It's All Too Much, So Get It Together

by Peter Walsh, John Hendrix (Illustrator)

Peter Walsh has helped thousands of adults clear mental and physical clutter from their lives, and now he’s turning his focus to the unique issues teens face. The stresses of making important decisions and controlling personal finances for the first time can be overwhelming—but a little de-cluttering can go a long way. Walsh helps readers identify problem areas and outlines unique steps to streamline the process of clearing out the clutter and addressing everything from dealing with family to evaluating goals. At a time when teens are under more pressure than ever, this is the go-to guide for getting it all under control—and getting ahead!.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2009

About the author

Born 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.

Reviews

[Cinnapatty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is geared towards teens and young adults. I read this one before I read the one for "adults" It is so easy to read and understand. I was so impressed with the last section of the book that deals with emotional clutter and other things like "your head space". He sounds almost prophetic in the advice he's giving young kids of today. He encourages more personal interaction, among other things. A great book for teens and adults alike whether there is physical clutter in their lives or not. Helps prioritize and get your mind thinking about the bigger picture of your life and shows you that by working through the things that clutter your daily life you will be free to work towards that big picture.
He does use words like "crap" when talking about "stuff" and says that things "suck". His target audience are teens. Not that I condone the language, just giving a heads up to some who may take offense.

[Emilia P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to get the one for grown-ups but the teen one was all they had. Here are the basic points. Figure out the Spaces Where You Keep Stuff (SWYKS -- swicks...sounds cool) and figure out what stuff you are now keeping/want to be keeping in them. Go through each of them, pull everything out, sort it into throw away, give away, and keep piles. Don't keep stuff that you haven't used in over a year, keep your sentimental stashes under control (basically, this is hard for everybody), and be realistic about what you really need and use. And like -- you define your stuff, your stuff doesn't define you. Soooo all of that is great. But I needed more practical tips for the whole house, and I think the grown-up book is probably a little better on those. A good resource to sort out one's feelings on Stuff, but still, practical application will bear out if it is very useful.

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great book by Peter Walsh. It was written to appeal to teens, and is easy to read, but honestly, any adult could also learn from this book. I liked the way it tackled internal and external clutter. This is a book best read slowly, so you can "fix" the areas in your life that need repair.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the practical tips and ideas within this book, and I appreciate that it was light on the theory of minimalism. I would prefer to read a book that tells me HOW to focus on minimalism, rather than WHY I should focus on minimalism. While there was some of both, it was heavier on the former. This book was every bit as useful as Marie Kondo's, if you ask me.

[Marylee Raymond Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Walsh is plain spoken and very practical!!

[Constantina Samaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and easy read! I really enjoyed this book:)

[Ashleu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted at Nose in a Book
I know non-fiction is not the norm here; however, when I picked up my holds recently at the library this had my name on it. I have been in the mood to purge all my stuff shit so I figured lets tackle this book and tackle my shit. Along with tackling my shit I will be tackling the challenge I set to this year since this book is pre-2012! YAY ME!

Although this book is originally for teens it still held up well to the post-teen person that I am. A long time ago on TLC I used to watch a show called Clean Sweep hosted by Peter Walsh, the man who wrote this book. I liked him then, I liked him now. This book made me want to get up and start sorting my books. It talked to me in a way that spoke to me. I know that is corny to say, but it did. I understand that Walsh isn’t trying to get you to get rid of all your possessions, he just wants you to be a better you. And you can’t be a better you with all of your stuff weighing you down.

I have a lot of stuff. When a friend from Europe visited me once the first thing she said when she stepped in my room was “Wow, you have a lot of crap.” I do. I know this. I like my knickknacks, my books, my collections. But I also know that I’m almost 24 and I need to start parting with shit, it’s overflowing and starting to give me panic attacks. I already have enough panic attacks without the shit seeping into my brain.

The only problem with this book is I read it at night. Since I live with people night is not a prime cleaning time. I would prefer to not face their wrath if I woke up them up. But still, when I have a three day weekend, or just time in general, I can’t wait to start getting rid of the stuff.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Melanie Foust for TeensReadToo.com

The New Year is almost upon us, and the time to make resolutions has come. If one of your goals is to get organized, this could be the exact book you need.

