Reviewed by Marcia Purse
Are you a clutterer? If so, you will find something in this book that speaks to you. How much you will get out of
Stop Clutter From Stealing Your Life will depend on your personality, your beliefs and the severity of your cluttering problem. What does clutter have to do with Bipolar Disorder? Depression - and mania. When manic, bipolars may be prone to buying all kinds of things they really don't need, or buying a dozen of an item when only one or a few are needed. During depression, we are easily overwhelmed by existing clutter and just allow it to pile up around us - and clutter, as this book notes, feeds depression. In fact, depression and clutter can become a vicious circle.
I was surprised to learn that at its most severe, cluttering is a form of OCD - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder - called hoarding. Hoarders, at worst, are those who never throw away anything. They are the people who live and die in homes that are nearly impassable because of stacks of papers, books - and garbage. If your problem approaches hoarding, this book urges therapy.
Clutterer in Recovery
Author Mike Nelson is a clutterer "in recovery." He describes his own cluttering problem and what it took for him to conquer it. The chapter describing personality traits of people who clutter really hits home - every person with a clutter habit will see something of him/herself in more than one of these traits. I found the greatest value in this section of the book - the discussions of why people are packrats, why we don't want to let go of things, what hungers are satisfied by collecting items of no real value. Recognizing these traits is the first key; admitting to them is the second. I like the way the author emphasizes
not feeling guilty about being a clutterer, that you must not "beat yourself up" if you slip during the de-cluttering process. The psychological information and advice is sound and helpful.
There is a strong emphasis in this book of making use of your belief in a Higher Power to aid you in your recovery from clutter, without alternatives if that doesn't work for you. The book also offers strong encouragement to join some kind of self-help group, whether online or in your community, and gives contact information for both.
The chapter "Practical Steps to Eliminate Clutter" was disappointing to me, but that may be because the advice it contained either wasn't what I
wanted to hear, or wasn't the right advice for my particular clutter personality. The chapter on computer cleanup is out of date past Windows 98, and the advice may not be safe to follow unless you are an experienced computer user.
There are also chapters about professional organizers, mental clutter, workplace and home office clutter, as well as stories from and about people with serious problems. In the final analysis, while this book may not be the only thing you need to read if you're serious about tackling your clutter problem, it's one that will help you make changes.
