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Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You
Demonstrates how disorganization in any area of a life can compromise the functionality of all other areas, and outlines a step-by-step plan for addressing a wide range of topics, from the home and workplace to family life and personal spirituality.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2009
51 people are currently reading
829 people want to read
About the author
Peter Walsh
37 books178 followersBorn and raised in Australia, Peter moved to Los Angeles in 1994 to launch a corporation to help organizations improve employee’s job satisfaction and effectiveness. He considers himself to be part-contractor, part-therapist in his approach to helping individuals attain their goals.
When not wading through clutter and large-scale disorganization, Peter divides his time between his work in Los Angeles and visiting Australia as frequently as possible. Peter’s passions include mid-century architecture and design, home renovation and transforming chaos into order.
When not wading through clutter and large-scale disorganization, Peter divides his time between his work in Los Angeles and visiting Australia as frequently as possible. Peter’s passions include mid-century architecture and design, home renovation and transforming chaos into order.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
April 28, 2011
I'm a champion of the anti-clutter movement, which drew me to this book. I didn't like that within the first few pages the author told you to read his previous book (about decluttering your home) before continuing. Almost made me want to stop! Luckily I kept on because there were several good points made throughout the book that inspired me to cut out the unnecessary. I especially liked the sections on relationships, homes, and children. There were chapters that didn't apply to me so I skimmed through, but I'm sure others would appreciate them. After I finished, it motivated me - that's a sign of a good book!
September 8, 2018
After helping us declutter our homes, organizational guru Peter Walsh (Clean Sweep) now instructs on how to clear out the cobwebs in an even messier place: our minds!
Mr. Walsh has some great things to say here, and his advice was very helpful. Unfortunately, he also adds some sexual references, profanity, and bashing of the Christian faith to the mix.
Mr. Walsh has some great things to say here, and his advice was very helpful. Unfortunately, he also adds some sexual references, profanity, and bashing of the Christian faith to the mix.
June 19, 2018
Although I usually read fiction, now and then a book like Enough Already! provides a change of pace. I picked up the audio version of this title hoping for guidance in dealing with the daunting amount of physical clutter in my home. Helping people overcome that challenge is a big part of what the author does in his day-job. However (like some of the other readers commenting here), I didn't examine the cover carefully when choosing it; this book is intended for those who've already achieved that much.
In his introduction Peter Walsh says, "I don't believe you can make progress in any area of your life if your home is a mess." Before doing anything else, you need to inhabit a space of peace and calm. So that's number one. But the next step—the one dealt with here—is to overcome "mental clutter" that's in the form of needless complications that prevent people from being effective at what they want to do.
Well, I for one still have the disorganized home, because I'm often distracted (and exhausted) by work and other responsibilities. Any of the numerous published titles devoted to that problem might be more appropriate for me. However, having started on this, I forged ahead to see what I could learn.
I'm inclined to agree with his assertion that we cling to both physical and mental clutter in a confused attempt to alter our circumstances. (As a personal example, when my parents died I wanted to keep their furniture, even though I already had a house full of furniture, because I wanted to hang onto familiar tokens of their intangible legacy. Without thinking things through, I imagined their stuff would contribute to establishing a home more like the one I'd grown up in. In other words, an accumulation of unneeded possessions can be a reflection of muddled thinking.) Walsh says the solution is to take personal responsibility for dealing with mental clutter, and to persist in that because (like physical clutter) it must be dealt with continuously. For specifics, he identifies potential mental clutter in the following interrelated areas of life:
Relationships — In an ideal relationship, the partners share common interests and communicate readily, finding time to give each other their undivided attention. When things are not ideal, making the relationship work has to be a priority. If things are far from ideal, you've got to learn how to communicate. You may even need to examine your reasons for staying in an unhappy relationship. For example, are you afraid to be alone? Fear is an aspect of mental clutter that shows up in each of these areas.
Work — Aside from a messy workstation, clutter on the job may take the form of bad habits such as spending too much time on unimportant tasks, striving for perfection when "good enough" is all that's needed, taking on inappropriate responsibilities or overlooking another person's inappropriate behavior in hopes of avoiding friction, or remaining in a position that isn't right for you because you're afraid of the unknown. Incidentally, the book comes with several helpful questionnaires with challenges such as this one: "Is the life you have worth the work you do to pay for it?"
