Throw Out Fifty Things: Clear the Clutter, Find Your Life [Paperback]

Gail Blanke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 23, 2010

"Our lives are so filled with junk from the past-from dried up tubes of glue to old grudges-that it's a wonder we can get up in the morning," exclaims motivator, best-selling author, columnist, and life coach Gail Blanke.

"If you want to grow, you gotta let go," is Blanke's mantra; and that means eliminating all the clutter-physical and emotional-that holds you back, weighs you down, or just makes you feel bad about yourself.

In THROW OUT FIFTY THINGS she takes us through each room of the house-from the attic to the garage-and even to the far reaches of our minds. Through poignant and humorous stories, she inspires us to get rid of the "life plaque" we've allowed to build-up there.

• That junk drawer (you know that drawer) in the kitchen? Empty it!
  
• Those old regrets? Throw 'em out!
  
• That make-up from your "old" look? Toss it!
  
• That relationship that depresses you? Dump it!

Once you've hit fifty-you'll be surprised how easy it is to get there-and once you've thrown out that too-tight belt and too-small view of yourself, you'll be ready to step out into the clearing and into the next, and greatest, segment of your life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blanke (Between Trapezes), a motivational speaker and former columnist for Real Simple, shovels aside detritus to make space for cleaner rooms and clearer minds. She challenges readers to follow her example in discarding 50 things; tossed items range from old clothes to the need to be right. The authors suggestions range from the humble (Have a swap party for your outgrown clothes) to the ambitious (Clarify who you are), and her scope and environmentally conscious mind-set make the book a rousing call to total transformation—one mismatched sock at a time. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Gail Blanke's strength is her ability to illuminate simple acts that save time, money and many headaches, in a clear commonsense language. And that's exactly what this book does-in spades." (Gail Sheehy author of Passages and Sex and the Seasoned Woman)

"Whenever I de-clutter my house, it helps de-clutter my mind. Gail Blanke is a perfect guide to getting the non-essentials out of the way, so that simple joys can make their way into our lives." (author of A RETURN TO LOVE Marianne Williamson)

"Everybody needs to throw out at least fifty things. Just make sure this book isn't one of them!" (Linda Ellerbee Journalist and Television Producer)

"Gail Blanke's Throw Out Fifty Things is the perfect roadmap to help you lighten your load. Leave it to a friend like Gail- wise, funny, practical, and so very organized-to empty my closets and clean out my shelves, while soothing the spirit and soul, too. This book is a keeper." (bestselling author of LETHAL LEGACY Linda Fairstein)

"THROW OUT FIFTY THINGS is a refreshing book full of practical tips and helpful insights. The title is the simple principle. Applied at home, in your career, in your mind, or in your business, it helps you get rid of the clutter that blocks success. Perhaps most astounding is how relevant the insights are to leading a business today." (President & CEO or Siemens AG Peter Loescher)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style (March 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446505781
• ISBN-13: 978-0446505789
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.9 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

162 of 163 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Need To Lose The Clutter? March 15, 2009

By Allison M. Campbell

Format:Hardcover

If you chuck useless items into a corner of the closet to deal with later, agonize over whether to donate that dress you bought five years ago with the intention of losing ten pounds, or feel overwhelmed by the clutter in your home, Gail Blanke will teach you the questions to ask yourself that will empower you to just let it go. You could certainly start decluttering after reading the first four words of the title, but many of us need a little more encouragement than that, not to mention a place to start. In a book helpfully organized by room/area, Blanke excels at repeating advice and guidelines in slightly varied ways that will reach different people. For me, the clear, bulleted lists at the end of each section were the most appealing, but others may prefer Blanke's motivational discussion and inspirational anecdotes. An invaluable resource guide at the end of the book lists donation/recycling/disposal ideas for many different items, from bicycles to computers, to old paint, to allow the reader to actually follow through on throwing out those fifty things. Why fifty? At that point, you'll begin to see a real difference and have the motivation to continue (and to prevent more useless items from even entering your home). More than half the book is "Clearing the Mental Clutter," a more self-help type of writing that will appeal to anyone looking to bring focus and purpose to more than just physical surroundings. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to declutter who isn't sure where to start.

122 of 122 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars toss it! (your junk that is) March 20, 2009

By Bethany L. Canfield

Format:Hardcover

Throw out fifty things? That sounds easy until you understand that your whole magazine collection counts as one, your dried up nail polish bottles that clutter up a whole shelf also count as one, your sock drawer filled with miss matched socks and single gloves, yep you guessed it, one. However room through room the articles add up as you go from bedroom, to bathroom, living room, dining room and finally to the horrors of your attic and garage.

This is a new approach in that it doesn't just stop there. Gail Blanke, a life coach and internationally known motivational speaker takes you through all four stages in which you release yourself from more and more stuff that really making you feel heavier. Her four parts are: Getting Rid of the Physical Stuff, Your office Pairing Down the Professional Clutter, Attacking Mental Mess, and Stepping into the Clearing. The first two are possessions, the second two stages are getting rid of unwanted mental mess or feelings, labels and poor self image.

