And Soul, Mind, Decluttering Your Home

This is surprisingly preachy and religious. I thought it would be about decluttering, but it's chuck full of of Bible quotes and opinions on child rearing. After extremely long-winded and wordy stories about the author's life, there are finally bits and pieces of decluttering information. It's just too difficult listening to all of the preaching. I wish I could return this.

Cute book. It has Christian scripture. I like the organization and breakdown of the book. It deals with your home, wardrobe, and lifestyle. I would recommend. I downloaded her app and have visited her website as well.

I have read many home organization books but to be honest, they are usually hard to read and more of a checklist instead of digging deeper into the real issues. This book has three sections – Home, Mind and Soul. In the Home section, Ruth really relates to her readers. Explaining how we feel obligated because of gifts and overwhelmed with too much stuff. She gives lots of tips for cleaning – my favorite was “…focus on only one area”- best advice ever. She goes on to explain that no matter how much or how little you do, everything is an accomplishment. I constantly need a reminder to live a meaningful life instead of filling my time with unimportant tasks. Soul is the third part of her book, which touches on friendships, wellness and balance – each an important part of every person.

This book is a quick read but I highly recommend taking your time and marking pages for reference. In addition to the amazing writing, Ruth offers worksheets, checklists and other information for decluttering your life. She will also be offering a DVD study to go along with the book. I can’t wait to check it out.

3.5 stars

When picking up this book, it's important to realize from the start that the book will not focus solely on decluttering physical possessions. Thankfully, the subtitle conveys this right away: "Decluttering your home, mind, and soul." The book is organized into three main sections (Home, Mind, and Soul), with three chapters in each section tackling different components, like living areas, storage, kids, schedule, paperwork, gifts, and soul aspects of living (friends, wellness, and spiritual). The author uses both personal anecdotes along with practical step-by-step lists to offer what she's learned and researched about decluttering our lives - physically and mentally. She incorporates a few faith-based statements throughout, but especially focuses on spiritual 'decluttering' and focus in the very last chapter.

A few aspects to consider: This book will be most helpful to its intended audience, which is first world, middle class with an overabundance of material stuff and crowded schedules. If outside of that group, this book will either be not useful, or possibly frustrating. However, considered within the intended audience, she begins with the physical stuff because many readers feel like that can help them gain some sanity if they're in a position many middle class Americans are with too much all around.

The practical tips begin right away (on page 17), and her ideas will likely help much of her intended audience. If readers have researched decluttering techniques at all, many of her tips will have been heard or read before, but can still serve as good reminders. Perhaps more helpful is how she includes examples of applying those tips before or after each such numbered list of tips. The second section of the book is perhaps more useful because it deals with the why of decluttering (and why we get so cluttered in the first place), which allows readers to reflect and look at ways to change (and ways to accept grace). I particularly appreciated her thoughts on balance.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have really enjoyed reading Unstuffed, I feel more motivated and prepared to tackle various areas of clutter in my life! Ruth combines personal stories of success and failure, helpful tips and guidelines, and loads of knowledge regarding the process, reasoning and benefits to leading a less cluttered life. As a nonreligious reader, I thought there was a lot of Christian Bible references, which I know is common to her blog, but I wasn't bothered or offended by these. Ruth's choices actually made sense and I could look at them as another piece of advice or experience to gain from rather than being forcefully religious, which was nice. Time to tackle the clutter!

Unstuffed, written by Ruth Soukup, made an appearance into my life at just the right time. We're in the middle of moving and, not only that, there are many transitions occurring in my family- only one of which involves material items. I warmed to the author immediately as she speaks to her readers like a good friend- encouraging and very real. She provides helpful advice on how to declutter your home but that's just the beginning! (Her weekend intense purging schedule is awesome!) "Unstuffing" entails getting rid of excess that causes stress- too many "things", too busy of a schedule, toxic people, etc. and not enough quality friends, family, and alone time. Ruth Soukup bares her soul and shares her life trials with us. She's been through very difficult times and the bottom line is that we all need Christ and to get rid of things that separate us from Him. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to others. It absolutely put me on the right track to unstuff my life!

Following in the footsteps of her other books like LIVING WELL, SPENDING LESS (2014), Ruth Soukup offers immensely practical advice on how to deal with all the stuff that clutters our lives. Over the last century, we have been a consumer culture that is whipped by the advertising industry to buy more and more stuff. This stuff, while often very meaningful to us, does tend to clutter and complicate our lies. Soukup offers stories from her own experience, as well as keen and helpful tips that will help us declutter our homes and our minds (Our schedules, she rightfully maintains, are just as cluttered and overstuffed as our homes). The book's final part deals with clutter in our souls. While there are definitely some useful ideas in this final part, her discussion of managing relationships as part of the unhelpful stuff in our lives, seemed a bit askew with the rest of the book. She offers some helpful relationship advice in this chapter, but it just rubbed me the wrong way that relationships were treated on par with other sorts of clutter that saturates our lives in this consumer culture. Soukup writes with a simplicity and clarity that fits the content of her message, and the advice she offers is generally helpful, bot not particularly novel in a market flooded with books about decluttering and ordering our personal lives.

This book is separated into three sections: Home, Mind, and Soul. Because Ms. Soukup is trying to cover so much ground in just slightly over 200 pages, each section is rather sparse on useful information. If you haven't read a book on this subject and you want a high level discussion, this book might be for you, but I found it to be lacking in depth. Like some other reviewers, I also tired of the Bible scripture references.

The author has the same problem most of us have - too much stuff. Our homes are filled with things, our schedules are packed and our lives are headed towards crazy. She's taken a simple, yet effective approach and has mixed stories of her personal experience and sound advice from experts to talk about how we can lessen not only our stress, but our dependence on things.

Not only was this book filled with helpful advice and tips for getting rid of stuff, but it was actually really interesting. The stories fit well with the topic and were entertaining as well. The author mixes humor with facts to bring out important thoughts on how to change our attitudes and relationships with stuff. I loved the lists, to-do lists, and ideas on how to declutter. Overall, this would be a great book for someone who needs to declutter, wants to unload both their schedules and their closets, and enjoy the read while they do it.

I received this book free of charge from BookLook Blogger in exchange for the honest review.