Family — The more people there are in a household, the greater the likelihood of competing priorities. You need to balance time for yourself vs time for others. You also need to balance activities that are fun vs those that are important for, say, children's development. Television is one pernicious form of clutter, because for the average American it consumes three months out of every year. That's a hell of a lot of time that could be spent interacting constructively or even creatively, maintaining relationships, and building memories. (I'm tempted to pat myself on the back here, having not watched any broadcast tv in many years, but of course have my own ways of squandering time.)
Money — Are you spending more than you earn? Stay on top of your financial records (cash flow, bank balance, money owed), pay bills on time, eliminate any credit card debt, follow a budget, and avoid impulse spending. Figure out what it will cost to attain your wants and needs, allowing a margin for unexpected setbacks. Then, when you know what you need, don't spend that money on anything else. This is not a hindrance. Money gives you options, e.g., if you're financially secure you may choose to do more fulfilling work that pays less than a demanding job you might otherwise need to support careless spending habits.
Health — Have you given up on the body you inhabit in the same way you've given up on your house, allowing distractions like other priorities and negative emotions to impede your way to health?
Much of the above sounds like common sense, and in the Health section he acknowledges that: Everybody knows they should eat right, exercise, and get medical care. But they don't. They are prevented by mental or emotional obstacles, which can be thought of as clutter. Hence this book. However, he doesn't miss an opportunity to belabor the platitudes, to the point of becoming quite tiresome.
There's a sense that, to some extent, the author is shoehorning all kinds of advice on how to live into this "clutter" paradigm. When he drifts into the topic of snacking, he sounds just like Scott Adams in another how-to book I've read. (I thought Mr. Adams was out of his swim lane there as well.) Granted, it's mostly good advice. I say "mostly" because for example, asking your bank for guidance on how to invest your savings hasn't been good advice since the 70s. And as all the admonitions accumulated, I decided everybody under the sun is surely remiss in many of these areas. Try as we will, nobody (including, I suspect, Mr. Walsh) is going to get all this right, even occasionally. Then, oblivious to the contradiction, he warns his readers not to strive for perfection because doing so leads to stress, which is equivalent to—you guessed it—clutter. Then he says, "Things that truly matter should occupy your time." Okay, to be fair, I understand his point. But dude, staying focused on things that truly matter is how I ended up with a house full of clutter!
In conclusion, the concept behind this book is interesting, but the execution is sprawling and, well—cluttered. As an editor, if I saw this in manuscript form I'd send it back for a complete rewrite.
In his introduction Peter Walsh says, "I don't believe you can make progress in any area of your life if your home is a mess." Before doing anything else, you need to inhabit a space of peace and calm. So that's number one. But the next step—the one dealt with here—is to overcome "mental clutter" that's in the form of needless complications that prevent people from being effective at what they want to do.
Well, I for one still have the disorganized home, because I'm often distracted (and exhausted) by work and other responsibilities. Any of the numerous published titles devoted to that problem might be more appropriate for me. However, having started on this, I forged ahead to see what I could learn.
I'm inclined to agree with his assertion that we cling to both physical and mental clutter in a confused attempt to alter our circumstances. (As a personal example, when my parents died I wanted to keep their furniture, even though I already had a house full of furniture, because I wanted to hang onto familiar tokens of their intangible legacy. Without thinking things through, I imagined their stuff would contribute to establishing a home more like the one I'd grown up in. In other words, an accumulation of unneeded possessions can be a reflection of muddled thinking.) Walsh says the solution is to take personal responsibility for dealing with mental clutter, and to persist in that because (like physical clutter) it must be dealt with continuously. For specifics, he identifies potential mental clutter in the following interrelated areas of life:
Relationships — In an ideal relationship, the partners share common interests and communicate readily, finding time to give each other their undivided attention. When things are not ideal, making the relationship work has to be a priority. If things are far from ideal, you've got to learn how to communicate. You may even need to examine your reasons for staying in an unhappy relationship. For example, are you afraid to be alone? Fear is an aspect of mental clutter that shows up in each of these areas.
