Sun's rays upon a rock-lined pathAvadian

The Process of S.T.U.F.F. is Pure Magic

/in /by

Want to know a secret?

Overnight success takes years. Honestly. You’ve got to do the work.

You’ve got to Start. Somewhere. Move forward step by step.

You need to Trust yourself to keep going. The elite marathon runner trains one step at a time and completes 26.2 miles on foot. The lowly carpenter ant will destroy your home, chewing through the wood to build its nest. Big things are accomplished by making a consistent effort.

Understand, greatness is not achieved overnight. Clutter doesn’t magically appear. It takes years of no action to accumulate clutter.

STUFF Start Trust Understand Focus Finish

To achieve anything worthwhile in life, Focus. We’re fast losing our ability to focus. There are too many tempting distractions. Facebook. Google search. Netflix. Spotify.

Focus on taking one step at a time, consistently. This is when the magic strikes. It’s different for each of us. When you are committed to and keep doing a thing, a magical force pulls you along until you Finish.

I’ve felt the magic. Sometimes, it’s a feeling of lightness after I dig repeatedly into a task and complete a small portion. Other times, I’m blanketed with warmth. My goals, resources, and energy appear to converge as they carry me confidently to the finish line. I cannot fully describe these magical feelings that are unique to each of us.

With consistent focused effort, you will feel the magic too. But you must Start and then keep going.

Remember, LIFE is about the journey. (We all know how it ends.) So, enjoy the gifts each day, as you take one step at a time toward your goals and ambitions. You will pave the path. You will finish. Trust yourself.

What have you got to lose?

In this case, a lot of clutter.

For more, read Eric Riddle’s article, Trust Yourself to Declutter.

Move Away From Clutter

Move Away From Clutter

/in /by

Are extra storage boxes clutter? That depends on what you define as clutter.

In this case, no they are not clutter. My oldest daughter is moving out of state soon and I am on the lookout for well-constructed moving boxes. Yes, she can always purchase moving boxes from a variety of sources when it is time to pack her belongings. But I look at it as a challenge to find good quality boxes until then.

It can be fun too. Just keep your eyes open during your regular shopping trips. For example, the boxes from Urban Jungle left me curious about the name. Now I know that the company sells houseplants to Lowe’s.

While gathering moving boxes in this fashion may lack uniformity, it gives me the opportunity to expand my knowledge base as well as provide me with random topics for conversation, making it a game of sorts.

Another example is the box from hōmz. This box was from another member of the household that was ready to recycle. It will find new life as a moving box and I found another source for storage and organizational items by accident. Always handy for a STUFFologist!

The final example is a box from Hello Fresh. This company provides home delivery for pre-portioned meal kits. A handy and healthy way to cook for a busy family. I learned something new while talking to the neighbor about food and time-constraints for cooking dinner.

Moving and the preparation for same can be a tedious and time-consuming process. Why not throw in some fun while you move away from clutter? Gathering boxes from random sources is a cost-effective and entertaining way to ease at least a small amount of tension from the moving process.

 

 

European-Space-Agency's animated illustration of space junk

Before we visit Mars, we need to clean up our mess at home.

/in /by

We humans are a messy bunch! We don’t pick up after ourselves.

We leave clutter everywhere. At home. At work. In the oceans. In space.

The Mess in Times Square

Consider the massive clean-up in Times Square after each New Year’s Eve celebration in New York.

“The New York City sanitation department says it had 300 people at work overnight, removing an estimated 56 tons of debris,” according to ABC7NY.com

Seriously?

I often wonder why we are unwilling to pick up after ourselves, whether at a NYE celebration or the 50 tons of trash cleaned up after the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California.

Pollution in Our Oceans

Consider the amount of waste we’re producing that affects life in our oceans.  Right now, we’re focused on plastics polluting our oceans.

Space Junk

Consider the absolute mess we’re leaving in space that threatens multi-million-dollar functioning satellites.

European-Space-Agency's animated illustration of space junk

What next?

We want to colonize Mars.

Really?

