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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gets down to the "why" of clutter and "packratting", July 13, 2007
This review is from: The Clutter Cure: Three Steps to Letting Go of Stuff, Organizing Your Space, & Creating the Home of Your Dreams (Paperback)
I found this quick read on my local library shelf and used it in conjuction with "Sink Reflections" by Marla Cilley.
I've read (and ignored) many "cut the clutter" books over the years and this one is the first I've seen that goes right to the heart of the matter - why people hang on to items that they will never use again.
Culbertson presents a very honest approach to attacking the emotional attachment we have to things and a practical way to cut the cords that bind us when he hang on to things we don't love or need. When it comes to methodology, there's nothing terribly novel or groundbreaking. But, when paired with her fantastic insight into why we keep the junk we keep, her recommendations can be quite powerful.
I do not agree with some of her assumptions/presumptions concerning decorating styles and preferences... i.e., that people who prefer, for example, Americana decor are trying to recreate some bygone era and are tied by clutter. She also makes mention on p. 123 of an elderly man who built an intricate train scene, commenting that "everything was frozen in an eternal winter, and the trains were symbolically going around in circles." Gag! I happen to like winter... I don't think that people who like winter or dig trains are stuck in a rut - at least not all of them! :)
My primary "gripe" comes in the second stage - assessment - wherein the author encourages the reader to create the home they want based solely on their own needs, without regard to impressing others or keeping up appearances. That, of course, is GREAT advice, but she goes further in saying, for example, we should ditch the old towels/bedroom comforter/insert outdated item here and simply replace it with something we love. Super. Now, when I get the money I'll do that but for now, my shabby towels take a back seat to getting my children to the dentist!
A great book. An easy read. Recommended.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Book Was Great!!!, August 6, 2007
This review is from: The Clutter Cure: Three Steps to Letting Go of Stuff, Organizing Your Space, & Creating the Home of Your Dreams (Paperback)
I really appreciated the ease of reading this book. It is written in easy to understand everyday language, and I saw myself and my clutter habits on almost every page. Page by page it seemed as though the author was reading my thoughts. I especially enjoyed learning the reasons behind why we hold on to things that no longer have use or meaning to us. I think the author's vast experience leading decluttering seminars, along with her own insight, must be what makes this book so 'right on'. This book helped me tremendously to finally get going, and follow through on something I've wanted to do for a long time--embark on a much simpler home and lifestyle. I now have an understanding of why all that 'stuff' was in my house even though it drove me nuts to see it, but better yet this book has given me the tools to not only declutter my home, but also to keep it that way. Kudos to Ms. Cultbertson!
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
First half of the book was great...., October 3, 2010
It was okay.
This books was okay. The first section was great, the remaining two sections were of much less interest to me.
1) Step 1: Identify - Chapter 1-11 (~ 46% of the book)
This was by far the best section of the book for me. It discussed many (if not all?) underlying reasons for the compulsion to hold on to unnecessary objects. This discussion was done at the appropriate level of detail, and cited numerous examples that both served to illustrate the points made and also make the reader feel comfortable with their individual pack-rat mentality. A few examples of rational discussed included; Its still perfectly good; Waste not, Want not; Sentimentality; The Endowment effect.
There were a number of gold points in here for me and I highly recommend this section to help you understand why you have difficulty letting go of some objects and correspondingly, how to let go of them. A resonant quote for me was when describing an event of advising a client, she writes `You have much too much to assess every item as to whether it's still `perfectly good' or not...You have to start from the top and pick out what actually contributes to your life now.'
2) Step 2: Assess - Chapter 12-20. (~ 30% of the book)
This section was okay. In summary, it went through each room in the house and asked the reader to identify what they want from the room (in both functionality and feeling). The writer explains that once you know your purpose, it is easier to remove items that do not support your purpose. While this section was useful I was frustrated with side discussions such as different decorating styles that could be utilised (eg zen vs country vs nautical).
3) Step 3: Take Action - Chapter 21-23. (~ 24% of the book)
This section was primarily focused on how to get rid of objects. For example; finding new owners, charities and selling items and most of top level concepts were fairly obvious. The detail was good, for example how to use E-bay and professional E-bay sellers ... but this section did not hold my interest. One positive was how the writer encouraged throwing out items that really should be thrown out. This was written very clearly with good examples and is something that a pack-rat should probably hear.
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