Mike, you’ve inspired me (maybe!) to resume work on the Augean stables, the mess of disorderly papers, newspaper clippings (by me) and other stuff in my hazardous attic office. This has hampered productivity all my life. I’m somewhat homebound these days both from the heat and an unexpected ailment that makes me even more slothful. Books worth of material that remained unwritten because of my mess, interview transcripts with people I’d forgotten I’d spoken to that, I hope, will keep my own Substack more vital. Let’s get’er done!
Oh man, Wayne. The story I could tell of the Old Paper Monster. It followed me around for most of my life, sometimes I'd folder things (foldering is a blessing...manila folder, label it, and put everything in that) but when I went through a huge life crisis after my parents died in 2008, and I left corporate publishing in 2012, stuff just got thrown into boxes (dozens and dozens of boxes) and has winnowed down now to a manageable size. But it still needs examination, which is the frustrating part! You HAVE TO READ IT. Is it worth keeping? Using for other projects? Passing on to someone else? I'm trying to simplify my 60+ years of creative life and it's, well, fucking exhausting. If you stumble on tricks to make things more efficient, send 'em here. Also, I hope you heal up and punch that ailment down. Let's get 'er done, mate.
Oh boy, clutter clearing is a favorite topic ever since I read Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston and went to her workshop. She has an entire chapter on how to deal with paper, books, photos, and sentimental stuff. I highly recommend it.
I just went through two box files of paper records last week and got rid of a pile more than a foot high. Over time I've whittled photos down to five small albums arranged by time and memoribilia to one plastic storage container. And don't you know that I rarely look at the photos or memoribilia!!!
The overall benefit is that, even if it's sitting somewhere, this stuff weighs you down because it represents a Commitment, and I can attest that getting rid of stuff lightens your emotional and psychic load. This stuff also takes up space that could be used for other things.
The question is how much of what you've collected will you ever actually look at or use, and who's going to want to look at it when you die. When I've gone through my stuff, most of it would be of zero interest to anyone else and they'd puzzle over why it saved it. They're also not going to go through it because they have their own piles of stuff to deal with.
Once you get rid of stuff, it's amazing how clear and free you feel. Literally. Like an emotional load has been removed from your life and your shoulders. So I'm a big advocate for going through it fast and being ruthless. Unless it's something you cherish, toss it, move on, and focus on creating new memories and pursuing new topics.
I love this idea, but I'm a pack rat from sooooooo long ago! I'll search out the Kingston book, since HOW to deal with the photos and videos will be front-of-mind. There is no doubt value there, especially since my middle nephew is at the age where he's super curious about family history! Thanks for reading and chiming in, Ellen! :-D
Mike, you’ve inspired me (maybe!) to resume work on the Augean stables, the mess of disorderly papers, newspaper clippings (by me) and other stuff in my hazardous attic office. This has hampered productivity all my life. I’m somewhat homebound these days both from the heat and an unexpected ailment that makes me even more slothful. Books worth of material that remained unwritten because of my mess, interview transcripts with people I’d forgotten I’d spoken to that, I hope, will keep my own Substack more vital. Let’s get’er done!
Oh man, Wayne. The story I could tell of the Old Paper Monster. It followed me around for most of my life, sometimes I'd folder things (foldering is a blessing...manila folder, label it, and put everything in that) but when I went through a huge life crisis after my parents died in 2008, and I left corporate publishing in 2012, stuff just got thrown into boxes (dozens and dozens of boxes) and has winnowed down now to a manageable size. But it still needs examination, which is the frustrating part! You HAVE TO READ IT. Is it worth keeping? Using for other projects? Passing on to someone else? I'm trying to simplify my 60+ years of creative life and it's, well, fucking exhausting. If you stumble on tricks to make things more efficient, send 'em here. Also, I hope you heal up and punch that ailment down. Let's get 'er done, mate.
Oh boy, clutter clearing is a favorite topic ever since I read Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston and went to her workshop. She has an entire chapter on how to deal with paper, books, photos, and sentimental stuff. I highly recommend it.
I just went through two box files of paper records last week and got rid of a pile more than a foot high. Over time I've whittled photos down to five small albums arranged by time and memoribilia to one plastic storage container. And don't you know that I rarely look at the photos or memoribilia!!!
The overall benefit is that, even if it's sitting somewhere, this stuff weighs you down because it represents a Commitment, and I can attest that getting rid of stuff lightens your emotional and psychic load. This stuff also takes up space that could be used for other things.
The question is how much of what you've collected will you ever actually look at or use, and who's going to want to look at it when you die. When I've gone through my stuff, most of it would be of zero interest to anyone else and they'd puzzle over why it saved it. They're also not going to go through it because they have their own piles of stuff to deal with.
Once you get rid of stuff, it's amazing how clear and free you feel. Literally. Like an emotional load has been removed from your life and your shoulders. So I'm a big advocate for going through it fast and being ruthless. Unless it's something you cherish, toss it, move on, and focus on creating new memories and pursuing new topics.
I love this idea, but I'm a pack rat from sooooooo long ago! I'll search out the Kingston book, since HOW to deal with the photos and videos will be front-of-mind. There is no doubt value there, especially since my middle nephew is at the age where he's super curious about family history! Thanks for reading and chiming in, Ellen! :-D
I hear you, and you don't want to get rid of something with value.
Karen has a blog and you might find some ideas on there -- https://www.clearspaceliving.com/blog/
Good luck!
Great, thanks again! :-D