Let us prove we’re worthy. Instead of looking outward, let us look around and start practicing responsible habits at home. Let us pick up after ourselves after watching TV or reading in the living room. Let us clean our dishes, utensils, and wipe down the counters, stove, and microwave after cooking in the kitchen. Let us put away stuff where it belongs in our home offices, bedrooms, closets, attics, basements, garages, and yards before we venture out.

Once we build solid habits that we pass to the next generation (and next), including the practice of leaving no trace after partying at outdoor events, only then should we consider ourselves guests worthy to visit or inhabit another planet.

Kitchen Gadgets and Junk Drawer Clutter

/in /by

Kitchen gadgets can make food preparation easier unless they lead to junk drawer clutter.

My wife is in charge of our kitchen and I asked her to pull six random gadgets from the junk drawer, then quiz me to see if I knew what they are used for. If I didn’t know, she would explain their use to me. I managed to get three out of six correct.

How many of these kitchen gadgets do you know?

If you don’t know what a kitchen gadget is used for, is it clutter? The very name “junk drawer” conjures an image of chaos. Since she uses these items throughout the year they are not clutter.

If you have a junk drawer in your kitchen, beware of clutter creep. That is, accumulation of gadgets that never get used. If you have trouble opening your junk drawer, it might be time to start de-cluttering that drawer.

How many gadgets did you get correct?

The item list and purpose of each:

  1. Egg separator – a tool used to separate the yolk of an egg from the egg white.
  2. Cake tester probe – a kitchen tool designed specifically for use in baking to test the doneness of cakes, a crucial step in the baking process.
  3. Biscuit cutter – a kitchen tool used to cut dough for the North American definition of biscuits (similar to English scones but without the higher amounts of sugar.) They are round, with a taller cutting edge than a cookie cutter.
  4. Citrus zester – a kitchen utensil for obtaining zest from lemons and other citrus fruit.
  5. Egg piercer – a tool that pierces the air pocket of an eggshell with a small needle to keep the shell from cracking during hard-boiling. If both ends of the shell are pierced, the egg can be blown out while preserving the shell (for crafts).
  6. Butter slicer – A tool that makes cutting butter easier and cleaner. Made of metal and wire. Also referred to as a “butter cutter”.

Kitchen gadgets can make food preparation easier, just be sure to use them.

NAPA Wine Country Castello di Amorosa in CalistogaAvadian photo 2021 NAPA Wine Country Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga

Declutter Your Smartphone

/in /by

When is the last time you looked at the condition of your smartphone?

Did you run the Device Care feature (in Settings for Android) to clear the clutter and help it work more efficiently? Screenshot of Device Care status on Android Smartphone

Digital Memories Grow Rapidly

Wherever I go, I take pictures. I also shoot videos. I am pleasantly surprised by people’s reactions to the people-and-nature photos and videos I post to social media. While I use my own smartphone and then spent (too much) time trying to get them high-resolution videos, I’m clearing the temporal clutter in my life. I use their cameras to shoot most of the pictures and videos. Meanwhile, I use my phone only for the must-have (a subjective call) images and video, saving gigabytes of space and time.

Years ago, in the days of pre-digital photography, we dropped off our rolls of film to be developed at a Fotomat booth or mailed them. We were careful about capturing the ideal shot as our hobby could grow quite expensive. Back then, I read that a National Geographic photographer could take as many as 10,000 photos for every one featured in the magazine. WOW!

Gigabytes of Too-Much Data

Today, the ease of digital photography and immediate feedback, makes it easier to quickly delete poor images as we continually improve our photography skills.

Friend, Manish Mamtani, an IT/Finance professional, parlayed his photography hobby into an internationally recognized following with photos featured around the world including at the White House and in NatGeo.

Those of us who enjoy taking pictures or shooting videos have likely accumulated tens of thousands if not 100,000 or more photos on our hard drives not to mention the seemingly endless gigabytes of photos and videos on our cards inserted in our smartphones.

Before I travel, I try to leave with at least half of my phone and card space available for new-photo and video opportunities. I am always surprised by the person who hands me a smartphone that doesn’t save the images or videos I shoot because there’s no more space left on their memory card or phone. They quickly delete and ask me to retake the images but by then the magic has passed.

