 No Title
I am in no position to criticize someone who does this for a living and is trying to reach as many different people as possible; but maybe that's why these books seem to be written by the same person: one deeply devoted to the latest organizing software, deeply devoted to their spouse whom they hope understands their busy life, and I think miss out on the simplicity of just a few things. They want it ALL. This works, I've seen it, but I'm not that person. I suppose I want to avoid the worst emotions: guilt and regret of things done or not done before I die, that's enough. Then I backtrack from there. Then I figure out the small stuff. No more shopping. Same brainwaves as not eating too much. Do I want a roommate? It seems I go from the general to the specific, a different system from our author's altogether; but I can't say it works well, either. I find that organizing is therapy. When things have to go emotions come up, and she doesn't deal with that in her book; though a previous critique was glad for that. Perhaps this is my book, I don't know. I'm definitely not her; but I hope she understands I appreciate her effort.
 Meh.
I bought this book before it came out and I was so excited about it. I read the blog and have enjoyed it over time.
The book is really so so, not very inspirational, nothing new really. I have a few other books which are much better on this subject. I have tried three times to get through it. I even skipped to sections that inspire me more, like the closet and still reading it was such a chore. The book is printed on cheap creme paper and is not appealing in appearance or content. On this topic I would recommend "Organize Now." It is spiral bound and has a much better almost recipe-like step by step ideas for organizing.
 I returned it - pure over exaggeration Peter Walsh!
This book is very misleading. There is no way in h*ll you can unclutter your life in one week. The prep work alone takes a couple of months - the author seems to have missed this. Why do you think the TV shows come into a cluttered home with a HUGE number of people, cleaning supplies and organizing equipment? Because it takes a lot of work. Even a family can't do this in one week. I bought this book and returned it.
I unclutter people's lives as a hobby - soon to be a full time business. I am here to tell you that no matter what anyone says, there is NO way the title of this book is true. WHY??? Because in order to LIVE your life uncluttered for a week, you have to do prep work with your home, office and time. And that takes TIME and a lot of it, depending on your amount of clutter. I would say to work for three months in your spare time and only a few hours on the weekends (unless you want no life at all) would set you up for the plan she proposes. How do you delegate a place to set your stuff when you get home if that area is a disaster or just a mess? You have to clean it, unclutter it, decide where the stuff goes and THEN you have a place to put your stuff. The prep work could take an hour or a whole night.
Being a so-called expert, I just went through my closets completely. Granted, I have 27 feet of hanging space and equal stacking space plus six containers under the bed. For me to reorganize what was an organized - but getting sloppy - closet (giving away, storing, reorganizing, throwing out, trading) took me 18 hours. I touched and tried on each piece of clothing - because I felt my closet was getting away from me. NOW, and only now, can I instantly select outfits (which I do not do daily, I do it on Sunday, with all accessories, so I am good for the week).
There are much better books on the market, especially Peter Walsh's. I can't imagine why he endorsed this.
 Needed an editor to de-clutter the text
There are some great, practical tips here, but I think the author may have gotten confused about who her audience is and what exactly we are hoping to get from the book.
She goes from assuming we are tech-savvy folk who know about or may be interested in using expensive project-management software like Backpack (which is most effective for people who work online with other people who are online), yet feels the need to explain how RSS feeds work. That's speaking to wildly different audiences.
She also spent time giving us tips for how to give an "uncluttered" office presentation, which is really not what anyone picked up the book hoping to get, I don't think.
Then, in the middle of some pretty good, if basic tips about decluttering the home, she stops to give a lecture about having an exterminator visit if you have rats and roaches. EEW! I think anyone who has rats and roaches will know that it is a priority to get rid of them, and won't be reading the book going, wow - it never occurred to me that getting rid of roaches should be important enough to call a professional in to help with!
Little things like that really annoyed me through the whole book. She'd be kicking along with some simple, encouraging advice, and then would talk down to us with stuff that sounded like she was imagining we were extremely dumb. That's not so annoying to have some dumb tips if the others are mostly high-level, non-intuitive things, but most of the book felt like warmed-over advice from other decluttering books, and not like the really interesting, lifehack-style things she recommends on her blog.
I have read two other books on decluttering to help me balance living with someone who likes to hold on to stuff, and to encourage me in a more minimalist lifestyle. My favorite of these was Peter Walsh's It's All Too Much, because he brings his own encouraging, cheerleading personality to the table and helped me feel excited to get going! I also enjoyed Maartje de Wolff's book Clear Your Way to a Clutter Free Life, again because she brought her own uniqueness to the table in exploring our feelings and thought processes carefully...
I think that's really the problem with the Unclutterer book. I expected Erin Doland's personality to shine through more deeply than on Unclutterer's website, and instead it felt like I got less of that special something that makes her tips and advice so unique.
Of course, maybe the layout of the book just didn't work well with my small Kindle 2. Take my advice with a grain of salt and read the other reviews, because I was surprised to dislike this book. I really expected more.
 John Albee
This book has a lot of great advise. The only thing I would disagree with is the "in a week" part. If I could take a vacation from all my other responsiblities then that could happen. While it may not seem apparent at first the book's advise is laid out well in terms of feeling immediate accomplishment. I'd recommend anyone looking to simplify their life purchase this book!
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