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I’ve just read this really useful book It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh. I’ve always struggled with wanting less stuff around me, but working here and seeing how Carrie strips things to their essence makes me feel like I can breathe freely. I want that in my home. Having children seems like this is an impossible goal, but it’s not really about the stuff – it’s about the mindset. So here, five tips I gleaned from Peter’s book:

1. The Power of Now: Getting rid of something without fear of “one day I might need it” allows us to live freely in the present and allows space for our dreams to manifest.

2. Either you value something or you don’t: If something is truly important to you, honor it. My precious letters and cards that I’ve been saving weren’t being honored stuffed into a box under my bed. Not only is that unhealthy in terms of dust, but it’s no way to treat something that matters to me. So I made a collage of them, and had it professionally framed. Now, I see it everyday and I smile. Those beautiful words are front and center; just where they should be.

3. Cost: Clutter costs you in space obviously, money because you may buy duplicates, and time – spent looking for things. But most importantly, it costs you in energy. And that is perhaps the most precious resource.

4. Treasure Hunt to Yourself: Think of the de-cluttering process as an excavation instead of a purge. You’re cutting through layers of stuff and while you decide what to keep and what not to keep, you’ll learn about what’s truly important to you.

5. A Gift is Not an Obligation. Or rather, it shouldn’t be. I held on to things I didn’t like because they were received from people I DO like. But people are not things. Things are not people.