I enjoyed reading Clutter Clearing Choices by Barbara Tako. This humorous book had a refreshing philosophy on clutter. Defining clutter as "stuff that no longer enriches my life" (page 4), the book attempts to help people remove clutter from their lives in order to make room for higher priorities.

Philosophy

Tako makes it clear that clearing clutter is a means rather than an end. The point of getting rid of stuff isn’t to have as little stuff as possible, but to be able to enjoy what you have.

I appreciated the emphasis on having goals. I agreed with the criteria she set for making good goals: "specific, measurable, and doable" (page 190). She gives some great ideas for coming up with goals. I found an idea helpful in putting spending time on planning goals in perspective "Do you know anyone who spends more time and energy researching a new purchase, like an oven or television, than they spend planning their life?" (page 189).

She also tells readers to take the pragmatic approach of taking what works and leaving the rest. Rather than pretending to have the correct way of reducing clutter, she attempts to offer a "buffet" (page 8) where readers can get ideas without buying the whole system.

Many of the ideas were common sense things that "experts" are constantly saying: group like things together, limit multitasking, etc. However, I think she says some of these things in ways that are easier to understand.

The choices she presents aren’t always about getting rid of items or activities. She presents choices like "choose gratitude rather than frustration" (page 27).

I also appreciated the emphasis on small changes and habits rather than binging on purges.

Writing and Style

I loved that the chapters were short and broken up with sections. With some books I feel as though it takes ten minutes to get to a stopping point, but I think I could have found a place to stop within a minute at any point in the book.

In general, the writing was easy to read and humorous. There were a few times I found it slightly awkward, for example, "I slowly learn I am happier" (page 185). In this example, I’m guessing she was trying to maintain present tense without using passive voice, but I would rather read clear and smooth writing than "correct" writing.

The book was arranged by season. That makes sense when discussing seasonal things like New Year’s resolutions and simplifying holidays (which Tako did). I found that I enjoyed the first section of the book more than others, perhaps because I was reading the winter section in the middle of a Minnesota winter, or perhaps because later sections had more content that doesn’t apply to me at this point in my life (children and lawns), or perhaps because in books like this ideas tend to be repeated as the book goes on.

Conclusion

I would recommend this book to those who sometimes (or always) struggle with clutter. It may not be the best for those who are trying to deal with a lot of clutter quickly (for example those planning on moving in a few months), but it is one of the best I’ve read for trying to make lifestyle adjustments about clutter.

You can follow @BarbaraTako on Twitter.