We collect stuff. It’s easily accessible, it’s fun, and sometimes, it’s free. Our homes are filled with stuff, our calendars are filled with stuff and our emotions are filled with stuff. Becoming unstuffed is not a bad thing.
I loved reading Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup. She does a great job of not only providing a reasonable and realistic plan for getting your home and life “unstuffed”, but she also talks about the psychology of how it happened to begin with.
In the book, Ms. Soukup starts by discussing the real need for each home. I appreciated that because it’s reminded me to keep my home one that encourages friends and family to be a part of my life rather than trying to keep up appearances.
A great quote from the book to this issue: “I’m not proud to admit there have been plenty of times in the not-too-distant past when I was far more worried about the image than the reality. When my version of hospitality was all about me and the attention I could bring to myself rather than about how I made other feel.” (Loc349)
Ms. Soukup speaks from her own experiences in learning to deal with being stuffed. She discusses not only removing the physical clutter, but the emotional, relational and spiritual clutter as well. She provides many practical applications and one of them that was most helpful to me, was to simply stop procrastinating small areas that collect stuff.
Another great part of this book is the option to sign up for the Unstuffed App where a daily challenge is given. What a great way to keep you motivated!
Unstuffed encouraged and motivated me to start dealing with the clutter. A great book I would totally recommend and one that’s giving me the “Want to” in unstuffing my home. I have found myself talking about this book with my friends, a clear indication to me that it’s a good book. By far, the best part of the book is the fact that everything comes back to our relationship in Christ. Ms. Soukup relates this section in a thought provoking and loving way. I would absolutely recommend Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Check out Unstuffed: <[...]>

[...]

There comes a tipping point in our lives. A point at which we realize things have to change. Sometimes it is a good revelation. Sometimes it is a hard revelation. Sometimes it is both.

In the past few months, I have slowly had one of these revelations. My wife actually had it before I did. It’s catching on now. We have too much stuff. Our otherwise nice home is overtaken by things. Our kids’ toys. Clothes. And . . . this pains me to admit . . . my books. I am still of the mind that having a lot of books is a good things. Studies have shown that children who grow up surrounded by physical books achieve more. I will never be book free, at least I don’t foresee that right now, but I do need to cut back.

In an effort to help with this, I have been reading more books on minimalism and decluttering.

I knew my wife had picked up Ruth Soukup’s book "Living Well, Spending Less" before, and she really enjoyed reading it. When I saw that she had released a new book, "Unstuffed," I really wanted to check it out. I was not disappointed.

Soukup’s book is like many books on minimalism in that it strives to help us break free of our need to collect and keep more and more things. It is different, however, in that it does not stop there. The subtitle of the book is “Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul,” and the book strives to show us how to “unstuff” all three areas of our life.

The first part focuses on the same aspects as many minimalist books: Cleaning up the house. Soukup encourages us to create a vision for what we want to see in our home, and then to do whatever it takes to make that vision a reality. She encourages us to realize that more storage is not the answer, purging is. She also focuses on one aspect that is probably the most difficult for many minimalists, reducing the stuff the kids have and get.

But here is where the book took a nice turn. The next section focuses on decluttering one’s mind. She encourages readers to cut back on what we do by paring back our schedules, by reducing the amount of paperwork we have to wade through, and by learning how to reduce the guilt of getting rid of things that people have given us. This last part is very difficult, as we attach memories to things so that we feel that if we get rid of the stuff, we get rid of the memories that go along with it. Soukup encourages us to realize that the memories will remain long after the things are gone.

The final area Soukup focuses on is unstuffing our soul. She starts by encouraging us to declutter our friendships by focusing our time on developing a few deep friendships as opposed to spreading ourselves very thin in all of our friendships. This is not to say we have no acquaintances and aren’t friendly to everyone, but we cannot have an infinite number of deep friendships. She then moves on to unstuffing our lives to support our wellness. By focusing on sleep, exercise, and taking down time, we can drastically improve our overall wellness of life. Finally, in the last chapter, Soukup focuses on unstuffing spiritually by relying on grace and realizing we are a work in progress. I really liked that last chapter, as many minimalism books seems to come from an “I’ve arrived, so why haven’t you” perspective. Soukup, however, is very clear that she is still growing and has obstacles to overcome, as will we all if we embark on this journey to unstuff.

Perhaps other books on minimalizing have some of these same concepts and I just haven’t read them yet, but this book struck me as very well-rounded.

Throughout the book there are gray boxes with practical tips on how to apply the information in the book itself. The first one, for example, is “five easy decluttering projects that will transform your living space,” and the projects include creating a collection zone, clearing the counters, sweeping the surfaces, pitching the pillows, and managing the media (pp. 17-19). These practical steps are nice, as they take the information from ideas into real-life projects. As my wife and I work on cutting back on stuff, we will go back to these tips often.

The book also provides an address to a site to take the information further, and she mentions an app to download to help spur the process along.

One of the things I liked most was how the author kept tying in the concepts with examples from her own life of how she faced and overcame (or is in the process of overcoming) the very struggles she is writing about. This made the book feel much more personal than some other books and articles I have read on the subject.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to declutter, minimalize, and “unstuff” their lives all around. "Unstuffed" is a good and encouraging guide in the process.

*Note: I received a complimentary copy of the book from Zondervan publishers through the BookLook Bloggers review program in exchange for my honest review.

I recently finished Ruth Soukup's book, Unstuffed and while I thought I was getting a book about decluttering, she actually adds so much more into these pages; turning a decluttering book into some great life lessons.

Ruth does start out by sharing the detriments of too much stuff and the toil it takes on our homes; reminding us that there is really no victory in decluttering if there continues to be a constant flow of new stuff coming in.

She offers tips on how to clean, declutter and even how to handle unwanted gifts at Christmastime and birthdays.

But then Ruth begins to offer her best advice on decluttering other areas of our lives, such as our schedule, our inherited goods, friends, our minds and our spirit.

Not only does she walk us through the process of paring down our stuff, but she walks us through paring down relationships that bring us stress. She shares her own stories of friendships - those that were deep and those that were toxic - and how to hold on to one and get rid of the other.

She helps identify stress triggers and how to slow down and rid your mind of things you have no control over.

