Neither Use nor Ornament: A Cultural Biography of Clutter and Procrastination

Author:   Tracey Potts
Publisher:   Manchester University Press
ISBN:  

9781526194756


Pages:   248
Publication Date:   20 January 2026
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Not yet available, will be POD   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon it's release. This is a print on demand item which is still yet to be released.

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Neither Use nor Ornament: A Cultural Biography of Clutter and Procrastination


Overview

Neither use nor ornament 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. 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. By focusing on the shadows of productivity advice, Neither use nor ornament seeks to unravel the moral narratives that hold individuals to account for their inefficiencies and muddles.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tracey Potts
Publisher:   Manchester University Press
Imprint:   Manchester University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 17.00cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 24.00cm
Weight:   0.396kg
ISBN:  

9781526194756


ISBN 10:   1526194759
Pages:   248
Publication Date:   20 January 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available, will be POD   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon it's release. This is a print on demand item which is still yet to be released.

Table of Contents

Prologue Introduction 1 Theorising the ‘outside’, aka, the social 2 ‘Less is more’: European modernism and its ‘zoos of agencies’ 3 ‘More with less’: form, function and American modernism 4 ‘The more of less’: clutter, ecology and the new minimalism 5 ‘Be more with less’: life hacking, procrastination and everyday rhythm Conclusion Index -- .

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Author Information

Tracey Potts is Honorary Assistant Professor of Critical Theory and Cultural Studies at the University of Nottingham

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