Let It Go

Downsizing Your Way to a Richer, Happier Life

By: Peter Walsh

Narrated by: Gary Furlong

Sorting through a lifetime's worth of accumulated possessions can be a daunting and stressful process that millions of Americans confront every year. The need to downsize often arises at a momentous life change, whether you're an empty nester or retiree selling your family home, a newlywed blending your households, or cleaning out your parents' property after they've moved into assisted living or passed away.

Decluttering guru Peter Walsh knows the difficulty of downsizing firsthand. Along with six of his siblings, he went through the process of downsizing his family home and dividing his late parents' possessions. He realized that making these decisions about mementos and heirlooms creates strong emotions and sometimes sibling rivalries. After this experience, he downsized his own home. Peter doesn't see downsizing as a difficult chore - rather, it's a freeing, rejuvenating process. Now, in Let It Go, you'll access Peter's many tips and practical takeaways, such as how to:

• Understand the emotional challenges that accompany downsizing
• Create strategies for working with your spouse, adult kids, or siblings without drama
• Identify the objects that will bring you real happiness

©2017 Peter Walsh (P)2017 Tantor

Practical

I have listened to or read a lot of declutter books over the years. This book is very practical. The most useful piece of advice that gave me clarity was the process of sorting out treasures. "Treasures should be limited to the amount that will fit on your kitchen table." Other books haven't been this tangible specific. He doesn't just give the advice, he explains the why behind the advice and incorporates flexibility. He validates the difficulty with down sizing and like most declutter advice, it's not rocket science, but it's nice to have it laid out in clear steps to approach.
Narrator is clear with good intonation. There are handouts which might be nicer to print first. I listened and will now go back and complete the exercises which address the psychological side of downsizing.
I'm not downsizing my house but I am at the empty nesting phase and so this book contains good advice in moving to the next phase of life. And though I am not at the stage of having lost either parent, this book will be my go to when that does happen.

Move forward

Helpful tools to make decisions. The questions help clarify our own intention. I feel lighter already.

Give it up

Definitely some nuggets of wisdom on how to approach dealing with stuff family leave behind. Especially true if there are multiple interested parties. Basically, if you’re not using it, haven’t used it in a while, or it doesn’t hold sentimental value on the “treasure” scale of proportions, it’s 99.9% likely it’s not worth the space it takes, both physically and mentally.

Let it Go! is GOOD!!!

How to identify & prioritize the true treasures, the worthies, & just stuff when confronted with mass quantities of possessions & memories is an invaluable skill ... whether you're downsizing your own home, or your parents' (living or not), alone or with siblings. This book teaches you how, covering all situations with chapters tailored to each need. I either have dealt with, am currently dealing with, or will deal with each situation, so I found every chapter helpful. Highly recommend!

Drawn Out

Helpful in parts, but lacks the specific advice I was hoping for and seems drawn out just to take up pages.