It’s All Too Much

When I take my kids to the library, I always check the organizing books. This week I found It's All Too Much, by Peter Walsh. The book was a quick read, gives some great ideas about developing routines, and is thought provoking. Why do we (Americans) tend to buy so much? What drives us? What are we hoping to gain?

It's All Too Much looks at organizing from a different angle than the majority of organizing books. Many organizing books go through the mechanics of getting a space organizing. Walsh looks at consumerism and our emotional attachments to our belongings. I got these points from the book.

1. We often define ourselves by the things we have. You are not your belongings – maintain a comfortable amount of things and enjoy yourself in your space.
   
2. Shopping is a national pastime. Shopping for the sake of shopping inevitably results in clutter.
   
3. Replace shopping with "experience" activities – outdoor fun, family games, exercise, reading, or any activity that you enjoy. Save what you'd have spent on shopping for a vacation.
   
4. Determine the amount of belongings you have based on the space available. (Typically we overstuff our space, buy a bigger house, rent storage space, and/or complain about lack of space.)
   
5. Use the one in, one out rule. Before making a new purchase, decide if you have the space for it. For each new item brought into the home, remove a similar item. Using this method, you maintain an organized space, preventing the clutter from returning.

This book is really about changing our perceptions about belongings and their significance, thus changing our feelings about what we want to surround ourselves with. Walsh emphasizes that our relationships are what is important, and ultimately, who wouldn't agree with that!