2010 – The year of my personal simplicity?
In the recent blockbuster “Up in the Air,” Ryan Bingham, (George Clooney) a “corporate downsizer and occasional motivational speaker,” challenges his audience to “put down their backpacks.” In that backpack, he claims, is everything in our life – that which is slowing us down – from knickknacks to photos to family members and relationships.
“The slower we move, the faster we die. Make no mistake – Moving is living,” he says. A great quote.
After seeing the movie again today for the fourth time, it occurs to me that he has a great point – “Stuff” does slow us down. And the older we get, the wealthier we get, the more “stuff” we seem to accumulate. There’s a law about it, apparently – The bigger our place, the more stuff we collect to fill it. It’s sad, in a way.
I’m as much of a victim of that law as anyone else. But today… I’ve decided I want to change it.
I found a blog a few days ago – A Paperless Life – Denise, a writer, talks about her attempt in 2010 to get rid of as much paper as possible.
I salute her – I’m going to attempt to mimic her and do the same. But there’s a lot more we can get rid of, isn’t there?
Photos? Slides? Scan in the best ones, store them locally and off-site for backup, toss the rest. (Or as Mr. Bingham says, “Photos? Photos are for people who can’t remember. Drink some Ginko and let the photos burn.”)
DVDs? Blueray discs? Good question. I can rip DVDs to an external drive and lose the discs – But can I do the same with Bluray? If so, can someone tell me how?
Which brings me to the question of storage… What should I use? What drive is big enough for 500 DVDs? For Bluray? If you wanted to buy the biggest, fastest external drive for your Macbook Pro, what would you get?
Clothing – How much do we really have that we don’t ever wear? Goodwill is getting quite the donation this week. Really go through your closets. Women: You’re really going to wear those clubbing dresses from 2004 again someday? Right. Guys? Not every t-shirt we get at a conference needs to be kept.
Food: Buy the staples – buy the rest on a per-occasion basis. Bonus: You’ll lose weight.
Travel: I’ve already mastered this. I go to the airport with my backpack and a carry-on. Anything bigger I have to take? That’s what FedEx is for, end of story.
I want 2010 to be simpler. I want to own less stuff. I want to have more space, and not have to fill it. That’s my mission.
Help me do it. Give me some other ideas in the comments. What else can I lose? What else don’t I need? What else can I make smaller? (And don’t say my cats.)
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:57 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Peter Shankman, prblogs. prblogs said: Shankman: 2010 – The year of my personal simplicity?: In the recent blockbuster “Up in the Air,” Ryan Bingham… http://bit.ly/8f5qyW [...]
January 3rd, 2010 at 1:58 pm
I think 2010 is a great time to get rid of toxic or draining relationships! I’d rather be around positive, fun-loving folks.
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Living in Miami taught me something fundamental when it comes to holding on to possessions, if a hurricane were to come and take all of this away, what would I have left? I’ve wrestled with this four times in one year. Possessions do indeed posses us.
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:00 pm
I’m an efficiency consultant and help lots of people simplify their situations (though more businesses and fewer individuals). I’m all for scanning all your paper (love the ScanSnap scanner), switching to e-books, and paring down your pantry, but I haven’t yet been sold on ripping and tossing DVDs. Instead, get rid of the cases and store your actual DVDs in a large zipper CD case. No matter how fast your Internet connection, re-downloading movies you already own is a bigger waste of time and resources in my book than having a case or two of CDs next to the television (or in your case, under the multiple televisions!).
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:03 pm
IMHO, it’s not about getting stuff digital, because if you don’t manage that well it can create more headaches than they solve (ripping DVD’s for instance. They create huge files, and backing them up online can be expensive). Then there’s the matter of setting up a digital filing system, which the book bit literacy does a good job of outlining some initial strategies. I’m also sure you’re familiar with David Allen’s GTD strategies, the most critical of them is having functioning inboxes. The best way to reduce your stuff is to limit the stuff that gets in in the first place.
Hope this helps, looking forward to hearing comments from everybody else.
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I’m not 100% sure, but I believe Toast Titanium should be able to rip those Blu Ray DVDs. Right now you can buy 2 TB external drives. If you really want to do this, you will either need two drives so you can use the built in backup (Time Machine) or buy a RAID box with multiple slots like a Drobo or any of the other high end NAS (network attached storage) drives.
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Great article. And thanks for the paperlesslife link.
EMAIL: When I think ‘clutter’, I think ‘email’. My to-do list is linked to my email via http://www.gootodo.com which allows me to send email to my calendar–in the future, to a specific date. I go to my gootodo account and there is my calendar with the specific email right there. It’s genius and means that I leave work with an empty inbox where I can defer, delegate, or just do it.
