In search of simplicity...

Originally posted 2/6/2009, transferred from other blog

One resolution I have made recently is to strive for more simplicity in my life. At present, I have a number of habits that counteract that goal:

• I am a packrat of the worst variety. I hoard every paper, e-mail, or object for fear that I might need it later. This means an ever-growing pile of things that I don't need and that take up room.
• I am also a procrastinator. Why do the tasks that I actually need to do when I could surf the net or play Flash games online, right? This tendency, combined with the one above, adds to the clutter in my life. For example, when I get mail (bank statements, credit card bills, junk mail, etc.), I tend to just throw it into a pile and forget about it. This means that, several months later, I have to go on a mass purging that I never want to do because it's so unpleasant. And the pile grows and grows.
• I tend to hold onto the past. I find myself continuing to be mad at guys who jilted me several months ago, college and high school acquaintances who were asses to me, and even family members whose decisions I feel were not in my best interests.
• If a new activity or opportunity arises, then I feel like I simply must do it...unless, of course, it's something that'd actually benefit me career-wise or life-wise. Haha!

In short, I have a tendency to welcome various forms of clutter and complication into my life which accumulates and causes me annoyance and stress later on. Plus, all that clutter tends to have a rather demoralizing effect on my mood. (NOTE: When I say "clutter," I mean not only physical objects but also issues and drama, as well.) I always want to be free of that, and I sometimes make inroads but never permanent ones.

I recently started reading this blog called Zen Habits, and I have found lots of its advice very helpful. Even if I don't follow the specific tips, the inspiration factor is itself amazing. I have been inspired to do a number of things:

• Go through that pile of mail and, this time, keep it from ever growing again.
• Get rid of all but two credit cards.
• Switch to paperless bills and bank statements. (I.e., through e-mail)
• Mass purge of my e-mail inbox--also stop being an e-mail packrat
• Organize, well, everything. Reduce clutter. Increase the amount of floor space in my room.
• Let go of past hurts and resentment; avoid toxic people, and others who might bring me down. (That is, reducing mental clutter and human clutter.)
• Simpler ideas for meals and snacks. Including making more food in bulk in advance--perhaps taking advantage of my freezer space.

These are just a few of the things I have started doing and want to do in my life to de-clutter it. There are other things I'd like to do in the long term, such as embracing some degree of minimalism in terms of the actual amount of stuff I have. I think that'd make my life even better. As scatter-brained as I am, I think minimalism of some sort would be very beneficial to me, indeed! We'll see...