Image: Let It Go by Len Lantz (CC BY-NC-ND)
Synopsis: Len's Star Rating: 8 out of 10. An excellent self-help book on effectively downsizing, decluttering, and dealing with the emotions stirred up in the process.
BY LEN LANTZ, MD, author of unJoy / 6.1.2023; No. 109
Disclaimer: Yes, I am a physician, but I’m not your doctor and this article does not create a doctor-patient relationship. This article is for educational purposes and should not be seen as medical advice. You should consult with your physician before you rely on this information. This post also contains affiliate links. Please click this LINK for the full disclaimer.
Star Rating – 8 out of 10
Rating guide: 1 = horrible, 5 = average and 10 = wow
Author
Peter Walsh
About the author
Peter Walsh is a bestselling author on topics of decluttering and weight loss, a contributing editor of Oprah Magazine, a regular contributor to The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Rachael Ray Show, and the star of several television series on dealing with clutter.
General description
Let It Go is a book filled with practical advice on effectively downsizing and decluttering your home or the home of a loved one, such as a parent. Peter Walsh offers useful tips, clear guidance, and action steps not only to start the process but to complete the endeavor while keeping your thoughts and emotions from getting in the way or spiraling out of control. The author shares real stories of people who have faced the daunting task of sorting through and letting go of belongings that need to go – all with the promise of feeling freer and happier in the process.
Unique and most important aspects
Let It Go is an excellent resource to read before beginning the task of dealing with your possessions. The author is sensitive to how our emotions are tied to our belongings, and he explains how our emotions can interfere with our taking steps to reduce clutter. Peter Walsh’s “Let It Go” exercises help the reader to apply the information to their situation and break down the process of downsizing into manageable steps. I found his “Let It Go” flow chart to be very helpful visual in determining what to do with an item.
I believe this book delivers on its subtitle, Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life. The author talks about the feelings of joy and liberation that occur from downsizing and also helps the reader to identify what things not to get rid of. The author provides real-world examples of people who struggled and eventually succeeded in downsizing their belongings. I also believe that the author does the reader a favor by discussing real issues of confronting the loss of loved ones and our own mortality.
There is a theme of “reframing” our thoughts and emotions toward our belongings that runs through the book. I found this approach to be helpful – neither triggering nor judgmental – as the author speaks the truth about what possessions mean to us and how to categorize them as things you choose to keep and things that need to go. I also believe that Peter Walsh successfully used the concept of reframing when dealing with other people (e.g., siblings or spouses) and challenging family dynamics, for example when downsizing for an elderly parent.
Of note, the reader will find that there is a repetition of content in chapter 8 “Downsizing Your Parents’ Home” (this chapter follows “Downsizing Your Own Home”).
Best quotes
“Downsizing is a normal – and necessary – part of life.”
“Luckily, my husband and I get along great. Otherwise, I don’t think downsizing would have worked. The main lesson has been this: Home is where your loved ones are.”
“Your possessions display your identity.”
“We outfit the spaces in our home (and car and office cubicle) with so-called thought and feeling regulators.”
“When you have this sort of relationship with the stuff in your home, of course it’s difficult to shed your belongings and move on.”
“As I’ve mentioned, research involving older people found that they typically made their downsizing-related move in just 8 weeks. It’s not much time.”
“The SAG emotions often masquerade as specific fears that people feel about downsizing. I’ll describe these shortly. But first, it’s worth further exploring why downsizing can evoke such strong feelings of sadness, anxiety, or guilt.”
“Your home should not be a safety deposit box for your family history, unless that’s a choice you deliberately make. If you choose to take on that responsibility, make sure you have the resources and the enthusiasm to follow through. If you don’t, pass your important family-history heirlooms on to someone who does.”
“There’s no easy way to say this, but here goes: You’re going to die. We all will. So get over it! In the words of a great Hollywood film, you can get busy living or you can get busy dying. Downsizing will help you live well.”
“The price you paid for an object should not determine its importance in your new space.”
Who would enjoy this book?
Readers who are interested in a book that will help them sort through their possessions (and their thoughts and emotions) to successfully declutter and downsize are likely to enjoy Let It Go.
Who would not enjoy this book?
Readers who are not interested in following a plan/formula to declutter or who are not open to changing how they think about their possessions are unlikely to enjoy Let It Go.
Conclusion
Let It Go is an excellent self-help book on effectively downsizing, decluttering, and dealing with the emotions stirred up in the process.