Organizing Plain & Simple

July 15, 2002
While both of these books are aimed at people who bemoan the amount of stuff they've accumulated, their approaches are completely different. Glovinsky, a professional psychotherapist and professional organizer, asks readers to examine the underlying psychological issues that they have with "things." She explains different mental glitches that can make organizing harder for some people than others. Quizzes and checklists are offered so that readers can identify their thing issues and compensate for and/or ameliorate them. Basically, she takes Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out to the next level. Smallin, on the other hand, shares some concrete tips and techniques to control clutter. Unfortunately, she strays from that direction and digresses into topics such as personal finance (she gives tips on saving and investing), personal safety (she explains why semiannual fire drills are important), and final arrangements (she provides lists of what must be done when there's a death in the family). This lack of focus, coupled with an annoying tendency to repeat the same hints in different paragraphs, makes her book an optional purchase for public libraries. Glovinsky's book is recommended for any public library where clutter-control books circulate well. Pam Matthews, M.L.S., Olmsted Falls, OH

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.