Product Description

Overbooking? Running late? Feeling overwhelmed by clutter and to-dos? Management consultant Dr. Marilyn Paul guides you on a path to personal change that will bring true relief from the pain and stress of disorganization. Unlike other books on getting organized, It’s Hard to Make a Difference When You Can’t Find Your Keys offers a clear seven-step path to personal development that is comprehensive in nature.

Drawing on her own experience as a chronically disorganized person, Paul adds warmth, insight, humor, and hope to this manual for change and self-discovery. She introduces the notion of becoming “organized enough” to live a far more rewarding life and make the difference that is most important to you.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #167545 in Books
• Published on: 2003-12-30
• Released on: 2003-12-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Paul, an organizational development consultant, offers scattered readers a way out of the "swamp of disorder" in this smart look at the underlying causes of chronic disorganization. Though she offers concrete advice (create a to-do list system, keep transition time between appointments, get rid of things you haven't used in a year), her book goes beyond a step-by-step program to getting organized; her approach targets many of the sources of disorganization (among them: insecurity, emotional attachment, inexperience and fear) while offering meaningful paths to tackling everything from dirty dishes and filing problems to time management and inner spirituality. Hokey phrases like "the whole purpose of getting organized is to reconnect us with our soul's journey" and suggestions such as "bring your loving awareness to washing the lettuce leaves" are a little too common, but Paul artfully weaves the existential with the practical, as she shows how presence of mind can lead to a sense "of a greater Presence." Her advice is simple but important, and her reassuring tone will soothe even the most harried reader.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Cheryl Richardson
"If clutter and disorganization are suffocating your spirit, you must read this book"

Review
“If clutter and disorganization are suffocating your spirit, you must read this book” (Cheryl Richardson) “A brilliant, provocative, and profound book.” (Edward M. Hallowell, M.D.)

Customer Reviews

I want to join the Marilyn Paul fan club!
I was merely looking for a book to help me get better organized, but I got so much more!! This book will not just make your sock drawer look better, it will help you to really look at yourself and why you do the things you do. There were times when I had to just put the book down and marvel in wonderment because she asked a question or made an observation that was so incredibly insightful, I was almost moved to tears.

Tremendously Helpful
This book helped me tremendously when it came to organization - something I don't have a natural knack for. I learned that it takes very small changes to make a big difference and I have felt an inner calm since implementing some of the advice this book gives - like taking the extra ten seconds to think about it as you set your keys down, making a conscious effort to giving everything a home to avoid clutter, and sorting through little piles of mail and papers before they become overwhelming nightmares. Also just taking it step by step and not expecting magical changes overnight. I highly recommend this to anyone who struggles with procrastination; anyone looking to learn the advantages of delayed gratification...and a more organized mentality over all.

I'm rather better now... deskwise, at least...
So far, this is the only book that has made a serious dent in my disorganization. My desk at work has been cleaned off and organized for months on end now, since around June 2007.

Unfortunately, I still have a strong tendency towards lateness, and my entire apartment is still a wreck, but this amazing desk progress is really something.

I learned some cleaning and organizing techniques from Clean Sweep, Julie Morgenstern and David Allen's Getting Things Done, but this book somehow got me to apply what I knew from those other sources. Some of the more extremely hippy dippy stuff is over the top, but some of it hits home. I'll be rereading this book soon, for a second pass at the problem.