But, the biggest surprise comes at the end of the book when Ruth gets very personal about her own life and how she went from being very dark and in need of help, to finding hope in God's grace.

This book is an easy read and will bless you across the board, in many areas.

Unstuffed~Decluttering Your Home, Mind, & Soul by Ruth Soukup is a well written book that addresses physical clutter, mental traps, and spiritual truths. This is a great read that is descriptively “stuffed” full of practical advice and tangible application!

Unstuffed is not only a great tool to have in your arsenal of weapons to help fight the clutter monster, but it’s also a transparently thoughtful work that serves to assist the reader on a deeper level by uncovering potential issues in our minds and hearts that may be hindering our ability to live “clutter free” lives. The author begins the book by acknowledging her own love for material things and our western culture's propensity to collect and hoard too much stuff. This genuine spirit of authenticity is felt throughout the reading of this book, as Soukup tears down walls of shame, embarrassment and guilt that often accompany the accumulation of unnecessary and unwanted stuff.

Not only does the author give a systematic plan of attack to take back our homes and win the war against the perpetual cycle of things piling up in them, but she also helps us to reformat our thinking to prevent a returning problem in our homes. In addition, the book could also double as a "practical parenting guide", as it covers many great strategies for raising well balanced children and modeling a healthy lifestyle as it relates to our belongings and spirituality.

Ruth Soukup does a great job of communicating the chaotic feel that our high tech world has created with the constant influx of information and little to no margin in our schedules. She reveals that her desire to be constantly busy is a struggle she has to guard against to maintain a peace of mind and a less scheduled home. I love the "Red Flag" section where she gives a list of "warning signs" to help the reader identify if they are in trouble.

Finally, and most importantly, Ruth ends with the source of all freedom as she identifies our need to allow the gift of Christ as the ultimate answer to all of our needs. She candidly shares of some desperate times in her life and the grace that she has come to know as she walked through this period of darkness. Her conviction to lean on the Lord and remain in a prayerful state are refreshing and extremely encouraging. This is an excellent read!!

Thank you to Zondervan Publishing for this review copy of Unstuffed by Ruth Soukup. I was not required to write a favorable review, only to read the work in it's entirety and give an honest opinion of it's contents.

Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, & Soul by Ruth Soukup has been a life changing book for me! The author shares deep insight, scripture, personal stories of her own, and practical ways to handle as well as declutter nearly every part of your life.
I really like that unlike most books, the author sheds light on the likely why we accumulate things like we do. Some reasons may be because of stress, sentimentalism, or because someone gave an item! One can purge physical items at one point to try to gain control and then find themselves back in the same rut over and over again. But in the looking deeper into the why we do is really the key to finding balance, keeping things in shape, and having a truly healthy life. Uncluttering ones life is more than just getting rid of physical object and I think that's often missed in self help organizing books. It's all about our thinking!

This book is broken down into three sections; HOME, MIND, and SOUL. In these sections, certain areas are covered. For example in the HOME section there are three chapters, Living, Storage, and Kids. Chapters will offer personal stories, quick wins ( how you can start tackling specific areas), fill in the blanks, habit suggestions, and so forth. There's definitely homework to fill out and applications to get started on. I like how easy it's broken down.

I didn't recognize my unhealthy habits till I read this book. I see them all now. I knew I wasn't happy and I wanted my house to be different. A house should be a happy place full of joy. The clutter was really bringing this feel down for a number of reasons. In recognizing this in my life, I've been better about bringing more things in (mainly by blogging) and making concious decisions about what stays. This doesn't just apply to physical items but in commitments of my time too.

Since picking up this book, I've gotten serious about my wardrobe! I've donated, thrown away, and passed along more than half my wardrobe! In return I am left with clothing I really like. It's been making my mornings easier for picking out what to wear and it's pretty freeing. I've tackled the kitchen. I've gone through books. I've yet to tackle the kids room but that's next. I cut out time commitments and let certain things go that maybe I'll do again in the future but for the current time being I'm living for today.
I think this book would be beneficial to everyone and highly recommend picking up a copy.

Required Federal Trade Commission disclaimer: I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by the BookLook blogger review program in exchange for an honest review.

Are you drowning in clutter in your home? Do find that the pile of things coming into your house creates an overwhelming feeling of being buried? I know there are times where I definitely feel overwhelmed by all the things, papers, and even digital email that comes into my home. Ruth Soukup has written a new book called Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind and Soul. I appreciate that her book is not only about getting the clutter out of our houses, but also addressing the real problem of why it piles up in the first place.

Ruth divides her book up into three different areas: Home, Mind and Soul. She gives some creative advice to address each of these three areas. In the Home section, Ruth discusses the living area, Storage solutions and how to help with all the stuff kids bring home. In the Mind section, she address schedules, paperwork and other people's stuff. And then in the Soul section, she talks about relationships with friends, wellness and balance and letting go of the need to do it yourself.

I enjoyed reading through this book. I have several bookmarks marking all of her sections that have steps to walk you through tackling different problem areas of where clutter seems to take over your life. Like Ruth says, "...becoming unstuffed is much more than getting rid of the things you no longer want. It's more than getting organized or finally taming that pile of paperwork that's been taunting you. ...It's changing the way we look at our homes and the stuff we live with. It's changing the way we look at our schedules and the stuff that fills our time. It's changing the way we look at our relationships and the stuff they are made of. It's becoming purposeful about the stuff we let in, because the reality is that nature hates a vacuum, and if we are to become unstuffed, we better spend some time thinking about what that really means before our unstuffed stuffs us with new stuff we don't need or want." (pg. 16-17 in the digital e-book version) There are many ideas in this book that I think will be helpful in clearing out the clutter. I seem to have a problem with piles and so this will be a real challenge for me to change my thinking in how I control the clutter.
If you're looking for a helpful book to get you motivated to change how you deal with the never ending piles in your home, pick up Ruth's new book and bring some clutter free living to your life!

***I received this e-book for free from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Stuff. How did we all acquire so much stuff! Author Ruth Soukup is helping us to unstuff our lives in her book: Unstuffed Decluttering Your Home, Mind, & Soul. The book is divided into 3 sections: Home, Mind and Soul.