Her main slogan throughout Throw Out Fifty Things is: if it doesn't make you feel good, get rid of it. I was a little shocked the first time that she mentioned that you don't need to go on value, worth or purpose, that even if you use it-and yet it makes you cringe, get rid of it! That is different than where I was thinking this all would go. I am very practical, and I have never thought that things that have no purpose should remain to collect dust while things that you use (even if you hate them) should be gotten rid of, but I see the logic in it after reading this book. That you should surround yourself with pleasing environments, places and rooms that you enjoy, that you want to be in, and clothes that you feel good when you wear....

After just looking at the title, I was nervous that she wanted people to actually 'throw out' all the stuff. But that is really not what Gail intends, she makes sure that you understand that you should only actually throw away things that are broken, useless, or something to which pieces or parts are missing. The rest of the stuff can go to someone else who will love it, to a secondhand store, or you could resell it to get some of your money back. I appreciated her practical take on that. And throughout the book Gail Blanke makes it a point to discuss green methods of discarding pait, batteries, an old AC, and other such toxic waste items.

What did I get out of it? Well, I got the crazy urge to clean my house and get rid of things that I had been holding on to for no reason other than that I didn't know what to do with them (or felt guilted into holding on to!!!). Gail mentions that if it is a very hard decision, that means you just need to get rid of it, and that most of the time we don't get rid of stuff, but we just move it around our homes and garages. That rang a bell with me, we have been shuffling junk for SO LONG! I am in the 'get it out of here' mode and now I know how to attack the problem thanks to Throw Out Fifty Things by Gail Blanke. It sure does make me feel a lot better inside when I get my junk out the door. This was a very helpful, and practical guide to getting rid of things. If you want to throw out your junk but can't seem to figure out the practical aspects of the process, or just aren't motivated to do it, read this! Read more ›

117 of 121 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Throw Away This Book! March 10, 2009

By Deborah VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

If you ever come to visit me unannounced, your reaction would be "OMG packrat!" Because yes, I am that type of person that can't bear to throw things away. I could keep receipts because I like looking to see things I had purchased from back in the day. I would clean out this big cabinet under my desk once a year, and there are still tons of papers and binders left over from high school days (you never know when you'll need Algebra notes you know?) So this book was definiately something that I needed to read! It's a really great book as it tackles both the physical and psychological problem as to why we tend to keep things forever. The book starts off with the physical things that need to be cleared up. Each room in the house is taken into consideration with the author telling what she threw away and the reader has the same opportunity to write down their clutter finds as well. Then the book moves onto the mental issues we need to get rid of. And boy were there some good ones! A lot of the reasons why we're so down on ourselves or can't seem to keep up with everything is because we have so much clutter in our heads! The final section ties everything together as now that you've gotten rid of all the physical and excess clutter you can finally begin to really live your life. I really enjoyed reading this book. There's lots of great stand out tips throughout the book and the resource guide at the end is really handy. It's another book everyone should have in their house but not one of those you should be throwing out!

54 of 55 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Probably the incentive you need to do it, but its more applicable to women. November 15, 2009

By Steven I. Ramm TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Okay, first off, I'm a guy who accumulates. Yep, I said it. I used to "collect" but after a while I acquired enough "stuff" -check out George Carlin's riff on stuff on Youtube at: [...] - to make it an accumulation. I got this small book with the hope of helping me "clear out my life a little". Well, actually it did!

The author is a motivational speaker and the book reads like one of her presentations. She's there as your "coach" to get you motivated and takes side trips to tell stories of her friends so that you can relate to her approach.

I breezed through this book because I'm a guy. Why? Because the author starts in the bedroom and her closet. What's she sorting through? Jewelry and shoes. Let's face it, guys can be disorganized but how many pieces of costume jewelry and shoes do they have? Blanke's stores about these issues have little similarity to my life. Next we go to the living room and dining room. Lots of talk about candles and things like that. Breezed through that too. (A also noted by then that very few of her side stories involved men.) When we got to the bathroom and especially the medicine cabinet, she got me!. Okay, no cosmetics to deal with but certainly lots of outdated over the counter drugs and way too many little bottles of shampoo brought home from hotels. I put the book down and headed for the bathroom! Okay, not 50 things (as defined by Blanke) but a start.

I used her techniques for the garage and celler (I have no attic) and the thrift shop will be happier.

The whole section "mental clearing" (personal emotional baggage) belongs, in my opinion in a separate book. It's a psychological issue. So, though I read it, I found it a bit padded.

In summary it's a good book and probably more practical to women than men.... But, if like me one chapter motivates you to clean out one space, its still a step in the right direction. Hence, the three stars.

Steve Ramm Read more ›