Neither use nor ornament

<p><i>Neither use nor ornament</i> is a book about personal productivity narrated from the perspective of its obstacles: clutter and procrastination. It offers a challenge to the self-help promise of a clutter-free life lived in a permanent state of efficiency and flow. <br><br>The book reveals how contemporary projections of the good productive life rely on images of failure. Riffing on the aphorism 'less is more' - a dominant refrain in present day productivity advice - it tells stories about streamlining efficiency and tidiness over a time period of around 100 years.<br><br>By focusing on the shadows of productivity advice <i>Neither use nor ornament</i> seeks to unravel the moral narratives that hold individuals to account for their inefficiencies and muddles.</p>