As I might have mentioned, a lot of the same clutter-clearing attitudes and techniques can work on the "micro" level too. Some clutter is physically small, but given its "container" and the percentage it takes up, it's still clutter. Just take computer-related stuff for example. It's sure smaller than keeping tons of physical print outs of things, but there's still a lot of crap to sift through: saved emails from 5 years ago in your inbox, browser bookmarks you don't use, desktop shortcuts you don't need, and so on. I'm sure I'll eventually have some blog entries on cleaning out these things for myself.
But here, I just want to talk about that ultimate piece of stuff: the wallet. In George Carlin's extended version of his "A Place for My Stuff" Routine (found in his first book, Brain Droppings), this was the final piece carried to the final destination. This is an exercise I've already done, but it's well worth mentioning here to share it. Try this yourself right now, or better yet, with some friends. I'd be interested in hearing the results.
From Don Aslett's "Clutter's Last Stand":
We're all wowed these days by demonstrations of how much information can be stored on a tiny computer chip. But gar more impressive is something we've managed to do all by ourselves for years -- how much we can store in a tiny wallet. I've seen wallets that are so crowded, they actually issue a sigh of relief whenever they're opened.Once a friend at dinner entertained his guests by going through the small compact leather container. There were six-year-old business cards (from two jobs ago), stashed cigar bands, 1977-78 fishing licenses (this was '83) a YMCA pass from a state he no longer lived in, and of course a complete portable picture gallery.The weight and bulk of all this is phenomenal...and most of it is packed so tight the wallet itself is bulging and distended like a colicky cow. The contents themselves are all bent and frayed and blurred. If you want to have fun at a party, have a wallet-stripping contest. I'll wager 75% of your entries are either clutter or something you clearly don't need to be packing around.
OK, I said that I've already done this, but it's worth looking through again. I'll talk about my own discoveries on my next entry.
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