Hello, happier podcast listeners. I'm Gretchen Ruben and you are listening to a

special bonus mini episode to celebrate the release of my new book, Outer Order

Inner Calm. We hear from many podcast listeners who also love listening to

audiobooks. My hope for Outer Order Inner Calm is that you'll start reading or

listening to the book and before long you'll spring the ear feet, unable to

resist the siren call of clearing clutter. It feels so good to get rid of things

we don't need, don't use, or don't love. This book is meant to make that process as easy

and as pleasant as possible. Because that's my aim for the book, I was very pleased that the day

after we finished recording this audiobook, my director May emailed me a photo of the clutter she

just cleared out of her office. Listening to me read the book aloud, got her inspired.

I hope you enjoyed this excerpt from Outer Order Inner Calm. Onward and upward.

Clearing clutter is a big challenge. Why? One reason is that the process requires us to make

taxing choices about what to keep, what to discard, and why. Often, to make those choices,

we must confront the reason that we've accumulated that clutter in the first place.

Do any of these explanations sound familiar? This thing is so useful that someday I'll find a way

to use it. I can get this thing fixed or altered. Life's too short to spend my time dealing with this

thing. This thing was a gift, so I need to keep it out of respect for the giver. This thing hasn't

been used up yet. Just wait! Someday, this thing will be a collector's item.

I never had this thing as a child, so I want to have it as an adult. The more things I keep,

the more I will leave my family one day. This thing reminds me of someone I love.

If I deal with this thing now, if I make my bed or wash this dish, I'll just have to deal with it

all over again tomorrow. I'm more creative with all these things around me. I can't deal with this

...