Erin Rooney Doland

I'd give this 2.5. There were a few helpful items in there, but overall this book didn't greatly appeal to me. First, her amount of clutter was not much (she was married, no kids, living in an 850 sq. ft. apt.) when writing this, so her timeline of a week is pretty unrealistic if you live in a larger place, have a larger family, etc.... Also, I think her methodology appeals to the list-making sorts of folks (not necessarily my style); I had a similar complaint about the book "The Happiness show more Project" (by a different author). She addresses both home & work life (which is helpful), but her plan to add it to your regular week (i.e., do a complete closet purge & clean-out before you head to work in the morning) is not very easy to implement, imo. Also, I think she doesn't address many of the reasons why people clutter (to help them overcome their stumbling blocks), leading me to think that the book doesn't necessarily offer a long-term, workable plan (unless you're pretty much streamlined & uncluttered to begin with). I do enjoy the unclutterer.com website, but didn't really care for the book. show less

So, I grabbed this book at the recommendation of somebody, but I don't remember who or why. It's a fairly typical step-by-step guide to organizing your life.
I didn't find anything in there to be completely new and unique ideas. The "one week" claim in the title, is mostly because the book is broken into chapters, one for each day of the week and focuses on certain areas each day to slowly make your way through your house. It'll take more then a week unless you have a significant amount of show more free time to devote to it (which I think would be the best way to go through this book honestly).
I just found it worthwhile to read and think about ways that I should be more organized where I'm not. These sorts of books are always good for that extra boost of motivation to take some action in your life that you haven't already. show less

II might recommend this to someone interested in getting started with decluttering, because it is short, it has simple rules of thumb, and a heap of online resources to go to if you want to read further. If you've read widely on the subject online, this won't have much new. Also, I don't think the section on project management was necessarily appropriate - if you do not work outside the home, great sections of this only apply to you if you are flexible enough to adapt business rules to your show more home management - not what someone looking for a quick intro wants to do. Great website behind it though. show less

This was a method of decluttering area by area in a timed method. What you can do in a minute, 5 minutes or 15 minutes. The minute things are basically things to get in the habit of doing as you pass through an area. Five minute things are things to do when you notice an area getting cluttered; reorganize a shelf, clear a table top; pull something out while putting away something else. The 15 minute tasks are the big jobs broken down into small units, so it's not overwhelming. In between are show more organizing tips, food organizing ideas to help meal planning, record keeping needs, clothes storage tips, etc. Found some interesting and useful ideas. show less