cover image It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff

Peter Walsh. Free Press, $22 (230pp) ISBN 978-0-7432-9264-1

Veteran ""organizational consultant,"" TV show host and author Walsh (How to Organize (Just About) Everything) has more ideas in his latest book on clutter management than the spare closet has junk, and, even better, it's organized, in-depth and entirely user-friendly. Part One examines the ""Clutter Problem"": how it happens, how it hampers and how to face it without excuses or discouragement. Part Two presents a step-by-step approach to ""Putting Clutter in its Place,"" which begins with ""surface clutter"" and developing a household plan before moving on to the bulk of the book, a walkthrough of each room in the home. Also included are ideas for involving other family members, letters Walsh has received from viewers of his TLC show ""Clean Sweep,"" vignettes illustrating how real people deal with common organizational challenges and plenty of charts, checklists and sidebars (""Clutter Quiz,"" ""Yard Sale Planning"") for added utility. Walsh is upbeat and funny throughout, treating the task at hand like ""a thrilling archeological dig,"" a ""positive and exciting"" way to unlock your ""ideal home"" and ""unearth those things that are most important in your life."" Entertaining and instructive, this is one guidebook readers should place in their ""keep"" pile.