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One morning last week, my neighbor and I got to talking at the bus stop. I’m not sure how the conversation turned to our messy houses, but before I knew it I was sharing my battle stories from my war on clutter. Because that is what it feels like sometimes: a full on knock down, drag out fight against all the items and objects that invade my life unnoticed. Until one day I notice them– everywhere.
Years ago I realized that no amount of bins or baskets or pretty storage boxes was going to solve my problem. I just had too. much. stuff. The only way out of this literal mess was to rethink my relationship with things. I needed to reprioritize how my family was using our space (was this a home or a storage unit? Hard to tell sometimes…) and make room for the life we wanted to be living here. We were spending so much time managing all our stuff, we didn’t have enough energy left over for the activities and experiences that really mattered. Things needed to go.
I started telling my neighbor about all these books I had been reading on the subject of decluttering to help me reframe my outlook and ignite my stalled progress, and I thought, well, if I’m sharing them with her, I might as well share them with all of you, too!
Now, if you’re the kind of person who can just toss out the excess without a second thought, then this post is not for you. Just grab yourself some garbage bags and a donate box (or 10) and have at it.
But if–like me–you struggle with letting things go (but this is so useful! So sentimental! So rare! So expensive!) or if (also like me) you are a fan of “saving that for someday when I might need it,” or if (like me again!) you are a perennial procrastinator (if I just had time to do this the “right” way!) then you’re in for a treat!
Today I am sharing 5 of my favorite books on decluttering. Not only are these wise and witty authors endlessly entertaining, but their words inspired me to move past the emotional blocks that were keeping me and my family from living our best (clutter-free) life. Personally, I like to download the audiobooks and listen to them while I am decluttering for some in-the-moment inspiration. Many of them are even read by the author, so I can imagine her standing next to me cheering me on 🙂
I am proud of the transformation I have made within our house, but I am even more proud of the transformation I have made within myself. I still have a lot of work to do, but without these books, I don’t know if I’d even have been able to get started. I hope they are the inspiration you have been looking for too!
In the spirit of curbing the clutter, we suggest that you check your local library for these titles first, but if you do decide to purchase them, you can find all of these books (and more!) at our Amazon Store. Check out our Books on Decluttering and Organization idea list! Most of these books are also available in electronic and/or audio formats. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, so you can support Out and About Mom at no extra cost to you.
Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White. Dana introduced me to the “container concept.” Mind blown.
Making Space Clutter Free by Tracy McCubbin. Tracy helped me identify the emotional clutter blocks that were holding me back from letting things go.
Messy Minimalism by Rachelle Crawford. Rachelle made me believe that mom and minimalist could be used in the same sentence!
Declutter Like a Mother by Allie Casazza. Allie debunks the myth of the “hot mess mom” (no! it doesn’t have to be that way!).
The Clutter Connection by Cassandra Aarssen. Cassandra helped me find my own personality-driven decluttering and organizing style.
Need some tough decluttering love? Here are 6 more books for those of us who need a little extra motivation.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
Marie Kondo
The Art of Discarding
by Nagisa Tatsumi
Goodbye, Things
by Fumio Sasaki
L’art de la Simplicite
by Dominique Loreau
The Minimalist Home
by Joshua Becker
Project 333
by Courtney Carver
In the spirit of curbing the clutter, we suggest that you check your local library for these titles first, but if you do decide to purchase them, you can find all of these books (and more!) at our Amazon Store. Check out our Books on Decluttering and Organization idea list! Most of these books are also available in electronic and/or audio formats. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, so you can support Out and About Mom at no extra cost to you.
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