Eric Abrahamson (2) (1958–)

I really liked this one, more for some of the sparks it set off in my head than some of the actual content. This explores the phenomenon of professional Organisers and how they try to impose a rigid structure of order on people's lives. What isn't often explored in the quick TV show is the fact that a lot of these people find it almost impossible to maintain this order. Without some form of fludity in the choice many people find order a difficult prospect, and many find that it really show more doesn't quite work, both on a professional and personal level.

Personally I'm in a bit too much of a mess but rigid order doesn't really work all that well for me either (yes I'm a librarian, yes some parts of my life are well-organised)

While complete chaos isn't ideal, people in general are messy and systems have to reflect this. This is a look at humanising systems and instead of everyone being the same, that we all chose a system that works (and complete chaos doesn't tend to be a workable system) for us and that we all should allow for the fact that other people's mileage may vary.

It does display a certain amount of bias towards a more chaotic feel but that's slightly refreshing (for me at least) in a sea of books about rigid order. show less

I like this book because it speaks to me! I am - can be - messy at times, and it seems like my desk is in a state of clutter. But there is a method to this madness. I always move from item to item and seem to find what I want. It's when everything is in perfect order that I get lost.

This book is very good in helping us understand the importance of a slight amount of mess in our lives - as long as it is not completely chaotic. A bit of mess helps us all become explorers.

Towards the end, the show more book becomes a bit repetitive. But, the last two chapters are important - they warn us of excessive disorder.

The chapters and sections on the kinds of people is delightful. show less

This book probably wouldn't rate "amazing" for most. However, at the time that I read it, I was in the greatest state of obsessive compulsiveness with regard to cleanliness, organization and planning in my life. Reading this book showed me that it might be time to lighten up and that sometimes, a little last minute change or a book left on the table rather than the shelf wouldn't kill anyone.

I'm still not ready to leave my house w/o making my bed though. That still bothers me all day long.

A book of case studies, from homes to business organizations, arguing that “mess” is not inherently bad and in many cases is actually beneficial. The authors’ point is very valid; American ideals of “neat” and “organized” do tend to be at levels that take far more time to maintain than they give back in efficiency. But after a while I found the book’s evangelization annoying. The authors do acknowledge that there are particular situations where neatness indeed pays off, and show more levels of messiness that do indeed reach the pathological; however, it reads more like a token “yeah, a sloppy operating room is bad” than a real acknowledgement that there is still such thing as inappropriately messy. (As for the final section on smells, I invite them to ride around in my ex’s car on a hot day sometime.)

My chief disagreement with the book (and it’s possible that they do address this and I overlooked it) is that the authors don’t address situations where your individual messiness affects other people — not aesthetically (the authors make it quite clear that they’re on the side of “none of your business what someone else’s desk/yard/business plan looks like”), but functionally or financially. Asking “Does this level of mess help or harm my overall functioning?” is a necessary question, but so is “Does this level of mess help or harm the functioning of people who I have obligations toward — my spouse, my family, my coworkers?” show less