Art Dragon - The Seeds of Clutter: A Guide for Preventing Common Household Clutter From Taking Root

Seventeen New Habits plus Dozens of Tips forEliminating

A Guide for Preventing Common Household Clutter fromTaking Root

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2010 Art Dragon

Frame Grass on cover Oxystel under licensefrom Shutterstock.com

License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Ifyoure reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was notpurchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.comand purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard workof this author.

An illustrated edition of this book isavailable in print at Amazon.com

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Also by Art Dragon on Smaswords:

Journey toFitness and Balanced Eating MadeEasy

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This book is dedicated to those who, likeme, struggle to keep order in his or her life. The first stepbegins at home.

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I can freely stand up and admit that Im aneatnik. In my ideal world, everything would be in order, all of mythings would have a home, and free space would always be in amplesupply. Even so, Im able to function in the real world where I seeunnecessarily clutter every day, as my tendencies toward neatnessare not debilitating, but merely an annoyanceto my family that is!So, if my ideas seem a little out of the ordinary, consider themadvice from the other side.

As a slightly obsessive organizer, I look ata pile of clutter not as a random mess, but rather a collection ofsmall problems, each having an easy solution. I envision mistakesthat were made, caused by misguided habits, which have enabled theclutter to thrive and flourish.

With the simple ideas I will share in thisbook, you too can recognize and correct these flawed patterns ofbehavior that lead to clutter. Even if you dont have a clutterproblemor you have clutter, but not a problem with itconsider howit affects others in your life and come along for the ride anyway.Sometimes big changes can blossom from a few well-plantedideas.

Best always,

Art Dragon

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CHAPTER 1

Many try to eliminate clutter by constantlysorting, organizing, and creating homes for everything. But anyattempt to control clutter is doomed to fail without firsteliminating its root causes.

To unearth and correct the true root causeswill require taking a step back and attacking the problem at itsseed. For without first controlling the seeds of clutter beforethey are sown, and changing the habits and attitudes that produce,plant, and encourage these seeds to grow, you can never truly befree of clutter.

The answer depends on who you ask, as thesaying one persons trash is another persons treasure certainlyapplies. And whether or not you consider a room cluttered dependson what you perceive as clutter. So my intent is not to judge, butinstead to help you to identify and eliminate whichever type ofclutter is causing you the most grief.

Lets begin with a couple ofdefinitions:

Clutter (noun): A crowded or confusedmass or collection of things that litter a place

Clutter (verb): To fill or cover withscattered or disordered things that impede movement or reduceeffectiveness

So what makes up clutter? Do things withsentimental or aesthetic value, displayed intentionally, qualify? Iwould say not, unless too many of these are strewn aroundeverywhere. But thats only my opinion.

Decorations also walk the fine line betweentrash and treasure, and how you choose to decorate a room isstrongly influenced by your clutter mind set. Decorating is a danceto which Ive never learned the steps. Still, I know the moment Iwalk into a room whether or not I like how it was decorated. Butthen again, I view knickknacks as evil.

So rather than debate these gray areas ofkeepsakes and decorations, this book will focus mainly oncontrolling the clutter we battle every day. This includesout-of-place items we already own, as well as new stuff thatcontinually invades our homes, resulting from common activitiessuch as:

Buying stuff

Receiving stuff in the mail

Accepting gifts or freebees

Indulging in a hobby

Seemingly innocent actionssettingsomething down, leaving something out, buying something newallintroduce potential clutter seeds that, if not handled properly,can take root and strangle the beauty out of your home, whilemaking life more difficult than necessary.

Like a single weed in a garden, one willbeget many.

Consider this: you probably wouldnt drop apile of stuff in the middle of a tidy room, yet not think twiceabout tossing something on a pile that is already there. Its as ifthe first item invites others to join the new club. Eliminatingclutter, then, needs to begin with preventing these piles fromstarting in the first placedont sow that first seed and weedswont accumulate and spread. Here is another definition:

Weed (noun): An undesired, invasiveplant, not native to an area, growing in profusion so as to crowdout a desired crop

If you have ever gardened, you know howquickly weeds can sprout up everywhere if not controlled. But eventhough most people consider a weed as nothing but a nuisance, theseplants are not without virtues. As medicinal, as feed forlivestock, or even cultivated for their beauty, weeds do have aplace in the worldjust not in your garden. So defined more simply,a weed is but a plant out-of-place.

Similarly, clutter in your home can beviewed as nothing more than a collection of misplaced items: someof value, others not. And the key to controlling clutter islearning the skills to manage these items appropriately; displayingitems of beauty, storing important items, keeping useful itemshandy yet out of the way, and disposing or recycling of those nolonger needed.

Most clutter problems can easily be solvedby adopting the new habits I will offer in the following chapters.Practice these consistently, and keeping your home clutter-freewill become a normal way of life.

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Whats the Problem?

This chapter may be the hardest for some:confronting the extent of your clutter problem.

The easy answers to this questioninclude: preventing a messy home, being able to find things, andmoving around more easily. But the list of reasons goes muchdeeper. Consider your embarrassment whenever company visits, or thelack of living space, making visitors and overnight guests feellike they are imposing. Clutter also prevents you from taking pridein the seldom seen countertops, fine furniture, and beautifulhardwood floors or carpeting that have long ago become buried. Notto mention disrupting domestic harmony if your family doesnt shareyour enthusiasm for collecting everything.

Depending on the extent of your problem, theconsequences can be even more serious. You have probably alreadyheard each of the following dangers introduced by clutter, butseeing them all together may help bring the seriousness of theproblem into focus:

Clutter presents a safety hazard byblocking paths to exits which may be needed in an emergency.

Clutter presents a fire hazard byproviding flammable materials just waiting to ignite.

Clutter presents a health hazard bylimiting your ability to clean.

Clutter presents a risk of injury if youtrip and fall, or if something falls on you.

Bills and other important documents can beaccidentally discarded or lost in clutter.