Book Review & Giveaway: Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized by Laurie Palau

Looking to get organized? Looking to free yourself from all types of clutter? Then pick up Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized by Laurie Palau.

In this fun and practical book, readers learn how to get organized and stay organized. Palau helps you identify your dominate clutter and other types of clutter that keep you feeling overwhelmed and disorganized. She gives you ideas on how to uncover your clutter pitfalls. Then she provides you with overall solutions and tips on how to get organized by room (kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, etc.). Finally, she provides the reader with ideas on moving forward and a bunch of helpful resources to get organized and stay organized.

Organization has always been my thing. I credit it to those years in retail sorting clothes by sleeve length and colors. But life got hectic over the last few years and my house has become a jumbled mess of stuff. It doesn't help we are moving my mother-in-law in with us. Already, using just a few tips from Hot Mess, I have been able to make progress through cleaning up my in-laws house. With this book in hand, I'll be turning my attention to our house next to get it ready for her to move in.

What I appreciated most about Palau's approach is that she acknowledged our "emotional" clutter: our need to keep something because of our emotional connection to it. In my basement, there are boxes and boxes of projects my kids made and school work. Hot Mess made me realize I need to look at these things with a new strategy. The other highly motivating factor was admitting my "calendar" clutter: how I try to fit it in too many things. Isn't there a saying that if you want things done, ask a busy person? This busy person is eager to use Palau's tips for conquering calendar clutter to make life and all that other clutter more manageable.

For those of us struggling with clutter in any form, Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized by Laurie Palau may be the most important and helpful book we read all year.


Paperback: 232 pages
Publisher: zolopublishing (October 12, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0692921621
ISBN-13: 978-0692921623


I received a digital copy of this book from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Excerpt:

We’ve talked a lot about organizing your stuff, but how about finding time in your day for you?  Calendar clutter, in my opinion, is the driving force behind so much of our daily stress, anxiety, and frustration.  So many of us run on autopilot, especially when the kids are small, or when we are busy taking care of ailing parents or building a career.  It’s easy to see how we can lose sight of making time for other things in our life that are important, like self-care.

As a society, we have a difficult time knowing how to unplug.  Life is filled with distractions, and unless you make a conscious effort to prioritize time for yourself, it will never happen.  Maybe you want time to exercise, join a book club, volunteer, or take up a hobby, but figuring out the logistics may seem impossible.

...Only when I took a step back to look at what my goals were, and actually wrote down what I had been doing, was I able to see where I needed to change. Note the key phrase: “I needed to change.”  I had to reclaim control over how I chose to spend my time.

GIVEAWAY 

Laurie Palau will be awarding a FREE 30 minute phone consultation to help address specific organizing challenges to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - May 7

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

How is it Monday again? Gosh, the time slips away faster and faster. Today, the hubby turns 50! How did that happen? At least he will always be two months and five days older than me. :)

Lil' Diva, hubby, & father-in-law

I've been trying desperately to keep reading a few days out of the week. It's been tough with work, but I really want to whittle away my book piles. I donated 45 books to the library book sale last week, so once I do some more reading and purging I'll have room for new ones. :) 

On Thursday, I reviewed The Pirate Bride by Kathleen Y'Barbo. Great book in a superb series. Will be tackling The Captured Bride by Michelle Griep next. Love the cover. 

I'm almost done with Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Organizing. Once I read that, I'm done with scheduled book reviews. While I definitely have other books authors are waiting for me to review, there is nothing due by a certain date. Thank God!!!! I want to read something without having to worry about finishing it on a certain date. 

I'm also in the middle of this book:

One of my friends wrote it and I am thrilled to be part of her launch team. Look for my review of Becoming Unconsumed by Lynne Britton this week. 

After that, I might finish...

I mislaid this book in the middle of reading it. As I was going through my shelves to purge a few things, I found it. 

That's it from me this week. Hope you share what you're reading. Enjoy!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - April 30

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Time to try and get back in the swing of things. I've sold four houses over the last twelve days--I think that's a new personal record--and it has left little time for anything else. Thank goodness I have a bit of time off this morning.


