Pretty Neat: A Review and Giveaway

Something about the New Year, or perhaps the teasing of the occasional spring-like temperatures, or maybe just being fed-up with living with "pockets of chaos" in my house really has me thinking alot about organization lately. So, when I was offered an opportunity to review Pretty Neat: the buttoned-up way to get organized & let go of perfection, I was excited to jump in and get some expert advice on how to better organize the less orderly areas of my home. And, there are several!

The funny thing is that I can be so organizationally challenged in some areas, but uber-organized in others. Sarah routinely comments about the orderliness in my home and how my trusty label maker has marked its territory in every room... even my FREEZER SHELVES have labels on them! I have found over the years that if things have a "place" designated in the house, it is MUCH easier to be organized and put them away. It's those pesky things that we haven't yet found a good "place" for yet that overrun our space and leave me feeling like we have too much clutter.

For us, the office is the big black hole of chaos. It is the first room you see when you come in our front door, so it bothers me alot that it is not ever in presentable condition. But more than that, it is really starting to effect my work efficiency by having a work space that is constantly junked up and considered the "catch all" room for things that don't go in other rooms.

This came into sharp focus recently as my husband started working from home. He likes order and calm even more than I do and he really needed the office to be organized. Enter Pretty Neat!

What I loved about the book is that they focus on broad issues concerning organization and offer tactical advice and suggestions for ways to address the issues. However, there are no step by step formulas outlined. I feel pretty strongly that what may work for me in my office may not work for you, so I wanted some advice that I was going to be able to translate easily to meet our needs. We have struggled the most with the PAPERWORK... the endless endless paperwork that enters the house, and therefore the office. We've started creating a workflow and physical spaces for each type of paper and really concentrating on what paperwork really matters and getting rid of all of the rest.

Alicia and Sarah cover many topics in the book in record time. It is informative, offers tips and advice, and also gives some real-life suggestions and examples from other women. I have made serious headway on how I manage my to-do lists, organize the kids toys, and I can't wait to implement more tactics over time.

Have some areas of organizational disarray in your home?

If you'd like to WIN A COPY OF PRETTY NEAT: the buttoned-up way to get organized & let go of perfection for yourself, fill out our entry form below. This contest will run until 11:59pm on Sunday, March 20th and only one entry per person is allowed. Good luck!

~Shannon

** And, if you want to see what awesome giveaways are going on this week with other Philly Social Media Moms, take a peek at this post!

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