Outer Order Inner Calm: declutter and organize to make more room for happiness

Gretchen’s latest book gives us so many useful tips that we can dip in and out of when we feel the need to declutter and it is also a truly stimulating friend for when we want to take a deeper dive into clutter cleansing– to take back control of our environment and reenergise our minds and spirits in the process. I really love Gretchen’s phrase of learning to ‘curate’ our possessions so that we can bring balance and beauty to our worlds and spotlight the people, places and activities that we love by shipping out the superfluous. Gretchen goes gentle on us as we move forward on this journey, she reflects often that we will all have differences of tolerance for clutter and that we will therefore have different approaches to dealing with it. Gretchen’s book looks at both the broader issues surrounding the effect of clutter on our psyches as well as concrete ways to counteract its influence.I have taken on board some of her ideas already – I always clean my workspace for 10 minutes at the end of each day and tidy up downstairs and in my bedroom for 10 minutes before going up to sleep. I love the affect in the morning when I come down to a clear and more welcoming space. I actually stop to breathe out and smile – it’s a fabulous start to the day. For the same reason I also make my bed everyday – when you come back to it after work – it is like having a heartfelt hug waiting for you. I also love having an empty shelf – it makes me feel lighter and less judged.This weekend my husband helped me resolve some order in our room. Previously he had announced that he wanted to keep all the books he read this year in a collection – and so sure enough he started to pile them up next to the bed. Simultaneously, for a while now I have known that I needed a more competent bedside table – so in a eureka moment, following reading Gretchen’s book I suggested we choose two lovely bookcases – which we did and he duly built and put in place. This had made our space feel calmer, cosier and almost instantly, more inviting - wonderful qualities in your own special room.

Overall I really liked this book. It was a quick and easy read. Beginner entry into decluttering and leading a more ordered life. Nothing revolutionary in it but if new to the topic it has some great tips.

"In my study of happiness, I've realised that for most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm. More than it should."Building on her works about happiness, Gretchen Rubin has focused on how your environment (your home, place of work etc) makes you feel. Whilst people are different about how tidy they are, generally clutter (unwanted items or wanted items in the wrong place) is unhelpful and stressful.Rubin provides theories, specific examples and more importantly a framework for better behaviour. Some of her ideas about making choices about items you love (does it give me energy?), giving items a home (not where you left them!) and clearing active surfaces (which are not a store for items) are not ground breaking and some are inspired by others (Marie Kondo for example). However, the context in which Rubin places her ideas are different in places. For example, in my home I am naturally tidy and my husband is not and Rubin's section on 'clutter-cumulation' enabled me to see how I can improve tidiness by removing the temptation to stuff drawers too full and allow piles of post to congregate on the dinner table. I'm trying to instil into my children the concept that items have a home and can't just be left where they were last used. In my house I need to encourage the rest of my family to help keep the house tidy as we go along, so it rarely needs actively tidying.Clear and concise, this is an easy read for tips, suggestions and solutions to helping you feel calmer through sorting, discarding and tidying. Peppered with relatable anecdotes, Rubin is warm, friendly and encouraging, not judging or critical. I haven't read Marie Kondo so can't compare, but suspect based on other books that include organising (An Edited Life by Anna Newton for example) there isn't a huge amount of new content here. So all in all, good if you need declutter, but not her best work.

I enjoyed, and would recommend, this book.

Gretchen's work is always inspiring. In this chatty, easy to read book she suggests ways you can achieve outer order. I like the fact she goes beyond the clutter clearing to establish ways you can make it part of your life. I also agree with her that not all approaches work for everyone. The book is structured in a series of lists of tips and there were a lot I could highlight that I think could really work for me.

This book was an engaging and quick read. I read it all in a few hours. I immediately then attempted some decluttering, which is a good start. There are lots of useful tips and tricks so there is bound to be something that resonates with everyone. I find all of Gretchen’s books inspiring and this one was no different.

As a great fan of Gretchen Rubin’s earlier books I had high expectations of this one. Snappy easy to read style, but without the thorough research of her previous books. No great insights of takeaways.Luckily I got a Kindle version so that it doesn’t add to my clutter!

I'm a big fan of Gretchen's; I've read all her books and even participate in her happiness project experience. But this was a disappointment- too short and not enough substance or practical advice. Entertaining enough read for a rainy evening but don't expect anything amazing.

I read half the book last night. I couldn't put it down. As I read I wanted to jump up and start decluttering then and there. I loved her section on an amnesty day and forgiveness for past poor purchasing decisions with freedom to just get rid of the unloved stuff without the guilt. As she says, need it, love it, use it or get rid of it.Highly recommend this book.

There are already a lot of good blogs, books, podcasts and videos out about hoarding or reducing clutter. If these didn't work why not give this book a try? Found some new unique ideas. Change your habits. Less in, more out. Look inside convinced me to buy.

Gretchen opened up my world in more ways than one through 'The Happiness Project' and continued to appeal to my upholder instincts through her subsequent books. Must read for clutter clearing fans and GR fans!

I was really excited about reading this book, but now I feel a little let down.Although the book was full of some really good tips for how to declutter various aspects of our physical lives, I felt it was a bit empty. I had expected some of the personal anecdotal style of her previous books, but this was almost completely absent here. I had also hoped that there would be more focus on the psychological and philosophical aspects of how exactly outer order might promote inner calm. This was briefly touched upon in the introduction, but more detail would have been nice. As such, it basically reads as a list of tips - which is ok if that is what you want or are expecting, but I think it could've been greatly improved if it was written more like her other books.

The healer