***** 5 Stars

Hands-on, user-friendly, useful lists, do-able strategies for real people.

I was somewhat skeptical (another decluttering book?) when beginning this short volume, but within minutes, was intrigued: in concise, precise language and with short, focused stories, DeMorrow was hitting every nail on the head. I found the short description of the brain science behind "collecting" (saving, keeping, hoarding---whatever level you have reached) fascinating. There are REAL reasons (besides laziness or sloth) for such behaviors! In a nutshell, "the physical brain ... feels perceived loss or real loss more vividly than potential gain", meaning that it hurts you more to part with your stuff than it gives you pleasure thinking of a neat and tidy home. "Roughly speaking, loss hurts about twice as much as gain makes you feel good"---this, from a Nobel-winning behavioral economist, not just De Morrow. With those intriguing ideas in mind, I read through the rest of this hands-on, user-friendly, do-able steps book.