6 ms·

I've found the easiest stuff to organize is the stuff I no longer have. I used to feel obligated to file a lot of stuff that came in the mail, like addendums to

I've found the easiest stuff to organize is the stuff I no longer have. I used to feel obligated to file a lot of stuff that came in the mail, like addendums to insurance policies, annual reports for stocks or funds, credit card statements, etc. But it dawned on me long ago that I virtually never need to refer back to that stuff. So it goes straight into the trash. When the bookshelves in my office fill up, I cull the books and donate them to Goodwill or sell them to a used bookstore. Old clothes, shoes, etc. are routinely purged from my life. Some people love to acquire new things. I love getting rid of old things that no longer serve a purpose in my life.

vinay427 10y ago
I usually take a photo of documents that there's a small chance I would need in the future. This way, they take up a very small amount of space on my phone but in case I need something again the photo will usually be sufficient and I can search by date to find it.
- thedevil 10y ago
  I do something similar: put in a pile and about once a month I scan the pile (I bought a printer with a paper-feed just for this), upload it to cloud storage, and date it.
  - amelius 10y ago
    The only step missing is OCR, so you can search on contents.
    - ktta 10y ago
      If you're using google drive, it automatically does OCR for you. So you just search for 'statement' and your bank statements show up. I didn't know to be alarmed or happy when I first saw that feature. I'm not sure it's an official feature, but it works for photos which are about a week old.
  - Chris2048 10y ago
    What printer do you use? Only prob I have is some places insist on original docs :-/
douche 10y ago
I don't think I have ever thrown away a book. Some day, I hope to have one of those Victorian style libraries with a rolling staircase to house all of my books...
- pavel_lishin 10y ago
  I read that as "spiral staircase", and now I want to figure out how to build a Archimedes-screw-like rotating spiral staircase that also doubles as a bookshelf.
  - Jtsummers 10y ago
    That could be absolutely gorgeous. A couple options that pop into my head. A column in the center which contains a number of shelves, and so the books. But also, you could have the books stored in the steps themselves. The space under the steps is hollow, so turn that into shelves. The height of the books would be an issue, but paperbacks would do well, I think.
    - pavel_lishin 10y ago
      One problem with storing books in the column is that as the staircase rotates, it might hit any books that are jutting out. Although, I guess it doesn't have to rotate, I don't know why I wanted it to rotate.
      - retbull 10y ago
        Rotate the column as well.
      - mattnewton 10y ago
        Because it's obviously cooler that way. You could slant the shelves inwards so the books would be less likely to slowly slip out while it spins.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
BeetleB 10y ago
>I've found the easiest stuff to organize is the stuff I no longer have. I'm usually a mess of clutter. Some years ago I started attending workshops on tidying up. Every one of them points out: Before you even begin to organize stuff, identify stuff to throw out and get rid of it. Then organizing is easier. The real problem is not that it's hard to organize. The problem is we have too much stuff. For people interested in this, a recent bestseller: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477063281&sr=8-1&keywords=Konmari https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Declutter... I only started applying it, and it's not as quick as it may sound. Time will tell if the principles in it last, or if I become a mess again. Basic ideas: 1. Get rid of stuff. 2. How do you decide what to get rid of? Keep only the things that bring joy to you. 3. What about utilitarian stuff (e.g. cutlery)? Well, keep some. Better yet, if they don't give you joy, buy ones that do and throw the current ones away. 4. Sentimental stuff you don't use? If you're cramped for space, take pictures and donate. These things may bring you joy when you look at them, but if your home is full, they are literally preventing you from new experiences. The basic ideas: 1. If you surround yourself only with stuff that brings joy, you'll find yourself a lot happier. 2. This may be a bit expensive, as good quality stuff is pricey. However, if you follow this rule when you go out to shop, you pretty much eliminate buying a lot of stuff with this criterion: Am I buying it because it's a good deal or an impulse, or will this truly bring joy to me? This eliminates most of the useless purchases. Another thought: Do I have things in my home that I bought earlier and have not properly utilized/used? If so, why am I adding more stuff? If I buy this, what can I identify at home to get rid of? Overall, buying pricier items may be cheaper in the long run. Recently I went back to using fountain pens. I used to when I was young, but stopped when I entered university. Now that I use them, I wish I had never stopped. I threw away all my "freebie" ballpoints, and just use the fountain pen. Problem? A lot of paper doesn't handle it. So I now only purchase notebooks that have better quality paper. Is this cheaper? Probably never will be. However, I now just love to take notes on paper. I've added a joy to my life and removed something pedestrian.
amelius 10y ago
It may also be worthwhile to consider maintaining a least-recently-used (LRU) queue. The stuff you haven't touched in, say, 5 years you can safely throw away.
Taylor_OD 10y ago
I operate in a similar way. If I get a new thing a old thing goes. I bought a lot of new shirts over the last six months and realized I needed to donate half my closet over the last couple week. Same goes for electronics, cutlery, books, ect.

