Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was somewhat skeptical (another decluttering book?) when beginning this short volume, but within minutes, was intrigued: in concise, precise language and with short, focused stories, DeMorrow was hitting every nail on the head. I found the short description of the brain science behind "collecting" (saving, keeping, hoarding---whatever level you have reached) fascinating. There are REAL reasons (besides laziness or sloth) for such behaviors! In a nutshell, "the physical brain ... feels perceived loss or real loss more vividly than potential gain", meaning that it hurts you more to part with your stuff than it gives you pleasure thinking of a neat and tidy home. "Roughly speaking, loss hurts about twice as much as gain makes you feel good"---this, from a Nobel-winning behavioral economist, not just De Morrow. With those intriguing ideas in mind, I read through the rest of this hands-on, user-friendly, do-able steps book. For me, some highlights were: a. While cleaning/sorting, have an "everything else" bin for items that belong in other rooms. That way, you don't take one item from the bedroom to, say, the kitchen and then get sidetracked there with other things, leaving the rest of the bedroom project abandoned. b. Clutter is just delayed decisions. Don't say you'll deal with it later; put it away (or recycle or donate or trash) now. c. Don't put it down, put it away. (Similar to b) d. Keep what you love; make space for the things that you love. Decluttering is not about depriving yourself of the real treasures you hold dear. I refer back to this from time to time when I need inspiration to deal with my years of "collecting." One of the best books on the subject.