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Lighten Up! Free Yourself from Clutter
Create the space for miracles by freeing yourself from too much stuff!
- GenresSelf HelpNonfiction
195 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 30, 2012
At first I wasn't sure about this one.
Negatives: She has her moments of New-agey feelings and imagery. And there are some definitely dated things--like papers and computer comments, as well as comments about pantyhose--I don't think people wear pantyhose anymore under 60 years of age...do they?
Positives: she has some really great tools buried under here. She focuses on two biggies of clutter: papers and clothes. She gives you really strict/direct how to's for these two items, and then says--you can use these techniques on everything else you are trying to de-clutter. Very astute.
I happen to have problems with paper. I probably won't follow all of her ideas about filing all paper 1) because I am trying to go more paperless 2) and because I don't know if I want to separate my personal/ financial/ professional files.
Despite my reluctance I did her visualization exercise of moving all of your stuff out of the house and then watching it float back in, and deciding what to throw out that way. I was actually struck by the fact that the things that you love in your home come to mind right away...and that other crap you don't know what to do with..is really something you need to decide how to toss. I can't really afford to replace all the stuff I would get rid of right now, but it brought it to the forefront of my mind in a different way.
She is also gentle about the tossing process. I think she is right in that in order to make a complete change here..you have to make these decisions at your own pace. It has to stick in order to be a real change.
Negatives: She has her moments of New-agey feelings and imagery. And there are some definitely dated things--like papers and computer comments, as well as comments about pantyhose--I don't think people wear pantyhose anymore under 60 years of age...do they?
Positives: she has some really great tools buried under here. She focuses on two biggies of clutter: papers and clothes. She gives you really strict/direct how to's for these two items, and then says--you can use these techniques on everything else you are trying to de-clutter. Very astute.
I happen to have problems with paper. I probably won't follow all of her ideas about filing all paper 1) because I am trying to go more paperless 2) and because I don't know if I want to separate my personal/ financial/ professional files.
Despite my reluctance I did her visualization exercise of moving all of your stuff out of the house and then watching it float back in, and deciding what to throw out that way. I was actually struck by the fact that the things that you love in your home come to mind right away...and that other crap you don't know what to do with..is really something you need to decide how to toss. I can't really afford to replace all the stuff I would get rid of right now, but it brought it to the forefront of my mind in a different way.
She is also gentle about the tossing process. I think she is right in that in order to make a complete change here..you have to make these decisions at your own pace. It has to stick in order to be a real change.
January 3, 2015
I loved this book because the author really understands the mentality behind the pack-rat. And I appreciate how she gives credence to the power of objects....how mere things can have sway over one's life. And she treats stuff as not necessarily material stuff, but things that can affect your life. Most clutter experts don't acknowledge that there's a reason we have all this stuff. And I fully agree with what she said about regarding how when you get rid of things, you make room in your life for the things you need. I fully recommend this to anyone with an open mind and who's willing to see the book through.
June 5, 2009
Oh, that I really could do this ...
June 16, 2019
“Clutter cleaning is about acquiring an ability to rely solely upon oneself to create an environment that is nurturing and supportive. It does not depend on someone else.” (Page ix)
I am having fun with this review. Instead of putting quotes from the book in my review, I am adding them using the goodreads add-a-quote feature. I don't know how well that will work for other readers, but I am having fun doing it for the first time. Now that I have put some in I see that Quotes are only for "notable people". Oops - Well, now I know.
This is a book that my wife has had for some years, which made it easy to read since she had highlighted the portions that were important to her. So, as I read, I could skim along until I came to something that she highlighted.
Here approach is different from Marie Kondō. Marie Kondō had great success with her approach to decluttering in Japan and abroad. However, I don't feel that this approach is any worse. It is worth looking at them both and finding what works for you.
One big difference is that Kondō stresses that it is a lifetime change and tells you exactly how to do it. Passoff's book tells you to use what works for you.
There are three sections in this book:
1. Getting Started (Chapters 1-3)
2. Learning Skills (Chapters 4-11)
3. Living Clutter Free (Chapters 12-14)
Learning Skills At a Glance (Between Part 2: Learning Skills & Part 3: Living Clutter Free)
1. Handle one item at a time
2. A path for everything & everything on a path
3. Don’t cover your tracks (keep cleaned areas cleaned)
4. Like-kind things, like-kind energies together
5. Take breaks
6. Leave no stone unturned
7. Dispose of things with some ceremony
8. Empty space always gets filled
9. Acknowledge the steps you have taken
Her website given in the chapter "The End" is now owned by someone else. Sigh, it would have been fun to visit.
