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Home » Opinion » Book review
Shed, pitch, heave, toss, dump it!
By Wu Jiayin |
January 3, 2009, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
MANY people just cannot seem to throw anything away. They cling to possessions and ideas that they don't need, that clutter their desks, closets and minds. They can't get organized and move on.
That familiar, debilitating situation is addressed by organization expert Julie Morgenstern in her book "When Organizing Isn't Enough.'' She emphasizes the importance of getting rid of obsolete possessions, time commitments and bad habits.
"Clinging to the old, the irrelevant and stagnant will bog you down, hold you back and make you feel stuck,'' she argues. Only when people unload these burdens can they move ahead more efficiently.
She is not, of course, rejecting the value of retaining meaningful possessions and useful habits. She advises people to hold on only to those things, activities and habits that supply them with energy and purpose, that are useful in a new life theme, or that are inspirational or irreplaceable mementos.
The book offers an abundance of practical advice to people to help them unload unnecessary possessions, time commitments and unhelpful or bad habits and change their life.
She creatively invents an easy-to-follow program called "SHED,'' which stands for "separate'' your treasures, "heave'' your trash, "embrace'' yourself and "drive'' into the future.
For most people, it's easy to separate the physical treasures from the trifles. Besides ranking possessions according to their level of obsolescence, give priority to discarding of objects that take larger space, she says, since the larger they are, the more space you can free up.
Identifying unnecessary items in your schedule and addressing unhelpful and bad habits takes effort, but it is not difficult if you have a clear plan for the future.
The author suggests tracking your time for a few days, record everything you do and the time it takes to do it. Then review your activities and hobbies, entry by entry, and pick out those that contribute little to the attainment of your main goals.
Compared with the first step of the shed process, identifying, a bigger problem for many people is to take action and get rid of unnecessary items, activities or habits.
In such cases, "the easiest way to find value in the clutter is to slow down and think back to the time when it didn't exist,'' advises Morgenstern.
Be radical in throwing away unneeded stuff. While you may be emotionally attached to many things, you must be prepared to dump them to unburden yourself.
"Heaving can be daunting but it can also be tremendously energizing, fulfilling and transformative,'' she observes.
Discarding the unnecessary also goes for canceling useless scheduled activities and ending bad habits, though the process may be long and painful. Stick to your decision.
When you're finally free of the physical possessions, activities and habits that held you back, Morgenstern says you will be better prepared to start a new life and explore new experiences and activities.
And you're likely to find "the nuts and bolts of physically removing items from your space can be even more formidable than the emotional aspect of parting with once-beloved possessions.''
Indeed, every time I clear up the desk in my office, which is piled high with newspapers and documents, I feel greatly refreshed. And I feel a stronger sense of achievement when I spend time reading on Sunday nights instead of sitting in front of the computer as I used to.
The author doesn't dwell on how to improve your schedule or complete your action plan, which might be a small drawback, but then people have different action plans. The book does, however, help you get an uncluttered start.
That familiar, debilitating situation is addressed by organization expert Julie Morgenstern in her book "When Organizing Isn't Enough.'' She emphasizes the importance of getting rid of obsolete possessions, time commitments and bad habits.
"Clinging to the old, the irrelevant and stagnant will bog you down, hold you back and make you feel stuck,'' she argues. Only when people unload these burdens can they move ahead more efficiently.
She is not, of course, rejecting the value of retaining meaningful possessions and useful habits. She advises people to hold on only to those things, activities and habits that supply them with energy and purpose, that are useful in a new life theme, or that are inspirational or irreplaceable mementos.
The book offers an abundance of practical advice to people to help them unload unnecessary possessions, time commitments and unhelpful or bad habits and change their life.
She creatively invents an easy-to-follow program called "SHED,'' which stands for "separate'' your treasures, "heave'' your trash, "embrace'' yourself and "drive'' into the future.
For most people, it's easy to separate the physical treasures from the trifles. Besides ranking possessions according to their level of obsolescence, give priority to discarding of objects that take larger space, she says, since the larger they are, the more space you can free up.
Identifying unnecessary items in your schedule and addressing unhelpful and bad habits takes effort, but it is not difficult if you have a clear plan for the future.
The author suggests tracking your time for a few days, record everything you do and the time it takes to do it. Then review your activities and hobbies, entry by entry, and pick out those that contribute little to the attainment of your main goals.
Compared with the first step of the shed process, identifying, a bigger problem for many people is to take action and get rid of unnecessary items, activities or habits.
In such cases, "the easiest way to find value in the clutter is to slow down and think back to the time when it didn't exist,'' advises Morgenstern.
Be radical in throwing away unneeded stuff. While you may be emotionally attached to many things, you must be prepared to dump them to unburden yourself.
"Heaving can be daunting but it can also be tremendously energizing, fulfilling and transformative,'' she observes.
Discarding the unnecessary also goes for canceling useless scheduled activities and ending bad habits, though the process may be long and painful. Stick to your decision.
When you're finally free of the physical possessions, activities and habits that held you back, Morgenstern says you will be better prepared to start a new life and explore new experiences and activities.
And you're likely to find "the nuts and bolts of physically removing items from your space can be even more formidable than the emotional aspect of parting with once-beloved possessions.''
Indeed, every time I clear up the desk in my office, which is piled high with newspapers and documents, I feel greatly refreshed. And I feel a stronger sense of achievement when I spend time reading on Sunday nights instead of sitting in front of the computer as I used to.
The author doesn't dwell on how to improve your schedule or complete your action plan, which might be a small drawback, but then people have different action plans. The book does, however, help you get an uncluttered start.
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