The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter by Margareta Magnusson, 2018
I laughed out loud and admittedly, I also shed a tear (or two) while reading this book. It’s a quick fun read told by an expert story teller.
The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is a great book for introducing the concept of down-sizing and thinking about what’s important to surround yourself with. Margareta touches on the legacy of stuff to sort through and the burden it places on a family if it’s not dealt with.
Questions to ask
The book tells of her own journey of moving and down-sizing from a larger home to a two bedroom apartment. The author asks two fundamental questions about each item :
- Will I be happier if I save this?
- Will anyone else be happier if I save this?
Margareta uses stories to talk about the feelings and emotions that come with items that we save, especially sentimental items like photos and letters.
She goes into detail about getting rid of items. Each story gives insight into her very interesting history.
Where are you going next?
She talks about thinking of the place you are moving to and visualizing the space. Then you can then plan what you have room for and what you’ll need (and want) in the space.
I’ve written a post about creating a plan for helping those around you when you die. Making life easier for them by providing them with information regarding your wishes. You can read that here.
Back to the book. If you have a senior in your life that needs to move I recommend you give them a copy. It’s humorous and thought provoking and may save you a lot of grief later!
This book is a charming read. Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in with a dear friend for the afternoon.
Like this and want to read others like it? Check out some of my other book reviews here and here.
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