The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning Review

April 19, 2022 Post a Comment

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The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning PDF Summary

How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Ataxia

Marie Kondo fabricated tidying up not only a fashionable habit only also a life-changing one.

Margareta Magnusson is here to offer some tips and tricks from the practices in her ain home state.

Ladies and gentlemen, time to learn a trivial something well-nigh:

The Gentle Art of Swedish Expiry Cleaning.

Who Should Read "The Gentle Art of Swedish Decease Cleaning"? And Why?

If you are a hoarder who wants to modify his/her lifestyle as before long as possible, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning may be the commencement book yous need to read – and directly away, if you inquire the states!

The same holds truthful for anyone who doesn't know what decluttering is, and has a problem finding space in his/her apartment for his new piece of clothing, or even a pencil.

Besides, if you lot enjoy watching Marie Kondo YouTube tutorials and reading her books (The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Upwards and Spark Joy), there's no reason not to savour Margareta Magnusson's debut – their books may have a different starting point, just essentially they do have the same bulletin.

And for all their differences, it'southward merely natural one time you finish Tolstoy, to read Dostoyevsky, isn't?

About Margareta Magnusson

Margareta Magnusson is a Swedish Stockholm-based writer and artist, dubbed by at least one author "the Marie Kondo of expiry."

Not younger than lxxx years nor older than a 100 (she is shy near her age), Magnusson is a graduate of Beckman College School of Pattern and has had her work exhibited in many galleries effectually the world, most notably in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Published in2018, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning is her debut book; it became a New York Times bestseller and quickly rose to the top of many "all-time of" lists of 2018.

"The Gentle Art of Swedish Expiry Cleaning PDF Summary"

"Function guidebook on how to how to declutter your home, part meditation on coming to terms with aging and how to make the process of downsizing less painful," The Gentle Art of Swedish Decease Cleaning is precisely what you'd look from a book with such a title.

"The just matter nosotros know for sure," writes Magnusson in the very first judgement of the book, "is that one day nosotros will die. But before that, we can practice anything."

Apparently, one of the most important things one can and should do is decluttering his/her house.

Because, as our favorite modern lyricist Leonard Cohen says (quoted by Magnusson): "Putting your house in order, if you can do it, is i of the nearly comforting activities, and the benefits of it are incalculable."

Then, let's see what this means in practise and how tidying up your home tin can be – or even is – related to death.

Döständning, or One Concluding Sweep Before You lot Dice

Let'south start with an inevitable fact: ane twenty-four hour period you lot'll die, and you'll exit a lot of items behind you lot. Accept you ever thought about what will happen to them once you're gone?

Equally it should exist only obvious, your loved ones will ane twenty-four hour period have to go through them. You can estimate the results: they'll throw abroad some of them, they'll keep others, they'll try to decide who deserves what of the virtually valuable ones.

This process is both physically and psychologically taxing; in many cases, no wonder that, in many cases, it can result in acrimonious disputes.

Take, for case, Margareta herself.

On her deathbed, her mother left her a mannerly bracelet. Yet, unlike her mother, Margareta has five children, then she knew total well that no matter what her choice would be on who to inherit it, that bracelet will probably cause much more sadness and bitterness than joy and laugher.

Her solution?

She simply sold the bracelet; equally valuable as it was (of course, emotionally much more than financially), it wasn't nearly equally valuable as family elation.

The selling of the bracelet was part of Margareta's döständning, Swedish for "death cleaning," or, as nosotros would like to say "one last sweep before yous die."

It may sound strange, but it is a fact of life in the Scandinavian countries.

Just like it is a great idea to make clean your house earlier you go out on vacation (so that y'all are not shocked once y'all come back), the Scandinavians believe that it is an even ameliorate one – nay, a duty! – to comb through all of your property and throw away the unnecessary stuff before you alive this planet.

After all, who knows them better than yous? And why should you lot bother others with your useless items?

Decluttering Is Bonding – If You Practice Information technology Right

In other words, if you intendance for your loved ones, then it'southward simply off-white to spare them the emotional and physical brunt of cleaning up your stuff.

Starting time with your cranium or basement (depending on which one of the two you accept) and with the big items: piece of furniture, books, items that take up a lot of space…

It'south not that you tin can't start with the small items in that secret box under your bed, but let's face it – it will take you forever to brand any progress if y'all do that.

Not that it's easy to get rid of your onetime dollhouses or twice-used sports equipment!

Afterward all, these items volition remind you of your happy babyhood days just every bit you're nearing to your death; and, equally we learned from Citizen Kane, null can exist more poignant and heartbreaking than that!

All the same, call up of the bug your books or toys may cause between your loved ones once y'all are gone; and should we remind you that you won't be there to mend them?

So, inquire yourself for each item: volition you ever need this again? Will someone else need it?

Granted, every bit catchy as it is, the outset question may exist a fleck easier to answer than the latter ane.

Magnusson has a solution for that: if you don't know if something will be useful to some of your loved ones, well, call them and ask them!

While you lot're alive.

There, at present you've created a great opportunity for the family unit to bond!

Because not many of them will know everything about the younger "y'all," and some of them – like your grandchildren, for example – will probably discover a completely new "you."

Zippo bonds equally much as a walk down retentiveness lane.

Here's your risk to walk it – while you declutter!

Döständning and Being Discreet

As y'all've probably guessed, it's a fleck unsafe to invite your loved ones over to help y'all declutter if some of the things y'all've kept throughout the years, you've kept hidden from them for a reason.

Take a page out of Margareta Magnusson's book.

Afterward the expiry of her parents, she was expiry cleaning their firm and found a few unusual items; for example, cloak-and-dagger cartons of cigarettes hidden in a linen cupboard.

