Ruly Bookshelf: Marcia Francois’ Live Organised

My goal this month was to read and review Marcia Francois’ new book Live Organised and I am happy to report that I have succeeded!

I read the book yesterday despite an overfull schedule. The great thing about this book is that it suits its target audience perfectly. If you are an overwhelmed or disorganized person the last thing you want is a detailed tome with specific instructions and routines that will take a huge amount of time and effort to understand and implement. Marcia Francois’ book meets this audience perfectly. Her book reads very quickly and easily, packing in some insights about the psychology of organising as well as some organising tips.

Francois has a unique voice and is able to get to the high level importance of organization without getting buried in too many details. She also is very direct and honest. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book, made into cute little quote boxes a la the latest blogging trend. (I hope Marcia Francois isn’t too appalled! It wouldn’t be her style to do them herself but hope she can appreciate it when someone else does them.)

She also discusses two topics that are important to me personally about organising: perfectionism and environmentalism. Francois does not advocate a Martha-Stewart style approach and instead advocates a “just enough” organising strategy. Francois gives many creative suggestions for re-use of containers such as glass jars and cereal boxes in organising efforts.

At the end of the book, she also provides “15 Tools to Organise Your Home and Life,” in the form of several worksheets and checklist that help you do things such as set goals and create a travel checklist.

For American readers, there are some fun English language uses in this book. The first being the use of an “s” instead of a “z” in the word “organise.” Other word choices include “bin” (instead of garbage can or wastebasket), “costume” (instead of bathing suit), “plasters” (instead of Band Aids), and “lip ice” (lip balm?) but these in no way interfere with the comprehension of the overall message.

This book will appeal in particular to two groups of readers: those who are just getting started in their organising efforts and those who want a quick motivational reference to continue their own organising efforts. This book is truly a quick, accessible, not overwhelming, reference and packs a big punch for little reading effort. Watch Marcia Francois’ blog for details about giveaways and special offers to get extra value for your purchase.

Which is your favorite Francois quote? Please share in the comments.