The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter
For a book that starts out with the lines, “The only thing we know for sure is that we will die one day. But before that we can try to do almost anything,” Margareta Magnusson’s book is not as morose as it sounds. Published in 2017, the book discusses the concept of Dostadning (where ‘do’ stands for death and ‘stadning’ for cleaning) — it is about de-cluttering your life, so it’s easier for everyone involved, after your death.
Though Margareta describes herself as anywhere between 80 and 100, she claims that the technique is applicable to people of all ages. It is especially useful, if you are considering downsizing, have recently become single, are moving to a nursing home, or are simply tired of hoarding so much. She herself has moved houses 17 times.
Like Marie Kondo, she advises you to begin by organising your clothing, and keeping the sentimental items for the end. However, where Marie wants you to ask yourself if an item sparks joy, Magnusson is about questioning whether it will be of sentimental or practical value to the person you leave the things with, in your absence.
For things you can’t bring yourself to throw away but don’t serve any purpose to anyone else but you, she recommends putting in a throw-away box that can be discarded after. She writes how she was unappreciative of items for most part, but spending some final moments with them before disposing of them was a rewarding exercise.
If you’re afraid the book will bring you down, you can rely on Magnusson’s funny style of writing to cheer you up along the way.
The Art of Discarding:How to Get Rid of Clutter
and Find Joy
The book is based on the principle of abandoning guilt at throwing things away. From the time we’re children, we’re given the waste-not-want-not message, which makes us hoard stuff.
The author, Nagisa Tatsumi, urges her readers to have the courage to get rid of things that are no longer necessary. According to Nagisa, learning how to discard stuff will help free a person from the ‘accumulation syndrome’, give one space, and eventually lead to finding joy and purpose in life. It’s no wonder that the book was the inspiration behind Marie Kondo’s bestselling The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up .
Here are a few tips from Nagisa. To begin with, start by throwing away things that you don’t know what to do with. Don’t ‘keep it for now’. Even electronic appliances that you use rarely can be discarded. Magazines, letters, cards and catalogues should be thrown away without looking at them. This makes sure that you will not have second thoughts about holding on to things. Do not buy something unless it is necessary.
The Minimalist Home:
A Room-by-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life
Joshua Becker shakes us out from the slumber of mindless consumption. Through different practical guidelines, the author-blogger encourages readers to go beyond de-cluttering and look at every room in the house with a minimalist eye and perspective. The ‘Becker method’ to de-clutter is simple and begins with the living room/family room. Family members can together review items and decide to get rid of it as trash or sell it or keep to donate or recycle. He suggests one follows the same method in bedrooms, closets, bathrooms and the kitchen.
He clears the misconception on having to sacrifice a favourite design style or adopt a frugal lifestyle to create a minimalistic house. Minimalism is an approach, to live light, and mindfully create a space with beautiful and functional things that matter to us rather than stuff the house with too many things.
The minimalist journey for Joshua started 10 years ago during a casual conversation with a neighbour while cleaning the garage. Ever since he has been a big advocate of minimalism, and through his earlier books too, he shares the joys and freedom of owning less and valuing those things more. He emphasises how we all have the ability to create homes which add value to our lives. Our homes are our life’s headquarters, and in that respect our productivity is linked to how the space is.
Plus 5 more
Organizing Your Home with Sort and Succeed: Five Simple Steps to Stop Clutter Before it Starts, Save Money & Simplify Your Life by Darla DeMorrow, talks of the brain-clutter connect.
Organizing Her Life: How My Journey Can Help You Declutter Your Spaces and Your Life by Laura Souders, has four steps that link back to finding purpose in life.
Minimalism: Declutter Your Mind, Declutter Your Life by Todd Foley, talks of the five-box system to de-clutter so you make space for joy.
The Sentimental Person’s Guide to Decluttering by Claire Middleton talks about ‘sentimental clutter’ and how we need to keep just a part.
Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K White focusses on prioritising being happy in the ‘now’ over hoarding things from the past, or for the future.
With inputs from Sweta Akundi, Susan Joe Philip, Neeraja Murthy
