Why am I passionate about this?

I have always referred to myself as “obsessive-compulsive delightful,” but who knew I could turn that lifelong trait into a booming business? While working as a personal assistant, I discovered I had the ability to see through any mess and clearly envision a clutter-free space. Coupled with keen time-management and organizational skills, I soon found more and more people were asking me for help. Before I knew it, my company, dClutterfly was born. Twelve years and thousands of decluttered homes later, I knew it was time to take what I had learned working with my clients and write a book to help others dealing with clutter. Making Space, Clutter Free is a bestseller and continues to help people change their relationship to their stuff.


I wrote

Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book on Decluttering You'll Ever Need

By Tracy McCubbin,

Book cover of Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book on Decluttering You'll Ever Need

What is my book about?

"This isn't another Kondo-clone, because she dives into the heart of why decluttering is so difficult."– Booklist, Starred Review…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store

Tracy McCubbin Why did I love this book?

In this beautifully written and painfully honest memoir, the author gives up buying anything but consumables for a year. During that year, she realizes the treadmill of consumerism had kept her stuck and unhappy. Working to live, living to work. She dives deep into the cycles of spending, debt, and regret and realizes how often she had turned to spending, food, and booze to avoid feeling her feelings. 

Not only did Cait’s journey remind me so much of my own in my 20’s. Spending money I didn’t have to make myself feel better about things I couldn’t change about myself, all the while ignoring the things I could change, she also reminded me of so many of my clients. Hoping that the stuff they buy will fix their problems.

By Cait Flanders,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Year of Less as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

New in paperback: Millennial blogger recounts her yearlong shopping ban in a memoir that inspires readers to radically simplify their own lives and redefine what it means to have, and be, "enough."

In her late twenties, Cait Flanders found herself stuck in the consumerism cycle that grips so many of us: earn more, buy more, want more, rinse, repeat. Even after she worked her way out of nearly $30,000 of consumer debt, her old habits took hold again. When she realized that nothing she was doing or buying was making her happy--only keeping her from meeting her goals--she decided to…


Book cover of Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002)

Tracy McCubbin Why did I love this book?

By sharing his private journals from 1977-2002, I realized why David Sedaris is one of the funniest writers alive today. This laugh-out-loud accounting of his observations of both the outside world and his inside voice makes this a read you don’t ever want to end. From his relationships with his family to his inability to hold a job to his fascination with accumulating collection, I was reminded again that it’s never about the stuff but about the feelings the stuff gives us. He illustrates the meaning we pile on our clutter with an uncomfortable, painful but hilarious accuracy.

By David Sedaris,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Theft by Finding as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most anticipated books of 2017: Boston Globe, New York Times Book Review, New York's "Vulture", The Week, Bustle, BookRiot

An NPR Best Book of 2017

An AV Club Favorite Book of 2017
A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2017

A Goodreads Choice Awards nominee

David Sedaris tells all in a book that is, literally, a lifetime in the making.

For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention-overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations are the source code for…


Book cover of Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding

Tracy McCubbin Why did I love this book?

As a child of an extreme hoarder, this book helped me realize the extent of and truly understand my father’s disorder. The authors do an amazing job of explaining a very difficult and painful mental disorder and offering real treatments that work. If you or someone you love is afflicted with hoarding disorder, this book is a must-read.

By David Tolin, Randy O. Frost, Gail Steketee

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Buried in Treasures as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

While most people find it relatively easy to manage their possessions, some find it extremely difficult. If you have a problem resisting the urge to acquire and you find your home cluttered and filled to capacity with items many people would find useless and unnecessary, you may suffer from a condition known as hoarding disorder.

Hoarding is a behavioral problem consisting of clutter, difficulty discarding items, and excessive buying or acquiring. Hoarding is often associated with significant reduction in quality of life, and in extreme cases, it can pose serious health risks. If you or a loved one has hoarding…


Book cover of The Wreckage of My Presence: Essays

Tracy McCubbin Why did I love this book?

In this gorgeous, funny, heartbreaking, and heartwarming book of essays, Casey dives deep into her relationship with everything from her parents to food to The Real Housewives franchise. Her realization about her sugar addiction is parallel to so many people’s addiction to stuff. You could substitution shopping for candy in this book and this book would be about decluttering. If you have ever lost a parent, this book will hold your hand through the grieving process. And laugh a lot along the way.

