Behind the Clutter: Truth. Love. Meaning. Purpose.

by June Saruwatari

The lifestyle coach and professional organizer shares her unique approach to decluttering your home, head, and heart in this spiritual self-help memoir.Have you ever wanted to know the secret to creating a life you love? How do you sift through the complexities of life to discern what’s standing in your way? In Behind the Clutter, June Saruwatari opens her home and her heart to reveal her transformative decluttering methods—an approach to life that has kept her in demand as a lifestyle, business, and relationship coach.Part spiritual memoir, part self-help book, Behind the Clutter is an account of June’s own internal and external “stuff” through her unique fourfold lens of What is the truth of my current situation? Do I absolutely love this? What is the meaning of this for me? What purpose does this serve in my life?As you go behind the clutter with June as your guide, you’ll discover that you are your own expert at designing your life, learn to apply your own TruthLoveMeaningPurposeTM to all the “stuff” in your life, and uncover the masterpiece of yourself that’s been there all along.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 17, 2015

About the author

June Saruwatari, author of Behind The Clutter: Truth.Love.Meaning.Purpose., is a lifestyle, business, & relationship coach, productivity & organizing consultant, inspirational speaker, and founder of The Organizing Maniac™. For nearly twenty years, her transformational approach of TruthLoveMeaningPurpose™ has helped hundreds of people declutter their minds, hearts, spaces, and stuff to create lives and businesses they love! The co-host of TLC's first season of Home Made Simple, June has appeared on Good Morning America, The Nate Berkus Show and has contributed to publications such as InStyle, Fast Company, Woman's Day, Entrepreneur, 31 Words to Create an Organized Life, and Practically Posh.

Reviews

[Debbie Nicoletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the author’s approach to tackling clutter. I went through her process to examine my internal and external “stuff” using her TruthLoveMeaningPurpose method. Both my parents grew up during the Great depression era and never threw away anything. The nut doesn’t fall far from the tree and I have had to work hard to overcome my upbringing and tendencies to exist in clutter. I love Saruwatari’s emphasis on evaluating an item in terms of not financial cost or a bargain, but also the time and space it involves to own it. Also enjoyed her section on “time is precious, the clock is ticking. For one week, stop complaining about not having enough time. For one week start saying I have enough time to do everything my heart desires!” Also loved her suggestion to get rid of anything in your schedule that brings your energy down or makes you feel de-energized. I followed her recommendation and removed these “time robbers” from my schedule and WOW what a difference I noticed without these time robbers stealing my vitality!

[Nancy Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

My husband is a hoarder -- not in the same method as those seen on television shows, but he is an obsessive collector of things. It can be shirts (200+), watches (150+), clocks (20+), hats (90+), movies (2,500+), etc. The list goes on and on. His collection is not for sentimental reasons, only "just because".

I am neither a collector nor a hoarder, but I'm finding that I have a tendency to hold on to things from past family members forever. The problem is that because I find myself in my mid 60's, that can make for ALOT of sentimental items to hold on to.

I enjoyed the insight gleaned from this book as to why we hold on to things and find it difficult to dispose of things. I look forward to starting the journey on the truth behind the things we collect and discovering if such items are truly loved. Once I have jumped that ditch, the hardest part will come in deciding the meaning of such items and the purpose they serve by just being in sight. I know this journey will take some time and perhaps is never ending - but I am glad to know that consciously or unconsciously holding on to things is a common pitfall discovered by hoardes of people (pardon the pun).

I look forward to the cleansing aftermath of letting some things go and coming to an understanding of true hoarding tendencies of those I love and care about.