Work — Aside from a messy workstation, clutter on the job may take the form of bad habits such as spending too much time on unimportant tasks, striving for perfection when "good enough" is all that's needed, taking on inappropriate responsibilities or overlooking another person's inappropriate behavior in hopes of avoiding friction, or remaining in a position that isn't right for you because you're afraid of the unknown. Incidentally, the book comes with several helpful questionnaires with challenges such as this one: "Is the life you have worth the work you do to pay for it?"
Family — The more people there are in a household, the greater the likelihood of competing priorities. You need to balance time for yourself vs time for others. You also need to balance activities that are fun vs those that are important for, say, children's development. Television is one pernicious form of clutter, because for the average American it consumes three months out of every year. That's a hell of a lot of time that could be spent interacting constructively or even creatively, maintaining relationships, and building memories. (I'm tempted to pat myself on the back here, having not watched any broadcast tv in many years, but of course have my own ways of squandering time.)
Money — Are you spending more than you earn? Stay on top of your financial records (cash flow, bank balance, money owed), pay bills on time, eliminate any credit card debt, follow a budget, and avoid impulse spending. Figure out what it will cost to attain your wants and needs, allowing a margin for unexpected setbacks. Then, when you know what you need, don't spend that money on anything else. This is not a hindrance. Money gives you options, e.g., if you're financially secure you may choose to do more fulfilling work that pays less than a demanding job you might otherwise need to support careless spending habits.
Health — Have you given up on the body you inhabit in the same way you've given up on your house, allowing distractions like other priorities and negative emotions to impede your way to health?
Much of the above sounds like common sense, and in the Health section he acknowledges that: Everybody knows they should eat right, exercise, and get medical care. But they don't. They are prevented by mental or emotional obstacles, which can be thought of as clutter. Hence this book. However, he doesn't miss an opportunity to belabor the platitudes, to the point of becoming quite tiresome.
There's a sense that, to some extent, the author is shoehorning all kinds of advice on how to live into this "clutter" paradigm. When he drifts into the topic of snacking, he sounds just like Scott Adams in another how-to book I've read. (I thought Mr. Adams was out of his swim lane there as well.) Granted, it's mostly good advice. I say "mostly" because for example, asking your bank for guidance on how to invest your savings hasn't been good advice since the 70s. And as all the admonitions accumulated, I decided everybody under the sun is surely remiss in many of these areas. Try as we will, nobody (including, I suspect, Mr. Walsh) is going to get all this right, even occasionally. Then, oblivious to the contradiction, he warns his readers not to strive for perfection because doing so leads to stress, which is equivalent to—you guessed it—clutter. Then he says, "Things that truly matter should occupy your time." Okay, to be fair, I understand his point. But dude, staying focused on things that truly matter is how I ended up with a house full of clutter!
In conclusion, the concept behind this book is interesting, but the execution is sprawling and, well—cluttered. As an editor, if I saw this in manuscript form I'd send it back for a complete rewrite.
October 24, 2015
Some people complained that this book didn't go into as much detail as they would have liked, but to be fair, Walsh mentions in this book that he wrote about organization and decluttering and body issues in his previous books, "It's All Too Much!," "The It's All Too Much Workbook" and "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" I haven't read the last one, but after reading this book, I might add it to the TBR pile. You might want to read those three books first, if you aren't familiar with Walsh's work.
