The Tao of Time by Diana Hunt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
"More and more, time has come to exercise a tyrannical influence over our lives. There is never enough of it, no matter how carefully or cleverly we organize and plan. As pollster Lou Harris put it ...: 'Time may have become the most precious commodity in the land.' Yet why should this be, when 'time management' has itself evolved into a veritable discipline that sells books in the millions, creates ever more ingenious 'organizers,' and promulgates any number of quick-fix solutions?
"It is the premise of this book that, in keeping with so much we are still learning from Eastern philosophies in so-called New Age theory and practice, there are no quick-fix solutions to be imposed on our lives from without -- only within ourselves can we create true inner control of time and retake charge of our lives rather than let our lives (and the tyranny of the clock) run us."
~~front flap
A well-written book, with step by step directions on how to achieve mastery of your time by immersing yourself in their "deceleration" program based on Taoist (or perhaps Confucianist) philosophy. The system sounds intriguing, and the authors promise that following this system will give you infinite control over time (as opposed to finite control, which is the land of day planners and calendars and watches that calculate nanoseconds.)
I think I would have valued the book more if I hadn't been in active resistance most of the time I was reading it. I want to have better control of my time, but like most addicts, I don't want to do anything differently in order to get it.
I think I'll read this book again, in the very near future.
A Grave Disturbance by D.M. GreenwoodMy rating: 4 of 5 stars"When Deacon Theodora Braithwaite agrees to visit an old friend, Susan Tye, wife of the Provost of the cathedral near Gainshurst, she finds the Cathedral Close in turmoil, following the death of a workman. The accident adds greatly to the burdens borne by Reggie Tye, already battling to fund the restoration of possibly the ugliest cathedral in Britain (or one of the most unusual, depending on your point of view), and, according to his wife, a victim of a mysterious blackmailer."Theodora is unimpressed by the spartan hospitality on offer and even less impressed with the Tyes' wild theories. But as suspicions mount that the tragic accident may not have been an accident at all, but rather a convenient murder, Theordora is reluctantly drawn into a most unseemly ecclesiastical wrangle ..."~~back coverThe opening caught me up straightaway -- a delectable foray into lyrical English, presented by Lionel, whose sharp wit and tongue make such engaging reading. Well-plotted, good characterization -- definitely worth the reading.
Organizing for Life: Declutter Your Mind to Declutter Your World by Sandra Felton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
"Say good-bye to the stress of mess -- for good!
"You can find the order, beauty, and peace you desire--and deserve--in your home. Organizing for Life reveals the secrets of keeping your house neat, clean, and organized without spending every minute of your life working on it.
"Finally a book that goes beyond the how-tos of cleaning and looks right at the heart of messiness so permanent change can take place. You'll learn why things are out of control so you can get them back in order and keep them that way. You'll uncover the mental and emotional roots of clutter--guilt, fear, rebellion, habit--so you can get rid of it.
"Even the best cleaning methods are useless if you can't keep up and soon slip back into old habits. Stop struggling. You can overcome that old, unsuccessful mind-set and discover a new way of thinking that makes messiness a thing of the past."
~~back cover
If I expected this book to solve all my clutter problems, in the rah-rah way the back cover promises, I would have been disappointed. Fortunately, I didn't expect a blueprint for instant unclutter.
The author has created a category of person whose house &/or life is in disarray: the messie. Evidently she started a Messies Anonymous program. I can see where that might be helpful -- there's always comfort in finding you're not the only oddity in the entire world with your problem. The group supports each other, perhaps holds each other accountable for following through on their commitments.
According to the book, I'm a Clutterer Messie. The two reasons that fit me best are:
No place to put things away: the house is small, storage space is scarce, and there is already too much stuff in the storage places. In short, the stuff is spilling over because there's too much of it. Messies find it difficult to know what storage spaces are needed, and they don't think of buying things like cabinets and shelves.
and
Executive Dysfunction: Our more organized sisters have a natural knack for organizing. When they look at a situation that needs organizing, the steps for doing the job form automatically in their brains. Those with executive dysfunction, an inborn inability to organize things easily, do not have that same experience. They have trouble knowing where to begin and how to proceed.
I'm also a Time-Waster Messie, with a poor sense of passing time and therefore no sense of how long it takes to do things.
The author also talks about clutter being a typical ADD trait, but holds out hope:"Knowing why we keep too much stuff, leave things around, and schedule our lives poorly is the first step towards change." The main emphasis of the book is learning to change your mind-set, and the ways to do that changing.
The author offers up many things that are helpful. I especially liked being told the idea that working harder will keep my house clean is a lie. Another way to say that is that doing the same thing, only harder, and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. It's the equivalent of yelling at a deaf person ... louder & harder just isn't going to make a difference.
I am continually frustrated by several physical problems which prevent me from diving in and just whirling through the clutter. The author does talk about doing a little bit on a consistent basis (the old how to eat an elephant theory), and that's what is working for me, slowly but surely.
Mostly I felt this book was a gloss -- highlighting the surface but not providing any real substance. Perhaps I just didn't give it enough of my attention, but I haven't changed what I'm doing to resolve the clutter since I read the book because nothing in the book grabbed me by the throat and impressed me enough to incorporate it in my life.
