Organizational guru Peter Walsh, the star of TLC’s hit show, Clean Sweep, takes a hard line on clutter in It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff. He has seen hundreds of chaotic home environments nationwide, and his book is liberally sprinkled with amusing (and occasionally appalling) client e-mails and case studies.
Like many professional clutter-busters, he advises that the first step toward getting rid of emotional and physical clutter is to decide you want to change, then imagine the life you really desire. The second step is to demystify the causes, costs and conflicts surrounding clutter, and to incorporate small acts of organization, or daily rituals, into your normal routine. Next, Walsh tackles your home, from basement to attic, offering organizational strategies based on individual lifestyle choices and each room’s function and purpose. He finishes up with a maintenance plan, a cleanup checkup, and suggested monthly rituals for proactive planning and year-long order. Get organized, says Walsh, and I promise that every aspect of your life will change in ways that you never imagined. Alison Hood plans to tackle her closets in San Rafael, California.