The book follows a basic format, focusing on six aspects of life, covered in six chapters of the book: relationships, work, family, money, health and well-being. Walsh talks about how all six aspects of life are impacted by clutter: environmental clutter, mental clutter, financial clutter, relationship clutter, physical clutter in the form of fat and poor health, and spiritual clutter. Then he goes on to address the issues posed by these different aspects of life and the clutter associated with them. After that, he breaks down each segment or chapter into "Imagine the (aspect of life) you want," "Clear the clutter of unreal expectations," "Watch out for obstacles," and "Declutter your (fill in aspect of life here), ending with "And then there's the stuff." There were some chapters that were hard for me to relate to, including the "Family" chapter, because it focused mostly on the nuclear family, with parents and children. I'm in my 50's, single and my parents are no longer living and I don't have that much physical interaction with my siblings, since we don't live near each other. I have a roommate, but we get along very well and communicate well with each other, so thankfully, no problems there. Also I couldn't relate to work, because it focused mostly on people with careers. I'm retired on disability, and while I do volunteer work, my life is relatively low-stress. I couldn't relate to the relationship segment at all, since it seemed to focus mostly on couples living together, which I've never done. So, as you can see, the book mostly addresses the needs of couples with children or elderly parents, neither of which I have. That said, I found the chapters on money, health and well-being to be very helpful. On the other hand, now I'm worried about what's going to happen when I turn 65. The chapter on health gave me a lot to think about, because I have some health problems. The chapter on well-being was inspiring for me, because as it turns out, that's one aspect of my life where I'm generally content and satisfied.
In summary, if you're looking to take a deeper look into Peter Walsh's methods, I would suggest reading the first three books mentioned above before reading this one. Also, be prepared to do the exercises included to get the full impact of the Peter Walsh decluttering experience.
The book follows a basic format, focusing on six aspects of life, covered in six chapters of the book: relationships, work, family, money, health and well-being. Walsh talks about how all six aspects of life are impacted by clutter: environmental clutter, mental clutter, financial clutter, relationship clutter, physical clutter in the form of fat and poor health, and spiritual clutter. Then he goes on to address the issues posed by these different aspects of life and the clutter associated with them. After that, he breaks down each segment or chapter into "Imagine the (aspect of life) you want," "Clear the clutter of unreal expectations," "Watch out for obstacles," and "Declutter your (fill in aspect of life here), ending with "And then there's the stuff." There were some chapters that were hard for me to relate to, including the "Family" chapter, because it focused mostly on the nuclear family, with parents and children. I'm in my 50's, single and my parents are no longer living and I don't have that much physical interaction with my siblings, since we don't live near each other. I have a roommate, but we get along very well and communicate well with each other, so thankfully, no problems there. Also I couldn't relate to work, because it focused mostly on people with careers. I'm retired on disability, and while I do volunteer work, my life is relatively low-stress. I couldn't relate to the relationship segment at all, since it seemed to focus mostly on couples living together, which I've never done. So, as you can see, the book mostly addresses the needs of couples with children or elderly parents, neither of which I have. That said, I found the chapters on money, health and well-being to be very helpful. On the other hand, now I'm worried about what's going to happen when I turn 65. The chapter on health gave me a lot to think about, because I have some health problems. The chapter on well-being was inspiring for me, because as it turns out, that's one aspect of my life where I'm generally content and satisfied.
In summary, if you're looking to take a deeper look into Peter Walsh's methods, I would suggest reading the first three books mentioned above before reading this one. Also, be prepared to do the exercises included to get the full impact of the Peter Walsh decluttering experience.
February 17, 2013
So, the subtitle of the book is "Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You" and some of the descriptions I've read were about "clearing your mind" and "freeing your mind" and the like. I got the impression, then, that this book would be about getting rid of negativity in your mind so that you could become a better you and find a happy relationship, good family life, good job, etc. Instead, it starts from the assumption that you already have the relationship, family life, and job, but you want those to be better. There might have been some good advice from that standpoint (so I gave it two stars), but it wasn't really about what I wanted -- becoming a better you (me) to get to the point where ... you know, the relationship/family/job, etc. A better subtitle would have been "Clearing Mental Clutter to Fix What You Already Have."
And even what I did read kind of felt like he was just scratching the surface. I mean, I could totally see where he was going with his tips and advice, but it just seemed sort of half-ass, or like he was saying, "Well, I got you started. You figure out the rest!"
And even what I did read kind of felt like he was just scratching the surface. I mean, I could totally see where he was going with his tips and advice, but it just seemed sort of half-ass, or like he was saying, "Well, I got you started. You figure out the rest!"
March 14, 2009
Basically, Walsh takes the same principles he's applied in previous books to the physical clutter that accumulates around your home and the weight that accumulates around our eating habits and brings to bear on every other aspect of our lives: home, work, money, health, etc. For Walsh, it all boils down to a simple question; okay, two simple questions: What is your vision for the life you want to live, and do your choices and actions actively reinforce that vision?
