Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back

Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back
by Brooks Palmer

Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back
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Book Summary Information

Author: Brooks Palmer
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-03-01
ISBN: 9781577316596
Number of pages: 232
Publisher: New World Library

Book Reviews of Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back

Book Review: Learning to let go
Summary: 5 Stars

The goal of this book is to reconnect people with the true purpose of things.
Here's a quote from the book:
-- "Things are functional. Their job is to make your life easier or to increase your level of fun. Things become clutter when they no longer achieve either of these results."

It doesn't matter if these things are worn out or brand new. If they're no longer useful to you, then they're taking up precious physical and psychological space.
Instead of adding to your life, clutter ends up subtracting from it.
And it also contributes to why people don't enjoy their homes more, why they feel overwhelmed, why they can't get motivated and why they can't get organized.

The author explains that things are purchased from a place of hope...the hope being that this object will give meaning to your life, but it doesn't work. It never feels like enough and you end up needing more and more to get that high back.
To reverse this belief, he begins by creating a high level of discomfort from having too much stuff in your life...to the point where you can't wait to relieve yourself of this burden.
He explains how clutter creates friction between couples and how clutter keeps you stuck living in the past.
He also explains how advertising strongly influences us to purchase things we don't need.

Clutter competes for your attention and people try to handle this stress by putting it away in storage (the out of sight, out of mind mentality)...but he explains that it's not truly out of mind because, in the back of your mind, you still know the stuff is there...waiting to be dealt with.
The author compares stored away clutter to someone baking lasagna in the kitchen. Even though you're in the other room and can't see it, you can still smell it. It's presence still lingers, making it's presence known to you.

Another way people deal with clutter is by buying organizers...which the author calls "attractive trash cans". It's an attractive way to delude yourself into thinking you've handled the clutter, but really, you're just delaying getting rid of it.

So then, what's the wisest way to handle clutter? The author offers you the tools to show you how...in a gentle, but also firm way. He shares examples of people who've struggled to get rid of clutter and who came out of that experience feeling much lighter. He tells you how he addressed their fears of letting go without caving into those fears.

At the end of each chapter, there's a list of questions he wants you to ask yourself as well as exercises to follow...all designed to help you overcome your fears and symbolically start pulling those weeds from your garden.
In the end, you'll no longer be turning your home into a warehouse or a graveyard for memories.

I've read other books on clutter removal and this is the best by far. It's surprisingly profound for a book about stuff...though it can get a little hokey like when he claims some people experienced immediate miracles after decluttering.
But if you can get past that, I do agree that when you go "clutter busting", it's like pulling back the layers of stuff and getting down to the real you buried underneath.
From personal experience, getting rid of clutter has brought more clarity and insight into my life as well as renewed my energy.
It's such a freeing feeling when you learn to let go of things...because then you learn to let go in other areas as well.

Summary of Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back

Piles of junk in garages and closets, overflowing papers on desks, items unused for years, masses of unanswered email, clothing never worn, useless gifts that collect dust ? all these things, says Brooks Palmer, come weighted with shame and guilt and have a suffocating effect on spirit and soul. In this insightful book, Palmer shows how to get rid of the things in our lives that no longer serve us. By tossing out these unneeded items, we are also eliminating their negative influences, freeing up energy, and unlocking our potential.

Loaded with inspiring anecdotes and practical tips, Clutter Busting is based on the premise that your things are not sacred, but you are. The book explores such fundamental topics as the false identities we assume through clutter, the fear of change those junk piles represent, the addictive nature of holding on to objects, how clearing clutter makes room for clarity and sweeps away confusion and stasis, and much more. With Brooks?s upbeat and compassionate guidance, you?ll find yourself clearing the way for new and exciting things to come into your life.

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