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Take a look at the latest issues of the ClutterGazette, a monthly newsletter that highlights a selection of decluttering issues around the home and the office.

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February 2020
The importance of emotional support

I don’t want to bore you to death with the endless tale of publishing my new book ‘Clutter Tides’, but I would like to take my experience with the process as the subject of something bigger than just a book, so please bear with me.

[...] It felt wonderful to see people I had known for a long time to interact with others they had never met and yet have much in common. I suddenly became aware just how much they are connected to my own path to this place I find myself in right now. One is the partner of someone I met on my way to that another one, two of them turned out to have similar work connections, three of them showed a deep interest in the same subject, and all around me what appeared to be unconnected elements suddenly lined up and formed that network of support that held me safely in my place.
 
It’s not really about the book launch or even friendship, but that sense of being held and supported. I have known for a long time that this feeling of not being on your own is one that fuels any personal mental process. Whenever I work with a client, this is a huge part of my offering: holding space and making sure that whoever I’m working with feels safe from anything negative and free to make decisions that will affect them for years to come, maybe even a lifetime. And while I was acutely aware that this is relevant for my work, it never occurred to me that it’s something that applies to myself as well.

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Published books

I have published two books so far, both dealing with particular aspects of decluttering both the spaces you live in and the mindset that is associated with your living situation.

We often hear that one of the key points to success in decluttering is that "you have to do it at the right time". This is rather a vague statement, so I have set out to find a way to better pinpoint such times, to facilitate the process and increase the chances of successful decluttering.

My new book "Clutter Tides" describes my findings, how life stages and clutter phases can help determine the best time to get started, and what to consider at each phase in the process.

The book holds a lot of guidance to help you understand why you hold on to things - a.o. in the shape of thought experiments - but also lots of practical tips and tricks to help you along and get you thinking along the right lines.

first published in February 2020
click the image to visit Amazon

More often than not, decluttering is seen as an intervention when stuff has already accumulated, but I wonder if there isn't a way to address the reasons that lead us to accumulate things and ideas in the first place.

My first book "Promise Broken. Moving On." talks about how advertising, branding and marketing contribute to the sheer number of items that we choose to bring into our lives. Besides that, it addresses the idea that 'how' we bring things in is in part responsible for our inability to let go.

Being aware that you are being manipulated by the industry, social pressures and your own habits can be instrumental to holding back the tides of stuff that enters your life.

first published in April 2019
click the image to visit Amazon