The Declutter Diaries is a series of posts I did for a former blog as a glimpse inside a real decluttering project [with occasional editorial comments from my present self]. You can start with Day One here.
Today as I started to write my book review I realized the book I was reading is an older edition, so I can’t really tell you what is in the newer edition. (Doh!) Anyway, the book is The New Messies Manual: The Procrastinator’s Guide to Good Housekeeping by Sandra Felton. [Well, now that book is even more outdated, so here is a link to a newer book by Sandra Felton: Winning the Clutter War. From the reviews I read on Amazon, I think this book covers similar ideas.]
It has a section on profiles of various types of “messies” with some insight about why you might be struggling with chaos such as distractibility, poor memory, lack of visual orientation, and being a slow mover. She then talks about goal setting and figuring out where your greatest struggles are.
The heart of her decluttering method is what she calls the Mount Vernon method, based on the way they do housecleaning at Mount Vernon. In this method you start at the door of the room and work your way around, sorting through each drawer and shelf as you go.
[Oddly enough, this is one idea that stuck with me over the years. Now I know where it came from! I still use this method of going around the room in “geographical” order, as it were, to help me keep track of where I am in a project.]
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She also details using four different organizers to keep your time, schedule, information and other details accessible and orderly. Two chapters deal specifically with closets and the kitchen. A few more chapters offer insight into procrastination and indecision. [I’m sure I need to read those chapters again! At least I think I should…well, maybe tomorrow…]
For me, the best part of the book was understanding the various types of people who struggle with messiness and why. I was able to see myself in several of the profiles. [I realize that people read books for different reasons, so if you are looking for an action manual, you will probably NOT enjoy this part of the book. But if you like to plumb the depths of why you do things, this part is great.]
I also liked the section on setting goals and realize that I need to have a plan so I know what I’m going to do. If you spend half your time trying to figure out what to do each day, you won’t make much progress.
Do you know what kind of a “messie” you are? Or are you really a “cleanie”….?
Last update on 2025-06-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API