Gail Blanke

If anyone needed this self-help book, it was me. I actually have at least one thing in common with author Gail Blanke - both of our mother's were extremely organized, while both of us struggle to keep ourselves organized. That's a good start.

The approach is rather novel. Instead of focusing on how to organize the stuff you have, the book focuses on getting rid of things you don't need, so you don't need to organize them. Blanke talks about the Rules of Disengagement to help you detach show more yourself from things you should get rid of. It's one of the really smart parts of the book: recognizing that things we keep have emotional attachments, even the worthless things. But why hang on to t-shirts and caps from employee outings you didn't want to go on, photos from an old relationship you have long since left behind, and other things that bring up bad memories?

She also emphasizes using this whole process as a way to influence your future. For example: as you are going through your medicine cabinet, why keep medication for a problem you don't intend to have? Can *deciding* you want to be well help you stay well? There are plenty of reasons to think that a positive mental attitude will help you get well and stay well. (I wouldn't take that to extremes - deciding you don't want to have diabetes and throwing out your insulin is not a good plan.)

All in all, this is a good pick. I like the emphasis on organizing for who you want to be and getting rid of things that don't fit with that. I also like the emphasis on negative thoughts we need to get rid of if we want to move forward. It's a little new-agey, but not obnoxiously so. show less

Throw Out Fifty Things is one of those books that the chronically disorganized might pick up but discard as out of their league because they'll never have a house that looks like it's destined for a decorating magazine. To those people I would say: Stop. Pick up the book. Read it. And try to work it. You may not get all the way to fifty things (I suspect it'd be hard to work all of this on your own if you weren't very motivated or didn't have some sort of support) but I bet you could get show more partway there, particularly as you think about the mental and emotional crap and detritus that you carry around with you.

For those of you (us) who aren't chronically disorganized, you too can get a lot from this book. Blanke not only helps you figure out how to tackle the physical stuff, but also helps you get rid of the crap you keep at your job that reminds you of your failures and helps you figure out how to get rid of negative self-thoughts.

In short, this helpful book keeps the focus OFF of reaching perfection in terms of decorating and design, and keeps it on getting rid of some of the stuff in our lives that drags us down. Recommended. show less

I found Throw Out Fifty Things to be a very helpful step-by-step book to clear out the clutter from our lives. It was just what I needed since I felt like I was swimming in books, old hobby equipment, and useless, outdated electronics. Why I hold on to these things is because I loved each of them at one time but they were not contributing to my life or inner peace in any way once their purpose wore out. Not only that, the author only counts each category as one. So if I get rid of two older show more digital cameras, it only counts as one item. If I get rid of four pairs of worn out shoes, it only counts as one. I found the book was easily organized for people like me who like to count and be challenged. Quite honestly, once I knew I would get to fifty things I stopped counting but the suggestions were very useful to keep me on track and thinking of new things to declutter my home and life. show less

I had read this book a few years back and learned a lot about myself in the process. I recently picked it up again as a source to remove some unnecessary things from my life. I found new insights that I hadn't before. I am not a fan of "self-help" books as most don't seem to really help the reader. They tell them what to do or how they should change themselves. However, this book is different. It focuses you on being a more reflective person, which is the true way to help the self. Gail uses show more personal anecdotes (her own and some former clients or friends) to really drive the point home. The stories are often emotional. They are very relateable and poignant. I also recommend the audio book that the author herself narrates. It is a book that I'd actually highly recommend to everyone, not just my friends. show less