Buried in Treasures:  Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding (Second Edition)
by: David F Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee
Platform: Kindle

This book is written as a self-help manual for folks struggling with hoarding tendencies, their families, and their collaborative team.  Right from the beginning of the book, I was impressed with the author's stance on this topic.  They are sensitive to the use of the term "hoarders, " and are very respectful to their readers.  

Much of the content in the book is research based and not simply observations from the authors.  Several self-assessments are available to the readers to gauge your situation including safety and ADL (Activities of Daily Living).  It is so important to understand the conditions that you are living in.  Remember, if a person struggles with extreme chronic disorganization, it happened progressively and they may not see it like an outsider.  Using these assessments will give them a better understanding.  The authors also use self-assessments to walk you through some of your beliefs and self talk.  Then they give readers strategies for beating hoarding.  Knowing what thoughts are preventing you from making the progress you desire is a very powerful tool.  The focus moves then to mindfulness of your surroundings and visualization, followed by a contract with yourself.  

This book requires work.  It is not a read and then put in to action activity.  The book asks you many, many questions and really gets readers engaged in the process.  I feel pretty strongly that this book can help people overcome their hoarding tendencies.  The book would be a great compliment to working with a therapist on CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.)  I highly suggest this book.

Randy Frost collaborated with Lee Schuer to compile a Facilitator Guide to walk through Buried in Treasures as a Workshop.  I would love to see this take off locally.  I know there is a need for this type of support for my clients.  The format of the workshop is intended to be peer lead, so I am not going to facilitate.  I would be happy to work with a facilitator to get the group started though.  Please let me know if you are interested in working on this project!

Life in Rewind: The Story of a Young Courageous Man Who Persevered Over OCD and the Harvard Doctor Who Broke all the Rules to Help Him
by: Terry Weible Murphy
Platform: Hardcover Library Book

This is one of those fascinating books that you can sit down and read pretty quickly.  The main character's story, Ed Zine, is one that I feel many can relate to but then it takes a turn.  Life at home as a kid was hard, but then he is hit with the devastating loss of his mother to cancer and his life is turned upside down.  

The author does a wonderful job of helping you actually see the living conditions Ed survived in.  They also try very hard to feel the way Ed was feeling and the stress that OCD put on his life. OCD took him over and directed his every move.  Some self-directed Exposure Response Therapy was used to help Ed overcome OCD and rejoin the outside world after encouragement from the Dr. Jenkins.  

Of course there is a beautiful, happy ending but it in no way overshadows the trials this young man went through.  Stories like this one really get my mind going and wondering about all the other people out there in the world who are also struggling in silence OCD.  Some who may not have supportive families, or others who's families may feel exhausted in their efforts to help.  This is a great story to add hope to anyone struggling with OCD.  

Life: Organized would like to share with you what we are reading and explain just a little about the book so you can decide if it should be on your list.  Currently, I am going through a stack of books that is on a reading list to complete my Level II Chronic Disorganization exam in May (through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.)  

Attention Deficit Disorder
The Unfocused Mind in Children and Adults
By Thomas E Brown Ph.D.
Platform: Paperback
Chapters 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 (The remainder of the book's materials are for another exam.)

Ok, this book is not for the faint of heart…or should I say brain.  There are technical descriptions of how the brain chemicals function.  It is a tough read, dense with really great information (even for a person really interested in the topic!)  The author provides very good examples of how ADHD symptoms affect patients, and how those symptoms effect their daily lives.  He also describes how the symptoms can flare up at different times throughout the patients life due to external factors.

After completing the assigned chapters, my first instinct was to message all my educator friends (I have lots), and tell them to read the book!  The book does a great job identifying some of the behaviors that are red flags for ADHD.  I completely understand that not all kids who have behavioral problems or poor grades had the disorder (and the boo addresses this), but if the book could even help one child it would be worth it!  

[Book Review]

The Step-by-Step Guide to 
Getting Rid of It 
Eliminate the Clutter in Your Life

by Betsy & Warren Talbot

Platform: Kindle Fire

There are a lot of big name organizing professionals out there who have really great print, audio and visual materials.  Some of them I have read, watched or listened to.  Often, these professionals are basing their materials on personal experience, client experience, and their past trials and errors in the or gaining field and the life before organizing.  This book is not one of those.  

This book is written by a couple who decides to downsize from a 3,000+ square foot house, to a townhouse, and finally to carrying a 26 pound pack each.  They discuss some of the reasons why we keep things and the liberating feeling of purging the things that keep weighing us down.  

This is a good read for someone who may be intimidated by some of the more academic literature out there on organizing.  It is really written from the view of an ordinary person who is sharing their journey and what worked for them. Out of their experience, they share lots of best practices that myself and most other organizers in the industry actually use.  

Added bonus=

So many books out there about organizing, so how can you choose which ones to read and which ones are not worth your time? Well, I am going to try to keep you up to date with what I am reading in the world of Home Organizing. I will let you know if I would suggest the book and then give a few tips that I found in the book to be well stated, cutting edge, or just plain awesome!




Book Review:
Miss Minimalist: Inspiration to Downsize, Declutter, and Simplify
By Francine Jay
Platform: Kindle Fire

This book was a quick read...I will give it that. While Francine had some great ideas and the book reads well, I was irritated by the constant plugs for her other books. I wouldn't suggest picking this one up because I think your time can be better spent (perhaps on some of her other books?!?), but I will share with you a couple of the ideas that I enjoyed:

• The idea of selling your castoffs was brought up (8. Ebay Reality Check- The True Value of Your Treasures). She states “...in my opinion, any item unlikely to sell for more than $10 is hardly worth the time and effort to photograph it, list it, and ship it. But that doesn't mean you have to hold on to it...Feel free to let it go! If you ever have the need for such an item in the future, look how inexpensively you can acquire it.” (Loc241/1514) Well, this hits the nail on the head. We have such attachment to our stuff because of it's “perceived” value.
  
• “Each unnecessary thing we purge (or chose not to buy) is one less thing to fuss over, clean, repair, maintain, and pay for. Each unfulfilling task we toss from our schedules is one less hassle in the course of our day. In paring down to the essentials, a myriad of worries fall to the wayside. And what we are left with? More space, more minutes, more attention for what's important.” (Loc1174/1514)
  
• “Decide what to keep, rather than what to toss.” (Loc1236/1514)
  
• “What is minimalism then? It's eliminating excess. It's asking “why” before you buy. It's embracing the concept of enough. It's living lightly and gracefully on earth. It's uncovering who you are when all of the logos, brand names, and clutter are stripped away. It's simple, it's ordinary, and it's accessible to everyone-from singles to families, teenagers and retirees.” (loc
  
  

Again, none of these ideas are new, but she does a great job restating them. I will probably pick up another one of her books in the future, but for now there are a couple others on the burner!