Consumer Critique: Lighten Up

My husband and I have been talking a lot about de-cluttering in 2012, so it was very appropriate that I received this book, Lighten Up: Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier with Less. Peter Walsh, the author, is a "clutter expert" and organizational consultant who has his own show on OWN and is also featured on TLC's Clean Sweep. He's written other books with similar themes: It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff, Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More, and Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You, that each have a little different take on the same topic - that we don't need as much stuff as we think we do.

What I really like about this book is that it helps readers think about what's really important to them. It doesn't have a one-size-fits-all approach, and it has allowances for what each person truly values. The book is divided into three sections: From Living on Less to Living with More, From Audit to Action (which includes personal, financial, and home audits, and tips for each), and From Today to Tomorrow and Beyond.

I'm sure part of the reason I liked this book is that it hit at the right time. You'll be much more receptive to this book if you've already started to realize that there's too much "stuff" in your life. But even if you haven't, even if all you have is sort of a nagging sense that you're not able to focus on what matters, it's worth reading. The book is an easy read, with a non-judgmental, conversational tone. I like it, and I'm definitely going to check out his other books.

Disclosure: I received a copy of "Lighten Up" to facilitate this review.