It's All Too Much:
An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life With Less Stuff
By Peter Walsh
Reviewed: June 2008

Most people I know will admit to having too much stuff. As George Carlin said, “You ‘gotta get a bigger house, man, to hold all your stuff.” The thing I like about this book is that it’s not just about getting rid of your physical life-clutter; it’s about taking command of the psychological and spiritual clutter as well. Knowing of my impending move a friend handed me the book. I’m glad he did.

Mr. Walsh addresses the costs to the clutter of our lives and the 10 top excuses we use to cling to the very stuff that’s using up valuable psychic and emotional space, not to mention the physical space: I don’t know where to start; it’s worth a lot of money; don’t have the time; I might need it one day, and so on. Our excuses keep us pinned to the very place we don’t want to be: drowning in stuff “we might need one day.” Meanwhile, we sacrifice potential peace today for the possibility of it someday in the future.

Walsh offers specific, simple, common-sense advice on how to plan for, execute and complete the process of simplifying your space—and your life. From yard sales to junk mail, he provides an approach to both initiating and then maintaining new systems for handling the inordinate amount of stuff with which the modern North American lifestyle is bombarded. From “zoning” your house to time-lining your clothing (haven’t worn it in 12 months? Get rid of it! We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.), these are practical ways to get yourself moving in the right direction.

That is, if you’re looking to simplify and create “space” for different kinds of stuff, like peace.

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