Book Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Clutter Busting
Letting Go of What's Holding You Back
Brooks Palmer
New World Library 03/09 Paperback $13.95
ISBN: 9781577316596

Almost all of us have too many things that we hold on to that we do not use. There are files of papers we haven't looked at for years, gifts stuffed in kitchen cabinets, clothes we have outgrown, CDs and books we don't listen to or read, and mementoes and memorabilia in our attics, basements, and garages. These objects and possessions take up precious space and drain our energy. Brooks Palmer's Clutter Busting business was set up to help people let go of things they no longer need in their lives. He notes that when he enters people's homes, he assumes that 75% of their things are no longer useful to them. Palmer refers to cleaning out the clutter as similar to weeding the garden.

The chapter titles give you a vivid sense of the focus of this accessible and handy paperback:

• You Are Sacred — Your Things Are Not
• We Assume False Identities in Clutter
• Clutter Keeps Us Living in the Past
• Clutter Represents Fear of Change
• Clutter Is an Addiction
• Clearing Clutter to Make Room for Clarity
• Inner Clutter Creates Outer Clutter
• Mental Clutter
• Clutter as Punishment
• Using Your Discriminating Tools
• What Really Matters

Palmer shares stories about the people he has helped get rid of whatever is inessential in their lives. Some use clutter to ward off change but that strategy is impossible. Others use it to hide in the past and cling to memorabilia as a way of feeling good.

Palmer is convinced that clutter busting is a path to restoring insights and creating clarity in our days. There is an addictive dimension to clutter, and the author does a good job exploring it. Anyone can free themselves from this trap: the first step is seeing that a home is not a warehouse. We can live with less, and we can stop worrying about saving things that we might need in the future. Clutter busting brings us back to the present moment and helps us to be grateful for the richness of now.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat