Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dr. Lance B. Eliot is a world-renowned AI scientist and consultant. Decluttering deserves a hearty round of applause, and perhaps ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. My pragmatic frugality was misguided, though. I wasn't considering the other costs of clutter. Take our gravy boat, for example.

How often have you looked at a pile of laundry in the living room, dirty plates in the kitchen, or unpaid bills on your desk and thought, “I’ll take care of them later; they’re unimportant.” Maybe to ...