| |
| |
|
Organizing Information |
|
|
|
The Natural Law of Attrition
I'm cheap and proud of it. I use and re-use things carefully. It pains me in particular to waste food. The Buddhist/Catholic in me wants to find a way to airlift leftover rice and veggies to the Sudan. I'm one of those obnoxious houseguests who will walk up behind you while you're washing your dishes in your own damn sink and turn off the faucet. Unfortunately cheap is a great word, like gay or liberal, that I can't use anymore. I have to call myself a minimalist or a Voluntary Simplist and use words like frugal and responsible instead of stingy. I don't hoard; I "re-purpose". And I live in fear of being accused of not creating abundance. That's worse than being accused of not having a sense of humor.It's actually politically correct for me to be cheap. I just can't say I am. I am frugal and respectful of the earth's resources. I'm just not sure I'm ready to be part of a movement. Yes. Cheapness has become an ism; a movement; a cause. Which is great because that means you can now make money off of it. Now there are magazines like "Tightwad Gazette" and "Simple Life". Two great publications which use a lot of trees and expend time, energy and money to reinforce what your mother always told you when she followed you round the house turning off lights and consolidating scraps of soap into nylon stockings. I turn off lights and save soap, by the way, but I don't stop there.I also re-use Ziploc bags. I don't acquire things just because I can. I have no repugnance in using something, a car, a coat, or a cd that someone else used and valued before me. I've gratefully accepted a piece of clothing from a girlfriend when she couldn't fit into it any more. Why would it matter that I don't have a shared history with the donor of some of my other used goodies? I'm not a pack rat but I don't throw a thing away just because I'm not currently using it. What if I dump something and suddenly need it two years from now? I still can't get over the fact that my husband sold an expensive pressure cooker for two bucks at a garage sale. So what if we hadn't used it in 5 years? It was doing him no harm at all sitting quietly and dustily on a top shelf.Lo and behold I hit a Macrobiotic phase a couple of years later and there I was in a grain and bean-based lifestyle without a pressure cooker. So, yes, I believe in recycling and re-using but I'm a little bit of a hypocrite about it. I also don't like getting rid of things. It stands to reason that in order for other people to recycle I have to return some stuff to the product gene pool. I don't. The problem with this is that even if I don't acquire much any more I have a one-way upward accumulation of stuff. This is where the Natural Law of Attrition comes in. Attrition is the yang to the yin of accumulation. I've never found this law in any books but I know it exists. How else to explain the disturbing fact that I can't find a favorite sweatshirt I used to have 20 years ago? I know I didn't throw it away and it didn't get ruined in the wash.So where is it? Well, ok, it was 20 years ago and I've moved 4 times since then but it should still be here. Shouldn't it?Unless the Natural Law of Attrition fairy crept in one night and quietly took care of it. I've also been wondering for the last several years what happened to a particularly fabulous pair of sunglasses which really blocked out the sun. This was a period of time when I was fly-fishing (don't ask). With these glasses you could actually see the fishing line no matter how bright the day.I never lost them. One day I went looking for them and they weren't there. Poof. Gone. Because I could never bear to give these things away they just had to disappear little by little. Like dead skin cells sloughing off daily or hair quietly swirling down the drain one follicle at a time. You never see them go. Yet go they do. Swept gently and unnoticeably out of my life by the Natural Law of Attrition. Mary Rosendale is the Founder and proud Mama of The Constructed Life, a unique Holistic Life Coaching service rooted in Buddhist psychology. Come play with her and wake up from the Dream. Visit her on the web at http://www.TheConstructedlife.com or check out her funky blog http://theconstructedlife.blogs.com/clear_and_present
MORE RESOURCES:
organizing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Organize Your Desk - Live Longer! It may seem far-fetched, but by organizing your desk, your bedroom, your kitchen, and all of the spaces where you spend time, you could be adding years to your life. In essence, stress can shorten your life. Can You Make a "Torpedo" Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have "Junkyard Wars," a TV series showed two teams of experts contending for a title. The aim of the competition was for teams to construct a torpedo that can hit a target. Get Rid Of The Clutter You really can have a successful business and a great life. Often we get caught up in growing our business or climbing the corporate ladder that we put our personal lives on hold. 25 Tips and Tricks for an Organized Move Worried because you're moving soon? This really doesn't have to be a stressful, chaotic time. Here are some tips to help you achieve a successful, organized move. Feeling Overwhelmed and Unorganized? - How to Use Index Cards to Organize Your Life Feeling Overwhelmed and Unorganized? - How to Use Index Cards to Organize Your LifeAre you still looking for the perfect organizing tool? Is your Filofax too bulky and heavy to fit in your purse and carry with you? Tried a Palm or other Handheld and found it awkward to use when you're on the run?Ta Da!! - Try simple 3x5 index cards, you know the litle ones you use for kitchen recipes.Why? They are affordable, easy to find and they fit in your pocket or purse. 