Outwitting Clutter : 101 Ingenious Space-Saving Tips and Ideas to Make Any House or Apartment More Livable

by Bill Adler Jr.

• ISBN13: 9781585742714
• ISBN10: 1585742716
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2002-07-01
• Publisher: Lyons Press

Summary

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 Neighbours, 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.

Author Biography

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, DC with his wife, two daughters, and an enormous but extremely well-organized CD collection.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. xi
What Is Outwitting Clutter?
How to Use This Book
What Makes Me the Big Expert?
Clutter and You	p. 1
Know Your Own Clutter-Tolerance Level
Outwitting Clutter Clears the Mind and Strengthens the Body
Clutter and Time
Clutter Around the Clock
Decluttering as a Creative Process
What's Holding You Back?
Basic Decluttering	p. 19
Easy Clutter
Not-so-Easy Clutter
Getting Past the Denial Stage
The Triage Method and How to Use It
Mistakes Will Be Made
For the Clutter-Intimidated: Start Small and Work Your Way Up to More Ambitious Things
Who's Going to Help You?
Take Advantage of Every Opportunity
Label Spaces
Brute Force
Make Friends with Strong Teenagers in Your Neighborhood
Dealing with Duplication
Defeat Clutter at Its Starting Point
Walk and Carry
Give Everyone Space
Indisputable Clutter: Stand Your Ground
Decluttering for Profit
Get Some Giveaway Friends
Clutter Around the House	p. 57
Back to the Uncluttered Past?
The Stairs (and Other High-Priority Parts of the House)
Temporary Clutter
The Backs of Doors
The Safe-Place Problem
Room Decluttering: Two Strategies--Whole Hog or Piecemeal
Decluttering by Theme
The Kitchen: Its Most Common Clutter Problems Attacked
The Bathroom
Yard Clutter
How to Deal with Important Stuff You Think You Might Need Someday
Tools
Organize Neighborhood Giveaway Projects
Parenting and Clutter	p. 109
Birthday Presents and Other Signs of a Cluttered but Happy Childhood
Newborn Clutter
Seven Strategies for Coping with Kid Clutter
Fast-Food Toy Clutter
Things to Put Kids' Things In
Assign Your Kids Outwitting Clutter Tasks
Chore Charts
Everything in Moderation
Clutter in All the Wrong Places	p. 137
The Tough Stuff
Instruction Manuals
Hobby Stuff
Your Keys
Catalogs
Hair Stuff
Wallets and Purses
Car Clutter
Office Clutter	p. 161
Starting from Scratch
The In-Box System
The "Touched-Paper" Rule
Fax Away Your Paper Piles
PIM to the Rescue!
Post-it Notes: Boon or Bane?
Business Cards
Changing Your Office's Clutter Rules
The End of the Workday
The Home Office
Messages and Reminders
Pay Your Bills Electronically
Digital Clutter	p. 193
The Truth about Technology
Backing Up
Pruning and Organizing Your Digital Clutter
Keep an Archive
Preventing Digital Clutter
Friends Don't Let Friends Clutter Their Hard Drives
Preventing Clutter	p. 213
Some Good Approaches to Preventing Clutter
The Barrier Method of Clutter Control
About Wedding Presents. Birthday Presents. and Other Unsolicited Gifts
Buy Things to Store Things
Yard Sales--The Path to Perdition
The Guest Room Problem (and How to Handle It)
Now That You've Outwitted Clutter. What Next?
The Voices of Clutter: Interviews with Real-World Experts, Victims, and Former Clutterholics	p. 229
Joanne Helperin
Bob Farkas
Janet Kitto
Pat Moore
Suzanne Snyder
The Top Ten Excuses People Give Not to Declutter	p. 239
Acknowledgments	p. 244
Index	p. 245
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.