Part One: HOME 1. Living: Creating a Vision for Your Home 2. Storage: More Closet Space Is Not the Solution 3. Kids: The Stuff Just Keeps Coming
Part Two: MIND 4. Schedule: How Much Is Too Much? 5. Paperwork: Drowning in a Sea of Information 6. Other People’s Stuff: Letting Go of the Guilt
Part Three: SOUL 7. Friends: Cultivating Real Relationships 8. Wellness: Finding Balance in a Chaotic World 9. Spirit: Letting Go of the Need to Do It Yourself

Becoming unstuffed, truly unstuffed, is much more than that. It’s changing the way we look at our homes and the stuff we live with. It’s changing the way we look at our schedules and the stuff that fills our time. It’s changing the way we look at our relationships and the stuff they are made of. It’s becoming purposeful about the stuff we let in... ( Ruth Soukup. Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, & Soul (Kindle Locations 223-228). Zondervan).

Soukup gives us the tools to declutter all aspects of lives. This is not just a book, it is also a workbook. For example, in the section on our home, she asks us: What is the vision for my home? Then follows up with questions such as: What is my decorating style? How do I want my home to feel? How do I use my home? And Soukup provides room for us to answer these questions ourselves before we move on to the next section. This is extremely useful to helping us to visualize what we need to do to clean the clutter out of our lives.

There are some great questions about our spiritual lives:

Spiritual Symptoms:
• Do you ever neglect prayer and Bible reading because you just don’t have time?
• Do you regularly skip church because other activities take precedence?
• Have you developed any destructive behaviors, such as drinking, doing drugs, or overspending to cope with the stress of trying to keep up?
• Do you feel like God is very far away?
• Do you struggle with a nagging sense of guilt?
(Ruth Soukup. Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, & Soul (Kindle Locations 1354-1361). Zondervan.)

I found Unstuffed to be a great resource. It has given me lots of greats ideas for working toward a less complicated life. I am ready to Unstuff!

Ruth Soukup’s newest book, Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul is a manual for decluttering your life–and not just the physical stuff. Ruth offers readers a chance to take a hard look at how clutter affects us and weighs us down until we are drowning in it. She explains how overbooked schedules and stress weigh us down as much as our stuff does, and she suggests practical solutions to get things into balance.

The format of this book is right in keeping with it’s philosophy. Unstuffed includes bullet lists, worksheets, and action plans, making it super easy to implement immediately. I like how Ruth gets right to the point from the beginning, opening the book with a clear step-by-step plan, one of her ‘Quick Wins,’ of five decluttering projects to transform your living space. And, these five projects are actually doable and painless, and as Ruth states, they will help get you on the right track and feeling motivated to continue on a life transformation.

Unstuffed is divided into three main sections: Home, Mind, and Soul. These areas are dealt with incrementally so that the changes brought about by following the plan of this book will be lasting lifestyle changes. You really can’t do it all at once, and getting to the root of the clutter is key to getting rid of it once and for all. The section where Ruth addresses ‘busyness’ is especially convicting:

“…this culture of busy, this idea that we can’t slow down, can’t stop running from one thing to the next for fear that we might miss out, or worse, that our kids might fall behind, becomes a constant presence in our lives–the most important presence in our lives. Without really intending it to happen, the busyness becomes our first priority, the thing we value about all else. The busyness becomes our idol (p. 96).”

Ruth writes about the choices we all make–and have to make–and teaches how to conquer the things that ultimately lead to spiritual clutter that prevents true happiness. Although it will take a lot of work and a commitment to a lifestyle change, I believe that following the principles of Unstuffed would benefit every ‘busy’ mom and her family.

The publisher provided a review copy of Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul

We all have our stuff.

My stuff: starbucks coffee mugs, books, coloring books, colors, paints, sketch pads, notebooks, fashion magazines, cook books...and the list goes on.

Travis record hunting

My husbands stuff: records, 12", 7", some 8", all the bells and whistles for listening to said records, record players, books, concert tickets...and the list goes on.

What I loved about Ruth Soukup's unstuffed; decluttering your home, mind and soul was the obvious and harsh truth about an unstuffed life. You can't have it all.

UnStuffed

She doesn't call for a minimalistic lifestyle but you can go all the way with it. The most valuable things I pulled from this book was there is a time to let go. And after all the moves, I've done I have done my fair share of ruthless purging. Mostly when it won't fit in the Uhaul.

I started my Unstuffed plan in my office where I opened all the 3 drawer tubs (4 total), which house a variety of things and went through EVERY DRAWER. Sorted by need/function/usefulness/when was the last time we used that? I hoped to get rid of a few drawers, alas that didn't happen but I did end up donating/recycling a huge tub of things that we hadn't used since we lived in Texas...that was 4 years ago y'all. I put all the art supplies together, all the mailing things together, all the interior design stuff and failed photography business stuff together after I ruthlessly got rid of all the unnecessary things of course. And now I have drawers I can FIND THINGS IN...and where to find them, it is in a word glorious.

I'm sure there are a lot of moms out there that can relate to her stress and needing to be unstuffed as a parent and I think my parents did a great job helping us understand to have we must give away, even if there were a few years where Christmas went on a little too long.

Grab a copy of Ruth Soukup's Unstuffed on the store!

Perhaps the most honest, down-to-earth, practical text I’ve read on removing clutter and simplifying multiple areas of one’s life, //Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul// by Ruth Soukup reveals raw, vulnerable, and helpful experience and advice easily relatable and applicable to a broad audience. Soukup doesn’t dwell on the home or physical “stuff” exclusively, delving with equal emphasis into equally important aspects of one’s life, some of which include one’s time, energy, relationships, and the necessity of relying on God’s grace in all things.

Soukup lets her readers know from the start that “this book is //not// a step-by-step guide on how to declutter your home” (21), demonstrating primarily through narration the importance of decluttering (something with which she continues to wrestle), but embedding throughout the text many straightforward tips and plans for doing just that. This all-around great resource may be accompanied by an app (Unstuffed) that may help one practice what is learned. (I’ve not tested the app’s usefulness, so feel free to comment and let others know how it works if interested.)

