Sidetracked Home Executives: From Pigpen to Paradise
Author: Peggy Pam/Jones Young
List Price: $13.95
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ISBN: 0446677671
Publisher: Warner Books (01 February, 2001)
Sales Rank: 1,404
Average Customer Rating: 4.62 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Fun - effective - enlightening.
Pam and Peggy Jones describe how frustrated they were at failing in their self-chosen roles as housewives. By working together, they devised a housework system based on 3x5 cards, and it improved their housekeeping and saved their sanity. They break housework down into single, recurring tasks; assign each task a frequency and a day of the week or month to perform it; and arrange the cards in logical order. The key to success is this: you don't see a huge mass of housework. You just see the one card in front of you.
I have read this book more than once over the years I've owned it. My only beef with the system is that they don't have a simple test to show a woman whether - organized or not - she simply doesn't have the time to get everything done. A job-going mother with children at home needs assistance (from husband, kids, and paid help if the family can afford it) - NOT just a scheme for doing it better, all by herself.
Pam and Peggy now have their own Web site at http://www.columbian.com/slobsisters/.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Works well - for some
Pam and Peggy certainly know what it feels like to be living in total chaos, and they use that understanding to good effect in this book, showing step by step how they got organized. They don't take any knowledge or organizational ability for granted, and they have great senses of humor. Their card-file system will probably work for most people who are SHE's (Sidetracked Home Executives) because of their creativity, or just general distractedness.If, however, you are a SHE because you're a frozen perfectionist, someone who never cleans because you don't have time to do it RIGHT, this is not the book for you. The card-file is wonderful - except that I'm entirely capable of spending the next 6 months making sure I've got the file system perfect without ever actually doing any of the stuff on it. There's also nothing to prevent you from overloading yourself with nit-picking chores and burning out. If these sound like things you would be prone to, then I would recommend "Sink Reflections" by Marla Cilley instead. She uses much of the same material as Pam and Peggy (she credits them as her inspiration), but her program is specifically designed for those of us who try so hard for perfection we get nowhere.
If perfectionism isn't your problem, then by all means go with Pam and Peggy. They're great fun to read, and however bad your house is, they will understand.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Newbie to the program, but it is working...!
I am a smart successful woman, but somehow could never "keep house" like my mom did, and her mom, and of course my sister in law (are sister in law's ALWAYS perfect, or is it just mine??!!)...This book helped me to organize the things that I needed to do on a regular basis in order for my house to look nice, and to be clean...It is funny, but I have been doing it for about two weeks, and I definitely find myself getting into better habits - picking up, wiping down, etc...Definitely not things that the OLD me would have done! Since I started I am happier and more relaxed in my home, and I can entertain friends without a frenzy of cleaning in the 30 minutes before they arrive! I even fired my cleaning lady (who only comes every two weeks, so she had not seen "the new me house")...Anyway, if you crave a system that allows you to do small tasks regularly and prevents MASSIVE cleaning needs that seem overwhelming, this is it! Enjoy! Similar Products
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