For all those who make New Year resolutions, here's an
entertaining and honest book. YEAR OF NO CLUTTER is a
memoir of a Vermont lady who graduated from art school and
hoarded all kinds of bits and scraps in case they could be
used in an art project, sometime. Eve Schaub's two
daughters spent hours fiddling with shells and glue in the
spare room... until there wasn't room. Papers, fabrics,
toys, mementoes and books filled the room.
Previously Eve had written about her family's 'Year Of No
Sugar'. Deciding to tackle next the growing (and
spreading) 'stuff' problem, Eve realised how good she was
at hiding clutter through being organised, how much her
husband had been politely ignoring her keep-it-in-case
mentality, and how hoarding everything from food to student
notes ran in her family. Her younger daughter Ilsa was
small enough to accept that mom was going to tidy. Her
teenage daughter Greta was a powerhouse of work effort and
organisation, and a moral support. Though the tale has
amusing sides, Eve found her task, fitted in on half days
and school holidays, stressful. She had Grandma's silver
that was never used; she had elderly, cherished baby
clothes and skirts. She had piles of her husband Steve's
photographic negatives and camera bits, which were put in
the hall for him to address. Now she had boxes of tidied
items around the house waiting to go to the charity shop or
library sale, so the whole house was messy. Friends and
family were moving house, downsizing... and giving things
away. How to say no?
I like how Eve looks at medical and psychological issues
surrounding hoarding. She tells us that firefighters find
hoarding in twenty-five percent of homes they enter; no
clear exits. While some of us rationalise keeping an item,
clutterers just keep it because they keep everything,
perhaps to avoid decisions. Breathing problems, insects and
poor hygiene can occur in these homes, and time is lost
searching for items, or buying new things because the old
one can't be found. Eve admits to having a touch of
obsessive compulsive disorder, which she did not want to
pass on to her daughters. Could she clean that room, free
up the whole house, even with a year to do it? Could she be
a stronger, more positive person? She had to retrain
herself to make decisions. Or she would end up like her
father, who, that summer, turned out to be hoarding burned
Betamax players and primitive computers. On the journey she
learned some truths, provided some tips, and discovered
that unwanted items could be passed on free to people who
would use them.
My house does have stacks of books, but we regularly
recycle, donate and declutter other items, and some books
go to new homes too. If YEAR OF NO CLUTTER by Eve Schaub
sounds like it could be useful, start reading and see if
you recognise an aspect of yourself. As Eve realised, if we
don't separate the gold from the dross, it will all be
binned by someone else. Take the time - and set children a
good example.
Eve has a problem with clutter. Too much stuff and too
easily acquired, it confronts her in every corner and on
every surface in her house. When she pledges to tackle the
worst offender, her horror of a "Hell Room," she anticipates
finally being able to throw away all of the unnecessary
things she can't bring herself to part with: her fifth-grade
report card, dried-up art supplies, an old vinyl raincoat.
But what Eve discovers isn't just old CDs and outdated
clothing, but a fierce desire within herself to hold on to
her identity. Our things represent our memories, our
history, a million tiny reference points in our lives. If we
throw our stuff in the trash, where does that leave us? And
if we don't...how do we know what's really important?
Everyone has their own Hell Room, and Eve's battle with her
clutter, along with her eventual self-clarity, encourages
everyone to dig into their past to declutter their future.
Year of No Clutter is a deeply inspiring―and
frequently hilarious ― examination of why we keep stuff in
the first place, and how to let it all go.
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