Clutter destroys everything we hold dear. It gets in the way of daily living and keeps up from living our best life. I recently was given the opportunity to join a blog book tour to preview Unstuffed: Declutter Your Home, Mine & Soul by Ruth Soukup. This book has already inspired to many women to start the decluttering process. As part of the prelaunch team, we had a private Facebook group to start talking through different parts of the book. People started posting pictures of their cleaned out closets, kitchen cabinets, and bags that of STUFF that were getting donated. Talk about inspiring!
Ruth teaches you how to clear the clutter from your home and your life. And she has techniques for different personalities (I’m not even going to try to tackle her massive Unstuffed Weekend Challenge!) It lets you take big or small steps to getting rid of things. Some of my favorite messages from the book:
- Establishing firm guidelines by using the “if this, then that.” For example. if we outgrow clothes, then they immediately get put in the giveaway closet. The closet gets bagged and taken to a donation charity on the last day of the month. OR, if we get junk mail (you know you will!) it gets thrown in the recycle bin immediately. Ruth suggests writing these new rules down so they’ll stick.
- Make your solutions EASY. If you overcomplicate them, you are likely to fail.
- Stuff and memories are not the same! If everything is special, then nothing is!
- Set limits on each type of item in your home. Ex: Each person can own 5 pair of shoes. If a sixth pair is purchased, then one of the 5 must go.
- Only keep that which is currently useful, despite who gave it to you and despite how much it cost!
She discusses guilt with giving things away, how to tame the paper chaos, how she manages her children’s school papers and artwork (great idea!), and helps you create a vision for your home. This last one is the cornerstone of the book that will set you up for success as you begin the decluttering process.
But my absolute favorite part of the book is her section toward the back of the book where she gets into the mind and soul. On page 184-185 she has a list titled “How Stressed Are You?” You get points based on things like change in financial state, death of a close friend, child leaving home, change in schools, vacation, major holiday, etc. At the end of the quiz you add your points up and find out how likely you are to get sick from being stressed.
I’ve always known and believed that stress leads to illness and I’ve witnessed good friends get sick over and over. They’d head to the doctor looking for a cure, when stress was the cause all along. But, seeing this list of things that lead to stress and illness was eye opening. We don’t think of a vacation as stressful, but it is!
Think of all the planning and money that goes into a vacation. STRESS! We are all facing challenges in our lives and need to give ourselves grace when we’re in a storm. Stop trying to do it all. Rest. This section of Unstuffed is so eye opening that it could make it’s way to become Ruth’s next book!
What makes Ruth’s books so popular is the fact they offer practical advice based on her real-life experiences. She opens this book with story after story of how her family had so much stuff. She’s been there. She’s done that. She’s conquered clutter and you can to0!
Ruth’s first book, Living Well Spending Less, SOLD OUT on launch day and was then backordered for weeks. Be sure to preorder Unstuffed now to guarantee your copy arrives on time. When you order, you’ll also get access to more than $75 exclusive bonus material, including a digital copy of Ruth’s bestselling guide, 31 Days to a Clutter Free Life, an exclusive sneak peek of the Unstuffed Video Study, an Unstuffed Study Guide, early access to our Unstuffed App & much more!
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ABOUT ALICIA: Alicia is the founder of Balancing Motherhood.com. Last year, she managed to stay sane while completing an MBA, working full-time, blogging, and still baking amazing birthday cakes — all while raising a young family at home.
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