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

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February 2020
No regrets?

Letting go of items that have been in your possession for a period of time is never easy, but it becomes gradually more difficult the longer you have owned something. Whenever pressed to make a decision about what to keep and what to leave behind, a lot of elements play a role: usefulness, sentimental attachment, parental obligation, lack of the ability to decide, procrastination, etc. But most importantly, there is a fear of feeling regret later on!

I have had a good number of clients where the main driving force for hanging on to something was a sentiment that these things could come in handy at some point. Common expressions were “I’ll fix this, soon”, “I may need this again”, “waste not, want not” or quite simply “I can’t part with this because I’d feel [guilty, sad, wasteful… fill in here what comes up in your own mind].

That feeling of regret is often based on the expectation that the item that has been let go will be needed soon, and that is a result of previous experiences in that respect. But are those true experiences?  [...]

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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
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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
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learn more about this book