Peter Walsh has created a great resource for teens who need to get organized. It's a quick read, and it's done in a way that's actually pretty fun. The book includes quizzes and stories, plus a bunch of drawings to keep things interesting. IT'S ALL TOO MUCH, SO GET IT TOGETHER is practical, as well.

This book is very thorough. The first part of the book was particularly helpful because it helps explain why clutter exists in the first place. The explanation made a lot of sense. Prior to this book, I had never really given much thought to why clutter exists. The middle portion focuses on how to get of rid of all the clutter. The writing style is pretty hopeful but also realistic, which is something I appreciated a lot. The final portion of the book shows how de-cluttering can affect your life, as well as how to get your family involved.

I walked away from this book with plenty of things to keep in mind as I begin my own de-cluttering process. Perhaps the most important thought is that my life is going on right now. Not when I graduate high school and finish college but now. And it's my job to make the most of it.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having previously read the original version of this book, I picked this up as a refresher course. No matter your age you can find good ideas in here to help you take control over the STUFF in your life.
You will get more out of it if you are mentally and emotionally prepared to get rid of things from your life. This book will help you to think about why and how physical objects end up in your life.

To keep up any success you do need to be vigilant and keep your goals and previous successes in your conscious awareness.
Peter's book helps you do this.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!!!
I keep my room tidy by cleaning it up once a month, but the mess eventually comes back. I feel frustrated everytime I pull open drawers revealing so much stuff that I don't need, and take a long time to find stuff I love! This book really helped me find the motivation to throw out stuff I didn't want anymore. 3 weeks later, my room is clutter free and I'm still in the ungoing process of trying to clear out more and more stuff I don't like, or don't need. So Thank You, peter walsh for writing something I needed so badly!!!

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This talks about the relationship that we have with out stuff. Why we keep it, why we got it, what we do to keep it. It gives us tips not only on how to get rid of some of it but also how to make the most of our memories. You don't need ten thousand shot glasses but you could take pictures and keep them in a coffee table book. I felt so urged to throw my stuff out by the time I was finished reading. If you don't really want to get rid of your stuff this book may not be able to help you.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book more, because the book design is fun, with fun (though readable) fonts, sidebars, illustrations, etc. But as I went through the material, I was confused by this acronym (can't recall it now) that was used A LOT, and I didn't know what it meant. And, (drumroll) there was no index. Great concept, to make these principles more accessible to teens, but not carried out as well as it could have been.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a while back and forgot about it in my room because of how cluttered the area was which is pretty funny because it's a book about being unorganized! Anyway, I found this book quite helpful and shockingly interesting considering it was about cleaning you room and much more! Yuck! Peter Walsh made little joke in between which made me stay intrigued! It's a little book but gives good ideas and helps get more organized in the long run.

[Delia Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cheery self-help book purports to be about clearing "clutter," but it seems to me it's more about learning to resist the imperatives of a consumer culture and to face the implications of the impulse to hoard. Nothing brilliant, but a nice read during New Years resolution season. (This is the review I posted on Amazon)

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly aimed at teenagers, It's All Too Much does a great job of breaking down the reasons why people have clutter (or too much stuff) in both the physical and mental in their lives. Hoping it helps me with my quest to finally make my family happy with a clean home!

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I picked it up not realizing it's for a teen audience; I was expecting a follow up to his "It's All Too Much" (which was fabulous) - maybe with an organizing focus. It bore little resemblance to his adult book. Very watered down and rather condescending in tone.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I left this book out thinking Mitch might pick it up and read a bit, but found myself engrossed. It takes all my "clutter" excuses and puts them to shame. Great step by step process.

[Cnjbillhimer]

This looks like it might help my older kids to make better decisions about what to unpack and actually drag back into their lives and into our new home....

[Alina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and helpful, but a bit wordy sometimes. I entirely skipped intro to each page - stories about his fictional characters.

[Cortez_jk · Rating 4 out of 5]

great way to let your kids wise up to responsibilities, and taking control over their stuff. gives them tools on how to live lighter and have more time for whats important.

[Meeka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommendation from Merlin Mann on Back to Work. I'd follow Merlin Mann into the dark...

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written for the teenage audience. Not much in there for the rest of us.