By Casey Wilson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Wreckage of My Presence as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Magnificent." -People Magazine

The instant New York Times bestseller: Laugh-out-loud, deeply insightful, and emotion-filled essays from multitalented actress, comedian, podcaster, and writer Casey Wilson.

Casey Wilson has a lot on her mind and she isn't afraid to share. In this dazzling collection, each essay skillfully constructed and brimming with emotion, she shares her thoughts on the joys and vagaries of modern-day womanhood and motherhood, introduces the not-quite-typical family that made her who she is, and persuasively argues that lowbrow pop culture is the perfect lens through which to examine human nature.

Whether she's extolling the virtues of eating in bed,…


Book cover of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter

Tracy McCubbin Why did I love this book?

Listen to your grandmother, or someone’s else adorable Swedish grandmother. Don’t leave a mess behind! This practical guide to decluttering before you transition on reminds us that the messes we make are ours to clean up. Mixed in are some words of wisdom about a life well lived and some delicious recipes. Wise words from an elder. 

By Margareta Magnusson,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

*Soon to be a major TV series*

Dostadning, or the art of death cleaning, is a Swedish phenomenon by which the elderly and their families set their affairs in order. Whether it's sorting the family heirlooms from the junk, downsizing to a smaller place, or using a failsafe system to stop you losing essentials, death cleaning gives us the chance to make the later years of our lives as comfortable and stress-free as possible. Whatever your age, Swedish death cleaning can be used to help you de-clutter your life, and take stock of what's important.

Radical and joyous, eighty-something Margareta…


Explore my book 😀

Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book on Decluttering You'll Ever Need

By Tracy McCubbin,

Book cover of Making Space, Clutter Free: The Last Book on Decluttering You'll Ever Need

What is my book about?

"This isn't another Kondo-clone, because she dives into the heart of why decluttering is so difficult."– Booklist, Starred Review

Discover the freedom of a beautiful home, personal purpose, and joyful inner confidence with the last home organization book you'll ever need. Learn how to declutter your home with expert Tracy McCubbin, who gets to the root of the problem and offers revolutionary help to anyone who has repeatedly tried to break their clutter's mysterious hold and achieve a clutter-free, minimalist home. Her powerful answer lies in the 7 Emotional Clutter Blocks, unconscious obstacles that stand between thousands of her clients and financial freedom, healthy relationships, and positive outlooks.

Book cover of The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store
Book cover of Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002)
Book cover of Buried in Treasures: Help for Compulsive Acquiring, Saving, and Hoarding

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A Particular Man

By Lesley Glaister,

Book cover of A Particular Man

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Why am I passionate about this?

About myself: As a novelist I’m crazy for detail. I believe it’s the odd and unexpected aspects of life that bring both characters and story worlds to life. This means that I try to be an observer at all times, keeping alert and using all five – and maybe six – senses. My perfect writing morning begins with a dog walk in the woods or on a beach, say, while keeping my senses sharp to the world around me and listening out for the first whisper of what the day’s writing will bring.

Lesley's book list on relationships and sexuality in post-World War II Britain

What is my book about?

This book is a literary historical novel. It is set in Britain immediately after World War II, when people – gay, straight, young, and old - are struggling to get back on track with their lives, including their love lives. Because of the turmoil of the times, the number of losses, and the dangerous and peculiar circumstances people find themselves in, sexual mores have become shaken and stirred.

But what happened after the war, in the time of healing and settling down? This novel examines the emotional, romantic, and sexual lives of three characters searching for a way to proceed.

A Particular Man

By Lesley Glaister,

What is this book about?

Love never dies in this novel by “a writer of addictive emotional thrillers” (The Independent).

Told from three perspectives A Particular Man is about love, truth and the unpredictable consequences of loss.

When Edgar dies in a Far East prisoner-of-war camp it breaks the heart of fellow prisoner Starling. In Edgar’s final moments, Starling makes him a promise. When, after the war, he visits Edgar’s family, to fulfil this promise, Edgar's mother Clementine mistakes him for another man.

Her mistake allows him access to Edgar’s home and to those who loved him, stirring powerful and disorientating emotions, and embroiling him…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in order and clutter, pop culture, and decision making?

Pop Culture 166 books
Decision Making 88 books