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
This practical guide is “a step-by-step guide for taking you from chaos to calm.” It is divided into three sections: first, the author gets us to understand the root of our clutter; then she describes solutions; and, finally, she shows us how to organize different areas of our home. Best of all, she states that “there is no ‘right way’ to organize your life. The most successful methods are the ones that are simple and sustainable.”
The author speaks to us in a no-nonsense, conversational manner and illustrates her points with true-life accounts. The book itself is full of simple, easy-to-follow, practical advice, as well as quizzes and questionnaires to help you through the de-cluttering process. There is a handy summary of key points in the last chapter, followed by a list of resources at the end of the book. These include: places that accept donations, products and suppliers mentioned in the book, and productivity apps.
The book is beautifully presented and illustrated throughout with gorgeous, clutter-free, black and white photographs, as well as simple diagrams. Even the tables expand with a simple touch. It is also the first footnoted book I have read where the footnotes work properly.
After reading this book, I am actually looking forward to starting my de-cluttering and organizing!
About the Author
Laurie Palau is the founder of simply B organized, host of the weekly podcast This ORGANIZED Life, and author of the book Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized.
She is a go-to Organizing Expert whose advice has been featured in The New York Times Parenting Section, Family Circle, and Home + Table Magazine. Laurie can also be seen sharing tips on the CBS Philadelphia’s Morning Show and WFMZ in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Whether speaking or working with clients Laurie is authentic, relatable, inspiring, and highly entertaining.
When not organizing the world, Laurie can be found at home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with her husband Josh, two girls (Zoe and Logan), and two dogs (Jeter and Oliver). She loves coffee and Tito’s Vodka (not together), and in her spare time she is actively involved with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which raises money for Pediatric Cancer Research.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a FREE 30-minute phone consultation to help address specific organizing challenges.
Links
