Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 4

If you want to read the de facto bible of #decluttering this summer, look no further than  The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Her crash course in #clutter control asks readers to use the #KonMari method quickly #declutter whole categories of goods: clothing, books, paperwork and so on. Follow the book’s guidance, Kondo says, and you shouldn’t ever have to do such a drastic #decluttering again. “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life,” Kondo writes. “The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” #SummerReading

Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 3

Perhaps the best-recognized proponent of a #minimalist lifestyle, Joshua Becker offers a practical companion to his bestselling The More of Less in The Minimalist Home. The book offers easy-to-use strategies to achieve the mental benefits of #minimalism, including a room-by-room approach that starts by #decluttering the easiest room of the house and ends with the most challenging. Keep only what matters to you most, the book says; not only can #minimalism save you money, it can free up the time necessary to give back and engineer a fulfilling, productive life. (As always, you can give some of that unwanted #stuff back by scheduling a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org.) #SummerReading

Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 2

As anyone who has ever moved after a few years in the same place knows, #decluttering often goes hand-in-hand with #downsizing. While its title has the unfortunate tendency to get people singing from the Frozen soundtrack, Peter Walsh’s Let It Go can help people going through a major downsizing resulting from a divorce, marriage, death in the family or move. The book can help readers sort out their feelings surrounding that #stuff, keep only the most meaningful #mementoes and divide up inherited possessions. After #downsizing, Let It Go encourages readers to focus on learning, experiences and helping others. #SummerReading

Summer Reading for the Dedicated Declutterer, Part 1

If you have time for a little summer reading and a desperate need to #declutter, there are plenty of books that can help. For example, Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup offers advice that empowers its readers to “take their lives back” from the stultifying effects of #clutter — not just in the home, but also in finances, relationships and mental outlook. Practical solutions encourage readers to cultivate new habits and make intentional choices about what they buy, keep and do on a day-to-day basis. Unstuffed offers #decluttering ideas for the mind, body and soul, giving readers “permission to NOT do it all and much-needed relief from the constant pressure to perform.” #SummerReading