This is a great, quick read for those of us who find ourselves living comfortably in clutter, even while thinking in the back of minds that maybe we should try to get rid of that clutter. I have always loved clutter. Clutter - mine has almost always been books and papers strewn about in delightful piles and stacks - made me feel productive. It was a visual representation of things I had learned, read, was working on, would be working on, was interested in, and so on. It was a visual representation of the things I knew, things I liked, things I learned, things I wanted to learn about, things I *was.*

But apparently I have developed a different side - one that embraces minimalism. And this side wants to see me get rid of half my clothes (which I've accomplished ... although it doesn't look like it), and get rid of most of my books, and go digital with most of my notes, writings, pictures, music, etc. (I recently got rid of my entire CD collection, minus just a handful, and ripped the ones I wanted to keep onto my 1TB hard drive - YAY!). This minimalistic side of me wants me to be organized. It doesn't want to find spools of yarn in my desk drawer next to the stapler and tape. It wants all of my jewelry in those little compartment boxes typically used for nails and screws. (I've done this. All my earrings and little necklaces are in those little compartments, and I love it.)

That's why I picked up this book. While not all of the advice was useful - for example, I don't have kids, so all the stuff that pertained to managing their things, and bringing them in on the de-cluttering was not at all pertinent - I did come away with lots of little tips and thoughts, which I jotted down here on my little book blog . I'm going to put that into action very soon - possibly tonight, and definitely tomorrow - and we'll see how things go.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation, and you know you're the kind of person, like me, who feels better enabled to accomplish even the simplest of tasks after reading a book about that task (I swear I'd read a book about proper shoe-tying techniques if there was one that wasn't marketed to children), then this is a good start. If you're looking for something more motivational rather than practical, I'd suggest a book about hoarding, like "Stuff." (It's among my reviewed books.) That will light a fire under your ass and inspire you to throw EVERYTHING away. This book, on the other hand, will help you get rid of things in a logical manner so you don't regret it later.