[Sh&ra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled so much to finish this book. Now that I'm done with it I wish I had just shut it and moved on with my life from the beginning when I was starting to question if this book was worth my time. The author said this took her many years to write and I can tell because it feels like it's all over the place. There are a few usable tidbits in here but all of it could have been communicated in a couple of blog posts. It reads more like a rambling diary of a teenager that doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up. I'm sure it will be fun for her kids or family to read someday but for most of us there's very little helpful information amidst all the rambling and rabbit trails. This book is not at all about getting through your clutter it is all about manifesting your own reality. Don't be deceived thinking that she is a Christian by any means, even though she discusses her belief in 'God'. She believes the Universe will give you whatever you ask, even a mailman out of thin air if you ask for it. She also clearly has a lot more money than me because she hires everybody for everything that she doesn't want to do so she can be free to only do things she enjoys in life. Some of us don't have the luxury of hiring a company to scan our files for us or hang artwork on our walls for us or all of the semi unpleasant things that the average person doesn't have a choice whether they want to do or not. "Oh you've been procrastinating about putting your receipts into your budget software? Just hire somebody to do it!" would be a good example. Ultimately I got a couple of nice points out of the whole book but it was definitely not enough to make up for the time I spent reading it. I was bummed and wish I could have enjoyed it more. Maybe I just didn't ask the Universe nicely enough.

[Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is more like an autobiography or diary. The points the author make lean more toward the esoteric than a practical pragmatic approach to decluttering. Those who find themselves to be spiritual will probably find this tome useful in their lives.

[Arlena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Description:

"You are already a masterpiece Have you ever wanted to know the secret to creating a life you love? How do you discern what’s really standing in your way of becoming all you were born to be? In Behind the Clutter, June Saruwatari opens her home and her heart to reveal the transformative decluttering approach that has kept her in demand as a lifestyle, business & relationship coach, and professional organizer to investment bankers, attorneys, judges, artists, politicians, writers, rabbis, university professors, doctors, mothers, children, Hollywood producers, and celebrities. The key to your best life is to master the spaces of your body, mind, soul, and heart, and let go of the clutter within and without. In this part spiritual memoir, part self-help book, June vulnerably and relentlessly examines her own internal and external “stuff” through her unique fourfold lens of TruthLoveMeaningPurpose: • TRUTH: What is the truth of my current situation? • LOVE: Do I absolutely love this? • MEANING: What is the meaning of this for me? • PURPOSE: What purpose does this serve in my life? With fearlessness, vulnerability, and childlike enthusiasm, June digs deep to uncover the thoughts, feelings, memories, and beliefs that lay behind the clutter – and shares effective strategies to identify both internal and external clutter, let it go, and create space for miracles. As you go behind the clutter with June as your guide, you’ll discover that you are your own best expert at designing your life, learn to apply your own TruthLoveMeaningPurpose to all the “stuff” of life, and uncover the masterpiece of yourself that’s been there all along."

Title: Behind The Clutter [Truth.Love.Meaning.Purpose]
Author: June Saruwatari
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Five
Review:

"Behind The Clutter" by June Saruwatari

What I loved about this novel...

One thing for sure I learned the meaning of: 'Truth, Love, Meaning and Purpose' as this author was able to present that so well to the readers. When it all said and done you are given a good look at yourself..what really makes you want to hold on to things that are so unimportant to your life. You will be taken a a journey... a path that is met just for you. In this read you get a little of it all of just how all this stuff can either help you or it can hold you back. This author really lays it all out for the reader giving one the tools to use...exercise with challenges that will help your reasoning process for your stuff and even how it can help or hinder you understand it and even the emotions behind it all. Be ready for some important tips that will be there to help you remove the clutter from ones life. This was a very informative read that I would definitely recommend this novel to any one who have clutter in their life's.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of Behind the Clutter by June Saruwatari

I have read several books on decluttering but I think this one might just have made more impact on me than the others. Sorting out “stuff” takes a while and is likely to take much longer using Ms Saruwatari’s methods, so I’m not claiming 100% success just yet!

Ms Saruwatari’s method “…delves into what I believe is behind the clutter, and emotional stuff that tend to manifest in the form of physical clutter in our lives.” She believes that once you understand the “why” behind the clutter you collect, you will be free to live your life. There is a lot here about God and spirituality, which might put people off but if you get past that then many of the exercises are really empowering. If you believe and don’t need to get past it then possibly the book will give you more. I tried a few of the exercises and I can see myself continuing to journal on some of the concepts and ideas here. The author describes the book as “…a journey of opening up your mind, consciousness, and heart to a new way of thinking about you and your stuff.” And to focus on today not yesterday. To look forward not back.