To further emphasize my recommendation of //Unstuffed//, the review on my blog with the most traffic, receiving hits everyday from around the world, is that for Simplify: Ten Practices to Unclutter Your Soul by Bill Hybels, which I very much //do not// recommend. //Unstuffed// is everything that book wants to be and more. I will be updating my reviews of //Simplify// on multiple sites with a recommendation for //Unstuffed//. Kudos, Soukup, and blessings on your continued blessing to others.

*Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This week I read yet another book on decluttering. I find that I get highly motivated to declutter when I'm reading a book about decluttering, but soon the inspiration wears off. So if I'm regularly putting this message into my brain, I'm constantly thinking about it and following through with the many great ideas presented in the books.

Unstuffed focuses on three larger areas of life - our home, our mind and our soul. The book is divided into three parts, each part dealing with one of the three topics, and each of the three larger parts is divided into three chapters.

Part One: Home
Living
Storage
Kids
Part Two : Mind
Schedule
Paperwork
Other People's Stuff
Part Three: Soul
Friends
Wellness
Spirit
I love that Ruth starts out this book by encouraging readers to take an honest look at how their home is used. So often we fall into the trap that our home needs to look a certain way and so we fill rooms with furniture or other items that don't fit our lifestyle. When you walk into the front door of my home, you walk into what was designed to be a living room and dining room. However, we use this space for music and homeschooling.

Ruth gives very practical advice like resist and eliminate temptation by staying out of stores, and also presents assignments and challenges to get your home and schedule under control. When it comes to guarding our soul, Ruth offers encouragement for setting boundaries and establishing healthy habits.

If you already are familiar with the idea that living with less can actually lead to living more fully, then this book will not offer any new ideas. However, it's always an encouragement to read another testimony of how decluttering has positively affected lives.

SUMMARY:
With tons of items cluttering homes, minds, souls and in turn, whole lives, now seems like a good time to unstuff. Sometimes an overwhelmingly personal, emotional and physical action, often it may more simply left undone. Through encouragement, knowledge, compassion and direction, New York Times bestselling author, Ruth Soukup, helps make such a daunting task much easier. Starting with a vision and working towards uncluttering space, relationships, schedules and minds, Unstuffed provides an organized manner in which to be successful.

A PENNY FOR MY THOUGHTS:
In a subject that can be hard for many people, this author makes uncluttering understandable and achievable. Written in such a way that it almost seems enjoyable (okay…bearable), it is a well organized book with good ideas, explained results, relatable situations and positive advice. Approaching the cluttered style from a whole perspective, rather than just a materialistic approach, not only makes more sense but also serves several purposes at once. I truly appreciate the candid advice given in a doable, compassionate, upbeat, successful way. My home, mind and soul, thank-you!

RATING:
5 (out of 5) pennies

*I received a complimentary copy of Unstuffed from BookLook Bloggers for my honest review*

I am so excited about this book! I definitely need it, and odds are, if you are reading this review, you need it too!
Ruth's book is about cutting the clutter and finding grace instead. It begins with a great intro about two people merging with all their "stuff" and how quickly and easily we can accumulate more stuff. Ruth talks about the need to organize all the stuff, hence accumulating more stuff (storage boxes, bins, etc) to do that with. And in the end, the stuff just keeps growing! I love her sense of humor as she puts it all in perspective, and I can so see myself mirrored here. (I have certainly been guilty of the buying bins to organize only to have to buy more bins because those were not quite what I needed) But be warned! Some of her advice is an arrow to the heart, especially if you are a shop-a-holic.

Ruth begins with the home. The first few chapter talk about getting a vision for what you want, taming the stuff to fit your space instead of increasing space with storage ideas, and how to tame the kids stuff. She has some awesome tips, as well as, some tough love concepts! (Yeah, I am talking about getting rid of some of that stuff)
Part two consist of the mind. How much is too much? How is your stuff affecting your physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual well-being? She addresses the idea of saying "No" (Yeah, I know, tough stuff) What about all that paperwork, and other people's stuff? (We have issues with that at our home)
Part three is about working on our soul. I totally get how chaos and overload affects our souls. Because more often than not I am there. In a book about de-cluttering, Ruth takes the time to talk about friendships, stress, and spirituality.

Honestly, there is a boatload of wonderful information in this book. More than can be taken in entirely in one setting. And you will want to refer back to this book over and over as you work through that stuff of yours.
I am certainly looking forward to de-cluttering and relaxing with a little more peace of mind and time to enjoy my family and friends instead of constantly organizing all the stuff.

I received a copy of this book from iconmedia and Zondervan in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not required to review this book positively.

My house is a cluttered mess. Sometimes I look around and am okay with that. Other days it drives me crazy. Homeschooling, mothering and having four children takes a toll on my house. I often think about (and sometimes start) decluttering, but I’ve never managed to actually complete the process. So, when I saw the Ruth Soukup’s new book Unstuffed: Decluttering You Home, Mind and Soul, it really appealed to me.

Soukup’s book covers decluttering on a physical level like I was looking for, but she also covers decluttering your mind and your soul as well. The details of this book include living with kids, organizing, scheduling, handling paperwork,dealing with your feeling’s towards gifts from others, finding balance, friends and your spiritual life. She gives many inspirational helps and real-life stories, but Soukup also gives practical hints and helps along the way, creating a great balance of practical and inspirational in the book.

I really enjoyed this book, and found that I am already putting some of her hints into practice. For example, I realized that I didn’t need all those thousands of emails in my email box and I mass deleted every single one. I felt instant relief from not having them in my inbox. Another area that I found help is letting go of the guilt attached with gifts. My grandmother, who is almost 80, has a habit of giving me the stuff that she doesn’t need or want anymore. I feel guilty for getting rid of any of it because she gave it to me. I haven’t actually gotten rid of any of the stuff that I don’t want yet, but I find that I’m a little more willing to do that now.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Soukup's new book, Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul, is not a typical decluttering book. In it, the author talks about decluttering our spaces, yes, but she also talks about decluttering our minds and our souls as well. I have long been aware of the connection between my environment and my mind. If my environment is chaotic, so are my thoughts. It stands to reason that it does no good to take care of decluttering my physical space, without addressing the mental and soul clutter as well. If I don't address the inner issues, the outer clutter manifestation will creep back in.

