Professional Organizer Based in Santa Cruz, CA

"Clutter's Last Stand: It's Time to De-Junk Your Life! 2nd Edition" By Don Aslett

Don Aslett has long been my personal hero. In fact, I've heard firsthand that his no-maintenance home in Hawaii is a modern marvel. Here's a man who truly practices what he preaches. This is a guy who understands completely that there is "life beyond junk," and that decluttering truly frees one to do the things which really matter. But, ultimately, his sense of humor shines over a very serious problem...junk.

Consider his definition of "knick-knacks." "Humankind, deep in its secret heart, has always wanted to create and control its own world. To do so on a big scale like the Lord did is a little out of reach, so we mortals settled on a lesser approach. We created little wood, plastic, china, and metal models and miniatures of every creature and structure ever devised, rounded them up, and put them on a shelf so we could rule over them. And we named our scaled-down universe knick-knacks...The only time our interest is aroused much if when one of them gets knocked off and broken; then we wail and sob like a wounded packrat (we'd glue it back together but can't remember if it was a Mayan warrior or Pluto the Dog)."

Or this gem: "Remember that storage costs money...Not only is up to 33 percent - that's one-third - of our homes today devoted to storage, but we have to seek ways and means beyond that to store the overflow. We stick it under beds, under stairs, in wall units; stow it in attics, basements, furnace rooms, 'spare' rooms; fill the garage with it; then migrate to the yard and get little sheds. When they fill, we head for the local rental unit. Clutter also serves as an enticement for burglary and fodder for accidents, and it makes nice fuel for fires....Storage units are the ghost town for clutter, a testimony of shame. Why do people store things in another place? Because they aren't using them!"