An exercise might be “How would you feel if you lost your home and belongings? What are the three things you would take with you if you had to leave in five minutes and were forced to evacuate?” or “As you look at the items around you, ask yourself, What is the truth about who I am? What is the truth about my stuff? Are they in alignment?”

This may all seem a bit “new age” but if you are able to approach the book with an open mind and, if necessary, ignore the overt religious aspects, you might find it very helpful. Even if it doesn’t make you sort everything or throw it out, it might make you more aware and indeed comfortable with why you have it.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a typical how-to declutter and organize book in the most common sense.
June goes deeper to the significance of stuff and thoughts your life is made of.
The emotions attached to items and how stuff can help move one forward or anchor and hold you back.

The author bases her system on TruthLoveMeaningPurpose
She addresses our thoughts and even fears, including fear of making wrong decisions.
She defines the cost of an item or even a bargain in not only the financial valuation but also the commitment of time and space it takes.
Included are exercises and a challenge to help you better understand how you relate to your stuff and how it serves or hinders your life.

One of the best ideas she writes about is to consider your physical space as an extension of yourself and your personality.
Deal with things NOW, you don't have any other time, use your things daily,
don't wait for "special" times.

I did get a free Netgalley copy in exchange for my own opinion.

[Dawn Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind the Clutter by June Saruwatari

9781614486183

437 Pages
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Release Date: March 17, 2015

Nonfiction, Health, Mind & Body, Self-Help, Cleaning, Caretaking, Relocating, How-to

The book is divided into the following sections.

Me & My Stuff
You & Your Stuff
Truth, Love, Meaning, Purpose
Shift Mindset
Shift Stuff
Shift Perspective
Everyday Rituals, Tools & Strategies
Let Go, Create Space
Move Forward, A New Way
Move Forward, The Best Journey
Conclusion

I have always had a problem with clutter – I just couldn’t get rid of things. This book helped me change my mindset and helped me to finally be able to let go of things. This is more of a self-help book than a decluttering book. If you or someone you know needs help with decluttering, this may be the book for you.

[Mike Maman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to everyone - professionals parents teenagers etc. I started reading it and couldn't put it down because it had so many messages. it is very easy to read and I loved it so much I bought copies for friends and my three daughters. It is a very unique book which will really make you think and it is very inspirational. June has a special way to sound like she's having a conversation with you and to trigger so many things in your life and just to make you think about what you want in your goals. I truly loved her she talks about "your stuff ...creating space ...and especially shifting perspectives". I can't explain it but I truly felt much later after I read it. It is definitely a must read book!
Review by Fay Shin Maman

[Denise Morse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book would be better as more of an essay or article in a magazine rather than a full book. It was trying to stay away from the how-to style of books but ended up being very repetitive. The exercises listed I think would provide a lot of value but more if they were either put together in a list or structured in a different way. It was very new-age-y and more about emotional impacts of why we keep things. I find all these books still tend to be for people who live in big spaces anyway and have more storage areas, versus those who live in small spaces with multiple children.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have received this book from NetGalley. So far, it makes me want to clean but also makes me realize why I hold on to the things I have.
Update: I have finished the book and am looking forward to getting in and cleaning out the clutter. I cleaned a junk drawer, the appliance drawer, and some of my closet. It felt good and I LOVE having the extra space when I put things away. Just start with one drawer or one category of items. You can do it!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The author goes past the usual just do this and you will be clutter free..helping you to recognize the emotions behind the things you have. Also, and this was great for me, take action now don't wait til later. I found the book generally informative and helpful. Netgalley did provide me with a free copy of the book for an honest review.

[Marjorie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given To Me For An Honest Review


Behind The Clutter by June Saruwatari is not the usual organizing book. It also delves into organizing the "clutter" in your life. This book will not only help you organize all aspects in your life, it will change your life in a powerful and positive way. I recommend this to all. I look for more from June Saruwatari.

[kathyrn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to I netgalley for letting me see Behind the Clutter.

[Shari]

So excite I won this book on Goodreads!