Challenging the tenets of the anti-clutter movement to argue in favor of the cathartic benefits of keeping stuff and being messy, a snarky guide to the creative aspects of clutter shares advice on how to stay on top of one's priorities without becoming a neat freak or a hoarder.
Learn to be messy and everything else in your life will fall into place.
The anti-clutter movement is having a moment. You may have heard about a book—an entire book—written on the topic of tidiness and how “magical” and “life-changing” it is to neaten up and THROW AWAY YOUR BELONGINGS. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s time to fight that ridiculousness and start buying even more stuff and leaving it any place you want. Guess what, neatniks? Science shows that messy people are more creative.*Being a slob is an art, and there’s a fine line between being a consumer and being a hoarder. Don’t cross that line. This book shows you how to clutter mindfully and with great joy. The results are mind-blowing. Your plants will stop dying. Your whiskey bottle will never run dry. Your drugstore points will finally add up to a free jar of salsa and some nice shampoo. You’ll go shopping and discover you’ve lost weight...It's time to take back your life from the anti-clutter movement. *As well as smarter and more attractive.
| Introduction |
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10 | (10) |
| I'm Kind Of A Big Deal |
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20 | (4) |
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1 Reset your life by vowing never to tidy |
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24 | (18) |
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The more you buy, the messier you can be |
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29 | (1) |
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30 | (3) |
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33 | (9) |
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42 | (10) |
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The storage system conspiracy |
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46 | (3) |
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Quiz: let's use logic to determine whether you need, a storage system |
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49 | (1) |
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Clutter Reality Check: If you're not having sex, it's not because you're messy |
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50 | (2) |
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3 Leave your sh*t all over the house |
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52 | (18) |
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Home Office: The messier the desk, the more creative the mind |
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53 | (5) |
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Bathroom: Indoor plumbing is a privilege. Don't fu*k with it |
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58 | (3) |
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Kitchen: You have to eat to live, and that's going to make a mess |
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61 | (3) |
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Pantry: Buy now, eat later |
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64 | (1) |
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Bedroom: A fu*king glorious mess |
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65 | (2) |
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Closet: Does it have a door? Shut it |
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67 | (3) |
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4 Dealing with the actual sh*t in your house |
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70 | (18) |
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Clothes: Don't fold them or they'll wrinkle |
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71 | (1) |
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Loungewear: It's all you should wear |
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72 | (2) |
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74 | (2) |
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76 | (2) |
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Quiz: what's your clutter tolerance level? |
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78 | (2) |
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Kids: The very definition of messy |
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80 | (3) |
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83 | (1) |
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84 | (1) |
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Books: Buy them, pile them |
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85 | (3) |
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5 Leave some sh*t outside and in cyberspace |
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88 | (16) |
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Yard: Keep plastic and broken stuff hidden behind the house. If there's room |
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89 | (2) |
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91 | (2) |
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Quiz: find your holiday clutter style here |
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93 | (3) |
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Cars: Out the window or into the backseat |
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96 | (2) |
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Digital: Leave a big digital footprint |
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98 | (5) |
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Quiz: find your email clutter style |
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103 | (1) |
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6 Cherish your stuff but do not hoard |
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104 | (12) |
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Quiz: how to tell if you're messy or a hoarder |
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108 | (2) |
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110 | (6) |
| In Conclusion |
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116 | (4) |
| Resources |
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120 | (2) |
| Clutter Checklist |
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122 | (5) |
| Acknowledgments |
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127 | |
Jennifer McCartney is the New York Times best-selling author of Cocktails for Drinkers, The Joy of Leaving Your Sh*t All Over the Place, The Rodent Not Taken, and more. She has written for the Atlantic, Teen Vogue, Curbed, and elsewhere. McCartney lives in Brooklyn, New York.