I reviewed these two books at The Children's and Teens' Book Connection.

Finally getting a chance to really dive into this one. I loved the first book in this series and the third one is already in my TBR pile. Stayed up last night reading.

Hot Mess is coming up for review, so I need to finish this one too. 

After this one, I don't have any more on the review schedule for book tours. I just need a break and want to read whatever tickles my fancy. I'm thinking it might be one of these.

I'm also pruning my book shelves this week since the annual library book sale starts Tuesday. That should help with some space around here. 

What are you reading? What do you think is on the horizon? 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - April 2

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. We get two again this year because my husband's family has always celebrated Greek Easter. I cooked a small dinner for us and then the rest of the family will be coming over on April 8.

No reading at all went on this week. Spring market is in full swing and I wasn't home much. That said, I'm almost done with...

I need to finish this next one by the weekend.

My plan was then to finish this awesome looking book...

Then I joined the launch team for a good friend of mine who wrote this lovely devotional. It arrived this week and I am eager to dive right in.

Perhaps the journey in the waiting is the goal, rather than the actual finish line.

Sometimes while waiting for situations to change, we discover that perhaps what God is waiting on is us. That’s exactly what Lynne set out to discover when she was in a journey of waiting, during a wilderness season of her own. She discovered that perhaps she needed to unbecome everything she had framed her life around because in the process of building a life in this world, we often become consumed with everything other than The Word.

Becoming Unconsumed is an invitation to open the door to the possibilities that exist for us as women when we let go of what the world thinks and build a better relationship with ourselves, each other and, ultimately, God. This book is written for all women. Women who might not know God at all, women who have known Him all their lives, and women who aren’t sure what to think. Organized through reflection and response, Lynne invites us to consider the relevancy of the Word in 2018 and beyond as our faith is energized and confidence is strengthened. It is possible for you to make space for your daily Grace and your daily relationship with God. Lynne is the first to admit she is just a regular woman who decided to listen to God and make it happen.

What are you reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - Mar 12

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's a great post to organize yourself. It's an opportunity to visit and comment, and er... add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date.

Gosh, it was a long week. Thought last week would never end. Thankfully, I got some reading time in...and not just in the bathtub. Expecting another snowstorm this week, so maybe more reading time for me.

I'm almost done with this book:

I had started this one on vacation, but dropped it to read Caroline, because I've been dying to read it. Need to finish The Pirate Bride. 

I've got to finish Hot Mess too. The review isn't coming up for a while, but now that I started it I want to get it done.

I'll have to start this one soon, because I have a review coming up mid-April.

What are you reading? Hope you have a great week. 

In My Suitcase

The family decided to take a short trip to a warmer place. While the house sitter is taking care of the kitties and the pet sitter is keeping an eye on the dog, I just might get some reading done. Here's what I hope to polish off while we are away...

Have you read any of these? Any of these seem like good additions to your wish list?

Book Review: The Joyful Business Planner by Kate Martin

Where has this business planner been for the past three decades of my life? The Joyful Business Planner by Kate Martin is unlike anything you've probably seen before--which is why the author says she put it together.

Broken down into five sections--Business Overview, Marketing, Yearly Tracking, Calendars, and Wish Lists and Aspirations--this planner has the systems to get you organized and on track to meet your goals.

What I love about this book (everything really, but...):

• It's less than 100 pages (perfect for busy small business owners like me);
• It is short on narration and long on helpful templates to put the right systems in place;
• There is one sheet that is a look at your current year at a glance that you can complete and hang in your office to stay focused;
• One chapter focuses solely on social media marketing (including blogging);

I could go on and on about The Joyful Business Planner, but in the end all I need to say is this: if you are a small business owner, The Joyful Business Planner is an essential tool for success. 

Paperback: 92 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 13, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1539141810
ISBN-13: 978-1539141815

I received a digital copy of this book from the author through Pump Up Your Book. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Musing Mondays - August 15

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme now hosted at Jenn's blog Books And A Beat that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION:  What sequel do you have yet to read?

Monday has arrived again. Technically, as I am typing this it is still only Sunday, but by the time you read this it will be Monday.

