Pretty Neat - Organizing Book {Review and Giveaway}

We all have an area of our lives where we suffer from organizational stress. I consider myself a very organized person but in some areas I could really use some work. For me, the worst area of organizational stress is my office/creating area. It doesn't seem to matter how many organizers, folders, bins, boxes, drawers, sorters I have, there is always something better out there that is magically going to get me organized.

Now to the normal person my office may look organized and beautiful. I have all my folders labeled and sorted, all the art supplies separated by type and labeled, all the scrapbook paper organized, all the fabric and thread sorted, etc. BUT I have one big issue with my desk. It doesn't look like the organizational fantasy I have in my head. You know that big beautiful dream office and craft room that is so amazing you drool walking in; that is so organized you can walk in and find everything and anything in .03 seconds; that seems to keep itself organized and cleaned up after even the most intense crafting session.

The authors of the book "Pretty Neat" know what I am talking about. Organizational fantasy to them is called Organizational Porn, or Org Porn. Now the first time I heard this term I laughed (actually I still laugh) but now after reading their book I not only understand the term, but appreciate it. Many times I have seen the images of offices and desks and drooled thinking how I wish my office and desk looked like that. Clean white lines with splashes of vibrant color, everything in it's place, completely clutter free.


From the Amazon.com product description:

Negative self-image. Fantasy-induced overspending. Marital tension. A new kind of airbrushed concoction is wreaking havoc on homes and psyches, and Sarah Welch and Alicia Rockmore have a name for it: org porn. It’s in magazines, coffee table books, advertisements, and TV shows, promoting a perfect — and entirely imaginary — world in which everything is always pristine, serene, and flawlessly organized. Pretty Neat is a handbook that embraces the chaotic reality that lies beneath org porn’s glossy veneer, offering pithy anecdotes and candid advice from experts and real women alike on tackling organizational inertia. Funny, irreverent, entertaining, and helpful, the book covers all facets of clutter-control, from tried-and-true tips for conquering to-do lists and wrangling family schedules to ideas on excavating inboxes, eliminating excuses, and delegating housework. Most importantly, Pretty Neat insists that women need to stop holding themselves to impossibly high standards, and focus instead on defining their own, realistic organizational goals. Full of engaging examples from everyday women, Pretty Neat offers readers unorthodox, surprisingly simple methods to reduce their org porn–fueled stress, insisting that perfection is impossible — and unnecessary — in this messy, unpredictable world called real life.

I LOVED this book! Pretty Neat is not your average organizational book. It begins with organizing your life and goes into organizing your stuff. My favorite part of the book are chapters 1 and 2. Establishing standards and priorities are the topics of these two and I think that is the hardest part of organization to me. I get these insane 'org porn' standards in my head and they become priority, thus making REALISTIC organization standards and goals impossible to obtain. After reading just these two chapters and going through the exercises they suggested I realized that I had a lot to work on standards and priorities wise.

Now as for the rest of this book it really depends on what areas you need the most help with with what chapters will impact you the most. I read through the book once and am working on a second time through. I think I can take more from it now that I understand the over all message.

Bottom Line: Did I like the book? Yes. Would I have bought it? Yes. Did it help my organizational skills and benefit me by reading it overall? Yes. Would I recommend it to others looking to improve their lives and homes organization? Yes.

To buy Pretty Neat you can shop on Buttoned Up, Amazon.com,or buy it for your Kindle.

Win it!

To enter leave a comment below with one of the following answered. (this is a required main entry)

• Share the area of her home or life that has become the biggest source of organizational stress OR
  
• Confess a funny story about either an area that has become out of control inside her home or a way in which she has given up organizing and covered up instead (i.e. shoving items under the bed, designating one room or closet as the catch-all, etc.).

For Extra Entries leave separate comments below for each:

• Follow me on twitter (@erinjeany) and tweet about this giveaway. You can do this unlimited times a day as long as you leave 1 hour in between tweets and remember to comment back here each time you do.
  
• Blog about this giveaway or add it to a contest site/linky. (3 extra entries each place you post)
• Like me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/erinjeanyfans
  

Good Luck! This giveaway is open to US only, Sorry. Limited to one main entry per person. Entries will close 3/21/11. Winner will be picked by random.org and contacted through email on 3/22/01. Prize will be send directly by sponsor. This review was unpaid, and done in exchange for a copy of the book, no monetary compensation took place. All opinions are that of my own and were not influenced by the sponsor.

Remember to be safe this St. Patricks Day, Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving

St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and it’s not the luck of the Irish that will keep the roads safe – it’s planning ahead for a safe and sober way home.

For many Americans, St. Patrick’s Day has become a popular night out for drinking and celebrating with friends and family. Unfortunately, some of these people might also be driving home from their festivities and therefore, the night out has also become potentially dangerous.

On St. Patrick’s Day 2009, 37 percent of the drivers and motorcyclists involved in fatal crashes had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or above, according to statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

That's why it's important to remember to:

• Plan ahead and designate a sober driver before you leave for your event.

• Be ready to take alternate transportation such as a bus or taxi. Have the phone number of a taxi service stored in your phone before you leave for the party.

Even if you will not be celebrating this St. Patrick’s Day, keep in mind that in 2009, 1,119 occupants of other vehicles were killed in crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers, so pay attention to others on the road. And remember, you don’t have to be “falling down drunk” to be too impaired to drive safely. Even a few drinks can impair driving…and a buzzed driving crash has the same consequences as a drunk driving crash.

NHTSA needs your help in keeping the roads safe for everyone this St. Patrick’s Day by spreading the word that buzzed driving IS drunk driving.

To learn more about the impact buzzed driving can have on a life, please consider posting about Buzzed Driving on your blog or facebook wall and follow Buzzed Driving on Facebook and Twitter for more information.

Remember: Buzzed Driving IS Drunk Driving. Don't rely on dumb luck this St. Patrick's Day. Plan ahead and ask your loved ones to do the same.

This post was written and published as part of a Global Influence partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Ad Council. I was NOT compensated for sharing this information.

I didn't disappear...

Hi all! Just checking in to let you know I didn't fall off the face of the planet! We are in the middle of moving and so I'm in the middle of internet connection limbo! Will update as soon as possible! Miss you all! xox ~Erin