Outer Order, Inner Calm

Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, has found that getting control of possessions makes people feel more in control of their lives, and that for most of them outer order contributes to inner calm. Her illustrated guide to decluttering holds that a rigid, one-size-fits-all system fails most people and favors approaches tailored to each person's own challenges and habits. Rubin offers dozens of manageable tips, among them never labeling anything miscellaneous, not aiming for minimalism, staying current with a child's interests, and resisting the urge to procrasticlear. Clearing out what goes unused, unneeded or unloved, she argues, frees both mind and shelves for what matters most. It reached the New York Times best-seller list in 2019.