Keep Control of Your Data

Take control of your smartphone files. Beyond your photos and videos, look also at your text messages, especially, those with images or videos. Also, review your emails and delete as many as you can.

Declutter.

When you’re finished, be sure to run the Device Care feature, again.

Organization Options for Your Closet

/in /by

What do you do after you have cleared the physical clutter from your living space? Maybe now is a good time to better organize some frequently used spaces like your closet. Since I am frequently at Lowe’s for various household projects, I’ll share what I discovered yesterday.

Lowe’s carries a wide variety of closet organization items both in store and online.

I am a fan of wood and Lowe’s carries wooden closet organizers, perfect for when I am ready to reorganize my closet space. If you don’t want to go full project changeover, then they have cost effective options available as well. For example, neatfreak! offers items ranging from hangers to shelf organizers.

Closet organization can be fun. Make some time to tackle that project today!

For smaller random organizing challenges in your living space, consider plastic storage bins for a quick fix. ICYMI, here are some suggestions from January 2021, “What’s in Stor(age) for You This Year?”

 

Clutter in the garage

Declutter to Avoid being Frozen in Time and Place

/in /by

Decluttering will be the easiest for you to tackle, today. Tomorrow, and with each passing day, the process will be more challenging.

The longer we postpone accomplishing a task, the more difficult it becomes. Our thoughts about getting it done—mental clutter—raises our stress level. The older we grow, the busier we get and the more quickly we tire.

Making time now to declutter gives us control over what we keep, sell, gift to others, or toss. We don’t want a flood, fire, earthquake, or other calamity to dictate the destruction of our sentimental family mementos.

Decluttering now also means we reduce our consumption of want-to-have but do-not-need items. These items that bring short-term joy, not only clutter our space, they deplete our finances, and ultimately make our lives more stressful. You’d be surprised how great the burden when we carry more stuff than we need.

I found this quote (source unknown) particularly impactful: move away from attachment to the stuff of life and toward a way of life.

And yet, I see so many, frozen in time and place—trapped by their possessions. I grew up in a household of too much stuff. My parents could not say no. The lessons of unburdening their home of 45 years of possessions have contributed to my ongoing process of letting go and acquiring only what I need.

Whether it’s the physical stuff that occupies our space or the mental clutter that clouds our thoughts, we are weighed down—anchored. Until we declutter, we will be unable to move toward a freer way of life.

Cluttered paperwork on work table

While progress is slow, such as when my (now ex-) husband I were going through my late father’s paperwork as his brain became increasingly riddled by dementia and later, Alzheimer’s, the pace will pick up. While unexpected gifts such as The U.S. Savings Bonds Windfall, are rare, the gift we receive with each step we take, will make the process go quicker. It’s uncanny, how that works, but we need to start, now.

Only then will we melt the icy grip of our possessions (mental and physical) and clear space in order to may enjoy more of what life has to offer.

Declare Your Independence from Clutter

/in /by

July 4th is Independence Day in the United States. Using that as a theme, I challenge you to declare your independence from clutter.

What does that mean? It means putting yourself on the path to clutter freedom! What that looks like is unique to you. But here are some suggestions for where to start.

Physical clutter

A problem for many of us. Paper clutter, such as mail for example.

For recurring bills such as utilities, or credit cards, sign up for electronic statements and automatic payments. This will not only eliminate the paper clutter, but it also helps ensure your bills are paid on time. You can even set up email or text reminders for payment as needed. When doing so be cautious about creating digital clutter in lieu of the paper clutter you eliminated.

Junk mail is a different matter. We often end up on mailing lists with no rhyme or reason. Contact the sender and ask to be removed from future solicitations. This will at least reduce, if not eliminate, the volume of junk mail. I also recommend shredding anything in said mail that contains your personal information, such as your address or account number. These are some simple steps towards freedom from physical clutter.

Digital clutter

Another issue many of us must deal with. Smart phones being a convenient example.

