I’ve been a fan of Peter Walsh for a long time. I recall seeing him on Oprah many years ago, though I have no other memory of ever really watching Oprah. I also caught several episodes of Clean Sweep during the two seasons it was on the air. He has a great Facebook page which has lots of great tips.

Links

• Peter Walsh’s website
• Here’s an interview he did about It’s All Too Much with Unclutterer.
• Here’s an online version of the clutter quiz that appears in the book. You may want to read my take on the quiz first.
  

  August’s Book

 What I Liked:

• This book offers a very well thought out plan. It addresses the reasons why we keep things we don’t need or want. It also suggests that all the people who live in the home get together and share their visions for each room, pointing out that conflicting ideas about a room’s purpose can lead to clutter. I thought this was a great idea, and something my family would definitely benefit from.
• You’re advised to start with a “high speed/low level” purge which involves getting rid of the most obvious clutter, including things that are clearly trash and items belonging to other people. When reading this I realized I’ve been doing a much slower and less regimented version of this.
• The tone of this book is straightforward but encouraging, which is helpful because Walsh really understands how overwhelming the process can be.
• Since I’ve read lots of books on this topic now, I’ve noticed many recurring ideas. Most books suggest envisioning the rooms and house you want as a step towards purging and organizing. And I think it’s a great idea, but I like how this book addresses the fact the you’re likely not the only person living in your home. I didn’t have a big problem with clutter when I lived alone. Our issues started when Bob and I combined our homes, and began getting engagement and wedding gifts. There were many things we had in triplicate. Then we got a house and had Emma, and it spiraled from there. But communicating with your partner and kids about clutter can be an emotionally charged conversation. I like that this book has concrete ideas for getting through these conversations about dealing with excess stuff.
• There are charts to fill out for each room, where you get a chance to clarify the room’s purpose, along with what should and shouldn’t be in each room. Since I’ve pared down a lot throughout most of the house, I think these will be a big help with getting through the last rounds of purging.
• The end of the book offers a month-by-month plan for staying on track, including reminders for common seasonal tasks.

What I Didn’t Like

As with most of the book club choices so far, I like far more than I dislike, and it’s often hard to find real issues which makes me feel nit-picky. With that being said, there were a couple things that might have improved the book.

• Throughout the book we meet some of Walsh’s clients, and leant their stories. But they’re broken up within the sections, where they illustrate the different principles in the book. This makes sense, but I always love the personal stories in books like this so I would have preferred to see them presented more cohesively. I also know this is a matter of taste.
• I did think the book could have been a little shorter. A book like this calls for lots of action, and even though I already made a lot of progress, I did find some parts that could have been shorter.
• I also felt the clutter quiz at the beginning of the book could have been more nuanced. I got a score of 10 which put me in “Hard Core Hoarder” territory. But while I didn’t feel I really fit into the next category, “Clutter Victim”, I’ve definitely gotten one good round of purging done in nearly every room.

Overall, this was a great book and I would definitely recommend it, especially if you’re someone who’s just getting started with decluttering. In keeping with my goal of buying fewer books, I got the Kindle format because I decided this would be a good reference for the future. But flipping back in the Kindle is a huge pain in the ass. I highlight and tag pages but still find myself looking for things I didn’t mark. So if  you’re interested in this book, I would also recommend skipping the e-book version and borrowing or buying the hard copy of the book. You’ll find it much more easy to implement all his suggestions.