Now that the sun is finally out and showing every speck of dust in your house, maybe it’s time to get rid of some of those dust-collectors.
Free yourself of extraneous stuff so you can enjoy more time outdoors and we have the books to get you motivated. Chuck it, chuck it, chuck it!
• Lose 200 lbs. this Weekend: It’s Time by Don Aslett: The author begins by giving you some help to find out just what kind of “junker” you are. The “You name it I have it” or “I might need it someday,” or my favourite, “It may be worth a lot one day.” After deciding where you fit in Junkerville, you are ready to move on. The author suggests that one weekend is all you need to get started. Cancel all plans and give your “stuff” your total attention. After the initial “weight loss” you will feel emotionally uplifted and ready to keep on dejunking.
• Unclutter Your Life: Transforming your Physical, Mental and Emotional Space by Katherine Gibson: Gibson covers all aspects of clutter and how it affects our lives. We all recognize physical clutter but Gibson points out that mental clutter such as noise, work, TV and even holidays can clutter our lives. Emotional clutter such as guilt, self-doubt, money, worry and friends can also affect our ability to be organized.
• Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find your Life by Gail Blanke: The premise of this book of room-by-room de-cluttering advice from columnist and motivator Blanke is that getting rid of 50 things will be the catalyst to get you going on a complete purge of things physical and emotional. Does the item take up room and give you nothing in return? Don’t make it a big deal — take it one drawer or shelf at a time. Blanke acknowledges that deciding is hard. She talks a great deal about how your possessions make you feel; for example, does an item of clothing make you feel good and look forward to wearing it or does it cause a feeling of dread? That makes it easy to decide whether to keep or toss.
• Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down by Peter Walsh: This book is a bit different in that it offers a scientific explanation for the links between clutter and weight. Walsh offers psychological, biological and nutritional science ideas that will put readers on the right track to lose physical weight as well as personal clutter. The author explains, step-by-step, how clutter, diet and food choices, lack of exercise and lack of focus can lead to weight gain. The book outlines a six-week program that will give you the tools to look at your habits and yourself, and make some important life changes.
• Good Riddance: Showing Clutter the Door by Susan Borax and Heather Knittel: The authors run a successful organizing business and are well-known for their informative and humorous workshops and presentations. They provide the motivation to rid yourself of what they call CRUD (completely ridiculous useless debris) and specialize in helping families downsize. Absolutely worth reading.
• Secrets of an Organized Mom by Barbara Reich: Knowing that moms are run off their feet trying to keep the family and home organized, this author breaks things down into four manageable parts.
Once you have Purged what is not needed, Design a place for the things you want to keep. Organize these items in their correct places and Maintain this great new organized life by not allowing the clutter to return. Great tips for moving house and travel as well.
You can see that many of the authors suggest a correlation between clutter and one’s emotional and physical well-being, so get rid of the CRUD, move out of Junkerville and start living the clean, organized life you deserve.
And it all begins at your local library.
--A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Irene Jakse works at Port Moody Public Library.
