This article (and the more complete story from The New York Times) describes a common problem - when we try to keep too many options open, we wind up suffocating the good options with just too much noise. If you have seven good options for things to do, you really have none. You'll spend so much time keeping the options open that you'll not complete any of them.
One of the tangible ways that this problem surfaces is in the clutter that fills our lives. It's doubtful that I'll need even one six-foot, two-prong extension cord. I certainly don't need the seven or eight that are hanging on nails or tucked in the bureau in the cellar. At most, I need one USB hub, but which one of the three should I keep? I never wear slippers, but that pair in the closet is in pretty good shape and may have been my grandfather's. It used to cost $100 or more a year to get 100MB of online storage. Now, Google gives me 6GB for free, so I can watch my usage climb to nearly 400MB because it's so much easier not to delete messages. Do I really need that email about the frost warning in September 2004? No, I don't. Did I just delete it? Of course not.
One of the tangible ways that this problem surfaces is in the clutter that fills our lives. It's doubtful that I'll need even one six-foot, two-prong extension cord. I certainly don't need the seven or eight that are hanging on nails or tucked in the bureau in the cellar. At most, I need one USB hub, but which one of the three should I keep? I never wear slippers, but that pair in the closet is in pretty good shape and may have been my grandfather's. It used to cost $100 or more a year to get 100MB of online storage. Now, Google gives me 6GB for free, so I can watch my usage climb to nearly 400MB because it's so much easier not to delete messages. Do I really need that email about the frost warning in September 2004? No, I don't. Did I just delete it? Of course not.
1 comment:
Only so true! I find that sometimes people come to the sense of 'cluttered' earlier than others, mostly due to the plans that they are holding onto in their heads. My father, for example, lives in a tiny place with no room to walk or live because he has so many 'good things' that he might use one day and so just can't get rid of. I, on the other hand, am a rabid fan of Ebay and my husband has to keep me from selling of things that we ARE actually using on a regular basis because I love the feeling of getting rid of stuff since I know it will let me be freer and more able to do more things.
Thanks for the great article!
-Suz
www.startgo.com- start traveling even if you've not passed GO and not collected $200.
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