Peter Walsh > Quotes

“There's memory clutter, which reminds you of an important person, achievement, or event from your past. I think memory clutter often gathers in the homes of people with some degree of depression. And then there's "I might need it one day clutter, in which people hang on to stuff in anticipation of an imagined future. Among these folks, I've noticed a recurring theme of anxiety...Maybe it's possible that the stuff we own and obsess over is the physical manifestation of the mental health issues that challenge our minds. --p29.”
― Peter Walsh

“You only have one life to live. How you live that life is your choice. As far as I know, no one has ever had 'I wish I had bought more stuff' inscribed on their tombstone. What you own can easily blind you to who you are and what you can be.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“If the stuff you own is not helping you create the life you want, then let it go.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“What I know for sure is that when you declutter – whether it’s on your home, your head, or your heart – it is astounding what will flow into that space that will enrich you, your life, and your family.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“If a gift has come to you wrapped in obligations and tied tightly with a ribbon of guilt, then it's not really a gift at all. It's a manipulation. A gift should be something freely given that enhances your life and reminds you lovingly of the giver. If it's not, you simply should not give it a place in your home.”
― Peter Walsh

“If you choose a craft or hobby, then make sure it's something you really enjoy. Do it because you want to, not because others expect it of you or because it's something you once liked or because you don't want those materials you bought to go to waste. just as you should choose the life you want, it's also your choice how you spend your free time.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“When you can't let your stuff go, your stuff won't let you move forward.”
― Peter Walsh, Let It Go: Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life