The book is divided into three sections: home, mind, and soul, and each section is further divided into three chapters with themes such as creating a vision for your home, storage, kids, schedule, other people's stuff, cultivating real relationships, and finding balance in a chaotic world. Ms. Soukup uses a mixture of personal stories and practical advice to inspire her readers to make lasting meaningful changes in their lives.

I really liked this book, and found it incredibly inspiring. That's noteworthy, because often books about decluttering or cleaning leave me feeling discouraged and defeated. It's a quick and easy read, and contains practical, doable suggestions for unstuffing your life.

For a small taste of what the book is about, enroll in the free Unstuffed 10 day challenge ([...]).
Ruth Soukup blogs at Living Well Spending Less ([...]).

I received this book for free from the publisher through Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

This year has definitely been the year of “organize my life.” I have been working so hard to de-clutter our home, put new cleaning routines into practice, overhaul the way I budget, and figure out the best way that I can plan my days without feeling overwhelmed. Goodness, what a difficult task that is to undertake!

When I saw Ruth’s new book, Unstuffed, I knew that I needed to read it. A book about getting rid of the excess from all aspects of your life seemed right up my alley, and it did not disappoint.

Unstuffed is full of great advice as to what we need to do in order to get rid of the clutter that fills our homes, our schedules, and our souls. But, it isn’t only advice. She takes us through her own journey of getting rid of the clutter.

It is always interesting to me to see the transformations that people can make over the years. I love to see the changes, and so this type of book is fun for me to read. The journey that person goes on – I think that is why I enjoy memoirs so much, being able to relate to a certain path, or know that I am not alone in wanting to change certain aspects of my life.

Unstuffed is full of great, practical advice to get rid of the excess in our lives and to more fully appreciate our lives without the stress of all the stuff we seem to cling to.

I think the most interesting fact that I read in the book was about the amount of information that we process daily and how overwhelming that is. The sheer amount of information that is created now as opposed to years ago is staggering. And we are constantly connected to it with the internet, and cell phones.

If you are looking for a book that encourages you on your own path to simplify without becoming a minimalist, this is definitely a great book to read. It is full of practical advice, and great stories. I felt myself nodding my head through most of the book.

*I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in order to facilitate my review - for more information on my disclosure policy please go here -[...]

I chose Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul from Booklook Bloggers (free in exchange for an honest review) because I was familiar with the author, Ruth Soukup, from her blog, Living Well Spending Less. (I actually received this as an eBook, which meant that items that were in sidebars in the printed copy often appeared to be out of place because they showed up in the middle of sections or even paragraphs on my Kindle screen. This occasionally made the reading seem a little disjointed, so I would recommend the printed version.)

Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul was an easy read with relate-able (to me) examples. The author used the acronym FREE to discuss how to become clutter free: Fight to stop the flow; Reduce by purging; Establish strict limits; Emphasize Quality over Quantity. She recommends working on one or two small projects a week to effect big change over time. I especially liked that after she addresses decluttering in the home, she goes on to share ideas for decluttering our minds (creating a schedule, processing paperwork) and relates how Jesus has already done the work of decluttering our souls.

It was interesting to read her thoughts on scrapbooking and how many individuals quit the hobby because they got behind and became overwhelmed until easier solutions (digital photos, photobooks) came along. She made a great distinction between memories and stuff and how we don't need to feel guilty when we get rid of stuff because the memories remain.

Have you ever thought about decluttering your life? I’m not only talking about the things in your house and storage areas, but about your mind and soul, too. In Ruth Soukup’s Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, and Soul, the blogger helps you with these three areas of your life. The book is divided into three parts, and each of those three parts is broken down into three chapters. Ruth helps us set limits on what we bring into our lives, such as things we buy. She helps us deal with the abundance of kids’ stuff. She teaches us how to conquer the piles of paperwork and how to combat the busyness of our lives. She helps us find the balance in our spiritual lives and let go of unhealthy habits.

Unstuffed is a great book that helps you declutter your life in more way than the physical things. When I first started reading this book, I was ready to start decluttering my house and garage as well as myself. At the end of Chapter Two, Ruth provides a Weekend Challenge to declutter your house. I was ready to put down the book and do it right then. The third part of Unstuffed is the part that meant the most to me. Ruth gives some great tips on how to get the 7 to 8 hours of sleep a women like me needs per night, such as drinking no caffeine after lunch, avoiding electronics before bed, and creating a bedtime ritual. Getting more sleep is the one change Ruth recommends if I do nothing else after reading this book.

Overall, reading Unstuffed has taught me decluttering my life is a good thing to do. It gives me an opportunity to have a clean slate and get rid of not only the physical things, but clear my mind and soul as well. I know I have things in my life I need to work on, and with this book’s help, I will be able to do that.

I would highly recommend this book if you want the successful way to declutter your life!

it is difficult to write a negative review for an author who is so transparent about her struggles. I appreciate her vulnerability, but I really struggled to like her. I enjoyed part of the book, but didn't realize how much of the book would be spent talking about things from a Christian perspective. I also take issue with her suggestion to volunteer other people or use your spouse as an excuse when you can't say, "No." Ew. Grow up. Her way of explaining her husband as an accountability partner who demanded to know what she was doing also didn't sit well. I've seen blog posts and have enjoyed them, but she isn't an author I will be following.

Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind, & Soul by Ruth Soukup is a well-organized, relatable, friendly book about just what the title claims it is.
Soukup divides her tips into three categories: Home, Mind, and Soul. Within each she covers topics such as battling the storage advertisements, how to declutter despite kids, how to graciously refuse or discard gifts, and decluttering schedules, relationships, and leisure.
Recently I’ve read a few books on the topic of minimalizing, and what I enjoyed about Soukups is how she organized it and how she gave good, practical ideas. Some books about minimalizing/decluttering dive too deeply into the depths of common sense. Of course they all must scratch the surface—but Soukup did a good job of teaching her readers some practical strategies for living more intentionally. I don’t have kids, but if I ever do, I’ll probably find myself rereading the chapter about kids. Soupkup gracefully addresses issues that most women face, and she encourages us to be the best versions of ourselves we can be.
I recommend this book to other readers.
[...]
The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze®. I was not required to write a positive review.

Like many Americans, I am constantly looking for ways to get more organized and gain control over my life. As a homeschool mom, I find that we have a LOT of stuff in our house as I have materials to teach preK through 12th grade eating up a lot of space. Add in product reviews for Day by Day in Our World, and we are swimming in it.

