“The professional… is on a mission. He will not tolerate disorder. He eliminates chaos from his world in order to banish it from his mind. He wants the carpet vacuumed and the threshold swept, so the Muse may enter and not soil her gown.”                       Steven Pressfield, the War of Art.

Like many creative people, I’ve had my struggles with clutter. I used to accept it as part of my nature, but Steven Pressfield changed my mind. He believes creatives must create order in their environment so they can approach their work like pros. This is why I created these 5 rules of engagement to win the war on clutter.

This is how it happened…

I was helping a friend make some progress on his clutter problem. He’s got it bad. So bad that sometimes I go over there just to feel better about me (don’t tell him!)

He was sharing his frustration that though he has cleaned up his place many times, it always reverts back to a giant cluttered mess.

Time for a metaphor.

Continue reading 5 Rules of Engagement to Win the War on Clutter →