Okay, so a bit of a random check-in post since I couldn’t think of any pressing thing to write about. Mostly I tend to avoid personal update posts on this blog, but occasionally I like to check in, so here you go. And yes, I’m gonna bullet point it.
- Someone in the past year recommend this book, Unclutter Your Life in One Week. It was at the library the other day so I picked it up and I’m gonna give it a whirl. I’ve always tried to keep a minimal amount of stuff around, and until now we’ve moved nearly every year (and big moves with only what fit in our car). But, having a house and being in the same place (that and having kids) for more then a year has definitely allowed me to accumulate more then I need, mostly of randomness. Anyone have tips on how and what they keep and what they purge? Throw them my way.
- Yesterday we celebrated my son’s one year homecoming anniversary. It’s amazing to think he’s been with us one year already, and we look forward to many many more. Adoption is a beautiful thing. Ask me about it if you want to know more.
- Spring is here (I hope) quite early for Minnesota. We’ve been out on the bikes (with the kids in tow), walking the neighborhood and more. With two toddlers it’s nice to be able to play and wander the neighborhood. And it’s great to see neighbors out and about.
- I’ve been plugging away on InsideNorthside.org still. Not sure yet if it’s a good idea or not, but still spreading the word. The benefits (connections I’ve made, the site itself) of it have definitely outweighed the cost (time mostly), but sometimes I wonder if it will ever get more buy-in and function the way it really could. Sorry rambling.
- Semi-related, I entered a grant contest in hopes to win $50k for northside community projects. It’s a social voting contest, so if you want to help me by voting, you can sign-up for a daily (starting April 1st) reminder email here. Another random tangential endeavor (seems like I have a lot of those lately).
- I’m writing for a collaborative of non-profits in my neighborhood. The stories and videos are going up here: TheNorthsider.org
- We went to The Wedge, a local co-op, last week. Sort of scoped it out (I wrote down prices), in another step toward some sort of intentional considerations in our eating habits.
- And that’s the word.
A great way to declutter is to do the three box method. One box to keep, one to donate/trash, one for undecided. When sorting through a drawer, closet, room, etc, put everything into one of these boxes. The key here is the undecided box, the box of things you think you 'might' need. Put the box away in the basement or closet, get it out of the way in some fashion. Don't open an undecided box unless totally necessary. Then in a few months, or years whatever you want, just get rid of the whole box.
Also, lots of good tips here:
http://zenhabits.net/archives/
http://mnmlist.com/archive/
I forget where I read it, but someone came up with something called a 100 things challenge or some such title. Anyway the idea is to only own 100 things. Not sure if you want to go to that extreme but you can you always pick a rough idea of how much stuff you want to have and then widdle away.
Yeah, I've heard of that before. I might be up for it someday. Maybe
just as practice I should count the things I currently have.
I think the danger in the minimizing of 'stuff' track is that you end
up getting rid of used decent stuff that you'll need at some point,
and then when the time comes that you need it you have to (or get to)
go out and get a new one. If you have the space and it is something
you'll actually use at some point (say like used bike parts, or an
extra flashlight), I don't see any harm in keeping it around. Of
course that is definitely a slippery slope.