Evidently, her female parent was smoking in private – something she didn't want anyone to know or notice out. Margareta included: she realized that she might take been happier if she had never constitute most her female parent's vice.

More mysterious and even scarier, in her father's desk, Margareta discovered a large slice of arsenic dating from at least 3 decades earlier her father'south death.

Since her father passed away in the 1970s, information technology was evident to Margareta that the arsenic was acquired when her parents had feared that Sweden might be invaded past the Germans.

However, why did it remain in the chiffonier for and then long? Did her father – or even her parents – had another undercover that Margareta would probably never discover out?

Once over again, do yous actually like your children and their children to wonder about things such equally these once yous're not alive to offering an explanation?

So, be very conscientious before you lot outset inviting your relatives and gifting them your memories. Some of your memories are not supposed to be given away.

Yeah, that is peculiarly true for your diaries and your love letters!

Read them carefully and run into if there's annihilation in in that location you lot don't desire anyone to find out.

If so, ask yourself whether it's smart to keep them still.

That's right:

Time to throw them abroad or, ameliorate nonetheless, burn them!

The Throw-Away Box and the Cabinet for the Ugly

Now, Margareta knows that information technology'd be about incommunicable for you to go rid of things as personal as diaries, letters or photographs.

If that's the case, Margareta suggests putting them in an easily disposable "throw-away box," adorned with a sticker: "delight throw away this without opening it."

This should certainly assistance since it bereaves y'all of the burden of throwing away something yous cherish in addition to relieving you from your doubts that these things will eventually be seen past someone else after your decease.

But, allow's face it: there'southward no guarantee about the latter.

If you don't believe united states, merely ask Franz Kafka!

So, nosotros suggest the strategy above: when y'all are confident that something of yours should be seen past nobody other than yourself, make sure that you lot are the concluding person who'll ever encounter it.

On the subject of throw-away containers – Magnusson mentions another blazon:

I do know people who maintain what we in Sweden call a fulskåp, a chiffonier for the ugly. A fulskåp is a cupboard full of gifts you can't stand to look at, and which are impossible to regift. Commonly these are presents from distant aunts and uncles that you put on display when the giver comes to visit.

Yous don't need Magnusson to tell you that "this is a bad idea." Information technology both occupies infinite and inspires others to give you similar gifts.

If those gifts are not who yous are – be honest.

If you lot're a girl and yous vax, y'all know what we're talking about: the rip of the Band-Help hurts like hell, but everything's both amend and cleaner soon afterward.

Cardinal Lessons from "The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning"

ane.      Decluttering: A Lesson from the Vikings
2.      Swedish Death Cleaning: The Art You Should Main
3.      Decluttering and the Two Questions Yous Should Inquire About Each Item You Own

Decluttering: A Lesson from the Vikings

One time you lot dice, y'all leave behind many of your items on this planet. Of course, these go a responsibility of your loved ones: they need to clean your stuff up.

That'south non very fair on your part if you inquire Margareta Magnusson.

So, take a page out of the book of the Vikings: when they died, they were cached (or cremated) together with their belongings.

This way, the Vikings believed, they wouldn't miss their favorite items in Valhalla; but also – speaking in more than practical manners – this mode the surviving loved ones wouldn't have to quarrel over who should own them.

For example, in Greek mythology, Ajax went mad and killed himself after Odysseus got Achilles' armor shortly after Achilles was killed.

Yup, that'due south a very cruel, simply likewise good, metaphor for the issues your bracelet may cause once you die – if, say, you have more than than ane daughter.

Swedish Death Cleaning: The Art You lot Should Master

In that location's a better mode to tackle this trouble.

Information technology'due south called döständning in Swedish, a word which tin exist translated as "expiry cleaning" in English.

And it means exactly what y'all think it means: getting rid of the stuff you lot don't need then that your surviving loved ones don't accept to in one case you exit this planet.

It's not only good manners – only it's besides a not bad way to spare your loved ones the psychological burden of painful memories fifty-fifty long subsequently you're gone.

"Let me help brand your loved ones' memories of y'all nice," says Magnusson at i place, "instead of atrocious."

Decluttering and the Two Questions You Should Ask Most Each Item Yous Own

An fantabulous way to decide whether an particular should be thrown away or kept is by asking two questions about it.

The offset one is the obvious i: "Will I ever demand this?"

The second i becomes more of import with every day you're nearing to your expiry "Will anyone I know be happier if I save this?"

If you don't know the respond to the 2d question, invite your loved ones and ask them in person. Thus, decluttering becomes a great style to bond with them.

However, don't ever forget:

Yous can always hope and await for someone to want something in your home, but you cannot expect forever, and sometimes you must just give cherished things away with the wish that they terminate upwards with someone who will create new memories of their own.

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"The Gentle Art of Swedish Expiry Cleaning Quotes"

First with the large items in your home, and terminate with the pocket-sized. Click To Tweet I oftentimes ask myself: 'will anyone I know exist happier if I salvage this?' Click To Tweet The i affair we know for sure is that we will dice one day. Just before that you can endeavor to do well-nigh anything. Click To Tweet Yous really can't accept everything with you, and then maybe it is better to non try to own it all. Click To Tweet It is astonishing, and as well a little strange, how many things we accumulate in a lifetime. Click To Tweet

Our Critical Review

Before The Gentle Art of Swedish Expiry Cleaning, we didn't fifty-fifty know that there was such a thing as "death cleaning." Now, it's suddenly all we retrieve about.

"A addicted and wise little book," writes Dwight Garner for The New York Times. "I jettison communication books later on I've flipped through them. This ane I volition go on."

We too, Dwight. This i's a great, dandy, great book.