1-2-3 Sort Article excerpted from the new book, "How to Do Space Age Work with a Stone Age Brain" by Eve Abbott1 - 2 - 3-SORT!Every time you start to clean up your office so you can work better instead of harder-that big backlog of information is just too overwhelming. Sorting can actually put you into a better working space in very short time!The good news is you don't have to do it all at once. Organizing Solutions for the Disorganized Entrepreneur After more than 20 years as an entrepreneur and a consultant to entrepreneurs, I am convinced that for many entrepreneurs, "organized" is an enigma. "Organized entrepreneur" may even be an oxymoron, because the very strength that makes great entrepreneurs makes for poor organizing - at least organizing as most of the world defines it. Feng Shui Guidlines for Storage Spaces Professional organizers and helpful-hint sources often recommend storage solutions such as shelves above doors and in corners, hooks on the backs of doors, and peg-board or tools and small appliances. They are masters at maximizing every square inch of a closet with bins, baskets, shelf dividers, and multiple hanging rods. Clutter Campaign - Select Your Tools Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. William MorrisWhat you love, you preserve There are so many tools available to support your Clutter Campaign. Organizing Your Day One of the hardest things for most individuals working from home is to stay focused. One of the best ways to stay focused is organization. Organizing Tips to Help You Conquer the Laundry Monster Laundry. You sort, you wash, you fold, you blink - and the pile of dirty clothes has grown all over again. Effective Closet Cleaning Tips - Let Go of More Than Skeletons I know I have a problem when I have to battle with the overflow every time I try to shut my closet door. Well, okay, it's not really a closet, more like an overgrown cupboard, but as it's all I have something's got to give. How Much Is Your Time Worth? Does Your Present Internet Filing System Work?Do You Really Know for Sure How Much You Earned? Do You Really Know for Sure or Just "Think So"? Do You Really Know for Sure Which Ads Work? Do You Really Know for Sure Where your URL's Are? Do You Really Know for Sure? DO YOU ??We have all wasted precious working hours, sometimes frantically looking for an article or business letter saying "that's where it was last time.. Relieve Vacation Stress By Planning Ahead Cindy looks at the calendar and sighs. Ah, the end of May. The Love It Or Lose It Principle: One Simple Key to Living Clutter-Free Forever It wasn't long ago that you spent an entire weekend "decluttering" - and now you are expecting guests in two days, and the guestroom is full of "stuff" again!According to a study by the U.S. Organized Living in a Disorganized World We are bombarded with so many factors that perpetuate disorganization. Computers, fax machines, cellular phones, and on-line services enable us to do more - and require us to do more. Clutter & Creativity Take a look around you right now. Look away from the computer screen and scan around you - the surface of your desk or table, now scan farther to look at the rest of the room. 5 Reasons to Organize Your Home Today Home organization isn't just for neat-nicks or those drawn toward organized living. Even if you don't fall into those two stereotypes, you should consider learning and implementing some home organizing techniques. Escaping The Clutter Trap? - 5 Steps For Increasing Productivity And Decreasing Stress ? Do you feel overwhelmed by all the "stuff" in your life? Magazines and journals you've never finished reading, clothes you never wear, e-mail you haven't responded to, or photographs you intended to share with friends or colleagues? ? Are you embarrassed to invite people to your home or office because they will see the way you live or work? Do you rush around when someone's coming to hide the evidence?? Is clutter putting a strain on a relationship that's important to you? Do you argue with your spouse about what to keep, or spend time reassuring your colleagues that you know what everything is?? Do you waste time looking for things you really need - documents you already created, or the keys or receipt you had in your hand five minutes ago?? Is your home or office just too crowded? Does clutter take valuable space and leave you feeling overwhelmed? If you answered "Yes" to any two or more of these questions, you are caught in The Clutter Trap - a state of cumulative disorder which diminishes your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or financial health. There are more than a few people reading this article right now who are feeling distressed by the clutter in their lives. Four Easy Steps to An Organized Closet The National Association of Professional Organizers has dedicated January to clean out those closets, but don't wait for January -- now is the time. Exciting this task is not, but by devoting a couple of afternoons this month you can reduce unnecessary search time and you may even find some extra storage in the process.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