MEMENTOS: Give stuff to others who will appreciate it. I have loads of pictures and knick-knacks from my (deceased) parents that I can’t bring myself to get rid of, but I can wrap them up and send them on to other family members. It’s a gift, feels good for me–and for them.
ART: I love art. But I have limited space. Buy art with other people you care about. And own it on rotation. Visit it at other people’s houses. Have an opening every six months when it changes locations.
January 3rd, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Do you really need 500 DVDs? What are the odds of you ever actually going back to season 2 of Friends?
Dump ‘em.
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Why don’t you try an HP Mediasmart Server – it does everything you want – backs up your Mac, Rips and streams DVD’s, allows files to be accessed remotely. It is probably one of the most under-rated products out there and it is simple to use.
http://www.hp.com/united-state.....artserver#
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:44 pm
What an awesome post, from a non Professional Organizer, during GO (Get Organized) Month.
I agree with you that we have too much stuff. The current statistic says that we use 20% of our possessions 80% of the time. So why not part with the excess 80%? Kudos to you, Peter for starting 2010 off with such a positive move.
@juliebavi
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Great article! I’ve been slowly working on this last year or so… going mostly digital plus saving money instead of wasting it on more stuff. Hopefully I can continue and improve even more in 2010. Good luck on your goal as well!
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Let’s face it, we are a generation of people who’s parents came here with nothing and impressed upon us the importance of working hard for what you get/have. I think over the years this message has morphed into something that our generation has translated to “I worked for it, I deserve it … ALL of it.” The danger being that we value ourselves based on our posessions. “Man, john has a new bmw, he must be a great doctor.” Its a hard thing to toss stuff that we “deserve” but trust me, you’ll fell better once you have. Last year my husband and I went through our closet and put together suits and took them to a homeless shelter and a halfway house. We managed to keep in touch with the people who fit in the suits and were pleased to find out they had all gotten jobs in our suits. Kill the emotional attachment to stuff and pass it on, I can guarantee someone has better use for it, you just have to find the right outlet. @ksswansong
January 3rd, 2010 at 6:20 pm
I think you have had a fascinating reaction to Up in the Air.
I, however, saw more of myself than I wanted to in the film (minus an affair with George Clooney).
In the end, Ryan realized that constantly moving wasn’t really living – it was working. Oh, his apartment was clutter free – and void of any sign of personal relationships.
So, in celebration of “Up in the Air” & the concept of not letting “stuff” weigh me down, I plan to spend more time making memories with family and friends. I want to FILL my head with memories and spend less time checking my emails in the Admirals Club, where, of course, they know my name.
Peace, Love and Martinis,
Anne
January 3rd, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Peter,
I use the Shiny Red Ball Test for every new business development opportunity, new piece of technology, whatever.
1. Does it tie in to other stuff going on?
2. Can it make money?
3. Does the time investment vs. profit make sense?
4. Can I currently handle the other things I have going on along with this?
5. Will it make me more or less stressed? More or less productive?
-David
January 3rd, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Here’s a test I ask my clients about – do you love it or use it? it starts you thinking about what something really means to you. Voluntary simplicity frees us to be the best we can be! thanks for sharing this great post!
January 3rd, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Thanks for the shout-out, Peter.
I really relate to what you said in your post: “I want 2010 to be simpler. I want to own less stuff. I want to have less space, and not have to fill it.” Sometimes I ask myself what I would keep if I lived in a studio apartment in Manhattan. Stuff definitely expands to fill the space available for storage.
You didn’t mention books. Any desire to reduce the size of your library? It definitely bothers me to have the dozen books I’m currently reading stacked on my night table. I’m hoping nook (Thanks, Santa!) will help me create a more restful environment.
I have a 2TB drive on my Mac plus a 2 TB Time Capsule, which should handle all the scanned images I need to store. But my images are also stored in the cloud at Evernote. I’ll be talking more about how I integrate that into my workflow.
Denise @apaperlesslife
January 3rd, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Hi Peter, A lofty but worthy goal. I have been trying to simplify but with mixed results. It seems that for every bag that goes to Goodwill, for every box of photos I “release,” every gadget I pass on, there is something to replace it. One way that is helping us, my whole family, remember what is important and “necessary” is the bread and butter project we started this past August. I am hoping that it will teach us that we don’t need a tenth of the things we think are necessities. Heck, most of us lose sight of what the necessities even are.
January 3rd, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Hi Peter:
Congratulations Peter….Great intention for 2010…I love your work and contribution AND have wondered how you do it and maintain balance. Thought of you immediately after viewing Up in the Air…Loved the movie and the simplifying message.
Since you asked about things that may be helpful, I started a blog early in 2009 called, http://www.UpsidetotheDownturn.com, where we focus on the benefits of simplifying: having/consuming less and getting more from life…We have shared a number of inspiring stories in our Monday morning Starting Your Week on the Upside column….You and some of your readers may enjoy our message….
