Book Review: Sorted! A Home Organisation Guide
A Guide to Better Home and Life Management by Lissane Oliver
Apr 11, 2008
Home organisation manuals abound. For those with serious organisation issues, they are often too complex, too overwhelming or simply not basic enough to help disorganised individuals tackle the clutter and chaos that surrounds them. Sorted! (Hardie Grant, 2007) by Lissanne Oliver is a life improvement manual that focuses on the essentials of organisation and home management.
The Ultimate Guide to Organising Your Life
Sorted! offers practical and easy to understand directions useful for both personal and business situations. For each challenge, from organising a pantry to clearing junk out of the car, a recipe style solution is provided. These recipes are divided into three sections:
- What you will need – supplies, location, and how much time to set aside.
- Method – step-by-step instructions
- Tips – Useful hints on how to maintain order, prevent the return of clutter and ensure that space is used to its maximum potential.
Despite its compact size, Sorted! is a treasure-trove of tips and advice to help readers achieve more simple decluttering. There is advice on how to break the procrastination habit, how to streamline belongings and how to put safeguards in place to prevent clutter and chaos once again taking over.
Getting Sorted and Truths and Techniques
The first section of Sorted! deals with why better home organisation is necessary and why putting time and effort into establishing systems is worthwhile. It gives instructions for creating an organisational toolbox and looks into the types of lifestyle choices and priorities that can lead to excessive clutter and disorder.
Part two covers seven truths and six techniques to help readers ensure that they are ready to tackle their disorganisation in a practical and productive way.
Recipes for Better Home Organisation
The largest section of the book is divided into four areas and contains the recipes for tasks specific to each area. These are:
- Work – desk layout, digital files and email, books and media, using CD spindles and organising cables.
- Paper – Sorting and filing recipes, photos, memorabilia, recipes, and general filing as well as how to set up effective filing systems.
- On the Go – notebooks and diaries, pinboards, lists and how to streamline a purse, wallet, bag and keyring.
- Living – kitchen and pantry, kid’s spaces, cosmetics, clothing and accessories.
The final pages of the book provide references for further reading material, an index and a list of recommended websites with information about recycling items such as clothing, foreign coins and household items.
Lissanne Oliver and Professional Home Organisers
Sorted! author Lissanne Oliver runs her own professional organisers business based in Melbourne, Australia. She speaks at business seminars on developing efficient organisational routines and practices and better time, space, project and task management skills.
Her business, Sorted! Organising and Decluttering, provides one-on-one consultations to help businesses and individuals improve their storage, filing and home space management. These services are provided in the Melbourne and Sydney metropolitan areas only.
Oliver is a founding member of the Australasian Association of Professional Organisers. The AAPO aims to promote the role of professional organisers within the community and provide ongoing skill development and training opportunities for professional organisers in Australia and New Zealand.
Sorted! offers back to basics advice for those who want to break free from the cycle of behaviour that leads to cluttered belongings, misfiled information and mental chaos. It does not provide advice on household management tasks such as cleaning, laundry and cooking, but rather seeks to equip readers with the skills necessary to effectively manage their time, responsibilities and home living space.
Related Article: Home and Family Organisation Websites and Books
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