Book review: It's All Too Much, by Peter Walsh

'It's All Too Much' is a book by TV personality and organiser Peter Walsh, which not only has useful tips on getting each room in your house under control, but also looks at the reasons we let our stuff take over.

In the first chapter he describes a young couple whose shelves were full of books about losing weight, running a better business, being happier and solving problems. He said to them: "This is where it starts: your home. Where you live breathe, rest, love and create. Forget the self help books. Get rid of the clutter. Get organized. If you do, I promise you that every area of your life will change in ways that you never imagined possible."

Walsh says that who we are and what we have are intimately linked, and while we aren't the sum of our possessions, our stuff reveals a great deal about who we are.

Here are some more of his principles: You only have as much room as you have. The answer is to reduce your stuff, not get a bigger house.

Start by imagining the life you want. Now look around. Is your stuff helping or hindering that goal? The first step to getting organized is to work from the vision of the life you want to lead.

It's not about 'the stuff'. It's about changing our relationship to the stuff. Possessions are secondary to who we are, and this should be reflected in our homes and in our lives. Walsh says: "When you solve the stuff problem, clarity follows."

If you've been a lifelong hoarder, it will take time to change things. Start slowly. Clutter is insidious, entering your home little by little. "Clutter sucks life away," says Walsh. "It leaves you depressed, overwhelmed, lacking motivation and unable to breathe. Clutter prevents you from enjoying the most precious, intimate moments in life. Clutter robs you of far more than the space it occupies – it steals your life!"

And with that thought in mind, this month I will begin to tackle my no-mans land, death zone of clutter: the laundry!