Sidetracked Home Executives(TM): From Pigpen to Paradise

I keep going back to this. Started as a bride, through raising five boys, & now with the grandkids!! A huge help for every generation, love it!! May be old-school, but it works!!

When I gave birth to my last child, I was going home with the little bundle of joy in my arms with 23 month old twins waiting on me. Also a nine year old and two step children who were at my house a lot...ages five and ten. (I am talking six children in all under the age of ll). As my husband drove me up the lane to our house I cried. He said, "Are you glad to be home dear". I couldn't talk, but if I could have I would have said..."I don't know how I am going to do this".I have a real problem with distraction. My house was a mess. Three children under the age of 2. Three in diapers. I didn't have my own washer or dryer nor a dishwasher. Couldn't get all the food hot at once because of interruptions. Kept running out of staples..Then my sister heard about this book on the today show. I took it very seriously. It took me two weeks to read and compile all the cards. I sat in each room of my house and listed slowly and methodically every single chore I wanted to "ideally" do.Finally after much mental fatigue and work, my card file system was ready. Drum roll please.............From that day on my house ran like a well oiled machine. Christmas cards and gifts on time, physicals for school scheduled early, grocery shopping done according to menus and everything in order. People often asked me how I did it. I showed up for things on time when parents with only one child couldn't make it.Since that day I have probably given six of these books away to interested parties. Many people don't actually do the book, they just read it....doesn't help. But if you want a real solution to chaos...you can't beat this book. To this day I use this system. I am no longer as disorganized as I was when my children were little, but I still find it keeps me on track. I have also used it in several jobs I have had, setting offices up on the rotating memory tickler system.If you have a real need for organization, use this book step by step and you will marvel at the results.Also, in reading one reviewer, I noticed someone saying that you could get caught up in overload by trying to be to perfect. I did not find that a problem at all. I instead found that I had more time and could actually schedule time off with time to go to the park etc. with my children. It is so much nicer to take time off when you understand that you have a plan that allows for down time and still keeps you in control.The secret to this book is actually doing it!! If you invest the time and do the upfront work of setting the system up, you will be amazed. Rhonda Beaman

When I bought the original version of this book, back when it first came out, my three children were very young and our house was a mess. Worse, I kept falling behind on cleaning, and that left me feeling guilty. And then I'd lie in bed at night, feeling like a Very Bad Wife And Mother.This book changed all that. Oh, the house was still a mess at times, but at least I knew is was clean, and I knew that if the living room wasn't tidy on Monday, it would be on Thursday... or whatever my designated "tidy up" day was for that room.The Sidetracked Sisters speak compassionately and with humor. They share a system that's very satisfying with its low-tech approach. And best of all, it not only works, it pretty much eliminates guilt. If I didn't tidy the living room one Thursday, I knew I'd do that the next Thursday.In other words, I stopped having that long to-do list in my head, and felt as if I was pretty much on top of everything. And I was.So, now that I'm a grandmother and I heard my daughter talk about the clutter in her house, and how she needed to clean but it was overwhelming... well, I bought her this updated edition of the book.I've tried lots of systems, from FlyLady through digital reminders, and so on. I keep going back to the Sidetracked Sisters' cards, and they still work better than anything else I've found.This book earns at least five stars for its value. And, oh yes, this week I was too busy to vacuum on Monday. I don't feel a moment's remorse, because I know I'll vacuum on Thursday... no guilt in the interim.So, even now, when it's just my husband and me at home, this book remains essential to our clean (and relatively uncluttered) home... and my sanity. lol

No system works if you don't use it! Having tried Flylady and SHE -I eventually chose (okay, I may change my mind again!) to use the card file from the SHE book again (you could so easily convert the card file "to-do reminders" onto a smart phone or some other computerized system with reminder capability) because you can just put individual to-do's on each card (like in the SHE book).DO NOT put big old lists on each card because you won't know what you did. Only put one item on each card. It looks too overwhelming working with big lists. That's why I have a hard time with Flylady-I think it's awesome that people love and use her method. But I just can't look at long lists of what I need to do and not have a panic attack! Obviously we all learn and do things differently! You have to know yourself..I like having individual index cards with one "to-do" item on each index card. Then I just move that finished card to the back on my file box. Sounds old-fashioned, but there's something about physically moving a real card to the back of a real file box to make me feel like I am done with that task. I even wrote all my meals (sometimes complete with side dishes!) onto cards and move them as I plan and make them so I can look at the back of the file and see what we've eaten recently (so I don't make it too soon!).So I would borrow this book to find out if it suits you - if it does then buy it. Reading it or even browsing it often will help keep you motivated. Some people even do this system for a while and then realize that the Flylady list system could work for them now.But again, nothing works unless you use it. Not all systems work for everyone. Most of the time you would need to tweak any system you use for the long term because you are an individual with unique motivations and needs. So keep that in mind if a particular system doesn't seem to work for you exactly as it's laid out - you can change it to make it work.

OK, I bought this thinking it was UNLIKELY to work.However, it has been really helpful!! As a full-time working mum of 4 (my 'baby' is nearly 15!), I am a definite Side Tracked Home Executive! In fact, I should be tidying up the study right now!I have taken a lot on board and have put quite a bit of the planning in place. I have actually done and enjoyed some housework - I just need a lie down in a darkened room for a bit now!!I love the fact that the writers' homes were very much like mine usually is BEFORE they sorted themselves out. I don't have the time they suggest for doing the whole house, but I have 4 children and a husband who could be trained up to help!It will take time to get straight, but I am reasonably confident that after the summer holidays (I am a teacher) I could have people call round unannounced and actually LET THEM IN TO THE HOUSE!!!!!!!! They may even be able to SIT ON A SOFA IN THE LIVING ROOM!!!

Unhappy at home/ relationship on the rocks because of the mess. If your house/flat/office is in chaos, your embarrassed to have anyone over, you need help now and don't know how to ask or where to start. Get this book, every few pages I was out of my chair with motivation. With a full how to start and what to do.Most books tell you to declutter, this book says that but tells you what to do how often and the best of all how to delegate to others if you have unwitting volunteers.So if you are ill and life got on top of you, your creative clutter got on top or been pampered by Mother/family. And are clueless this is for you.Do note if your not one for putting the schedule in your calendar, look up flylady she has based her online free system on this and you can print the schedules that are like this on there. But buy this as well they go together perfectly.

I read this book years ago when I'd just given birth to my youngest son, now aged 15 1/2yrs old. At the time I was beginning to stress about my impending return to work so found the ideas in this book very useful in terms of stress reduction and allowing me to enjoy both of my young sons during my time off. Unfortunately I had to return the book to the library...Years later I found this book again, largely due to the efforts of Marla Cilley aka Flylady. She's taken the ideas in this book to new levels which really do work, so I wanted to revisit her inspiration, as I know it really does work!

I had high hopes for this book but really did not like it at all.I found the plethora of personal stories and anecdotes really dull, long winded and irrelevant. The actual system was a bit messy, with colour coded cards and sections.I really got nothing from it and could draw up a better routine myself. Shame.

I used this book when it first came out and I lived in another country. It revolutionized my life!When I moved continents, it was sadly left behind with many other things, and I was delighted to find it available here on Amazon UK. Once again I have my cards and my life organized. Thanks again, dear Sidetracked Sisters!