If they don't, he says, you need to recognize that, and do something about it. I find his straightforwardness inspiring, and his books are thought-provoking in a true and meaningful way. Fair warning: He doesn't spend much time rehashing the background, so if you want a full perspective on his approach to clutter, it helps to be familiar with It's All Too Much.
If they don't, he says, you need to recognize that, and do something about it. I find his straightforwardness inspiring, and his books are thought-provoking in a true and meaningful way. Fair warning: He doesn't spend much time rehashing the background, so if you want a full perspective on his approach to clutter, it helps to be familiar with It's All Too Much.
April 1, 2009
"While the clutter you see around you might seem bad, even overwhelming and paralyzing, the physical clutter that fills our homes is nothing compared to the invisible clutter that fillws our heads."
In this book, organization expert Peter Walsh says we buy stuff for the promise it offers and the world doesn't work like that. Enough Already is intended to take you from a vision of the life you want in several key areas so we can deal with underlying feelings to become our best selves.
The book focuses on how various aspects of your life -- relationships, career, money, etc., are impacted by organization or the lack of it. The feature I most liked about the book was the series of checklists that you can use as a measure of your own status. In terms of actual implementation, I prefer David Allen's Getting Thngs Done.
In this book, organization expert Peter Walsh says we buy stuff for the promise it offers and the world doesn't work like that. Enough Already is intended to take you from a vision of the life you want in several key areas so we can deal with underlying feelings to become our best selves.
The book focuses on how various aspects of your life -- relationships, career, money, etc., are impacted by organization or the lack of it. The feature I most liked about the book was the series of checklists that you can use as a measure of your own status. In terms of actual implementation, I prefer David Allen's Getting Thngs Done.
January 8, 2011
Why I read It
I love everything about decluttering and simple living so I read all the books I can about the subject. Don Aslett is another good source for this topic.
The Good
Great advice, that in my experience, we all need. I have yet to meet a truly decluttered person.
The Bad
More about the psychology behind the mental clutter in our lives rather than the nitty gritty details..
The Ugly (my opinion)
An informative read which I can pretty much guarantee will have something to help you within its pages.
I love everything about decluttering and simple living so I read all the books I can about the subject. Don Aslett is another good source for this topic.
The Good
Great advice, that in my experience, we all need. I have yet to meet a truly decluttered person.
The Bad
More about the psychology behind the mental clutter in our lives rather than the nitty gritty details..
The Ugly (my opinion)
An informative read which I can pretty much guarantee will have something to help you within its pages.
November 20, 2010
Although this book so far is very different than what I anticipated from the title, it is very helpful for developing purposeful thinking in all aspects of life. So far the focus is on managing your time, space, and your emotional investments. Mental clutter? Well, just maybe the lack of time management, poor space planning, and immature emotional investment decision-making is what generates mental clutter. I could be on to something here! :-)
March 3, 2011
Ok, a moment of madness lead me to borrow this book from the local library. I was looking at their audio books thinking how good it would be to listen to a variety of things whilst I drive around. NOT this book though. Although I appreciate what the author was trying to get across it didn't work for me. Probably because he specialises in clearing out clutter and isn't a psychologist. Will definitely be more selective in future with my audio book choices.
October 18, 2012
I really enjoy Peter Walsh's books. He makes the subject of de-clutting your house approachable and breaks it into easy and logical steps. In this book, he talks about mental clutter regarding relationships, work, money, and your home, and ties those topics in to physical clutter. I am amazed at the effect that physical clutter can have on your entire life. Peter's book is inspirational and I highly recommend it to anyone facing any clutter, be it physical, mental, or both.
September 5, 2016
Seems like an interesting book, but I didn't pay enough attention to the tagline - I was looking for clutter help, not relationship and money help. I'm not in the space for this.