vinay427 10y ago

I usually take a photo of documents that there's a small chance I would need in the future. This way, they take up a very small amount of space on my phone but in case I need something again the photo will usually be sufficient and I can search by date to find it.

thedevil 10y ago
I do something similar: put in a pile and about once a month I scan the pile (I bought a printer with a paper-feed just for this), upload it to cloud storage, and date it.
- amelius 10y ago
  The only step missing is OCR, so you can search on contents.
  - ktta 10y ago
    If you're using google drive, it automatically does OCR for you. So you just search for 'statement' and your bank statements show up. I didn't know to be alarmed or happy when I first saw that feature. I'm not sure it's an official feature, but it works for photos which are about a week old.
- Chris2048 10y ago
  What printer do you use? Only prob I have is some places insist on original docs :-/

douche 10y ago

I don't think I have ever thrown away a book. Some day, I hope to have one of those Victorian style libraries with a rolling staircase to house all of my books...

pavel_lishin 10y ago
I read that as "spiral staircase", and now I want to figure out how to build a Archimedes-screw-like rotating spiral staircase that also doubles as a bookshelf.
- Jtsummers 10y ago
  That could be absolutely gorgeous. A couple options that pop into my head. A column in the center which contains a number of shelves, and so the books. But also, you could have the books stored in the steps themselves. The space under the steps is hollow, so turn that into shelves. The height of the books would be an issue, but paperbacks would do well, I think.
  - pavel_lishin 10y ago
    One problem with storing books in the column is that as the staircase rotates, it might hit any books that are jutting out. Although, I guess it doesn't have to rotate, I don't know why I wanted it to rotate.
    - retbull 10y ago
      Rotate the column as well.
    - mattnewton 10y ago
      Because it's obviously cooler that way. You could slant the shelves inwards so the books would be less likely to slowly slip out while it spins.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]

BeetleB 10y ago

>I've found the easiest stuff to organize is the stuff I no longer have. I'm usually a mess of clutter. Some years ago I started attending workshops on tidying up. Every one of them points out: Before you even begin to organize stuff, identify stuff to throw out and get rid of it. Then organizing is easier. The real problem is not that it's hard to organize. The problem is we have too much stuff. For people interested in this, a recent bestseller: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1477063281&sr=8-1&keywords=Konmari https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Declutter... I only started applying it, and it's not as quick as it may sound. Time will tell if the principles in it last, or if I become a mess again. Basic ideas: 1. Get rid of stuff. 2. How do you decide what to get rid of? Keep only the things that bring joy to you. 3. What about utilitarian stuff (e.g. cutlery)? Well, keep some. Better yet, if they don't give you joy, buy ones that do and throw the current ones away. 4. Sentimental stuff you don't use? If you're cramped for space, take pictures and donate. These things may bring you joy when you look at them, but if your home is full, they are literally preventing you from new experiences. The basic ideas: 1. If you surround yourself only with stuff that brings joy, you'll find yourself a lot happier. 2. This may be a bit expensive, as good quality stuff is pricey. However, if you follow this rule when you go out to shop, you pretty much eliminate buying a lot of stuff with this criterion: Am I buying it because it's a good deal or an impulse, or will this truly bring joy to me? This eliminates most of the useless purchases. Another thought: Do I have things in my home that I bought earlier and have not properly utilized/used? If so, why am I adding more stuff? If I buy this, what can I identify at home to get rid of? Overall, buying pricier items may be cheaper in the long run. Recently I went back to using fountain pens. I used to when I was young, but stopped when I entered university. Now that I use them, I wish I had never stopped. I threw away all my "freebie" ballpoints, and just use the fountain pen. Problem? A lot of paper doesn't handle it. So I now only purchase notebooks that have better quality paper. Is this cheaper? Probably never will be. However, I now just love to take notes on paper. I've added a joy to my life and removed something pedestrian.

amelius 10y ago

It may also be worthwhile to consider maintaining a least-recently-used (LRU) queue. The stuff you haven't touched in, say, 5 years you can safely throw away.

Taylor_OD 10y ago

I operate in a similar way. If I get a new thing a old thing goes. I bought a lot of new shirts over the last six months and realized I needed to donate half my closet over the last couple week. Same goes for electronics, cutlery, books, ect.