“When clutter is sentimental, you need to figure out two things: first, how to separate the memory from the item, and second, how to preserve the memory in a way that honors and respects it. This process takes the power away from the object in a way that is really liberating and enables you to live your life without the sense of fear and worry of future loss.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“Maligant items don't have to be reminders of bad times, like a breakup or a health crisis. They can bring back memories of loved ones or high points in your life. But if these memories leave you feeling sad or feeling that your life isn't as good now, then the objects are causing you mental and emotional harm and have no place in your home. ...The key to enjoying happiness and good health in a warm, welcoming home is to live IN THE PRESENT MOMENT surrounded by items that you cherish and that have meaning for you and your family. If too much of your time is spent replaying your greatest hits or struggling with old pain, you're not making new memories of your present life.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“More than a marketplace to sell used goods, eBay is one of the best reality checks out there when you’re having trouble letting go of something because you think it’s worth a lot of money. Going on to eBay tells you exactly what your possessions are worth on the open market. If that “valuable” figurine you inherited from your grandmother is selling for $9.99 on eBay, then it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“Experts have called behaviorial economists have noted an issue they call the endowment effect, Dr.Tolin says. Merely owning an item causes you to exaggerate its value, or "endow" it with more worth..... But the endowment effect can make even insignificant items feel more important to you.--pg17 Even when people don't talk about feeling responsible for an item and they don't fell like the item is too important to get rid of because it's THEIRS - and that's all there is to it. --p18”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“Your home is within your control. It should be the place where you escape all negative forces in the world. Your home should be the antidote to stress, not the cause.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“NO ROOM IN A HOME should be more important to a couple than their bedroom. Disarray in the master bedroom has more impact on family life, on peace and harmony, on love and respect, and on a relationship than it does in any other room.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“As I approach retirement, I’m thinking about downsizing to a smaller home. I have all the artwork and toys and books that belonged to my kids. I’ve kept this stuff for them all these years, but they don’t want it. What do I do with it?” Often, we exchange a long look, and tears spring to their eyes. This is not a casual moment in their lives. The answer has great importance to them right now. Yet they’re letting a near-total stranger make the decision. My answer is frequently the same: “If the stuff you own is not helping you create the life you want, then let it go.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“Don’t let your stuff be a battlefield for your relationships. Instead of focusing on whose mess it is, think of it as a group problem that you’re going to solve together. Don’t use words like “yours” and “mine.” Talk about the clutter and challenges surrounding it as “ours.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“If a gift has come to you wrapped in obligations and tied tightly with a ribbon of guilt, then it’s not really a gift at all. It’s a manipulation. A gift should be something freely given that enhances your life and reminds you lovingly of the giver. If it’s not, you simply should not give it a place in your home.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“Our lives may take place over decades. But they’re made of one long string of present moments like these. Of course, not all of these moments are this memorable, nor do they have to be. But they’re all equally real. You’re having a present moment right now. Now you’re having another one.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“Lots of kitchens have a “catch-all” drawer. What’s in here? It’s always a surprise. Soy sauce packets from carryout, rubber bands, pennies, matches, pushpins, a stray refrigerator magnet. I’m only going to say this once: No. Junk. Drawer. Do I make myself clear?”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“Every product you buy comes with a corresponding promise that you invest in. Your heart is set on attaining both. But while you’ll definitely come home with the object in your hands, you may or may not get the promise you see in your daydreams. Always look beyond the product to understand what’s really motivating your purchases.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“one very effective way to identify what should go and what should stay is the Reverse Clothes Hanger trick. Turn all of the clothes hanging in your closet so that the hangers face back to front. For the next six months, if you wear an item of clothing, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the correct way. No cheating. If you try it on but decide not to wear it, make sure you put it back with the hanger turned backward. Be prepared for a shock, because after six months you’re going to look at which clothes are on hangers that are still facing in reverse. These are the clothes you have not worn. You should seriously consider getting rid of them all.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“If your house is an overstuffed mess, I’ve learned that more often than not, it’s a warning sign that you have some type of trouble—large or small—in your mental and emotional well-being. In turn, a chaotic home that leaves little room for you and the other people inside can threaten your mental and physical health.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“Creating a landfill in your home does not mean that you’re saving the environment. You just moved the garbage.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“Keeping flat surfaces clear is perhaps the single most important thing to keep in mind for your kitchen—as it is for any room in the house. A clear countertop makes any kitchen look more organized. Once the flat surfaces start to disappear under clutter, you lose your motivation to keep the area organized and you open the area to attracting more dust and dirt, further compounding the clutter problem. Consider flat surfaces your preparation area—not your storage area!”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“Start with the stuff (as most people are inclined to do when they try to conquer their clutter) and you are pretty much guaranteed failure. Start with the vision you have for the life you want and you have taken the first real step to long-term and remarkable change. The”
― Peter Walsh, Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You

“Look around your house and find an item you’ve tried to discard before but just couldn’t. Examine it and think about letting it go. What other thoughts arise? Does your mind struggle to stop you from getting rid of this item? Remember: You really don’t have to obey your mind’s command to hang on to it.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“31Days2GetOrganized).”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“Flat spaces are the first battlefield you lose in the war with your stuff.”
― Peter Walsh, It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

“I have never believed that striving for perfection is a commendable habit. It just sets you up to fail before you even begin. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen a wish for perfection totally paralyze a person who dwells on the idea that “If I can’t do it perfectly, I can’t do it at all.” “Good enough” is a target that’s, well, good enough. Having a welcoming, comfortable home is a wonderful thing, even if you have a little clutter here and there. It says that your home is loved and lived in. When you reach “good enough,” relax and enjoy the view.”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“You are important enough to invest the time and energy needed for the change you want. Commit to becoming the person you wish to be and carve out the time for what needs to be done!”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down

“For each piece of malignant clutter, ask yourself: ​How did this get here? ​What power does this item have over me? ​Is this item helping me create the vision I have for the space? ​Is this item serving any purpose or helping me in some positive way? ​What feelings linked to this object have kept me from throwing it out? ​How would I feel if this item disappeared on its own right now? ​Could this item that’s a source of pain or disappointment to me become a wonderful addition to someone else’s life?”
― Peter Walsh, Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight: The Six-Week Total-Life Slim Down