Image courtesy of Passive Man
Having the time to simplify this week was a little harder than I thought it would be. Between Blog Action Day, a busy week in consulting and the RAT in the attic, I found little remaining time to torch the trash. But the week’s not over and the flame thrower still has some juice. So I’m going to take advantage of the weekend and kick things into high gear.
So far I’ve mostly cleared the magazines and some books off the bookshelf. Next I’ll be going through all the mail that’s been sitting in a pile as well as getting rid of old clothes. I’m also going to clean up and organize my ‘Desktop’ (on my computer) as it’s become quite cluttered with all kinds of blogging ‘stuff’.
How some of you are clearing out the clutter:
- Matthew Dryden is going through his old stuff in his closet (possibly selling some things).
- Daniel Richard is going through his bills.
- Sean of Writer Dad is looking forward to their preschool closing in January so he can get rid of all the accumulated ‘junk’.
- Scott was taking advantage of some time off to clear out the clutter.
- Oktober Five had some great insight in the drawbacks of junk mail.
- Maya’s working on selling stuff on eBay as she starts “working on an Internet based startup relating to children’s books.”
- Vered is already a “black belt in simplicity”.
- Confident Nerd had some great insight.
- Matt of YFNCG is…”Next month I plan on going through my summer clothes and ditching what I didn’t wear once this year…and there are definitely plenty in that category.”
- MizFit is getting her whole family to help ditch the junk.
- Evelyn Lim is clearing off the clutter on her desk.
- rrr had some helpful tips on reducing the junk mail.
- Jennifer is “feeling the need to “nest” lately and to get rid of all of those “intended” items laying around the house.”
- Jamie Simmerman will be working on rrr’s idea as well as look at tackling what seems like an impossible task.
- Sara will be working on getting rid of her ‘get rid of pile’.
So have a great weekend and if you have some extra time, join us as we continue to tackle the messes we’ve made. Keep us informed of your success in the comments below.
I also cleaned my desk out at work, and got rid of tons of useless records. It feels good to be organized that way again. I’ll be cleaning out my house today.
Interesting in the original Pink Panther series? I have all 5 on VHS!
Now Matthew, if we all start trading junk, that defeats the purpose! (if that’s the carton Pink Panther, I’ll take it! But then I’ll have to give away at least two boxes of stuff to make up for it! )
Jamie Simmerman´s last blog post..Find Your Own Zen with Leo Babauta
Matthew: I’ll take the pink panther if you take a hundred boxes of toddler toys.
Writer Dad´s last blog post..Forty Days and Forty Nights
I have my old textbooks from ITT Tech that I’ve been trying to get rid of on eBay, but they haven’t sold. Any suggestions?
TheAndySan
http://www.theandysan.com
TheAndySan´s last blog post..What MP3 Player Do I Use?
You bet I am!
It feels SO GOOD to declutter, doesn’t it?
@Matthew: Looks like you’ve got some interest in those videos…
@Jamie and Sean: Swapping junk for junk. Why didn’t I think of that?!
@TheAndySan: Selling old textbooks isn’t an easy task. They’re very specific and therefore require a very specific buyer. I don’t know what to tell you on that one.
@Vered: I just cleaned off my computer’s ‘Desktop’ and it’s like ‘I can see clearly now!’ Definitely feels good. Eric.
I sure am looking forward to the first day when I’d have no worries for bills anymore.
Thanks for mentioning me here Eric!
Daniel Richard´s last blog post..11 Traits You Need To Getting Things Done With a BIGGER SMILE!
Okay, I sold one item on ebay. Great start, me thinks. Craigslist, here I come!
Lesson from this week? It is really so easy to get rid of stuff – we just need to make a habit of it and do it all the time. Makes me think of Toyota’s “continuous improvement” philosophy
. It does feel good!!
Thank you for the link love!
Maya´s last blog post..Born Into Poverty : Blog Action Day 2008
@Daniel: “I sure am looking forward to the first day when I’d have no worries for bills anymore.”
We can dream, can’t we.
@Maya: Great to hear it’s going well!
“Lesson from this week? It is really so easy to get rid of stuff – we just need to make a habit of it and do it all the time. Makes me think of Toyota’s “continuous improvement” philosophy
. It does feel good!!”
Well said and thanks for the insight. Eric.
Thanks for the roundup in how bloggers are decluttering. It’s interesting to read what everyone is doing!
Evelyn Lim´s last blog post..Should The Poor Mexican Fisherman Give Up Contentment For Cash?
Hey Eric. Thanks so much for the mention! Next to clean out is the closet (I keep holding onto clothes I THINK/HOPE will fit again – UGH!) I hope you have a great week.
Jennifer´s last blog post..I am a Lane Blocker
Ever since my husband passed away suddenly one year ago, I’ve been dealing with depression and have had a hard time getting things done. I realized that I could do things if I had help, or at least company! So I asked a friend to come over and give me “moral support” while I got my home office organized. It really worked and I got past the original resistance and made great progress! This blog has been a great help.
@Evelyn: “It’s interesting to read what everyone is doing!”
Isn’t it though.
@Jennifer: Keep up the decluttering and I hope you enjoy your week as well!
@Deb: I’m really glad this post and this blog have been helpful to you. There’s no doubt that having a friend to just be there while you clean out the junk can be a great help in pushing past those road blocks.
My dad past away fairly suddenly about 4 years ago and he was only 55. It was hard on all of us, but for my mom it was devastating. She went through a couple of years of deep depression with multiple stays at the psychiatric ward (I’m not trying to scare you or anything, just share the depth of sorrow she felt.) She had hard time doing much of anything for a while so I can image your struggle.
Interestingly enough, she’s getting re-married this Saturday (October 25th) to a man she is very in love with. And this is something she never thought possible just a year ago. So hang in there. The pain never fully goes away, but life does get better with time. You WILL enjoy life once again! Eric.
@ Eric – Yeah, you were right about the textbooks. They didn’t sell at all on eBay. I don’t want to throw them away because they have lots of info for budding programmers, but I can’t seem to sell them.
Should I try to sell them again with a different approach or do something else with them?
TheAndySan´s last blog post..Tim Ferriss Is Gonna Be On The History Channel This Thursday!!!
@TheAndySan: That’s a tough one! Most books, especially ‘niche’ books aren’t worth anything on eBay. I just don’t think you’re going to be able to make any money off of them. You’re best bet would just be to try to find someone to give them to who could benefit from the content. If you really wanted to get rid of them, just put them on eBay for .01 with no reserve and see what happens. Eric.