Martha Stewart - The Martha Manual: How to Do (Almost) Everything

How to organize

How to fix and maintain...

How to

How to clean

How to

How to

How to

How to

How to

How to celebrate

How to

Not to be boastful, but I believe I can write a book like this, a manual on how to do (almost) everything, without feeling as if I am overstepping my expertise, or taking on a subject too large for any one person.

In fact, how-to could be my middle name: I have always been on the lookout for the most practical, appealing, efficient, and sensible way to accomplish everyday and meaningful tasks, and I have devoted my life to discovering and sharing those solutions. Once I find the smartest way to vacuum a room, the most sensible way to plant a tree, the finest way to organize a drawer, or the most beautiful way to decorate a cake, I am committed to teaching that method until I learn another, better way to do such a task. And I am always aware there might be a better way!

I do not know when I became so task oriented, but I do remember how quickly my lovely mother, Big Martha, could pick string beans; how easily she could iron a shirt, as if it came from a professional dry cleaner; or how organized she could be in preparing our huge, delicious Thanksgiving dinner each year. She was a remarkable teacher, and so was my father, who (like the fictional father in his favorite movie, Cheaper by the Dozen) was an efficiency expert. There was no time for wasted actionspersonal flair could exist, as well as creativity, but only if no time was squandered.

We are now constantly told that we are too busy to learn anything newthat we cannot possibly fit a gardening lecture or a sewing lesson or a painting tutorial into our schedules. I vehemently disagree! Put down the cell phone and pick up some knitting needles, a trowel, or even a screwdriverand make, plant, fix. Youll be glad you did.

Martha Stewart

A well-organized homewhether yours is a country house, a city apartment, a cabin in the woods, or a cottage by the seamakes living well that much easier.

If the kitchen is smartly arranged, cooking and baking will be more enjoyable. If your bathroom is appropriately stocked and well-appointed, then even guests can use it and feel as if the space is their own. When your closet is well designedwith designated places for shoes, bags, suits, dresses, and pantsthen getting dressed will be a pleasure. And when kids rooms are neat, with toys and games and learning materials within easy reach, children will stay happily busy (and may even be more likely to pick up after themselves).

Good organization applies to all the spaces in ones home, starting with the entryway, but also including those areas that some of us tend to neglect, such as the garage, attic, and basement. I have spent a lot of time organizing and reorganizing my homes for photo shoots, for television shows, and for my family and myself. This has afforded me the opportunity to test innumerable ideas for making each space livable, workable, and comfortable. In the following chapter, we share some of the very best of those ideas, room by roomeven and especially the all-important, hardworking laundry room. We have also distilled decades of organizing advice into what we call the golden rules, which I myself find to be highly effective. My number one organizing principle? Give everything its own place; start there, and you will find the rest comes all the easier.