Clutter Clearing Choices: Clear Clutter, Organize Your Home & Reclaim Your Life

by Barbara Tako

Clutter Clearing Choices is a humorous, authentic, entertaining, and informative book on clutter clearing, home organizing, and simple living. If someone thinks they have already read everything out there on clutter, this book will show her that she hasn't. If this is the first clutter clearing book someone picks up, she will be pleasantly surprised by the flexibility and quantity of helpful ideas and resources here.

This book shows that when it comes to getting rid of clutter and organizing what is left, there are a variety of ways to get motivated, get the job done, and be entertained. Readers are invited to pick and choose what works for them. There is no single right way to get rid of clutter! Clutter Clearing Choices is filled with practical ideas to reduce clutter and get organized to free up time and energy for personal priorities, whatever they are! Isn't that more fun than hunting for car keys or misplaced paperwork?

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2010

About the author

Since 1998, I have been a professional clutter clearing and home organizing motivational speaker, published author, and consultant. I believe when we clear clutter, it frees up time for our priorities."

Reviews

[Jennifer (JC-S)]

‘Clutter is physical, mental, emotional, and relational.
‘
This book is organised by season: winter; spring; summer and fall (autumn). Winter coincides with New Year in the northern hemisphere, so those of us in the southern hemisphere filled with resolve to attack clutter as part of a new year resolution will be doing so in the heat of summer. This may change the order in which you apply what you read in this book, but no matter which season you start in there are plenty of practical suggestions to follow.

Before you start, it’s worth considering what clutter is. In Ms Tako’s definition, clutter is anything that is no longer helpful. Clutter can be feelings, relationships and stuff.

‘Clutter is basically an accumulation of unmade or postponed decisions.'

Keeping this definition in mind, and reading through the chapters to recognise and assess the clutter challenges of each season and assessing what is appropriate to you and your lifestyle is a great experience. Perhaps you, like me, have books and other items stored for ‘a rainy day’. I can confidently predict that unless I live for another 100 years fully of ‘rainy days’ I am unlikely to read (or reread) all of the books I have stored and complete all of the craft projects I have acquired. Many of these items will be useful to others, though, and I can liberate them.

This book is not a prescriptive list of steps to follow. By sharing her own clutter challenges with us, Ms Tako humanises the process of de-cluttering. I was already on the path of rationalising what I own and where (and how) I store it. Ms Tako’s book provides both reinforcement and encouragement. I am inspired!

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Lisa]

BRAVO! This is an excellent book about clutter, and not just the obvious clutter you can see lying all over your house and making you nuts (although it definately and thoroughly covers that clutter too). Tako takes you through "body" clutter, "people" clutter, clutter in your schedules, etc. Her advice really resonnated with me. I got right to work and I'm thrilled with the results so far. While going through my childrens' things, I kept this in mind: the memories and the stuff are two different things. Tako gives you stratagies in keeping the two seperate. I followed her advice and found myself clearing out at least twice as much as I would have without her. It feels great to have the space and the organization, and I don't miss the "stuff" at all, since the memories are all safely accounted for (tricks you'll learn as you read the book). Tako writes in a very accessible way. Her chapters are short and unintimidating. She's not afraid to tell you all the mistakes she made (or makes!) along the way and all the ways she's learned to cope and make lemonade. I felt like I had a friend there helping me through the process. This book is highly motivating and very easy to use and put into effect. Tako chose an interesting way to present her techinique: she breaks the book down into seasons. I LOVED this. This is the way I think of my clutter, only I didn't even realize this until Tako pointed it out. I'd like to buy a copy of this book soon (my library copy is due back tomorrow). It was so helpful and refreshing, and there were so many books & sites recommended to the readers. I kept wanting to underline things and make notes. I would say that this book is really good for anyone interested in simplifying their life and cutting back on the clutter, no matter what the distance involved.

[Tami]

I think most of us would love to have a beautifully tidy, organized house. The problem is that few of us have the time or inclination to walk behind our family members cleaning up as they make messes. Life happens. Papers pile up. We put things on the top of the refrigerator hoping to organize them later. Of course, later never comes. Before we know it, everything is a bit out of control.

These days there are plenty of books on how to clear clutter. Some teach time management. Others look at storage solutions. Still others look at clutter as a symbol of emotional clutter.

Clutter Clearing Choices includes a bit from each clutter camp. The author includes tips for getting organized and some products that will get you started. She also talks about the importance of simplifying and keeping only what you love or actually use.

Throughout, the author is realistic- she isn’t naturally tidy or organized and really hates to clean. Yet, she gets great satisfaction from keeping her underwear drawer tidy. An organized underwear drawer today, perhaps a clean living room tomorrow.

[Jessica]

I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this. Great tips, funny and somewhat therapeutic! I recently had a home assessment from a professional organizer and many of her tips were reinforced here. I've got 8 trashbags that are making their way to the Good Will this weekend.

[Barbara Tako]

Okay, I am the author. I posted this out of shameless self-promotion. I would like to hear what you think of my book.