Outer Order, Inner Calm

 I saw Gretchen Rubin's Outer Order, Inner Calm at the library and thought it looked like it might be an interesting little read.  It's a super fast little read full of Rubin's helpful decluttering tips.  It's based on the premise that our inner feelings reflect our outer environment, which I agree with: there have been so many times when I was feeling overwhelmed, and simply cleaning up can really help!

There's nothing really new or earth-shattering in this book, but I found it a helpful refresher.  I actually started looking at my books last night when I was in the middle of reading this and removed a few from my bookshelf, either that I've read and have no intention of rereading, or ones that I honestly don't intend to read. So while it wasn't exactly pack full of new tips, I found it helpful! :)

New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living

I saw New Minimalism: Decluttering and Design for Sustainable, Intentional Living at the library last night and decided to read it on a whim. I started reading it last night and finished it a few minutes ago.

New Minimalism isn't remotely groundbreaking; I've heard a lot of the arguments in the book before. Declutter before buying storage. Declutter in this set order. etc, etc. I honestly almost stopped reading half way through because I was getting bored. Of course, if you've never read a book on decluttering (or sustainability), you won't have this problem. The authors were relatively engaging throughout the text.

I didn't really like how they handled their archetypes though. They defined four decluttering archetypes that people generally fall under (connected, practical, energetic and frugal - I'm most closely related to energetic and frugal based on the questionnaires), but then when they went through the decluttering process, they simply noted which archetypes will have trouble with different categories, rather than actually giving tips for each one (which is what I expected in a book that has defined categories like that). Plus the book was really heavy on the theory of decluttering (again, the archetypes), but overall really lean on actual decluttering tips.  The book finishes up with "12" design principles; some of the principles overlapped (like redefining your definition of full and using boundaries to indicate when a category is full), while others I would call suggestions, which are not going to be practical for everyone (like put your dresser in your closet - not really a principle,  plus that doesn't work if you have an older house with no closets, like mine).

But the one thing I really liked reading were the small snippets when they talked about things their clients struggled with. Those stories were interesting and I wish there had been more of them!

If you're new to decluttering, New Minimalism is a great place to get you started, especially since it's such a quick read. But if you've already read any books on decluttering, you'll probably want to give this one a pass.

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning

Rather than jump right into reading Jeweled Fire, I decided to take a very quick nonfiction break and read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning first.  This tiny book was given to me by a friend because she knew I liked this sort of thing. For my part, I've seen The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning around and figured I would give it a read, especially since it's only about 100 pages long. 

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is all about clearing your clutter so your family doesn't have to deal with all your things when you pass away.  That is the primary focus of the book, but it's also fine if you're just wanting to downsize, perhaps because you are moving, or perhaps because you just know you have too much stuff.  Margareta Magnusson, a woman who is "between eighty and one hundred years old," has death cleaned for her parents and husband; she knows her time on this earth is limited now, so she wants to make her passing easier on her children by getting rid of her clutter. She looks at various facets of life and offers advice on how to deal with your various objects (the usual keep, give to friends and family, donate, or trash/paper shredder/recycle).  She also offers many fun anecdotes along the way (like how she once went skiing in a bikini).  The book also has some really cute drawings that accompany it (including one of skiing while wearing a bikini).

The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is more of a coach than a real how-to manual.  If you're looking for a book that has lots of nitty-gritty ideas for clearing clutter, that is not this book.  Wha it is is a cheerful, gentle read to help you think about decluttering, especially when you know your time is almost up. 

House Detox

A friend of mine at work knew I liked reading house books, so she gave me House Detox by Sara Burford.  House Detox is a really fast read (it's under 100 pages).  It's divided into 8 sections (Make a Start, Entrance Hall, Lounge, Kitchen, Bedroom, Bathroom, Garage, and Index); it's got a ring binding, and each of those sections is a tab, so they're very easy to locate within the book.

I do wish the book went into more detail on a lot of the tips.  For example, it said that house plants should not be kept in the bedroom, but offered no reason why. 

Overall, I thought this book was a great read for anyone new to the idea of decluttering.  It has a lot of great info on how to get started, and about how to plan your declutter so you don't get overwhelmed.  Unfortunately it didn't go into enough detail for anyone who needs a little more out of their decluttering journey.