The Spiritual Side of Reducing Clutter

At this point, you should never be surprised at the variety of authors and books featured on my blog. After all, I have repeated the idea that Christian Publishing is anything but boring so many times. You should expect it by now!

Today, Angie Hyche joins us to talk about her non-fiction projects and how they can actually improve our day to day lives. Intrigued? Read all the way through and answer a question at the end of this interview and you might win a copy of Uncluttered, Shaping Your Heart and Home for What Matters Most. This great book, written by Angie and her co-author Liana George was published in 2024 by Scrivenings Press.

Let’s hear from Angie about how that book, and her other projects came to be.

Jenny: Hi Angie, Thanks so much for joining us today. Since I met you and Liana through Scrivenings Press, I have been impressed by how you make getting organized sound appealing without being intimidating. Our readers can’t wait to hear more from you.

I’ll start with a traditional question for my fiction authors. What authors have you enjoyed that have influenced your own work?

Angie:

I have so many! I’ll list a few of my favorites and what I’ve learned from them. Interestingly enough, even though I write nonfiction (so far, although a big fiction project is in the works right now), most of my favorite authors are fiction authors.

• • • C. S. Lewis (for both his fiction and nonfiction): I absolutely love the Narnia Chronicles. I wasn’t aware of them until my 20’s, but I absolutely devoured them and have read them several times. I’ve been able to dive deeply into all things Narnia with two wonderful opportunities. I played Mrs. Beaver in my local community theatre’s production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which was one of my favorite roles in my 20+ years as a community theatre actress. Also, a local church has an amazing program called Narnia Adventures in which readers of all ages gather for each book in the series and participate in discussion, food, and activities related to each book. I love the Narnia books (especially The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) so much because of the masterful way in which C.S. Lewis incorporates biblical principles into a supremely well-written and captivating story. It’s done in such a way that the biblical principles are never too intrusive into the story nor are they objectionable to anyone whose heart isn’t open to receiving the truth.
    • Liane Moriarty (Australian author) and Jodi Picoult: Both of these authors can craft a story that is so captivating that it’s extremely difficult to stop reading them. They (especially Jodi Picoult) aren’t afraid to tackle controversial topics.
    • Fredrik Backman (Swedish author, especially A Man Called Ove and The Beartown series) and Marcus Zusak (Australian author, especially The Book Thief and Bridge of Clay): What I especially appreciate about both of these authors is their ability to develop a character so well that the reader can’t help but fall in love with them and be invested in his/her story.
    • Charles Dickens: Masterful writing, impressive vocabulary, incredible stories and characters. What’s not to love about his writing? Plus, we share a birthday (February 7).

Jenny:  Great choices. I think it is so cool that your theater experience played a part in your love for all things Narnia as well. Do you mind sharing with us the point when you really felt you had “arrived” as an author?

Angie:  Have I “arrived?” Even though I’d written newspaper articles and presentations for many years, I didn’t really identify myself as an author until my first book was published (Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter, self-published in 2020). Then when my second book, Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most, co-authored with Liana George, was accepted by Scrivenings Press and I got to experience what it was like to work with a publisher, I felt another level of “arrival” as an author because an experienced publishing company was willing to accept the book, meaning they felt the writing was a high enough quality to put their name on the book. Since my work as a professional organizer came first (2016) before I established myself as an author, I saw myself as an organizer well before I identified as an author. So I would introduce myself as a professional organizer, author, speaker, and podcaster. Now I introduce myself as an author, speaker, and professional organizer. My work as an organizer is central to my writing, but especially now that I don’t work with clients (except for volunteer organizing for local nonprofits), writing and speaking are my primary passions.

Jenny: Yes, I think you have definitely arrived! What has happened in your life to lead you to write these particular books?

Angie:  For the Unholy Mess book: I had been writing newspaper articles and speaking about decluttering and organizing for years. I wrote and delivered a presentation that I called “The Spiritual Implications of Clutter” to several faith communities. This topic drew me in so much. Once I determined that the problems associated with clutter (physical clutter in our home, schedule clutter in our calendars and to-do lists, and attention clutter in our minds) were actually a spiritual issue and that the Bible had much to say about it, I knew I wanted to dig more deeply into the topic. Also, my journey with identifying my own clutter (the schedule clutter of an overloaded calendar and to-do list as well as the attention clutter of phone addiction) was a catalyst to get the message out as much as possible through my book and speaking.