Take a hard look at your device and delete apps that you have not used in some time. Run the battery and device care feature in your settings to free up space. Restart your device on some type of schedule and run updates as needed. These are simple things you can do on your path to freedom from digital clutter.

Decluttering the various aspects of our lives can be simple. Again, I challenge you to declare your independence from clutter.

Humans will create more info in the next 2 days than in all history through 2003-Slideshare by Курьерская Служба УкраиныSlideshare by Курьерская Служба Украины

Don’t Say It. Do It. ACT.

/in /by

How often have you heard a friend, family member, or co-worker say they are going to do something?

“I am going to lose weight.”
I’ve said this for the past year, while gaining (as of now) eight pounds. Weight, like clutter, fluctuates. We need to act consistently to lose weight and keep it off. Two of the biggest contributors to my weight gain are food intake (type of foods and amount consumed) and physical activities. After being too physical while playing basketball and bike riding, I hurt myself. I needed a walker after the first injury in October. The second, in January scared me. I vowed to do what it takes to gain greater strength, stability, and flexibility. I am making progress. It is painfully slow! I’m working up to another hike in the Sierras. (Last summer, I walked 13+ miles above 10,000′ elevation.)

“I am going to clear the mess on my desk.”
As I’ve written before, having a clean desk is an ongoing process. After all, you work at your desk. There will be paperwork and other stuff. I place paperwork, books, and more on my desk. When I get busy with something else or take a short trip, if I neglect the paperwork for long, it reproduces. Before it grows into a pile of overwhelming paperwork (POOP), I dig in and clear the clutter.

“I am going to read more books.”
Much of my accumulated possessions over a 41-year career, consists of paperwork and books. As I take steps to clear the clutter, I’ve internalized one valuable lesson. Do not bring home more stuff. Don’t subscribe to anything. Don’t buy any books. (I bought one earlier this year to read and review it for my other website.) Get rid of the stuff I have, first. I’ve been good about letting go. With all the reading I do online, I manage to finish reading about one book a month. I usually take notes and then place the book in a box to give-away. Earlier this year, I let go of one box filled with books that I read last year and ones I had no intention of reading. 

The To-Do List goes on.

“I plan to watch less TV.”

“I plan to build my side-business on my days off.”

What happens?

Usually, nothing.

Why?

Because research shows that our brains consider the words we’ve spoken as if we’ve taken steps toward achieving the goal.

But have we?

No, we have only expelled warm air from our lungs through meaningless words.

Talking about doing something is not the same as doing it.

Last week, Eric advised, Trust Yourself to Declutter. Part of the STUFF acronym to Start, Trust, Understand, Focus, and Finish.

For our words to be meaningful, we must ACT.

Act (in order to)

Complete (the)

Task

After you have accomplished the task, it will no longer occupy your thoughts. You will not suffer seeing it undone. You don’t have to reschedule it anymore. In fact, you don’t have to even talk about doing it.

Why?

Because it’s DONE.

You ACTed.

How do you feel?

Trust Yourself to Declutter

/in /by

In STUFFology101: Get Your Mind Out of the Clutter we use the acronym S.T.U.F.F. as a tool to help people deal with their clutter. At the beginning of 2021 I wrote about the ‘S’ in S.T.U.F.F., which is START.

Today I want to touch on the ‘T’ in S.T.U.F.F., which is TRUST. One definition provided by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is “one in which confidence is placed.” For the purposes of our acronym and STUFFology 101 that means trusting yourself to define your clutter, since it is unique to you. And then trusting the process of decluttering  you started in January.

For example, I keep my office organized if occasionally chaotic. That is, I know where everything is and where it belongs, but it is always susceptible to clutter creep. Mostly with paperwork from various projects and new books for my personal library. Though I STARTed in January with an oath to keep it organized, I must continue to TRUST my decluttering process each week to stay on track throughout the year.

We often say that removing the various forms of clutter in our lives is a process not an event. For me that is keeping my office organized year round. As different people and things move through my life I find this to be true, especially with physical clutter.

I challenge you to TRUST yourself to continue your own decluttering process and get your mind out of the clutter!