If you're anything like me,you've been fighting clutter all your adult life.Reading about how to control clutter to me is like reading recipes is to my wife.After all this reading we'll look at each other and say,"Let's go to the Mall,and then out to eat."Although newspapers and magazines are continually carrying articles about clutter,they're as common as those on energy conservation.The best book I've come across, several years ago, was "Clutter's Last Stand" by Don Aslett(see my review of December 29,2005).Despite my best intentions and efforts Clutter still stands.
When I came across Adler's book,and already having been familar with his other book,"Outwitting Squirrels",I thought it would be well worth reading.Both of these books are to the point,totally all encompassing,full of humor and will describe both you and your cluttering instincts to a tee.Whether reading this book will help you turn your habits around or will become another addition to the 'pile' ,all depends on you.So what's new about raising Hell on Saturday nite and reading the Bible come Sunday morning?Anyway,you gotta keep trying,just think how it would be if you didn't try.I am reminded of Larry McMurtry's novel "Cadallic Jack" and the old fellow who had his house stuffed with bird nests he had collected over the years.
I'll give you a little personal example.I came into a small collection of matchbooks and have no interest in them.Come to think of it I hardly see them anymore.I have offered them to several,but to date no takers.Now is the time to take advice from my title.Get rid of them!
The one big thing that comes into play with clutter is that it definately involves those we live with.Somebody elses clutter is a lot more easier to get rid of than your oun.Now if you want to really declare war on it,exchange control over one anothers clutter.However;one should also discuss divorce expenses before embarking on a War on Clutter..If you think Bush bit off a big one with his War on Terror,you're in for a biiiig surprise!
Don't loose heart completely.Just like his book shows how you can still continue to feed backyard birds and still live in peace with squirrels,he gives some of the same help in living with clutter.If all else fails,organized clutter beats disorganized clutter every time.My wife and I have declared two areas in our home off limits over clutter.I have half of the basement for my 7000 books,puzzle and other collections and she 3 closets and a bedroom,as a result of empty-nesting,for her treasures.The rest of the house is neat as a pin and off limits to clutter.
I think the best laugh in this book is where Bill talks about the clutter of hair shampoo and and conditioners ..check out 151.
while most advice on clutter deals with getting rid of clutter;Adler takes it a step further and gives some good suggestions on how to manage it,if you can't eliminate it all together.
While Adler gives us a great war cry,"Don't bring it home";an old friend of mine gave me this piece of wisdom,"Every thing you get,takes looking after."
Product DescriptionFrom the moment we're born we accumulate stuff. Over time this stuff turns into clutter, and instead of enjoying our possessions, our stuff becomes a burden. What was once a spacious apartment or house becomes a cluttered mess that's simply no fun to be in (and can even be hazardous to your physical and mental health).In Outwitting Clutter, you'll learn about: How to declutter your life in 1-, 5-, and 15-minute increments; dealing with broken stuff; imposing a time limit on underused clutter; how to determine: is it sentimental, or is it clutter?; clutter in all the wrong places; how to outwit kids' clutter without giving them away; how technology creates digital clutter; avoiding yard clutter/tool clutter/equipment clutter and hobby clutter; clutter at work-in your desk and home office; outwitting clutter, room by room; financial clutter and what you have to keep and what you don't; how to prevent clutter in the first place, and much, much more.Whether you seek to organize your office, or your life, Outwitting Clutter will save you time, space, money, and ultimately, your sanity! (5 1/2 x 8 1/2, 272 pages, b&w photos)
Bill Adler, Jr. is the author of numerous Outwitting books, including Outwitting Deer, Outwitting Mice, Outwitting Neighbors, Outwitting Contractors, and Outwitting Critters. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, two daughters, and an enormous but extremely well-organized CD collection.
From the Back Cover
From the moment we're born we accumulate stuff. Over time this stuff turns into clutter, and instead of enjoying our possessions, our stuff becomes a burden. What was once a spacious apartment or house becomes a cluttered mess that's simply no fun to be in (and can even be hazardous to your physical and mental health).In Outwitting Clutter, you'll learn about:How to declutter your life in 1-, 5-, and 15-minute increments; dealing with broken stuff; imposing a time limit on underused clutter; how to determine: is it sentimental, or is it clutter?; clutter in all the wrong places; how to outwit kids' clutter without giving them away; how technology creates digital clutter; avoiding yard clutter/tool clutter/equipment clutter and hobby clutter; clutter at work-in your desk and home office; outwitting clutter, room by room; financial clutter and what you have to keep and what you don't; how to prevent clutter in the first place, and much, much more.Whether you seek to organize your office, or your life, Outwitting Clutter will save you time, space, money, and ultimately, your sanity! (5 1/2 x 8 1/2, 272 pages, b&w photos)Bill Adler, Jr. is the author of numerous Outwitting books, including Outwitting Deer, Outwitting Mice, Outwitting Neighbors, Outwitting Contractors, and Outwitting Critters. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife, two daughters, and an enormous but extremely well-organized CD collection.
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This book is a lifesaver for me. Growing up, my family did the picking up and putting away around the house on a daily basis, and I washed dishes daily, but a housekeeper came in once a week to do the heavy cleaning. My mother ran a successful business, and didn't do much cooking or cleaning at home. Therefore, I didn't learn the way most women do - watching their mothers. Fast forward to my first apartment - hovering over my very own toilet, I wasn't exactly sure how to clean it. Joni Hilton works the house from top to bottom, room by room, explaining exactly what kind of dirt can build up in which places and how to most efficiently get rid of it. She even tells you her favorite cleaing products. Other housekeeping books are such boring Martha Stewart manuals that not only are they a drag to read, but they leave you feeling completely incapable of ever having a clean house. Joni Hilton's book is a quick, funny, light read, and her clean house is very attainable.
