Sometimes all you need is a swift kick in the ...
Discardia is the holiday that is set up to provide it to you. The book is divided into four sections with a series of small steps to get you moving in the right direction. Overwhelmed by all your stuff? Take a 45 minute walk around a room and put things away, or decide what to discard , or put things up in a "I'll decide later" box. Can't manage to get around to doing the really important stuff? Make a list and prioritize. For the most part, the suggestions are helpful in breaking tasks down to manageable segments. Also the author mostly manages to avoid preachy or self-righteous proclamations on how things should be done (the segment on weight loss and control could take metabolic rates into account instead of the rather simplistic discussion, but that is one step out of many). If one task seems too daunting, there are others that will help.
Perhaps my only complaint is that the book seems to assume that people exist in a vacuum: when deciding what to get rid of, I want to trash or give away my wedding gown because it takes up too much space, while my husband thinks we should hold on to it forever. A discussion on how to avoid conflict over stuff would be helpful for anyone who is married and/or has kids.
I would recommend this book with one warning: it is set up to help you simplify and streamline your life to allow for more productivity, time to complete what you really want in life, and as the author says, "awesomess" - so do not read the whole thing in one or two sittings. I read it before bed over a couple of weeks, and still felt rather overwhelmed at the end. If you buy it to improve your life (instead of getting it to review), take it slow and it will really help break down the large projects into manageable steps. Overall, I think it can be very helpful.