I am having fun with this review. Instead of putting quotes from the book in my review, I am adding them using the goodreads add-a-quote feature. I don't know how well that will work for other readers, but I am having fun doing it for the first time. Now that I have put some in I see that Quotes are only for "notable people". Oops - Well, now I know.
This is a book that my wife has had for some years, which made it easy to read since she had highlighted the portions that were important to her. So, as I read, I could skim along until I came to something that she highlighted.
Here approach is different from Marie Kondō. Marie Kondō had great success with her approach to decluttering in Japan and abroad. However, I don't feel that this approach is any worse. It is worth looking at them both and finding what works for you.
One big difference is that Kondō stresses that it is a lifetime change and tells you exactly how to do it. Passoff's book tells you to use what works for you.
There are three sections in this book:
1. Getting Started (Chapters 1-3)
2. Learning Skills (Chapters 4-11)
3. Living Clutter Free (Chapters 12-14)
Learning Skills At a Glance (Between Part 2: Learning Skills & Part 3: Living Clutter Free)
1. Handle one item at a time
2. A path for everything & everything on a path
3. Don’t cover your tracks (keep cleaned areas cleaned)
4. Like-kind things, like-kind energies together
5. Take breaks
6. Leave no stone unturned
7. Dispose of things with some ceremony
8. Empty space always gets filled
9. Acknowledge the steps you have taken
Her website given in the chapter "The End" is now owned by someone else. Sigh, it would have been fun to visit.
November 29, 2012
true story: went to the library specifically to check this out, left with it...and four $1 novels.
but the first step is self-awareness, isn't it? as others here have said, passoff does a great job understanding (and empathizing with) packrats such as myself, which for me is the major selling point of this book. (coming from someone with an almost physical aversion to self-help books, i think this says a good deal.)
not all of her exercises and strategies worked for me because i'm not at the assumed life stage (i don't yet have my own place, a steady job, etc) - she seems to be targeting mainly young professionals and adults of that age and up. but it's good advice nonetheless and i'll be keeping it in mind for later. yes, some of her commentary is dated and a bit ~mystical in places, but the core philosophy is still solid. her principles for reaching "ground zero" (a phrase with unfortunate connotations in today's america, but oh well) are excellent, as is the way she walks the reader through the process of letting go. (there are differences - gradations - between knowing that something does not really need to be kept, making the decision to get rid of it, and getting rid of it.)
idk about suggesting people buy this, but reading it certainly seems worthwhile.
but the first step is self-awareness, isn't it? as others here have said, passoff does a great job understanding (and empathizing with) packrats such as myself, which for me is the major selling point of this book. (coming from someone with an almost physical aversion to self-help books, i think this says a good deal.)
not all of her exercises and strategies worked for me because i'm not at the assumed life stage (i don't yet have my own place, a steady job, etc) - she seems to be targeting mainly young professionals and adults of that age and up. but it's good advice nonetheless and i'll be keeping it in mind for later. yes, some of her commentary is dated and a bit ~mystical in places, but the core philosophy is still solid. her principles for reaching "ground zero" (a phrase with unfortunate connotations in today's america, but oh well) are excellent, as is the way she walks the reader through the process of letting go. (there are differences - gradations - between knowing that something does not really need to be kept, making the decision to get rid of it, and getting rid of it.)
idk about suggesting people buy this, but reading it certainly seems worthwhile.
April 30, 2017
I was reading this for a while. It turns the process around and asks you: what do you want to make room for in your life? And that is such a key question. Because if we've let clutter build up, aren't we preventing something else by default? Time to do ...? Have people over. Maybe you used space to exercise before. And all kinds of things. So this question is not easy, even if you're not dealing with clutter, but a good one to start the new year. What do you want in your life? How will you "fit" it in (prioritize); and then make it happen by giving it that space.
August 23, 2013
This title came to me as I was looking through the book donations at my library, so I thought I'd look it over before moving it on. Practical tips for clearing clutter, many are common sense. Other reviewers mentioned how some portions are dated, but it doesn't detract from the overall ideas. I think my favorite sentence is to "dispose of stuff with panache." A positive way of looking at it. In keeping with the theme of the book, I'm not keeping it and sending it back to the library donations.
January 24, 2010
I found this book at a thrift store and thought, "I would love to create space for miracles in my life." So from a true pack-rat-- "This book was a miracle for me." I need to get rid of junk, this book is motiviating, and easy to read. I am excited to try to put the principles in this book to work for me. We shall see.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews