Do Something In 2022

January 4, 2022/in De-Clutter/by Eric Riddle STUFFologist

Welcome to 2022. Now what?

The ever-popular New Year’s Resolutions would have you promise a variety of things to yourself, such as losing weight or eating healthier. A trip to your local gym in January will reveal how popular such resolutions are.

What about a less grandiose suggestion, and likely easier to maintain all year long? Do something. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Easy enough to say, but often harder than it sounds.

For example, house cleaning or decluttering. Broadly this implies cleaning up the entire house, which can lead to the daunting task of doing everything to make it model home perfect. A perhaps unrealistic expectation.

Instead do something in one specific area or room completely. Like sorting, filing, or shredding that pile of mail on the counter and washing the dishes. Failure to stay on top of daily tasks or chores makes them harder to complete as each day passes.

You may be different, but I find that letting things pile up makes me want to take care of them less. So, for me doing something is better than doing nothing. That said, understand that you don’t have to do everything yourself. Ask a friend or family member to help. The worst that can happen is they might say no. I have found people are more inclined to say yes when I bribe them with pizza!

The beauty of doing something is that it is simple and specific to your situation. Repeated daily, weekly, or monthly and the results become easy to see.

At the beginning of 2021 I challenged you to define your clutter and START dealing with it. Now that we are at the beginning of 2022, I challenge you to do something.

Declutter Tug-of-War with Past, Present, and Future

December 13, 2021/1 Comment/in De-Clutter/by Brenda Avadian STUFFologist

Recently, I reviewed notes I had keyed in my journal, two years ago. At the time, I was packing to leave the rural mountain I called home for 15 years—the home, my then-husband and I said we’d live in until the paramedics carried us out on stretchers.

Time has a way of changing things and we’re each living our own lives. I accumulated many books and a lot of paperwork over my nearly 40-year career. I taught at three universities and one college plus served as a consultant for corporations and organizations. Additionally, I had files of notes and editions of the nine books I had written plus notes of the many speeches I’d given since 1980.

As I write this, I recall a dear friend and prolific author’s words during one of our telephone calls, “I’m embarrassed to admit this, Brenda, but I have notes that almost reach the ceiling for books I have yet to write. I feel overwhelmed.”

And here I am lamenting that I have a half file drawer full!

Clutter is relative. Her tall pile of notes held potential for her future. She had written over 40 books at the time. For me, too many notes drain me of energy. I stop. I feel too sluggish to move.

And so, our lives march on with an ongoing tug-of-war with clutter.

Clutter Tug-of-War – Past. Present. Future.

We must decide how much of the past we let tug at us versus how much energy we devote to our future while we potentially tear apart our present.

That year, 2019, I had to make some difficult decisions. The future would not unfold in the way I envisioned. I had to let go of what I had defined as clutter. It was time to create a present with far fewer possessions.

While I’ve always welcomed having less, it’s an uncomfortable feeling to let go of what I had for so long. It’s almost as if I’m saying, I have no future. While not true, it takes some getting used to when one’s present circumstances necessitates a revision to one’s future.

I also know from working with downsizing elders, that going through the process sooner will make it less stressful than if I had to do it in my later years.

Let Go.

As difficult as it may be to let go now, the process has made me far more conscientious as a consumer. Fortunately, I’m not one for shopping for the sake of seeing what’s out there. If I need something, I’ll buy it. Usually, it’s to replace something that no longer works for me. This means I accumulate very little.

With the holidays coming up, friends hint at the gifts they’d like to buy for me. I remind them to gift me with experiences we can enjoy together. This way, instead of having one more thing to deal with, I will treasure a memorable experience.

I had long welcomed a reduction in possessions. The more stuff we have the more our energy goes to maintaining our physical possessions instead spending time with one another. Based on square feet alone, I’ve given up 80% of living space.

I feel far less stress in more intimate surroundings that are easier to manage. Instead of fixing, cleaning, storing, and maintaining possessions I am enjoying meaningful experiences with people.

Let Go to Let In

Since the age of 10 when I grew aware of such things, I’ve learned how much we allow our possessions—whether physical or mental to control our lives.

When we decide and then take steps to let go, we open ourselves to wondrous experiences, ones we cannot even imagine.

Don’t Move Your Clutter With You

November 8, 2021/in De-Clutter/by Eric Riddle STUFFologist

Moving presents an unusual opportunity to declutter. Items we had long since forgotten may become treasured keepsakes once again. While other items are destined for donation, recycle, or trash.

Use the packing process to clear the clutter from your life. In “Grandpa’s Garage” I discussed how clutter accumulated in my garage temporarily. My daughter’s move helped me come to a clutter clarity moment, “Don’t move your clutter with you.” Simple but not necessarily easy.

Again, moving presents an unusual opportunity to declutter. Be ruthless with your stuff. Pack what you’ll actually use in your new home. Take another look at those keepsakes. Consider selling them for some quick cash on OfferUp.com. Or donate them to your favorite charity.

Put them in the recycle or the trash if those items are not suitable for sale or donation. While one person’s trash may be another person’s treasure, you can probably tell what realistically can’t be sold or donated.

Only after you have cleared the clutter during your packing process should you load up those boxes for the move. My daughter used a U-Haul van for her move, which was cost effective in her case.

Once again, moving presents an unusual opportunity to declutter. Use it wisely and use it well.

Grandpa’s Garage

October 11, 2021/in De-Clutter/by Eric Riddle STUFFologist

What do you do when your garage accumulates three generations of stuff temporarily? You start to declutter and get your space back.

We generally have a variety of items in the garage (STUFFology 101: Get Your Mind Out of the Clutter, “A Man’s ~~Home~~ Garage is His Castle“). Vehicles, bicycles, tools, games, and general storage to name a few. Ideally it is organized in a reasonable fashion and each item in the garage is easily accessible. And so it was with my own garage, until I temporarily stored items there from my deceased parents’ home.

I saved a few precious keepsakes, boxes of family photos and slides, as well as select antique furniture in a small portion of the garage to be sorted out in a timely fashion, in the beginning of 2018. Now that it is late 2021, some of that timeliness has been extended. Sadly, I have yet to sort through any of the family photos and slides. But many of the keepsakes and antique furniture have been incorporated into my household. Progress of sorts.

That accounts for two generations of stuff, what about the third? Enter my oldest daughter, who was forced to move back home several months ago due to the disruption of the COVID 19 Pandemic. She has spent that time getting her life back in order and is now in the process of moving to another state. Unfortunately, some of her stuff remains in my garage. Why?

Good question. The short answer is she no longer needs it. She did hold a garage sale where some of the stuff was liquidated, but not all. The remainder is to be donated to my charity. But I have not contacted them for pickup yet. Thus, three generations of stuff is now in my garage temporarily.

Has this happened to you? I ask because life unfolds in ways we cannot always control. I have started again to declutter and am in the process of getting my garage space back. My daughter is finishing her move today. I am setting up a pickup date for my charity today. And another daughter will be sorting through the photos and slides in the weeks ahead.

Decluttering three generations of stuff stored temporarily in my garage is a process not an event. Progress.

Avadian photo 2021 NAPA Wine Country Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga

Declutter Your Smartphone

July 26, 2021/in De-Clutter/by Brenda Avadian STUFFologist

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?

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.

Slideshare by Курьерская Служба Украины

Don’t Say It. Do It. ACT.

June 28, 2021/in De-Clutter/by Brenda Avadian STUFFologist

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?

Thoughts of Decluttering while on Vacation

May 31, 2021/in De-Clutter/by Brenda Avadian STUFFologist

A couple weeks ago, I returned from a week in California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys. My primary goal was to enjoy the beauty of wine country and secondly, to do a little wine tasting. COVID altered my plans to visit Tuscany, so I adapted. My eyes feasted on rolling vineyards, the beautiful Castello di Amorosa in Calistoga (pictured) and Jordan Winery’s French chateau in Healdsburg. I enjoyed private reserve tastings at three wineries in Santa Rosa, Sonoma, and Napa. Nature gifted me with her flora and fauna in Geyserville and Santa Rosa. I was in awe at the awesome power of the winds and waves of the Pacific Ocean below Bodega Head.

Purging Thoughts

An interesting thing happened while on this trip. Occasionally, I had mind-dialogues with my ex. At first, I felt a put-off by these intrusive thoughts. Ultimately, I am an optimist. I realized (the next day) that I was engaging in a healthy purging of mental clutter. Indulge me as I explain.

In relationships, people have different views of the world and how to navigate life. In my marriage, I lived with a lot of projections and negativity. I had no idea my ex was projecting his fears upon me and our relationship until early on across a dozen therapy sessions. While his personality was calm and unassuming, and mine, more socially outward, I was letting him control me.

As I enjoyed exploring Napa and Sonoma in my own way, these thoughts entered my mind. I refuse to carry baggage, so I let in these periodic controlling statements and then released them.

If I am truly responsible for creating the new chapters in my life, I must continue clearing out the dark corners in my mind.

“No, let’s not go there. These rental cars are not maintained. What if the car breaks down?”

I went anyway. I drove 300 miles of planned and unplanned adventures during the four-and-a-half days of my trip. I explored miles of rural beauty in Geyserville upon the sommelier’s recommendation. I drove up the windy road to Bodega Head. At the top, the wind was blowing so hard, I lost my footing several times trying to take pictures and shoot video from the cliffs above the seashore.

“You said we’d leave at 8. It’s already 8:45 and we’re going to be late for the wine tasting. Money we already paid, wasted.”

