Tag Archive - clutter

Books for Sale or for Store?

July 2, 2009 in Books, Rants with 5 Comments

I packed up most of my office yesterday and it reminded me of how much I hate storing and especially moving books. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE to read. But to be realistic, typically after I read a book, I don’t open it again. It…just…sits. Not only do they take up space, they also make you have higher rent or a higher house payment because of the extra square footage needed to store them.23816128_d4acb70b2d

So, I’m thinking about selling ALL of my books that I have read on Amazon and buying a Kindle or at least using the library for a change.

What do you think? Should a pastor keep all of his books? Do people think you have some sort of credibility because there are a bunch of books on a shelf?

Or can a “ditch the clutter” freak like me get rid of all his books and be just fine?

Books take up an awful lot of space, especially for something that you really only use for a few months and then store for years. I haven’t missed owning hard copies of albums on cd, tape, or vinyl. Why would I miss my books?

How can I justify my desire for compact, organized living when we have so many little rectangular objects taking up shelf/closet/floor space in my home?

Share your thoughts.

I wish Amazon had a trade in program of some kind where you could send in all your books and get Kindle copies of them…

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The Clutter Down Under

March 7, 2008 in Leadership, Mi Vida Loca with Comments Off

The Sydney Morning Herald has an awesome article on clutter.  Talk about clutter in life…why the heck am I reading a newspaper from Australia?  The best part of the article to me was their categorizing of clutter. Good to know that its not just we Americans struggling with clutter…From the article:

The items that constitute clutter are extremely varied and depend on the circumstances and personalities in each household. And there are several different categories of clutter, depending on the nature of a person’s “attachment”‘ to things, our research showed.

Emotional clutter has sentimental meaning but little financial value. It could include children’s toys or drawings, unused or unwanted gifts, school or university notes, or the personal possessions of absent loved ones.

Just-in-case clutter has little or no sentimental value but since it “might come in handy one day” it is kept for some time. Examples include old bills or bank statements, tools or stationery.

Bargain clutter is free or very cheap items acquired at sales, from friends or family or “by the side of the road”. Certain personality types tend to be especially attracted to bargain clutter.

Bought clutter consists of impulse purchases that never end up being used. It commonly includes clothes, fashion accessories and electronic items and is strongly linked to wasteful consumption.

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Clutter. Simplicity.

March 4, 2008 in Confessional, Leadership, Mi Vida Loca with 3 Comments

Clutter is around every corner in our lives.  We just have this propensity to allow things to stack up.  Look at some of the major search engines we use today…they are perfect examples:

Yahoo…CLUTTER

YAHOO equals CLUTTER

MSN…CLUTTER 

MSN equals CLUTTER

Google…CLU….WAIT, SIMPLICITY!

Google…NO CLUTTER

Our lives look like these search engines.  Sometimes clutter feels like a battle that will never end. At times it makes me want to scream “MOTHER CLUTTER!!!!”

I always admired my close friend Josh Rosenthal because he only owned things he really needed.  He only filled his schedule with stuff that mattered. His life looks like Google.  I admire that.

Then, I have other friends whose lives look more like Yahoo or MSN.   I have met people whose homes you can’t even walk through because they just have so much clutter.

I’m not just talking about too much stuff sitting in our homes…our schedules, offices, and relationships also get cluttered.

Clutter can be an indication of bigger problems in life.

What do you do in your life to clear the clutter?  What are some of your best practices?

I have a few clutter rules that I try to apply to my life:

  • if I haven’t used it in a year, it goes in the trash or is given away
  • utilize to do lists, technology and other resources that help you keep your schedule organized
  • work hard when I’m at work. that way the clutter doesn’t pile up at the office
  • spend at least 15 minutes every day clearing some clutter at home

More on clutter later this week…we’ll look at the clutter in our churches.

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