If you are looking for a book to walk you through the steps of decluttering your house of stuff, then this book might fall a little short. Instead of providing a how to approach to parting with stuff, Ruth is writing about shedding anything that is holding you back in your life. While it is definitely 'stuff' for many of us, it can also include commitments to things that do not bring you joy or even relationships that are toxic.

I've read the book once and started the process of ridding my life of the excess or other things that do not belong. However, I know that I have a long way to go. The biggest challenge is not just stopping activities that rob me of time, but to not allow other things to fill the void left behind without ensuring they are adding to my life.

Note ~ I received an ARC copy of this title for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Having read several books on decluttering my home, I think this one is the best, and it is definitely my favorite. The author does not just give practical tips for clearing out the overabundance of stuff in our homes; she also shows how to deal with other things that clutter our lives. From relationships that steal our joy to creating balance (getting enough rest!), she deals with almost everything that fills our lives unnecessarily.

I especially enjoyed that the author is a Christian, so she takes a Christian outlook on everything. The last chapter is even one about how Jesus Himself has done the most decluttering for us already by taking away our sins.

If you're overwhelmed with life right now and don't know where to start, this book could be a lifesaver for you. Or if you just need a little fine-tuning, this book could be a great help. I plan to keep it and reread it occasionally to make sure that I stay on the right track.

I want to thank BookLook Bloggers for my review copy of this book, but my opinions are my own.

I really needed to read "Unstuffed" and this will be a book that I will refer back to many, many times. "Unstuffed" deals with clutter that is in our lives, including our home, mind and soul. I know that I have an issue with clutter in my home, just too much stuff I feel like at times and I am constantly organizing and constantly trying to maintain a clean, organized home (which seems impossible at times!). Ruth has numerous ideas that I am excited to try out to help me with keeping organized by decluttering. I loved that this book also focused on our minds and souls being cluttered. This can come from having a hectic, busy schedule and not being able to say "no" and feeling guilty. This is an area I need to work on as well I know. I found this whole book to be a worthwhile and much-needed read and also an inspiration to really work on decluttering my life.

*Thanks to the BookLook Bloggers program for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.*

How is Unstuffed different than other books on decluttering? Because it’s about more than decluttering your home. Author Ruth Soukup also includes tips for decluttering your mind and soul, which includes your schedule, your information, other people’s stuff, and relationships.

If you’re new to decluttering, this book is a good one to start with. Soukup hits the basics and gives her philosophy of “unstuffed.”

“In the end, becoming unstuffed ultimately means removing everything that doesn’t contribute to the way we want our homes to feel, while keeping everything that does.”

While I didn’t learn many new things in Unstuffed, I still enjoyed reading it because I want to stay clutter-free. And I’ve learned that if you don’t stay on top of clutter, it can grow on top of you. Books like Unstuffed help me stay motivated to maintain the status quo in general, while improving in specific areas that are still a mess.

I was familiar with Ruth because of her blog, Living Well Spending Less. I love the idea of being "unstuffed." Of recognizing that the abundance of things in our homes that serve no useful purpose actually weigh us down.

Like the title suggests, Soukup walks you through three areas of life to declutter: home, mind, and soul. She shares personal stories and practical tips to help you begin the process of unstuffing your life. I loved the question, what purpose does it serve in your home? I'm so quick to save everything of sentimental value.

Soukup applies biblical truths to remind you what you should be holding on to, and what we should hold loosely onto. Knowing those facts doesn't necessarily make it easier. But it does help. Ruth also suggests creating If, Then statements to help you sort through papers, digital data and more.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unstuffed is a practical guide to help you remove the "stuff" from your life, not just physical stuff but also overwhelmed schedules. Many of us live with "too much stuff" in our homes, Ruth will give you a step-by-step guide to declutter your home. She will also show you how to manage your schedule and your time so you don't feel like you a constantly running from place to place.

When you finish reading Unstuffed, you will should be less overwhelmed in your home with stuff and less stressed in your day. Part of learning to be Unstuffed is learning to focus and keep only the most important things in your home and only the people and activities you love the most on your schedule. If you feel overwhelmed by all the "stuff" you have accumulated or your schedule has too much, then I encourage you to consider Unstuffed.

I received an advance copy of this book to provide an honest review, all opinions here are my own.

This is a fantastic book for anyone who is interested in not just decluttering their homes, but their lives too. My family and I have been on a long, long journey to living simply, and for several years, we lived on an island with no car! On this journey, we learned an important lesson in valuing what matters most, and for us it's spending time together and living a creative, holistic life. I wish we had had this book when we started our journey as it's taken us years to adopt this simple, 'unstuffed' lifestyle, but it has been worth it.

The book includes tips and challenges to help you declutter and unstuff your house, schedule, and even relationships. I think the most important element in this book is not the actual physical decluttering you do ( although that is one important aspect) but what happens when you get your priorities crystal clear and live a more on purpose life.

I love to organize. I love being organized, and when things are cluttered I get stressed. So I like to think that I have a pretty good handle on handling my junk. But even so, I found so much great information in Ruth Soukup’s new book, Unstuffed.

Here are some tips I picked up that I’ve already started implementing. I can’t believe how much of a difference these little things really make!

1) Make your bed. Every morning. As soon as you get up.

2) Be ruthlessly realistic about what you use and need.

3) Go for quality over quantity.

4) Organize your computer desktop.

5) Learn to say no.

There are so many amazing tips and insights in Unstuffed and I know there will be things that really resonate with you.

You can also sign up for the FREE Unstuffed 10 Day Challenge to get started on your home! I did this one, and it was great. Each day’s task was brief enough that I was able to get it done quickly, but effective enough to make real progress.

If you get the book, you’ll also get Ruth’s full weekend challenge, if you can hack it. ?

And finally, this book is about more than cleaning out your closets, it’s about cleaning out your life. One of my biggest pet peeves is the glorification of busy. Because busy doesn’t mean worthwhile or productive, it just means busy. And it probably means your schedule is full of clutter that can be unstuffed.

