100 Things: Getting Closer
A while ago, I announced my intentions to declutter my life following something resembling the “rules” of the 100 Things Challenge. I haven’t mentioned it since, but I am in fact making progress.
While I’m still not sure if I’ll actually hit the 100-things mark, I’m definitely getting closer. Foregoing the tedious task of first making a list of everything I own (which even I wouldn’t want to see or read), I decided to attack the job by first just going through my apartment as systematically as my apparent OCD will allow, and throwing out anything I know I don’t use. The tough part of that is getting around the “well I might need that at some point.”
A little tip if you’re going to do any decluttering yourself: if you can’t remember the last time you thought to yourself, “gee, I really wish I had that [insert ridiculous object here] right now,” then you don’t need it now. Packrat-ism isn’t healthy.
So while I haven’t made any official lists, there is a sort of list in progress. (Though, it’s stored entirely in my head, which arguably isn’t the greatest storage medium. It’s like trying to store your finest wine in a sieve.) It’s more of a list of stuff I know I need to keep. And no, I’m not posting it here. There’s just no need.
In the meantime, my apartment is starting to look a bit sparse. I’ve never really been much of an interior decorator. I moved my DVD collection from the nice media rack I’d bought last year onto some shelves in a little cubby on the outskirts of my living room, which freed up a giant chunk of empty space on the wall. I have absolutely no idea how to fill that giant hole in so my apartment doesn’t look like a jail cell.
Any creative ideas on apartment decorating? Obviously being a renter keeps me from doing any significant structural modifications — hell, I was taking a risk just painting the place a few months ago (it used to be an awful yellowish color, now it’s more off-white), so knocking holes in the wall is probably out. Help me out here, people.
Wendy said,
July 15, 2008, 10:54 pm
Although I don’t have any creative ideas on apartment decorating, I do have some words on ‘decluttering’. One way to approach ‘what do I really need’ is to imagine what items you would pay to get cleaned if everything you owned was considered hazardous due to, lets say asbestos, or a fire, or water damage, or etc. I get to actually do this in a few weeks, once the apartment complex is deemed safe to enter to asses damages. It changes things once you start to put a price tag on items, ‘how much am I willing to pay to keep said item instead of buying a new one’. Of course buying a new one also defeats the purpose of ‘decluttering’, but if your a poor college student (or just on a tight budget) buying new items may be limited too, hence keeping the number down. I am actually pretty lucky, I am gone for the summer, and therefore have as much as I could fit in my car with me, safe. It will be interesting to see what people decide to save, if we are allowed to save anything.
Kate said,
August 7, 2008, 5:35 pm
Well, lots of guys aren’t really good at decorating, which is what girlfriends are for. But if you want to go it alone, you could always hang up some pictures - places you’ve been, places you want to go, people you actually like, etc etc. Posters are good too, big, and relatively cheap. I’m betting you could find one or two of your favorite movies. I personally enjoy having a world map on my wall, so I can look at it and think of all the places I’d rather be. You can get them for like $5 at your book store of choice. Ohhh, how about a dart board! That could be fun. (I recommend the not sharp-tipped ones.) Or you could go college style and get a beer pong table. Sweet. Let me know if you do, I’ll be there. ;)
Anyway, I like the idea of “purging.” I’m actually pretty good at getting rid of stuff, but it’s still overwhelming to see what you can accumulate. Moving is amazing motivation for getting rid of things. If I don’t have it anymore, I don’t have to pack it, load it, unload it, unpack it. I’d be interested to see a list of what you end up with.