my mind on books

“Recent self-help books on happiness” lists these titles (which I’ve linked to Amazon):

“What Happy Women Know” by Dan Baker

“Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth” by Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener

“The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living” by Russ Harris

“The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want” by Sonja Lyubomirsky

“Happiness for Two” by Alexandra Stoddard

“Happiness Is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life” by Sylvia Boorstein

“Happiness for Dummies” by W. Doyle Gentry

“The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Psychology of Happiness” by Arlene Matthews Uhl

Dr. Seligman’s Authentic Happiness site at Penn

books by Martin Seligman at Amazon

I know it sounds strange, but if you start by focusing on the clutter, you will never get organized. Getting truly organized is rarely about “the stuff.”
This is the bottom line: If your stuff and the way it is organized is getting you to your goals… fantastic. But if it’s impeding your vision for the the life you want, then why is it in your home? Why is it in your life? Why do you cling to it? For me, this is the only starting point in dealing with clutter.

(excerpt from It’s All Too Much)

When Kevin Kelly and Merlin Mann both rave about a book, it must be worth checking out, so as long as there’s still room to squeeze in one more book onto those overcrowded shelves, we’ll need to take a look at It’s All Too Much: How to Declutter Your Life by Peter Walsh.

Kevin Kelly’s Cool Tools review of ‘It’s All Too Much: How To Declutter Your Life‘ by Peter Walsh

Merlin Mann at 43folders: “My war on clutter” and “Review of It’s All Too Much…”

Peter Walsh interview at Unclutterer

Peter Walsh’s website

The Only 127 Things You Need: A Guide To Life’s Essentials, the book excerpted in a recent post here, includes advice on controlling clutter from Peter Walsh.

Walsh also appears on Clean Sweep cable TV program.

The Only 127 Things You Need: A Guide To Life’s Essentials by Donna Wilkinson (Tarcher/Penguin, 2008) lists the following essentials for a healthy mind, each further broken down into “essential components”:

• Love and connection: “the ability to form close bonds with others” and “the capacity to give and receive emotional support”
• A sense of control: “A strong belief in your own capabilities,” “resilience,” “optimism and humor,” and “a sense of purpose.”
• Mindfulness and acceptance: “the ability to be present,” “the ability to observe without judgment or criticism,” and “the capacity to notice new things.”
• The ability to be real: “honest self-reflection,” “the capacity to express and feel uncomfortable emotions,” “acceptance of self and others, warts and all,” and “the courage to live your own life.”
• Physical and mental exercise: “regular physical activity” plus “meditation and other mental exercise.”

(extracted from p. 245-308)

Chris Brogan interviewed by Gretchen Rubin at The Happiness Project:

Gretchen: What’s a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?
Chris: Going to a bookstore makes me very happy. I love the possibility all wrapped up in those pages.

Meanwhile, coincidentally, one of the new book reviews at Metapsychology Online reviews is of The Meaning of the Body by Mark Johnson, also the topic of a recent comment here at My Mind on Books. (Thanks to Andrew!)