This is the first thing I've read on organizing, simplifying, etc, so everything was new. And hopefully nothing was very novel because it all seemed pretty commonsensical. As with books on overeating, I appreciate it when they recognize and address a range of motivations. I read some of the negative reviews before starting the book and was then perplexed when he said the opposite. You're 'allowed' to keep pretty much everything. It's also nice he doesn't start with buying any file boxes, etc. The target market is very much your basic nuclear family in a suburban house, while I live alone in an apartment, but it was easy enough to skim past the irrelevant stuff and it doesn't seem there would be any missing advice specific to my scenario. I'm preparing to both move and combine households in about six months, and getting rid of a lot of things (especially things in storage) ahead of the move is the plan. This book contained some excellent motivators towards that end, especially in terms of rationale for throwing things out. The idea of mapping out your intended purpose for each room seems equally helpful when choosing a new home too, to make sure it will accommodate those goals in the first place. I also really liked the idea of bookmarking items on a retailer's website rather than keeping the catalogs. He's not a reader, though. Reading 3-4 books per week is hardly impossible. And I'm sorry but there are not millions of households in the U.S. that never throw away anything. Either 'millions' or 'never' was hyperbole. ( )

I love this book as the author doesn't take any prisoners! He tells it like it is: the truth is sometimes difficult for many folks to hear.

I know Peter Walsh is one of the foremost names in the decluttering/organization movement and is well-known thanks to his stint on "Clean Sweep," but I really didn't get too much from "It's All Too Much."

Perhaps it's because if you read a few decluttering blogs, you'll eventually get all of the tips and philosophy found in this book. I haven't read Walsh's earlier books, but I can't imagine them being very much different from this one. There are a few basic concepts that are hammered home:

* It's not about the stuff, it's about changing your relationship to your stuff.
* Use what's useful, honor what's worthy of honoring, and chuck the rest.
* Have a plan for each room that ties to the vision of the life you'd like to lead.
* Don't expect it all to be fixed at once.

And that's pretty much it. Oh, and of course the ubiquitous "three bag" approach (keep, toss, donate/giveaway) is mentioned.

That's not to say it's a bad book by any stretch. Indeed, if you're looking to declutter/purge your stuff and you don't read decluttering blogs or haven't read other similar books, pick this one up. It does a good job of preparing you mentally and emotionally for dealing with the overwhelming task of cutting back on your clutter and preventing it from piling back up. ( )

In the beginning of this book it feels a little bit too self-helpy. The first two chapters are all about our relationship to stuff and why we keep it, along with information about how your life could be different if you were to clean up your act. I was almost prepared to chuck the book at this point, but then he got into the real meat of why I checked this book out from the library. Walsh first has you make a plan (room function chart) of what you want each room of your house to look like and what you want the room to be used for. Then he goes through each room of the house and helps you decide what to keep and what to get rid of by using the same three easy steps:

*Refer to your Room Function Chart and have everyone sign on.
*Establish zones for the different activities that take place in this space.
*Remove what doesn't belong.

He first helps you deal with the general clutter and garbage that accumulates in the houses of many hoarders, then he eases you into getting rid of the clutter you're tied to emotionally. He has you ask yourself why you're holding onto these items and helps you think of ways to display the items and give them a place of honor in your home, rather than allowing them to accumulate dust in the corner of the garage. If they aren't valuabe enough to display, they should be gotten thrown out or given to someone who will value the item.

Walsh's tone throughout the book is very conversational and makes it easy to get through. And after completing my own purge, I can see how the self-helpy part in the beginning was really necessary. There's no point in reading a book like this if you aren't going to be serious about making changes in your life. I come from a long line of hoarders (my parents have two storage sheds, a basement and a garage filled with boxes of stuff that won't fit inside their home) so I understand how difficult it can be to let go of things. It took a long time for me to break the habit myself, but I can honestly say that life is much better with less stuff and more space. As Walsh says:

My job may be all about organization and decluttering, but I cannot say enough times that it is not about the "stuff." I have been in more cluttered homes than I can count, and the one factor I see in every single situation is people whose lives hinge on what they own instead of who they are. These people have lost their way. They no longer own their stuff - their stuff owns them. I am convinced that this is more the norm than the exception in this country. At some point, we started to believe that the more we own, the better off we are. In times past and in other cultures, people believe that the worst thing that can happen is for someone to be possessed, to have a demon exercise power over you. Isn't that what being inundated with possessions is - being possessed?

I'd love to give this book to my parents if I thought it would actually help. Unfortunately it would just add to their overabundance of clutter. My siblings and I have been trying for years to help them declutter, but every time we come back for a visit there's just more stuff to go through. Peter Walsh has an amazing job - one I'd love to have. How did he get into this line of work anyway? It must feel amazing to help so many people to get out from under the weight of their possessions. Personally speaking, it has been one of the most freeing things I've ever done. And I'm glad to finally be almost to the end of that journey. ( )

This book doesn't tell us anything we don't already know...but if it helps you to clean it up...more power to it...
It was a little dry...very repetitive...and a little incomplete to be honest. ( )