For the Uncluttered book: Liana George and I met through a mutual organizing friend. Liana is a former professional organizer who was working on her excellent trilogy of fiction books about a professional organizer (Perfectly Arranged, Perfectly Placed, and Perfectly Matched). She had been collecting ideas for a book of devotionals related to organizing for years, even before she began working as a professional organizer. She wanted to write the book but wasn’t sure she wanted to do it alone. When we met via Zoom (Liana is in Houston; I’m in East Tennessee), it became apparent within a few minutes that this project was meant to be, and that God had created this opportunity to work together. Working on the Uncluttered podcast and book (both titled Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most) with Liana has been such a fulfilling experience. I speak on this book frequently to many different faith communities. Of all the decluttering, organizing, and time management topics I speak about, this one is my favorite by far.

Jenny: Research is a big part of an author’s job. What is the most interesting thing you have learned while researching your books?

Angie:  When researching the topic of clutter for writing Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter, I was surprised to learn that studies have shown a correlation between physical clutter and depression, excess weight, and decreased test scores for children in a cluttered environment. I wasn’t surprised that they were related, just surprised that there had been studies proving the link between them. Clutter has many serious consequences. I never tire of talking about it and helping people find a way out of it because it’s life-changing.

Jenny: I can testify to this. While going through my mom’s storage spaces after she went to heaven, I found I had to limit the time I spent to a couple of hours per day. I often credit the angel who took over the process of preparing for an estate sale with physically saving my life during that time. Clutter can certainly weigh a person down!  What is the major takeaway you want to readers to get from you books?\

Angie: An uncluttered life is an abundant life. Liana and I said this at the end of every podcast episode. It’s a sentence that seems contradictory, just like many biblical truths. We tend to think of abundance as having more and more. But the truth is that when we shed the things that distract us (clutter), we’re more available to focus on our priorities and spend time doing what we love. Less really is more.

Jenny: Less clutter, more Jesus. Amen! Now, just for fun, tell us about your favorites.

• Day of the week? Thursday! Why? I realize this is a strange day to be my favorite, but when my husband and I were dating (40 years ago!), he told me Thursday was his favorite day because of the anticipation of the weekend and because it seemed like good things always happened on Thursdays. So it kind of became mine too.
• Hot Beverage? Hot tea, especially Earl Grey. Add a little flavoring like in a London Fog for a delicious treat.
• Holiday? Valentine’s Day because it’s close to my birthday, it celebrates love, and it’s a nice treat in the middle of winter.
• Genre other than the one you normally write? I love just about any genre, but I’d say my favorite is contemporary fiction or domestic thrillers.

Jenny:  (Earl Grey fan here too.) Any parting words for our readers today?

Angie: Have the courage to identify and eliminate your clutter. It’ll be a gift to yourself, your family, and your friends and will do wonders for your relationship with God.

Jenny: Thanks so much, Angie. I am totally on board with this. You have given us all advice we can Live with. Now, folks, tell us in the comments about one project you plan to tackle this week that will help eliminate clutter in you life. All commenters will be in the running for a copy of Angie and Liana’s book Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most.

 

 

 

Angie Hyche is an author, speaker, podcaster, and retired certified professional organizer (CPO®). She writes and speaks for anyone who feels overwhelmed with the clutter in their homes, their schedules, or their minds. Angie spent 7+ years working in client homes to help them simplify and bring order to their lives. She believes that only by eliminating what doesn’t matter can we prioritize what does matter.

Her first book, Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter, was published in December of 2020. Her second book, Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most, a book of devotionals with co-author Liana George, was published in June of 2024. Angie and Liana also have a podcast with the same title that launched in January, 2023 and is available on YouTube, Apple podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms.

Angie lives in East Tennessee. When she’s not organizing or writing, you’ll find Angie on a hiking or bicycle trail with her husband Eric, visiting her adult daughters Emma and Lydia, reading, or performing in community theatre. You can learn more about Angie on her website, angiehyche.com.

Angie’s goal is to help people declutter their lives so they can focus on what’s most important and spend time doing what they love.

Here are links that help you stay in touch with Angie and her work:

1. Uncluttered: Shaping Your Heart & Home for What Matters Most book
2. Unholy Mess: What the Bible Says about Clutter book
3. Uncluttered podcast on YouTube (video), RSS (audio)
4. My website, with information about my speaking and plenty of free resources on decluttering and organizing.

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