Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes, and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You and What to Do About It [Paperback]

Cindy Glovinsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2002

Do you spend much of your time struggling against the growing ranks of papers, books, clothes, housewares, mementos, and other possessions that seem to multiply when you're not looking? Do these inanimate objects, the hallmarks of busy modern life, conspire to fill up every inch of your space, no matter how hard you try to get rid of some of them and organize the rest? Do you feel frustrated, thwarted, and powerless in the face of this ever-renewing mountain of stuff?

Help is on the way. Cindy Glovinsky, practicing psychotherapist and personal organizer, is uniquely qualified to explain this nagging, even debilitating problem -- and to provide solutions that really work. Writing in a supportive, nonjudmental tone, Glovinsky uses humorous examples, questionnaires, and exercises to shed light on the real reasons why we feel so overwhelmed by papers and possessions and offers individualized suggestions tailored to specific organizing problems.

Whether you're drowning in clutter or just looking for a new way to deal with the perennial challenge of organizing and managing material things, this fresh and reassuring approach is sure to help.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

While both of these books are aimed at people who bemoan the amount of stuff they've accumulated, their approaches are completely different. Glovinsky, a professional psychotherapist and professional organizer, asks readers to examine the underlying psychological issues that they have with "things." She explains different mental glitches that can make organizing harder for some people than others. Quizzes and checklists are offered so that readers can identify their thing issues and compensate for and/or ameliorate them. Basically, she takes Julie Morgenstern's Organizing from the Inside Out to the next level. Smallin, on the other hand, shares some concrete tips and techniques to control clutter. Unfortunately, she strays from that direction and digresses into topics such as personal finance (she gives tips on saving and investing), personal safety (she explains why semiannual fire drills are important), and final arrangements (she provides lists of what must be done when there's a death in the family). This lack of focus, coupled with an annoying tendency to repeat the same hints in different paragraphs, makes her book an optional purchase for public libraries. Glovinsky's book is recommended for any public library where clutter-control books circulate well. Pam Matthews, M.L.S., Olmsted Falls, OH
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Cindy Glovinsky, M.S.W., A.C.S.W., is a licensed psychotherapist and personal organizer. The program director of the National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization, she has presented at the National Association of Professional Organizers conference. She lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (May 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312284888
• ISBN-13: 978-0312284886
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

394 of 403 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh perspective on the things/Things in your life!, December 18, 2002

By 

Yanique Redwood (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes, and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You and What to Do About It (Paperback)

As Editor-in-Chief of a magazine about getting and staying organized, I read a lot of books on organizing to find good writers. But sometimes books get repetitive. When I read Making Peace with the Things in Your Life, I just had to email the author. What a fresh perspective! This book helps you to differentiate between the things in your life and the Things in your life (when you buy it, you will really get this point). It also helps you to understand the meanings you attribute to your stuff. Not only was there value in this book from my perspective as an editor (I asked her to write an article for the magazine), but I also found gems that helped me to stop and think about my own possessions and those of my family members. For example, I was able to understand why my daughter's room was swamped with paper by examining the meanings she attached to each and every sheet. Soon I was able to help her see the difference between things and Things, and that's just one success story. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone, whether you are organized, not so organized, or somewhere in between.

192 of 196 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book changed my life, August 28, 2004

By 

MRB "Busy woman" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes, and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You and What to Do About It (Paperback)

It really did. Knowing the "why" that I was doing something really helped to change the habit. And the part where the author says that there is no "Magic System" was perfect!
This book approaches a problem in a counseling manner. And anyone who has been through AA or counseling understands getting to the root of something, in order to make a change.
Frankly, I look at the above negative reviews and see that those people missed the whole point of the book.
No, feeling overwhelmed is not as serious of a problem as drug abuse, but when the author helps you look at the base issues and reasons why you may feel overwhelmed with all the things and things to do in your life, it DOES help you in other areas of your life that are important.
Get this book - it will change your life.

167 of 170 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Praise from a Professional Organizer, December 22, 2002

By 

Debbie Stanley "debstanley" (Mt. Clemens, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Peace with the Things in Your Life: Why Your Papers, Books, Clothes, and Other Possessions Keep Overwhelming You and What to Do About It (Paperback)

As a professional organizer, I have shelves full of organizing books, but Glovinsky's is the first to consider the problem of disorganization from a psychological perspective. Her unique vantage point as a therapist who is also an organizer provides valuable insights for other organizers, yet is presented in a way that is accessible to anyone wishing to get a grip on clutter. Some people have success molding their lives around a generic how-to system, but many need to know why they are the way they are before they can embrace the change required to get organized. If you need a deeper explanation combined with an empathetic, humorous approach to clearing out your clutter, or if you are an organizer looking for new ways to help clients understand disorganization, I strongly recommend Glovinsky's book.