365 Ways to Organize Everything

Emilie Barnes is the author of 70 books, including 101 Ways to Clean Out the Clutter; Heal My Heart, Lord; and 15 Minutes Alone with God. Emilie and her husband, Bob, are also the founders of More Hours in My Day time-management seminars. Sheri Torelli, author of the popular The Fast-Food Kitchen, is a nationally recognized conference speaker and owner/director of More Hours In My Day. Sheri and organization founder, Emilie Barnes, have worked together since 1981 to help women nurture their families and homes with simple steps. Together they co-authored the popular More Hours In My Day. Sheri and her husband, Tim, reside in Riverside, California.

Emilie Barnes and Sheri Torelli make a rather bold statement in claiming they have 365 Ways to Organize Everything. In fact, their book's title reveals the simultaneous strength and weakness of the book. On the one hand, they hit on most topics of special interest to modern women: how to clean and organize bathrooms, closets, kitchens, bedrooms, and cupboards; how to prioritize work, overcome procrastination, defeat clutter, shop more effectively, and save money; and how to enjoy holidays and vacations, plan for spring cleaning, and even run a garage sale. Unfortunately, because they promise to organize "everything," they don't go into much detail on any one given topic.

Entire books have been written on money management, but here, in Chapter 8, the authors give some very basic tips, such as turn off the TV when you are not watching it, invite people over instead of going out to eat, and don't let your faucets leak. There is nothing about investing funds, reducing mortgages, leveraging cash flow, or buying stocks or bonds. And, stylistically, most of the chapters are mere bullet-point checklists of actions to take, with very few anecdotal examples or written out explanations or demonstrations.

Emilie Barnes has been writing motivational books and time management materials for women for several decades, so it is not surprising to see a lot of recycled ideas in this book. Still, she provides applicable Bible verses to help people with poor planning skills and poor organizational abilities. Here tone is not sarcastic or bitter, but rather encouraging and empathetic. This book would be most functional if a reader would take one section at a time and work on improving that area of her life rather than trying to check off all 365 tips and suggestions. – Dr. Dennis E. Hensley, www.ChristianBookPreviews.com