Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized by Laurie Palau - Book Tour and Giveaway

About the Book

Most of us have too much stuff and not enough places to put it. Combine that with our hectic modern lives, and you’ve got a recipe for clutter catastrophe. Luckily, help is at hand. Hot Mess: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized can show you how to simplify your life—and get control of your stuff.

In this new guide to streamlining and organizing your belongings, your house, and your life, author and expert Laurie Palau gives you all the strategies you need to clear your clutter once and for all. This comprehensive book offers clever storage ideas and decorating tips, but more importantly, it shows you where your clutter comes from and how to change your approach. This makes it the definitive how-to for dropping all the dead weight that’s been keeping you stressed and anxious. Just follow the hacks, tips, and strategies Palau clearly outlines, and you’ll soon be sipping a vodka martini in your beautifully tidy living room.

Whether you’re naturally neat or a total chaos magnet, this informative and amusing guide takes an approach to organizing that’s as unique as you are. Let this witty little handbook be your new secret weapon in the war on disorder!

Excerpt

When my older daughter first started school, she would get off the bus, have a snack, and immediately start her homework. That’s what I always did as a kid, and it made sense that she would follow in my footsteps.  I never really gave it much thought until my younger daughter started school.  She would come off the bus utterly exhausted. It was a struggle to get her to unpack her backpack, let alone start her homework. Some days she would actually fall asleep within minutes of walking in the door. Naturally, I wanted her to get her homework done, not just for her sake, but for mine. I fought with her to sit down and do it immediately. I never took into account she had ADHD and needed to decompress after sitting in school all day. Homework that should have taken 30 minutes was taking upward of two hours.

After months of battles and tears (hers, not mine - I preferred wine), I finally had my light bulb moment: I realized she goes into a valley in the afternoon. I never factored in her peak productivity time, only mine. I discovered that if I gave her time to chill out and relax for an hour first, she would come back more focused and less combative.

We all know when we are at our best, and when we are basically just going through the motions.  Decluttering and organizing take both mental and physical strength, so being cognizant of your peak productivity time (and that of those around you) is an important part of the process.

Guest Post

Writing Tips for New Authors by Laurie Palau

Many people have the desire to write, but getting started is easier said than done. There are two types of writers, literary authors and industry experts. As an industry expert who spent 7 years in the blogging world before publishing my first book, I quickly learned that there are some major differences between blog and book writing. Below are 5 tips for the new author:

1. Create an Outline. When I first started, HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized I was all over the map.  I was used to writing short articles approximately 300-500 words, and each week was a completely different topic.  However, when you write a book, it has to flow.  Jumping from one topic to another is not going to fly. The best way to stay on task is to follow an outline.

2. Hire an Editor.  You know your content, but it takes a fresh set of experienced eyes to critique sentence structure, punctuation and all of the countless details that go into making your book a cohesive piece of work that is both meaningful and professional.

3. Know your Audience. In the immortal words of Rick Warren, “it’s not about you.” I can’t tell you how many people write a book to check it off their bucket list.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that, but if you want to sell books and make an impact, you need to know your audience and what problem you are going to solve.

4. Market, Market, Market.  Writing your book is one thing, but selling it is another. Unless you have a big publishing house backing you, chances are you are going to have to do some PR and marketing to get the word out there. If that’s not your wheelhouse, hire someone who can get your messaging out to the masses.

5. Have a Call to Action.  What do you want people to do after reading your book?  What’s the message you’re sending?  Whether you want them to hire your services, or buy your next book, the key is to be clear in what you want from your audience, and make sure you deliver.

About the Author

Laurie Palau is the founder of simply B organized, host of the weekly podcast, This ORGANIZED Life, and author of the book HOT MESS: A Practical Guide to Getting Organized available in paperback and kindle on amazon or Barnes & Noble.
She is a go-to Organizing Expert whose advice has been featured in The New York Times Parenting Section, Family Circle, and Home + Table Magazine.  Laurie can also be seen sharing tips on the CBS Philadelphia’s Morning Show & WFMZ in Allentown, PA. Whether speaking or working with clients Laurie is authentic, relatable, inspiring, and highly entertaining.
When not organizing the world, Laurie can be found at home in Bucks County, PA with her husband Josh, 2 girls (Zoe and Logan) and 2 dogs (Jeter and Oliver).  She loves coffee and Tito’s Vodka (not together), and in her spare time she is actively involved with The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which raises money for Pediatric Cancer Research.

Visit www.simplyBorganized.com for a complete list of service offerings including free organizing checklists, links to her podcast, blog and social media.

Giveaway

Laurie Palau will be awarding a FREE 30 minute phone consultation to help address specific organizing challenges to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway