Year of No Clutter

Year of No Clutter by Eve O. Schaub

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Stories of hoarders have always fascinated me, and like Eve O. Schaub I find the ideals of Marie Kondo's philosophy deeply appealing but unreachable. I also am a fan of A&E's Hoarders. I have a history of reading books about hoarding/decluttering. It comes from a personal place of dealing with someone close who has hoarding tendencies. Also, since I've moved in the last year, I really appreciate the philosophy of decluttering. (I'm obsessed with tiny house shows, too!)

This book practically leapt into my hands when I saw it on the shelf of my local library. Schaub is a "serial memoirist" like A.J. Jacobs. (I haven't read her previous memoir, Year of No Sugar, mostly because the premise sounds like something MY mother may have tried when I was a kid.)

Schaub is a funny, relatable, and breezy writer. I thought she managed some interesting revelations about her relationship to the clutter of the single room she tackled for her year, which she had named the Hell Room. (I definitely took away an interest in a company she uses to help organize her kids' art projects, Plum Prints!) In short, it was a funny read with a bit of depth to it - perfect poolside material.

So Quotable:

"There's nothing wrong with keeping things that other people deem strange because it's. It the things that make you a hoarder. What makes you a hoarder is whether it takes over." - 167

"I've been attempting to wrap my mind around another realization for some time now - objects are mortal. They have a life and a death much like people do." - 171

Other titles on hoarding I've read over the years, listed in order of how much I liked/learned from them (Year of No Clutter would go into the middle somewhere):

1. Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost
2. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
3. The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life by Robin Zasio
4. Stuffocation: Why We've Had Enough of Stuff and Need Experience More Than Ever by James Wallman
5. Mess: One Man's Struggle to Clean Up His House and His Act by Barry Yourgrau - Not recommended, at all.

The Hoarder in You

The Hoarder in You: How to Live a Happier, Healthier, Uncluttered Life by Robin Zasio
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dr. Robin Zasio, known for her work on A&E's Hoarders, reveals the keys to uncluttering your mind and life, exposing the truth about anxiety, compulsion, and hoarding tendencies.

This is a self-help book, so expect plenty of helpful lists, mantras, and words of encouragement. Zasio is very compassionate toward people struggling with this disorder, but firmly believes it can be conquered.

She discusses issues from degrees of clutter to the emotional cost of clutter in relationships, collecting verses stockpiling, and the key to defeating our acquisitive impulses; illustrating with fascinating stories from her patients' lives.

There are many great books out about this topic. Dr. Zasio mentions another researcher by name often, so definitely check out his book: Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee. Sam Gosling's book Snoop: What Your Stuff Says About You isn't about hoarding per se, but it is about the meaning of the objects we surround ourselves with. You may never look at your bedroom the same way again. Finally, another A&E alum, Matt Paxton, has a book out called The Secret Lives of Hoarders.

Quotable:

"In our consumerist society, even minimalists have countless catalogs from which to order streamlined accessories to decorate their spare spaces, and of course own far more than they need to survive." - 19

"While non-hoarders do not typically put their loved ones in danger by creating fire hazards or unsanitary conditions, living with someone whose mind is cluttered in part because their life is cluttered can be exasperating." - 58

"Out of habit, some people save bits and pieces from most every experience, not just the meaningful ones, and still others equate holding on to an item with holding on to a memory or a feeling - it's as if they didn't have the experience unless they keep the item. It's easy to see how your space can get so filled with stuff from your past that it's hard to live in the present." - 85

"A home doesn't become hoarded overnight: the process is gradual, and thousands of small decisions and in decisions about what to keep ultimately lead to a home so filled with stuff that it can become hazardous to one's health." - 141