Comments on: 30 Days to a Better Man Day 13: Declutter Your Life

By: Grant

Grant — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 01:47:15 +0000

Brett, this is golden. Thank you very much for posting it. I’ve jump-started the process by completely clearing out my room, repainting it and building a bookcase to cover one of the walls. I’m going to move one thing at a time back in only as I need it. So far I have a dresser, bed, drafting table, and a lamp. The rest I’m going to go through outside my room and get rid of all of my extra clothes and books I don’t like/don’t want and by the time I’m done I’ll probably have very little left to move back into my room! Thanks so much for posting this!!

By: Jeb

Jeb — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:53:23 +0000

Consider paperbackswap.com for disposing of old books (paper, hard, and audio). You get credits that can be used to acquire books on your list. Classic online bartering and relatively well organized.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 30 May 2010 13:49:28 +0000

An good blog post that is read one year after being published. Personally, I really enjoyed getting rid of the unnecessary things that I had in my life. Often, things like electronics where broken or outdated and I simply got rid of them and saved myself alot of stress. I also found a much greater respect for the things that were left behind. This thinking also applies to books as well, get rid of the books that have no value.

By: David

David — Fri, 14 May 2010 23:46:26 +0000

Thoreau spent weekends with mommy, where all his stuff was. I enjoy his writing, but he wasn’t really the loner or minimalist people make him out to be at all.

By: Dave Hill

Dave Hill — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:04:44 +0000

I have been decluttering for about a year now. It is brilliant, it isn’t fast and slowly but surely it is getting easier.

The results however are wonderful. I almost never have to tidy and I know where everything is.

My best tip is to create an outbox for items. It doesn’t matter how you get rid of it, just that if you want it to be gone then put it in the box.

By: Paralysis of Choice and Benefits of Minimalism « A Geek and his God

Paralysis of Choice and Benefits of Minimalism « A Geek and his God — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 18:34:38 +0000

[...] 30 Days to a Better Man Day 13: Declutter Your Life [...]

By: West LA

West LA — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:35:07 +0000

“You can always –” is often a false statement.

It makes people feel good to say it, but then THEY don’t pay the penalty
if you act on their advice and then regret it.
YOU pay for their bad guidance, not them.

Many good books are out of print, not owned by your local public library system,
and not found for sale (used or new) online (or they are surprisingly expensive).

Many good movies (which were put onto VHS tapes) have never been put onto DVD.

Many fine music recordings (vinyl records, or cassettes)
have never been put onto CD.

Getting rid of something is usually an irreversible decision.
Keeping it is a decision which you are free to reverse at any time.
Those fond of saying “You can always — ” might try to remember this fact:
You can always decide to get rid of it later.

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:52:01 +0000

Another good way to get rid of books you don’t want is to give them to various friends as gifts.

By: Adam Snider

Adam Snider — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:42:45 +0000

I actually decluttered my life just a few weeks ago. Now, I just need to prevent it from re-entering my life.

By: Trent

Trent — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:15:39 +0000

Books generate a surprisingly emotional response. There are some that you won’t read again but want to keep so that your children can read them. There are some that have positive associations for us, even though we’re not going to read them again. Deciding which books to toss is hard.

Clothes. I love clothes, and still have some nice socks that I bought 27 years ago (warm wool ones, so they don’t get a lot of wear). I just wore, for the first time, a sweater I bought eight years ago, and discovered that I really like it. Last year I got rid of a pair of socks I’d never worn that now, I really wish I had. Even so, my wife and I have identified a lot of clothes that we can give away, and once we get the donation list (for tax purposes) made, off they go!

Incidentally, the IRS rules for donated clothes allow you to claim one-quarter of the retail value. You can claim higher for nearly-new clothes, but if you’ve worn it a bit, best to stay safe.