Welcome to Litsy!

STUFFology 101 is for those us who want to #de-clutter without being featured on reality TV. We can still use our bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen, but we harbor secrets. 1. Do you race around to pick up piles when someone's at the door? 2. Do you close the door to hide your stuff in the spare room? 3. Do you still have boxes to unpack from your last move a dozen years ago? 4. Are you unable to focus because your mind is so frazzled? STUFFologists Brenda Avadian and Eric Riddle share four decades of experience dealing with STUFF--uhhh, clutter. Inside STUFFology 101, you'll find FUN and FLEXIBLE approaches to get your mind out of what YOU DEFINE as CLUTTER. After decades of dealing with clutter, Avadian and Riddle help YOU to declutter the Cluttergories in your life--Physical, Mental, Digital, Temporal, and Sensual. Funny, serious, and humbling stories are woven with tips to help you clear the toxic clutter out of your life. BRENDA AVADIAN, MA author of nine books, was raised by a mother who could not say no to a free offer and a father who had "spare parts for everything." She took steps to reduce the cycle of clutter in her life as she learned to let go. "It's mine!" ERIC RIDDLE would say while holding onto his children's stuff for many years. Once he defined his clutter, he discovered that getting his mind out of the clutter is an ongoing process. At the end of your life, what will matter most - -THINGS or PEOPLE? Are you ready to manage the STUFF in your life? STUFFology 101: Get Your Mind Out of the Clutter STUFFology101.com TABLE of CONTENTS Preface PART ONE: STUFFOLOGY 101 I Can’t Park My Car in the Garage 1. What is Stuff? 2. Cluttergories PART TWO: DOES STUFF MATTER? 3. The Station Fire 4. The Wooden Spoon 5. A Man’s Home Garage is His Castle 6. Those Are MY Toys 7. Stuff Matters, But ... PART THREE: I WANT MY LIFE BACK 8. Where Stuff Comes From 9. The Toy Gun That Killed 10. The Ghost of Opportunities Past 11. POOP! 12. Why Can’t I Play Pool? 13. Whose House Is It Anyway? 14. I Want My Life Back! PART FOUR: GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE CLUTTER 15. Define Your Clutter 16. Write Down Your Thoughts 17. Focus on Doing One Thing 18. Dedicate a Workspace 19. Repeat Small Steps 20. Do It NOW! 21. Input, Throughput, Output 22. Two Magic Questions PART FIVE: WIIFM? 23. What’s In It For Me? 24. The U.S. Savings Bonds Windfall A Deep-Fried Thanksgiving 25. Unexpected Gifts Afterword Bonus STUFFologist’s Guide Acknowledgments Appendix That’s MINE! Notes Additional Resources Index About Your STUFFologists We Want to Hear From You We’re Here to Serve You DEDICATION For all who want to stop STUFF from draining their life force, their energy, and their vibrancy. For all who don’t want clutter to take away from the time they spend with people. WHAT THEY'RE SAYING Brenda and Eric provide a fun, user-friendly, and effective look at what’s collecting in your life, and offer a pathway to freedom from the physical, virtual, and mental STUFF weighing you down. Their personal stories make it seem they are walking alongside you as a friend. If you want to live Clutter-Free, this book is for you! Carol Peters, MD, DMin, Host Dr Carol Show www.drcarolshow.com Brenda and Eric present an interesting and compelling book on clutter. I admire their passion, and their expertise comes through. Brooks Palmer, Author Clutter Busting Like the occasional great teachers we had in school, Brenda and Eric inspired me to think, feel, reflect and, above all, act. STUFFology 101 offers a gentle escape from the prison of "more." Patrick Arbore, EdD, Program Director Institute on Aging