Letting-Go Experiment: Month 1

It has now been a little more than a month since I began my experiment in letting go of the extra "stuff" in my life. As I suspected, the first 30 days (June 11 - July 10) have not been too difficult, though I do admit to feeling temporarily stumped a couple of times.

I keep a running list of what I let go of each day. In the material stuff department, it has been a mix of small, inexpensive or used stuff to moderately priced or brand new stuff. Most items were used or old. A few were brand new. Items ran the gamut from magazines, to clothes, games, books, household items, and office supplies. The biggest item was a pair of cross-country skis, complete with boots and poles, that I purchased in the 1970's but only used a handful of times. Some items were tossed and some were given to charities. Nothing was sold. In the non-material department, I closed two store charge accounts and cut up the cards. It's possible that I've also let go of a couple of pounds, though these are not yet official let-go's.

And here's what I've learned so far:

1. I get overwhelmed by the amount of paper stuff that comes into my home each day - mail, newspapers, magazines and catalogues. If I can't, or don't, get to it right away, it piles up and up, creating clutter and confusion in every room in my apartment, especially in my office. It clogs my energy and my clear thinking. I am beginning to understand the importance of dealing with that paper stuff each day it arrives, and not letting it stack up. A professional organizer once advised me to handle each piece of paper mail only twice. First, either scan or read it. Second, either toss it or file it where you can easily find it again. I have tossed several trash bags full of paper stuff in the past month, and I still have a large stack of stuff to file. But I've made a start.

2. Letting go of stuff is not all that easy - at least not for me - even when surrounded with a fair amount of stuff I never use. For example, my daily newspapers sometimes pile up for days or even weeks before I read them, if I ever do. Yet, it takes an effort to throw them out if I haven't read them, because I might miss something important. And I haven't yet let go of my newspaper subscription (which is up for renewal next month). A few days ago, I threw out (recycled) all my back copies - more than a month's worth of mostly unread newspapers. Then I made a pact with myself to read each newspaper the day I receive it, and/or to toss it that same day. Already, I am breathing more easily. This, I can manage!

I have piles of magazines around that I haven't read yet also. Yet, I maintain those subscriptions too. In both cases, I say to myself, "I'll get around to reading these soon," but somehow I rarely do. There is something about the printed word - whether it be newspaper, magazine, book, or the papers in files in my office - that often seems too valuable to discard. If I were to admit to being addicted to anything (in addition to chocolate), it would be to the printed word, and especially to books. I suppose this warrants some further contemplation.

The experiment continues. Check back in mid-August to see how Month 2 went.

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