Unstuffed

 Title: Unstuffed: Decluttering Your Home, Mind & Soul

Author: Ruth Soukup

Publisher: Zondervan

Genre: Christian Nonfiction, self-help, Christian Living

Source: Owned

My Review:

Ruth Soukup is a new author to me. I grabbed this book by the title and cover, not knowing what it was about. I think on some level, we all want to declutter our homes, minds and souls.

Hospitality is not inviting people to our perfect homes; it is inviting them to our imperfect hearts. -Edie Wadsworth

This book is divided into three sections. The first is your home, the second section is your mind, and the third is your soul. Each section has multiple chapters related to the overall theme. Each chapter begins with a quote and has a section in it that is like a recap or action points. 

Beware the barrenness of a busy life. -Socrates

I enjoyed this book. While I have read quite a few books along similar lines over the years, I still gleaned new information from this one. It is written in a more informal, conversational tone, making it an easy read. The author doesn't write from the perspective of one that has it all together, but from the perspective of a work in progress.

Friendship...is born at that moment when one man says to another "What! You too? I thought that no one by myself..." -C.S. Lewis

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to declutter any aspect of their life. There is much we can all learn from each other. 

★★★★/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 

STUFF. It's everywhere. Lurking in corners and closets, spilling onto counters and coffee tables, creating havoc everywhere we look. And it's not just the physical clutter that weighs us down. Oh no, it is the stress of overbooked schedules, and the weight of life that sometimes feels oppressive and totally out of whack.

New York Times bestselling author Ruth Soukup feels your pain--she has been there too. Through personal stories, Biblical truth, and practical action plans, she will inspire and empower each of us to finally declutter not just our home, but our mind and soul as well. Unstuffed is real, honest, and gets right down to the question we are all facing--how can we take back our lives from the stuff that is weighing us down?

In this book, together we will:

•             Create a comprehensive vision for our homes, and make instant changes to improve its overall function.

•             Discover that more closet space is not the solution, and instead learn how to set strict limits for the stuff we bring in

•             Overcome the frustration of dealing with our kids' influx of stuff and implement practical solutions for keeping the chaos at bay.

•             Recognize the pitfalls of an overstuffed schedule BEFORE it gets out of hand, and instead learn to combat the culture of busy that keeps us running from one thing to the next.

•             Finally conquer that mountain of paperwork that threatens to tumble down around us at any moment.

•             Let go of the guilt that gets attached to gifts and instead learn to separate our loved ones from their stuff.

•             Begin to cultivate our real friendships while eliminating the toxic relationships that weigh us down.