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 Not just another self help book Nov 03, 2009
An easy read, with the acknowledgement of the work required to overcome the problem is not easy. Numerous examples permit recognition of specific motivations involved in the need to acquire and/or not dispose of items. Methods provided for working to overcome these problems set forth in clear action steps.
Book on Hoarding Oct 30, 2009
I haven't finished reading the book yet, but it helps people to understand the hoarding mentality. It's quite interesting. I will definitely finish reading this one and share it with others.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Take tiny steps necessary to discard all that unnecessary stuff Jun 12, 2009
"Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding" is for "collectors," of which I most certainly am one! If you are a "collector," you know you must solve--all on your own--this problem of accumulating too much stuff.
Oh yes, it would be wonderful to have someone come in and help you make all the stuff disappear, as the team on "Clean House" does. Sort it in bins, then discard, donate, sell--yep, the way to go, except, Mr. or Miss Collector, you cannot put it in any bins except to keep it. Right?
That's where this book comes in--it actually breaks down every argument your pesky little mind can throw in your way to de-clutter. I won't go into details, but my severe acquiring and cluttering developed as a result of divorce. I literally could not touch anything to put away or discard. It had to just sit there, taking up space, keeping people away. Someone volunteered to help me organize, but the thought put me in panic mode.
"Buried in Treasures" is helping. Writers David Tolin, Randy Frost, and Gail Steketee name the condition as compulsive hoarding and stating that overcoming the problem is hard work. They define three conditions for hoarding:
1. Accumulating, then having difficulty getting rid of things of limited or useless value,
2. Clutter that limits or prevents the use of living spaces in the manner for which they were intended,
3. Both the clutter itself and discarding the clutter cause distress.
In order for the hoarder to address the problem, he/she must understand the causes for hoarding, the results, and reasons to change. Hoarding did not happen overnight nor will the clutter disappear overnight. Reinforcement through repetition of information and self-help tests interspersed throughout the book force the reader to think and respond, think and respond.
The authors show the hoarder how to begin discarding through information: strategies, lists, categorizing, flowcharts, agencies that will accept your discards, setting up filing systems, rules, everything, anything that will help begin the discarding process.
Here's an example of treating one aspect of hoarding: Making decisions. Easy for you? A hoarder will pick up something, not be able to decide what to do with it, and put it back amidst the clutter for a decision later. A decision has two parts: make a decision, then follow-through. So, how does a hoarder follow through? A whole list of questions is provided for handling each item. Tedious, you say? The point is to get past the point of getting started.
Getting started: Obtain bins for trashing, donating, and keeping. The point is to have the "keep" bin the emptiest. The second step is to set a specific length of time every day to de-clutter until the clutter is gone, whether one hour or fifteen minutes. Make a schedule. Follow it.
The book is very helpful. At least, I have started the process and have thrown out several boxes of stuff in the last week alone. It's a beginning, whereas I was stuck in time before this book.
Thank you, Tolin, Frost, and Steketee. Your book is itself a treasure, but it's not buried.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Buried in Treasure May 25, 2009
This book was purchased for a friend and she shares its contents with me at times. It is very informative about reducing the clutter in our homes and the ideas are very workable. A good book for anyone who wants to downsize and simplify their lives.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
What to Keep and What to Toss May 12, 2009
This is an excellent book, well written and I felt the people giving the information were really concerned about the people who bought and read this book to improve their situation with this problem. Recycling and downsizing can soon get to be a mountainous task. I found this a most helpful book and one I will certainly recommend to others. Thank you to George too!
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