I love that this book addresses more than just decluttering the home. It also talks about decluttering your mind and soul! Because really, if we ignore the mind and soul, the physical stuff will probably just come back. She gives practical tips and personal examples in an easy to read format. I like that she gives ideas for starting small or big depending on your needs. If life feels crazy- too much stuff, too many commitments, too much stress- then read Ruth's advice in Unstuffed to simplify all areas of your life and not just those full closets. (I received a complimentary review copy before the book was released. The opinions in this review are my own)

I love Ruth's conversational tone of writing. It isn't so wordy that you think an editor needed to do some more work like other conversational books I've read. It is like sitting down and chatting with a friend. I appreciate Ruth's heart in encouraging women to "unstuffy" their lives. The book inspired a total house purge and reorganization that I am still in the middle of, but it is so cathartic. If you would like to get a handle on your clutter once and for all, I recommend this book to help you get to the bottom of the why of your clutter. It may be painful, but so worth it!

I received a free advanced readers copy of this book from the publishers, but a positive review was not required. My opinion is that the book deserved it on its own. :)

Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul is the newest book by Ruth Soukup. I read Living Well, Spending Less and enjoyed the tips and suggestions regarding both subjects. Although this book has many great suggestions on decluttering Soukup states from the beginning "...becoming unstuffed is much more that getting rid of the things you no longer want." "It's changing the way we look at our homes ...schedules ...relationships."

True to her presentation Soukup has written a book that gives an overview of how to begin to think differently regarding home, mind and soul. Soukup speaks from her personal experiences and admits that her ways are not the only way to approach a situation. Regardless, her point throughout is that seeking ways to change on a surface level will not result in a lasting change.

I have to admit while reading this I found myself wanting to go purge the basement at times. Soukup gives a clear picture of how our attachments to physical objects can hinder us. There were other sections that I found to be very similar to other organizing books I've read. If you are a fan of Ruth you will find this book to be helpful.

If you have read books about organizing or self care before you will likely not find many new thoughts. There simply aren't that many different ways to declutter efficiently! As I was reading I found myself thinking this would be a great book for a newly married couple or a single woman beginning her journey of independence. Many of the areas of focus felt for me that my stage of life has passed many of the suggestions. For example, the points about how to set up a house, what to consider when buying furniture and how to figure out what purposes you would want your house to serve were all great points that I had figured out at the beginning of my marriage.

Review
Ruth Soukup in Unstuffed, Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul, writes for readers, particularly Moms, in a consumerist society caught in a frenetic lifestyle. The book is full of suggestions about how to declutter or “unstuff” your household from things, your mind from excessive business, and your soul from self-sufficiency. She is obviously a list maker and most chapters have the equivalent of five simple steps or strategies to help a person declutter. Each chapter of her book answers the “how to” questions she raises. For example,
• How do we eliminate these toxic, shallow, inconsequential interactions from our lives, the ones that eat up our time and energy but don’t actually contribute to our well-being? (Unstuffed, Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul by Ruth Soukup, Zondervan, 2016, pp. 163, 164 )
• How much is too much? (p. 193)
• What do I do with all of the other people’s stuff in my life? How do I get rid of that? (p. 133)
The practical helps are obviously on target for thousands of people—as testified by the followers of her blog LivingWellSpendingLess.com. Deeper issues, however, that address the root causes of a cluttered household and mind, and the psychological healing from these causes are not as adequately addressed.
Dr. ML Codman-Wilson, Ph.D., 4/25/2016

In Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind and Soul, author Ruth Soukup uses her personal story as the backdrop to show how God can clean up even the biggest of messes while also providing tips and tricks to help us literally clean up our own messes.

Unstuffed helps you transform the way you view the "stuff" you let enter your home, your mind, and your soul to begin with. The book helps motivate you to eliminate the things that no longer serve you as you create a vision for the way you’d like your home and your life to function.

I appreciate that the author of this book, Ruth Soukup, shares her and her family's struggle with clutter. That helped me connect and become invested. Chapter 1's Ten Tidy Habits have already helped me reduce the clutter in my life. Soukup lists the time commitment for each one, which made me realize that I've just been procrastinating. The minimal amount of time needed to implement these habits has been well worth it. I no longer have stacks of paper accumulating on the counter-top. I still have a long way to go. I'll be going through the Paperwork chapter a few more times to help me develop and simplify how I deal with all the paper. The book does indeed address physical clutter, however, I found the most powerful sections address our emotions and why we may want to hang onto stuff. There are tips for addressing those emotions and Scripture to re-enforce that it's okay to let stuff go. Thank you Ruth Soukup for this book! Well worth a read!

Yes I received this book in exchange for being part of Ruth's launch team. However, I really do love it and all opinions are my own. Ruth writes from a very personal place in Unstuffed. She also encourages you and gives you ways to deal with the overwhelming amount of items we have in our homes, things in our schedules. For me, a recovering people pleaser, it helps to have verbiage for dealing with other people's stuff and also be reminded to stop striving, that God has already given me grace as His child.

The sign of a great book? After reading the first chapter, I put the book down and started unstuffing my home! The examples Ruth shares are down to earth, and her steps for decluttering are simple to implement and make a huge difference, not just in your home, but in all aspects of your life. Ruth asks, "What if becoming unstuffed meant choosing quality over quantity in our personal lives, not just with the objects in our home? How would that change our outlook on life?" And then she shows us what that can look like in our relationships, our health and our spiritual walk. She weaves the message of grace throughout the book, and does so beautifully, especially as she shares her heart about a very difficult time in her life. My home, my computer, and my mind all have room to breathe now, and I'm thankful to have been able to review an advance copy of the book.

When I first started reading I was afraid the book would be another expert telling me how to get my house organized and how that would lead to my ultimate happiness. This book is not that! Yes, there are great ideas for getting your home unstuffed but it goes beyond just the surface and physical things and addresses our way of thinking about things, about time, about relationships. The book is really about refocusing your efforts and energy onto the things, experience and people/relationships that are most important. Ruth is very open, personable and even approachable in her writing style. She often repeats that she is not an expert, she doesn't have all the answers and she is still working on herself. I love her honesty and the grace that gives the readers (me) to not give up. There are some books that make you think "That's a good idea." There are some books that make you think "Maybe I should try that." Then there are some books that make you think and motivate you to change-- UNSTUFFED is that kind of book.