the swedish art of gentle death cleaning

What’s more, it’s a permanent state of living your life in such an organized way that things constantly run smoothly. The art of döstädning is more than just dusting and tidying up it’s essentially taking a fine-toothed comb to all of your belongings to chuck away any unnecessary things. In fact, the smart thing to do is start cleaning up now rather than later. Now, you don’t need to be sick or even elderly to take steps to make things easier for your loved ones. With each move, she’s gained more insight into what deserves to be carried around. Having lived a long life, moving 17 times, the author knows a thing or two about the art of death cleaning. You may have lost a loved one, found yourself facing a break-up or divorce, downsizing to a smaller home or making the transition to a nursing home. There are a number of reasons you might find yourself cleaning house and reducing your amount of belongings. The Swedish have a name for this – döstädning, or “death cleaning.” Of course, acknowledging your own mortality can be uncomfortable, but when you think about it, the considerate thing to do would be to take care of your belongings ahead of time. And having to go through all your belongings isn’t just a tall order in terms of time and effort it’s also sure to take quite a psychological toll.

Have you ever stopped to consider what’s going to happen to all of your stuff when you die? Whatever you leave behind will inevitably end up being the responsibility of your loved ones.

how a “throw-away box” can save your family from embarrassment.how death cleaning can be an opportunity for family bonding and.why selling an heirloom may be better than holding onto it.In this summary of The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson, you’ll learn Regularly taking stock of your belongings and keeping your house in order can be peaceful and reassuring.

While you may not like tidying up, this book summary will show you that it doesn’t have to be a big painful ordeal. But here’s the thing: if you don’t want to go through your boxes and figure out what’s worthwhile and what isn’t, why would you want to make your loved ones do it after you’re gone? Generally speaking, we put stuff in our basement, attic or storage space, so we don’t have to think about it. You might think of cleaning up or reorganizing your life as a hassle best avoided or otherwise put off to a much later date. But there’s another important reason for keeping your home clear of clutter – you ensure that someone else doesn’t have to do the job later on. You may have heard of some of the benefits of keeping a tidy house, whether for a minimalistic approach or because a clear environment equals a clear mind.

The swedish art of gentle death cleaning