When you think about sorting your belongings before your death to ease the burden on those who come after you…

Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Or do you think, hmm, that’s a good idea? Or are you like those people who are finish Christmas shopping by November and you’re thinking, I’ve already done that?

I read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson because I’m curious about the concept. I felt that having the death cleaning framework in my mind might inform the way I keep house right now.

This book is quite thin – it could have been a very quick read, but for whatever reason, reading about death cleaning isn’t something you want to hurry through.

I read a number of other books as I meandered through this one. I would read a section, then take days or weeks away, then read another section or chapter.

I like the idea of preparing your home and belongings for your death. The mindful way Magnusson recommends acknowledges the place our things and mementos have had in our lives, while remembering those things won’t have the same meaning for those who come after us.

As I read, I thought about my grown children sifting through my things once I’m gone, reading old letters, glancing at photographs and not knowing the people in them, dealing with my craft and sewing stash. It minded me of the work I did while reading Kon Mari, but instead of thinking about what brought me joy now, I was thinking about how to settle things so that my family wouldn’t have piles of my stuff to deal with when I’m gone.

As Magnusson points out, we are all going to die. It’s best to put one’s affairs in order before then. Whether or not that seems a bit scary, this book is a great way to get started.

Check out this post for more books about death. My thinking on death has changed somewhat since I wrote the post (still trying to figure out how to write about it), but the book recommendations stand.