I left Santa Rosa, drove an hour southeast for a carne empanada (yummy) at El Porteño in Oxbow Market. I walked around the market and bought spices. Then I took a leisurely drive up to Frog’s Leap. Arriving early for the 11:15 wine tasting, I meandered upon the scenic grounds.

I prefer to learn from and then let go of the past. I live attentively in the present and find little regret or guilt with statements like “I should have…” “I wish I had…”. I am continually curious, learning new things, and open to adventure.

An article about gray divorces brought me comfort as it reflected my own situation. Men and women, post-divorce, seek different things. In short, men leave long-term relationships to find someone with whom to fill a void they perceive was missing. Women thrive on new experiences.

After living four-plus decades with more negativity than our marriage could endure, this trip was a welcome-journey filled with uplifting yesses. There will undoubtedly be more inner dialogues in the future. I’ll pay attention, in order to let go of more mental clutter.

For more, read Your Choice – Declutter Your Mind or Your Relationship.

Kids, Cats, and Clutter

April 12, 2021/1 Comment/in De-Clutter/by Eric Riddle STUFFologist

Is your living space in chaos or is it clean?

Maybe both depending on what area of the house you are talking about! Despite our best efforts, clutter often appears like magic. Kids and cats (or other pets) often contribute to clutter chaos.

We recently emptied out a closet containing assorted storage bins. Just because something is stored away neatly doesn’t mean it isn’t clutter.

Bin there done that.

In this case, the bins were full of old baby clothes and other assorted keepsakes from my daughters. Now that we have a granddaughter, time to check on those clothes! Styles change of course, but jeans are always useful.

Cats are like kids in that they have toys and other items that must be stored when not in use. If you have multiple cats, then you probably have multiple cat boxes to rotate as you replace them to clean out the used cat litter. Yet another item to store until needed.

Clearing the clutter to keep chaos at bay can be a never-ending process. Life is full of adventure with kids and cats (or other animals). Enjoy the moment. Some days the clutter gets ahead and that’s ok on occasion. Tomorrow you’ll have another opportunity to clean away the clutter.

Be at peace with your day if kids, cats, and clutter have their way.

Decluttering a Mountain in My Mind

April 5, 2021/in De-Clutter/by Brenda Avadian STUFFologist

What has felt like a mountain of clutter in my mind crumbled into a manageable molehill after I stopped procrastinating.

I have a banker’s box filled with miscellaneous paperwork. When I want to read something, I place it in this box. Unfortunately, this practice resulted in a growing collection of assorted papers and magazines for over a decade. While I’ve reviewed and tossed or shredded papers in this box, they reproduce.

I took some time on Easter Sunday, to go through this box after being inspired by memories of a “recovering procrastinator.” I searched online to see what she was up to. We hadn’t been in touch in a few years while I was going through a divorce. Rita Emmett had a marvelous sense of humor as she spoke and wrote about procrastinating. Sadly, she died almost two years ago.

During one of our last calls, Rita and I talked about how a molehill of tasks grows into a mountain, simply because we keep putting it off.

This box is in my office next to the file cabinet. Seeing it, reminds me daily to continue making progress. While the mountain seemed too high; once I started climbing, it began to crumble. My “treasured keepsakes” no longer held the importance I once ascribed to them.

Today, I have different needs and interests.

Paperwork is the most time-consuming. Some people will say, “I don’t even want to see it. Toss it.” Others will need to go through it once more. I am one of the others. It’s a good thing, because I found financial records that need to be shredded.

I also found a little surprise—my notes from a wine-tasting trip from about 20 years ago. Since I’m planning a trip to the same area next month, these detailed notes were a helpful reminder of my experiences.

While the contents in the box are more loosely spaced and easier to look through, I keep adding files and other paperwork. Still, I’m a lot further along thanks to inspiring memories of Rita.

Decluttering for Relaxation on Presidents’ Day

February 15, 2021/in De-Clutter/by Eric Riddle STUFFologist

Taking time to declutter on your day off can help you relax. I realize this may seem counterintuitive but think about how much better you feel after clearing the clutter from even one small space.

Today is Presidents’ Day in the United States and many people have the day off since it is a Federal Holiday. If you have the day off, consider taking time to declutter.

I take time to dust, clean, and consolidate items (mostly books, but other select stuff as well) on my bookshelves on such days. This has the dual benefit of keeping things tidy and rediscovering books I may have forgotten. For example, The Arrow Book of Presidents by Sturges F. Cary

is a book I have owned since grade school. I keep it because it sparked my lifelong interest in history. For me it is NOT clutter. Processing these items as I go through my bookshelves is a simple way for me to relax.

If I find items that have become clutter to me as I clean, I set them aside to donate or pass along to a friend. This does not have to take huge amounts of time. Do not overthink it, take some small action to declutter today!

Interested in history like me? Just click on the links for additional information about George Washington’s Birthday and how we (in the USA) came to celebrate Presidents’ Day. Bonus: Famous quotations from George Washington.