April 4, 2021
Peter Walsh never disappoints me. I’ve read several of his books and he hits the bullseye every single time. Peter is compassionate and it’s hard to miss that when reading him. First off, I’m so glad he tackled this topic. He’s helped us declutter every physical space, and here he helps us tackle inner space, that prime real estate between our ears, our mind. He approaches each area that matters, relationships, work, family, money, health, and finally, well being. His work helping people declutter their homes has given him tremendous insight. He knows that physical clutter is just an outward indicator of something more significant inside of us. When he helps them declutter, ultimately, he encounters the real source of the problem. In this beautiful book he gives us ways to heal ourselves so we can live the fullest, most fulfilling life possible. It has opened my eyes to some wonderful possibilities. I can’t wait to put his wisdom to work.
June 20, 2018
I really like how the author makes that stuff to mental health clutter connection. Once I heard that I began to realize how it was all connected in so many ways from family, to relationships, to work. The fact that the book has worksheets and questions for you to answer is also really good and I'm currently focusing on making a journal and starting it with answering the questions asked in this book.
I'm not saying that it is be all end all but it is a start to get you looking at the clutter not only around you but in you.
I'm not saying that it is be all end all but it is a start to get you looking at the clutter not only around you but in you.
February 14, 2019
The book highlights the importance of decluttering in each parameter of life ; Family, Relationships, Work, Health, Money, and spirituality. They are all interrelated to other.
Clearing the clutter has a significant impact in balancing one's life and failure to decluttering in on of these areas, it would then creep into other areas like a virus.
It is also interesting that the author also provides us a lot of tips and practical advice for certain situations.
Clearing the clutter has a significant impact in balancing one's life and failure to decluttering in on of these areas, it would then creep into other areas like a virus.
It is also interesting that the author also provides us a lot of tips and practical advice for certain situations.
February 23, 2019
I knew of Peter Walsh through the TV show Clean Sweep from many years ago and reread this book recently and I must say it is more disappointing than I remember. A lot of the advice is to simply DO THIS without a lot of instruction on HOW. He connects the physical clutter surrounding us to the mental clutter holding us back but most everything is anecdotal and the stories are just too pat. This book seems to stretch to fulfill its premise and falls flat.
September 30, 2017
Very helpful especially if you like me don't like to get to any arguments and if you had to you did it the worst way, and if you find it hard to be open about your feelings this book will help you to understand yourself and your feelings better, and will help you to put a plan to get your life together.
October 26, 2017
Simple formula: Imagine the >>>> life you want, Clear the clutter of unreal expectations, Watch out for obstacles, Declutter your >>>>>< And then there's the stuff. But after and within the formula is really hard work.
July 19, 2018
This book is very helpful if you're feeling overwhelmed. Peter Walsh is a clutter expert, but this book is about decluttering your mind, using the same principles he has for decluttering your home. Got a lot of good tips from this book.
October 1, 2020
Not bad. Was interesting when it came to the point of the book which is not about the stuff but what makes us collect it. The mental chatter within. Our unfulfilled wants or desires. Overall decent to get to the core of your clutter.
January 22, 2024
This is an older book, but it had some really great advice! I didn't have the pdf version of the quizzes, so I'm not sure if those help, but I felt like it wasn't necessary to have in order to read this book.
February 13, 2024
I LOVE Peter Walsh’s decluttering books, but his relationship/mentality advice misses the mark for me. It would be better to pick up a book on a specific topic you want to explore by someone respected in that field.
September 2, 2024
It was pretty good. It made some good points under all the headings addressing relationships, work, family, money, health, & our sense of well-being. I did skip ahead a few times, but it was worth a read.
September 17, 2018
Much of what he talked about is more of a common sense. I did listen to this audiobook on my drive back home! I enjoyed listening to it- but its not anything more than common sense.
December 19, 2018
I would give this 3.5 stars. Some interesting points, but too much filler. Still, worth skim-reading.
January 19, 2020
Learned a whole lot from this book, I loved learning that as we clean the mental clutter the physical clutter clears up too.
November 5, 2021
Was one of the best books on Mental clutter that I have read.
Read
November 8, 2021Less revelation and more confirmation. Pairs nicely with the GTD philosophy. Writing style is appealing and straightforward. . . I'm intrigued enough to read more of his books.
March 22, 2017
I was disappointed here. There is lots of good advice, but I read it cover to cover and just didn't feel that I got was I was looking for.
April 21, 2019
Declutter your brain 👌🏻
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