Outer Order, Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness

by Gretchen Rubin

For a major clutter-clearing, you may want to recruit a companion to help you make decisions and deal with the grunt work of sorting, moving, packing, and tossing.

Even though this book is finished and out in the world, I keep thinking about outer order, and here's a point that I wish I'd included in the book. I often beg my friends to let me help them clear clutter, and just as deep-sea divers can experience the dangerous "rapture of the deep," I've seen people experience the "frenzy of the clear," when they become so intoxicated by the joy of relinquishment that they start tossing or giving away just about everything. I was helping a friend clear clutter, and I watched as he threw away an unopened package of padded mailer envelopes. When I asked why, he said, "Those things never work." I answered, "What are you talking about? Those things always work!" I fished out the package and took it home. (I mail things constantly, so this was useful to me.) The frenzy is helpful, because it makes it so easy to let things go, but too much frenzy could lead to mistakes and regret. We want to stay mindful as we create outer order.