This past week was the one where I decided I had enough; enough mess, enough chaos--pretty much enough of a lot of things. I miss blogging. I miss reading every night before bed. I miss having my books organized and my TBR pile all mapped out on spreadsheets.

As part of deciding enough was enough, I am moving my office to the first floor of our home by converting our very unused formal living room into an office space. The printer/fax/scanner is on the first floor at the other end of the house in the hubby's office. It is so inconvenient when I need to do anything. I'm also thinking that if my office is on the first floor I'll keep it cleaner. And finally, I want to be able to have real estate clients come to my home if needed, so I want a place that is easily accessible.

I've made a lot of progress in going through books; cataloging them and boxing them up. I've donated some books and other belongings from my office. I've also recycled a bunch of old magazines and other fun stuff.

All this effort has made me feel a lot better. The hallway is a mess, but as things are delivered to where they need to go, that will change too.

The best part? The clean up fever has infected the girls too and they have been going through their rooms doing the same thing. I love it!

I'm open to any tips you are willing to share on major clean ups.

Latest Writer2Writer Article

You can find my latest article for Writer2Writer at their Time Management site. "Seasonal Articles: Plan Ahead & Earn Extra Writing Income" made it out to subscribers in the February newsletter.

Check out the article here!

Enjoy the Peace of the Holiday Season: 2009 Virtual Advent Tour

I am so excited to get a chance to participate in the 2009 Virtual Advent Tour. I wasn't quite sure what to write about because I am a huge lover of Christmas and there are so many subjects to discuss; but keeping in mind that this is a blog dedicated to books and writing, I wanted to stay focused on that theme.

In addition to my roles as a virtual book tour coordinator, copy editor, and book reviewer, I also write time management articles for Writer2Writer. These articles are geared toward helping writers increase productivity through time management and organization. While time management and organization is something that has always come easy to me, it isn't easy for everyone; so I enjoy sharing what I have found successful for me as a writer.


The holiday season is wonderful, but it can also be very stressful. With shopping, sending out cards, decorating, working, running the kids around to various activities, and unexpected things cropping up from time to time, it's easy to lose that sense of peace that is meant to fill this time of year.

Here are a few ways that can help you keep this holiday season stress-free and more enjoyable.

Set Realistic Expectations

The Currier and Ives version of the perfect Christmas only happens in pictures. Allowing yourself to be pulled in too many directions will lead to stress and jeopardize your chances of enjoying the holidays.

Write out a to-do list of what must be done. When you write out that list, give great consideration to what "must" means.

Does must mean...

* you need to include a personal note with each card
* you need to volunteer for every event that someones asks you to help with
* you have to clean your house from top to bottom
* your decorations have to be up by a certain date

While all these things are nice in theory, they can add to the craziness that often surrounds the season. Maybe an annual letter will work instead of a personal note to everyone on your list. Selecting one or two events to volunteer for each year will allow you to contribute to worthwhile causes without leaving you tired and overwhelmed. There's nothing wrong with saying "no" or "maybe next time".

I've always been one to stress over how the house looks. I used to insist that all my decorations be up by Thanksgiving weekend and that the entire house be cleaned before company arrives on Christmas Eve or Day. People come to see you and your family, not your house. Do what you can to make it special, but don't worry if the house isn't picture perfect. It's probably going to get messed up with company coming anyway.



Don't Be Afraid to Delegate

For those items that make the "must be done" list, see which ones can be delegated. I know, it sometimes feels like it's just easier to do it yourself, but when you're running from place to place and that blood pressure is rising, it's time to say, however it gets done doesn't matter as long as I don't have to do it.

Your family will be happy to help if it means spending more time with you.


Get the Sleep You Need

If I am guilty of anything, it is staying up too late to finish one last thing. Unfortunately, that makes me irritable and impatient the next day. Just ask my family!

Get the correct amount of sleep you need each night. Not only will your family thank you for it, you'll be much more productive the next day.

By setting realistic expectations, delegating some tasks, and getting the sleep you need, you and you family will be able to experience a less stressful and more meaningful holiday season!