Lighten Up!: Free Yourself from Clutter

I love Michelle's attitude. She's very forgiving and compassionate at the same time she turns a clear eye on the reasons we acquire clutter (mostly unfinished business and fear).Her filing section is fab. My papers have never been so orderly and, when I slip back into the 'piling up' phase, I reread her words of wisdom to get back on track.She is realistic about different lifestyles (some of us are more cyclical with our cleaning up and she takes that into account) and very specific which helps when I'm feeling inadequate to the task. Her step by step approach makes it seem less overwhelming.

I loved this book because the author really understands the mentality behind the pack-rat. And I appreciate how she gives credence to the power of objects....how mere things can have sway over one's life. And she treats stuff as not necessarily material stuff, but things that can affect your life. Most clutter experts don't acknowledge that there's a reason we have all this stuff. And I fully agree with what she said about regarding how when you get rid of things, you make room in your life for the things you need. I fully recommend this to anyone with an open mind and who's willing to see the book through.

I can't even count how many books I've read in my quest to get organized. All had great ideas I was sure I'd try...some day. This book got to the root of my clutter dilemma and almost before I knew it, I was waist deep in my declutter project! This book got me moving!

I've already sent an email to the author thanking her for writing this very enlightening book. I got the book, read it, and used it that weekend as my aid in decluttering our messy home office. The office is now a clean and effective place to work. Now on to the other rooms...This is the first book I've found in my years-long search for answers to clutter-cleaning problems. The most profound thing this book did for me that no other has is that the author helped me weed out and address mental or philosophical issues that kept me from effectively dealing with clutter. After offering different ways to address those issues, the author then shows--step-by-step--how to work through clutter in each room in the home. She wisely instructs you not to buy anymore filing or organizing apparatus until you've decluttered. She encourages you throughout the book, repeating ideas like "leave no stone unturned" to help you forge through the decluttering process. She even recognizes that you'll need to keep the book right there while decluttering, and tells you what sections to read for mental reenforcement when tackling tough decluttering issues--like items belonging to deceased loved ones. Throughout the book, the author is very warm-hearted and positive, and offers unique alternatives for dealing with clutter that we are sentimentally attached (or tied down) to. It's a great tool, and gives you the mental resources needed to EFFECTIVELY recognize and deal with clutter both at home and at work. I plan to buy this book for my mom, brother, friends...

Who hasn't wished for a fairy godmother to come to our homes and, with a tip of her wand, transform our overstuffed closets into streamlined wardrobes, and our uncontrollable papers into files that actually help us? Well, with this book she has arrived, and I expect she will stay in my own household for some time. I have read many, many books about how to simplify and organize your life; Lighten Up! is one of the very best. Its tone is logical, thorough, practical, and compassionate. Author Michelle Passoff leads you step-by-step through the dreaded process, however long it will take, of reclaiming your home and the objects within it. But she offers far more than that, by linking physical de-cluttering with the metaphysical process of surrendering your old emotional and spiritual "baggage" and opening up your life to the miracles that will surely follow. Don't expect to dive right into your closet during the first chapter; instead, Passoff starts with a grand overview of the most important questions, such as: what do you want from this life, anyway? From there, she helps you attack your clutter methodically, from surveying your home (without scolding yourself), to learning the vocabulary of clutter, to aquiring the correct receptacles and storage options, to actually dismantling the clutter, one item at a time. Throughout the book, she graciously lets YOU take the lead, deciding what to approach, when, and how long it will take. I highly recommend this book to people with all levels of clutter: there is something for everyone here.