Thanks again for all you do…keep up the great work
Warm regards,
Steve
January 3rd, 2010 at 9:58 pm
Hi Peter,
Congrats on the decision to simplify! I made a similar decision about 4 years ago and I’ve been blogging about simple living ever since at Everyday Simplicity.
When I first started, I was a lawyer living a very stressed and chaotic life. I was not happy; I don’t know many lawyers that are. And, I didn’t start big. However, as time progressed, it became more of a passion. Voluntarily simplicity – there’s even a name for it!
Today, I’m a full time writer with a paperless office (this is fabulous) and I cannot say enough great things about this lifestyle change. The transition wasn’t smooth and it took some time — heck, I’m still evolving here — but it was definitely the right thing for me.
Would love to share anything that might be of help in simplifying (that’s one of the reasons I started the blog long ago, to keep track of what I was learning – both for myself and others; simple living wasn’t a trend in 2006). Just send me a note!
And congratulations again on making this call. It’s been an amazingly rich road for me, and I hope you’ll have a similar experience.
Reba Kennedy
January 3rd, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Ellen – Great points indeed! If you don’t LOVE something, it is just taking up space. If it doesn’t fit, it is just mocking you.
Advice to you Peter: Don’t make the process of simplifying too complicated. Living with less is good. Stressing about how to make it to living with less should not be a part of the equation.
~Until,
@juliebavi
January 4th, 2010 at 2:19 am
Hey Peter – I started trying to simplify two years ago after a move. I talked to the previous owner, a lovely 70 year old women as she was packing to move across country. She was individually hand packing 1000+ pieces of china. As an only child, as aunts and grandmothers had passed away she had collected 14 complete sets. She was near the point of insanity. Her husband looked at me and said, at our next house I am going to throw one thing away every time I leave the house to try and stay on top of our stuff. It was down right inspiring to me!! So now, every day I do a one-a-day-throw-away. I find something that either gets passed on to someone else, goes to Goodwill, or goes in the trash. It’s become quite the game to try and find something every single day. Also – if something comes in, something has to go out. By a shirt, a shirt goes. We have less than ever and need to get rid of more. It’s a journey not a destination!
Great conversations!
January 4th, 2010 at 10:23 am
You know, this is a great post and gives a lot of food for thought.
I can see about the pictures and the clothes. I am not worried about dvd’s. I do not own too many.
I was cooking yesterday and things got a little overheated in the kitchen and I thought I was going to start a fire and I panicked. I said what would I take out of here right now?
Only one thing – My Mac!
I cherish my artwork too.
I do like to hold on to things for too long though!
I think this is a good one to work on this year.
I like it.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:00 am
When moving last year, I did a radical downsizing of all the books I’d never read again, would never finish or had never even started. Some went to friends, some sold on amazon, many donated. Best side benefit – I dumped the guilt about not being the big reader I thought I was. Moby Dick, you’re on your own.
This year, same is happening with CDs – saved most digitally and gifting the hard copies.
January 4th, 2010 at 11:17 am
I’ve been working on downsizing and de-cluttering for a couple of years and it feels great. Two things that have really helped me are (1) the public library – I can’t read enough but don’t want to collect all those books (or kill all those trees). And (2) knowing that the clothes and shoes that I pass on will be worn by women who will appreciate them as much as I did – and probably need them a lot more. It’s good karma, good for the enviroment and good for you. Good luck!
January 4th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
You should check out unclutterer.com — Erin Rooney Doland’s blog on uncluttering always has great tips. She also just published a book, Unclutter Your Life in One Week. It’s a very quick read with very practical tips.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:38 am
I’m always amazed when I read your blog how similar we are in our thoughts. This issue is one that drives almost every decision I make right now. I find I want less and less that tethers me, and that the more I release, the purer and lighter I feel.
My suggestion is to do what I’m doing now. I look at everything as something that can go. Nothing is sacred – no matter how long I’ve had it or what kind of emotional attachment I think I’ve attached to a “thing.” I’m not throwing out anything that I believe someone else could find joy in, or could use in some way.
It feels good to let go. It’s healing.
January 5th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Make a shirt book! (Bet you this is something no one on here has thought of before.) Like you I’ve accumulated lots of t-shirts from former employers, organizations, concerts, conferences. So I bought a scrapbook and cut up the front/back of each shirt to fit the scrapbook and adhesive sprayed them on. It allows me to keep lots of t-shirts that hold special memories for me but in a very compact way (they sit on my bookcase) that I can look at now and again.
January 9th, 2010 at 12:48 am
Yeah, your mission simple, but hard to do it, you need start small step first.
http://www.hubstory.com/Lifest.....y–1/