"It's All Too Much, so Get It Together" Review and Giveaway

There's something about Peter Walsh that inspires me to get organized. Maybe it's his friendly demeanor. Maybe it's his practical advice. Maybe I just really dig his philosophy: that clutter is first and foremost a state of mind, and you first need to visualize what you want your life to be, what you want to use your space for, before you can really get around to getting some order in your life.

Whatever the case, I find that whenever I listen to him, I get shit DONE. After his workspace organization blogcast, I organized the kids' artwork projects. After I joined him as a panelist on his back-to-school organization blogcast, I organized the kids' toy bins, lunchboxes, and school paperwork. Slowly but surely, I'm clearing up my physical clutter, and in the process, streamlining my life. So I have no hesitation whatsoever about reading (and afterwards, recommending) his latest book.

The Basics
Peter Walsh's latest organization-advice book, "It's All Too Much, So Get It Together", is directed towards older kids and teenagers. He offers practical advice on identifying clutter, clearing up clutter and preventing clutter from coming back.

The Bongga
The book is as well-organized as Peter Walsh! He starts the book by giving readers a summary of what they're about to read, so they know what they're gettting into. Afterwards, he finishes with a summary, so readers remember his key points. And since this book is for older kids and teenagers, he writes in a friendly, informal style, with lots of fun quizzes, funny illustrations and easy-to-follow advice.

The best part about this book, in my mind, is that you don't have to memorize the whole book in order to get some use out of it. Whether you read a little or a lot, you'll find some great advice that can work for you. After reading just a couple of chapters, I was inspired to clear up my own clutter. I tackled my little laundry room and made 3 piles, just like he said -- Keep, Throw Away, and Out the Door. In less than an hour I had a huge Throw Away and Out the Door pile! Of course, the laundry room is still messy, but that's because I haven't folded up the clean clothes. I did get rid of a LOT of junk, and at least now everything in the laundry room is stuff that I actually USE.

So, come to think of it, the best part about this book is that the advice Peter Walsh gives actually WORKS.


The Blah
The title is quite a mouthful, which makes it way too difficult for people to remember.

Girlfriend: My kid's room is a pigsty.
Me: I just read this book, "It's All Too Much, So Get it Together". You should buy it for her.
Girlfriend: What's the book's name again?
Me: It's All Too Much, So Get It Together.
Girlfriend: What? Say that again? That title is all too much!


The Bottom Line
This book can be a great tool to help your disorganized, stressed-out teenager regain some control over his stuff. It won't turn their lives around -- they have to do that themselves. But it's filled with practical, doable advice that can certainly inspire them to make a change. And it wouldn't hurt the adults in the house to read it as well!


Win it! One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will be selected to receive a copy of Peter Walsh's new book, "It's All Too Much, So Get It Together". To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and share one tip you have for preventing clutter from taking over your life. If you have no advice to share (which is why you want to win this book, right?!), tell us which part of your home you'd most like to organize!

For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

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6) Blog about this giveaway and include a link to the giveaway on your blog post (leave a comment here with a link to your post).

7) Tweet this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your tweet). Here is a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

Win a copy of @Peter_Walsh latest book at @bonggafinds http://tinyurl.com/ndrfbm

Maximum of 8 entries per person. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on October 6, 2009.; I will draw a winner at random on October 7 and post the winner's name on the comments section soon after. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

I received a product sample for this post, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.