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| Book Cover via Amazon.com |
Opinion
I picked this little gem of a book up the day after I retired from my longtime carrier in video games. I first used it last spring to do spring cleaning. You see I am one of the few people on this Earth who was employed in one aspect or another for either my family or myself, for far too long. I never really mastered the arts of organizing, house cleaning and chores. So, I went to the local “Half-Priced Books” here in Texas and got this gem.
This is one of the few reviews from me that is a tangible book copy review only. I think if I didn’t have the actual physical book for the topic, I would have dismissed it in some ways. I also got it a beautiful protective book cover for while I tested it out so the book wouldn't get dirty or ruined.
Let’s start with the first impressions. The reason I even purchased the book was that it is a document that outlines exactly what a noobie or cluttered person could need to keep their home orderly. It goes step by step on how to fix your home, so it’s more comfortable and less dirty and cluttered. It even goes into how you can make some cash off of your old stuff.
Let’s go into a few critiques. This first one is the “Whole Story” portion of my scoring. “It’s a how-to book Mrs. Y, have you gone mad?” you’re probably asking yourself this.
No, I’m not crazy, but hear me out. The title of the book is “1001 Timely Tips” and the book never once numerically outlines said tips. There are instructions, there are “Step 1, step 2” etc. marks, but not once does it say “Tip 1, do this” and so on. I find that a bit of a waste of title. If you are working on a “How-To” book, consider your audience may be looking for what they purchased. If someone thought this was literally 1001 tips with names like “Tip 49” and there are no numbers, they may get frustrated. Now, I’m not that literal; I did not count how many steps or sections there were to see if there truly were 1001 tips or not. But that said this book should have just been called “Clutter Control: Knowing what to keep, toss and store” and that would be far more accurate than the tip thing.
This next one is in the “Cliche Much” portion of my scoring. I feel as though the writers of this book assumed that everyone who picks this up is a moron. There are some assumptions and remarks at times that seem very dated and perhaps a bit parental. I’m not certain if this was “Hey we wrote this for everyone” or, “Here is some tough love” motivations or not, but be aware of it. Not everyone is stupid, and also not everyone has the same clutter. Some of the descriptions in here match my house. Some of the descriptions in here matched my grandparent's house circa 1984.
And yet, this is where the reader has to have an open mind. So when you see something like this, relax a bit if it doesn’t apply. The book truly is universal and covers a lot of things.
Let’s go into what I truly loved about the book. Chiefly, this book takes into consideration whatever your problem areas are to your home. I was able to go to the chapters which applied and skip what did not. For example, there is a section on “hobby rooms” and, well I don’t have one of those. I’m not sure how much of an income someone has to have an entire room dedicated to hobby crafts, but I’m not in that tax bracket. That said, the garage chapter was fantastic, as was the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom ones. They applied, they weren’t outdated, and I was able to make a lot of progress on my house.
Next, there is an entire thing on Garage sales. This is very good, and I think whenever I get the chance I’m going to take the advice here and go crazy. Garage sales are an excellent way to make some money on the old treasures you no longer need. There are new HGTV shows even about garage sale flipping, so that’s an actual thing.
Lastly, does it work? Does this book do what it says and help you to organize your home and life with all of the tips and tricks? The answer is yes, but only if you follow it.
The steps are sectioned off per room, and what you need. I do think everyone needs to read the “Before you begin” portion as well. I do believe it's crucial you take it seriously. For me, it took about eight weeks to get in a good routine. I also got out of the habit a couple of times but was able to pick the book back up and start again. My house is a lot more comfortable since I began to implement the lessons in the book. I find my home has become cleaner, my mental clarity has improved, and I feel more relaxed in my living space. If you combine this with a home decoration book, you may get your dream house depending on what you want out of life.
Score
With the math in mind, the good and bad, and the fact that I found the advice works, I give “1001 Timely Tips for Clutter Control” a resounding 82/100. That’s a four-star review on Amazon and Goodreads. I am going to put this on “Mrs. Y Recomends” pile as well.
