So, decluttering. I mentioned this in the busyness post last week. It's something that's been on my mind a lot for I guess the last year, since about halfway through being pregnant. See, I like having things neat and tidy and everything in it's place, but I'm very bad at actually doing this. A large part of the problem is that we simply own too much stuff. So Declutter Mission Part One: Get rid of some stuff. Part Two: Find homes for rest of stuff.
Semi-relatedly, I had the opportunity to go the Sydney Opera House with Mum last month to hear Michael Pollan talk. I had already devoured The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defence of Food, both of which I adore, and I was keen to hear what he had to say. He didn't present a lot of new information, given I'd read his two most prominent books, but it was excellent to have a reminder about his basic principles: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. And also to hear some of his thoughts on sustainability. He is pretty much responsible for making me interested in eating sustainably. So, Declutter Mission Part Three: Eat more sustainably. And Part Four: Eat real food.
Related to that is the idea of consumption. The commerce class way back in year 10 was the first time my eyes were really opened to the problems of consumption and distribution, and I was shocked to discover statistics about India and its ability to grow sufficient food for itself (at that time, it could easily grow enough food as a country to support itself, but the wealth was concentrated in the minority and most food exported. I imagine this is largely the situation still today). Other things throughout the years have prompted me to continue considering the issue of consumption, and you've heard about it from me before (see here re clothing, for instance). So, Declutter Mission Part Five: Consume less <--> waste less. Part Six: Consume responsibly - know where my consumables are coming from and the true cost of their manufacture.
Finally, time. Oh, time: how I both love and loathe thee. We never have enough time, but on the other hand, we all have the same amount of time, and it's not like we can magically generate more. We can, however, maximise our time (not forgetting to remember that 'wasted time' is a very real necessity, and can be maximised by scheduling it deliberately). I talk about this a lot. Personally, I spend way too much time procrastinating for fear of not getting things done. Yes, I know how utterly absurd that is. I am an absurd person; what can I say? O:) But anyway, that brings me to Declutter Mission Part Seven: Spend time intentionally. And that includes some scheduled*, intentional frittering ;)
*Which is not to imply I'm going to schedule every minute of my day; that's just asking for Teh Guiltz. I am, however, going to strive to be intentional about what I am doing at every moment, to be in the moment, and to not get distracted so much *stares pointedly at the 11 firefox tabs, twitter, two rounds of beta-ing and my work email all currently open*
So. That's my Declutter Manifesto. And if you're thinking it sounds remarkably similar to The Year of Less rules (which you probably aren't, because you probably didn't know it existed), well, what can I say: a good idea is a good idea. :o)
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