In keeping with my January life-tweaks (again, I’m not calling them resolutions), I’ve been trying to rid my life of stuff that saps mental energy without my even realizing it (and which, by extension, causes creative blocks that get in the way of my writing and other pursuits). For this week’s Thursday 13 I’ll list the “stuff,” including ideas/patterns of thought and other intangibles, whose days are numbered.

13. Satellite radio.

At the end of December, I cancelled my subscription. This was surprisingly hard to do, as I’m a Sirius stockholder, a family member of an air personality there, and someone who rooted (and continues to root) for this service to find its footing in the market. But given my time spent listening and the diversity of content I listened to, I couldn’t make the math work.

12. Cable.
This one’s not gone yet, but it’s on the way out. I need to figure out a way to keep a reasonably fast and capable internet connection, but I could seriously do without 95 percent of the available channels, and the land line service. The DVR was a real wake-up call… once I’d recorded a few weeks of what I enjoy, I started to see how narrow my chosen viewing really is…and how readily accessible a lot of it already is online.

11. Old magazines.|
They’re great dust magnets. And really, I’m sure the content is compelling, at least in part. But I know I’m just never going to get to more than 20-25 percent of them. So, get ‘em gone.

10. Washing and stacking dishes.
I actually got started on this at the end of last year, but the exodus continues this year. My well-meaning family has made me the de facto recipient of every hand-me-down dish, pot, pan and kitchen accessory they’ve decided THEY don’t need…but my place just isn’t that big. So, aside from “nice” service for four (the largest dinner party this place can probably handle) and the basics for the week’s cooking and eating, the rest is getting Freecycled. If it can’t fit in my nifty counter-top dishwasher alongside every other dish I use regularly, adios.

9. Old CDs.
I haven’t quite decided what to do with a lot of these yet (suggestions welcome), since many are missing jewel cases and their condition varies – but the stuff I can see myself ever listening to again has already been digitized and backed up.

8. White sugar.
This one’s going to be tough, but I’m going to try to cut it out altogether this year. There’s enough sweetness to be found in natural foods (like fruits and veg), and more nutritious substitutes available to cook with… if you’ve got favorites to recommend, please let me know in Comments.

7. Excuses not to exercise more.
I’m fortunate to be of a healthy weight and build, but have always wanted to be in better shape. (Yeah, we’re treading too close to “resolution” territory for my comfort here, but at least I’m not putting an “OR ELSE YOU FAIL!” goal on this.) Small steps: acknowledge that the weight bench is neither an expanding sh*t shelf nor an auxiliary cat bed; and start using the Nike+ iPod kit I found in my Christmas stocking, to keep track of how far I’m running/walking every day.  I set a goal today to run 10 times in the next 3 weeks… one down, nine to go.

6. Social media sites as time-sinks.
Don’t get me wrong. Social media sites aren’t a waste of time, and (in my opinion) as long as one has a purpose for being involved with them and limits the time spent to activities that further their pursuit of that purpose, it’s all good. But the novelty of Facebook is wearing thin, and Twitter and I are due for a performance review conversation.

5. Predictable phonecalls.
We all have them: friends or family members with whom we keep in touch because on some level we really, genuinely want to, but whose chats feel scripted because we seem to have them every time we connect. I come away from conversations with a select few people I’ve known for years, thinking “I’m really glad this person is still in my life, but wow, I could really use an espresso right now.” In most cases, shared experiences are the answer: I know I need to reconnect with these people in person to create a few more things to reflect and reminisce about. In others, it might just be time to move on (and they probably feel the same way). Rest assured: if this item describes YOU, you’ve already heard me tell you about this…I’m not delivering any personal messages via this entry.

4. Other people’s expectations for my life and career.
I’ve touched on this one in the past and am still zeroing in on the “what” and “from whom,” but suffice it to say that I’m neither the writer nor the person I could be, if not for subtle (and overt) suggestions from others about the kind of writer and person I “ought to be.” Getting progressively more in touch with and in control of this is at the core of what makestuffsimple.com is and will be about. (Stay tuned.)

3. Junk.
What it is, isn’t important – nor is my status as a recovering “pack rat.” At the end of last year, I found myself with shelves that seemed full (but really weren’t), and floors that might as well have had hopscotch lines painted on them for the ridiculous dancing I needed to do to negotiate them. The ongoing,  uphill battle against clutter (inspired mostly by my experience with David Allen’s Getting Things Done) is finally taking root, I think; questions like “Why is this [object] in my life?” and “Do I see myself using this at any point in the next 2 weeks, and if so, what’s the next action with this item?” are starting to occur naturally.  Another really good one: “Is this available/retrievable electronically (at little or no cost) if I ever need it later?” If yes, out it goes…after I’ve made an electronic note of where to find a replacement (in Evernote, or whatever other gateway to my system is readily at hand).

2. Fake growth.
Jonathan Mead has written eloquently on this topic (among others); I encourage you to check out his thoughts on the difference between pursuing growth, and attempting to fix “deficits” we think we see in ourselves. (His contention: real growth is not about constantly seeking something outside yourself – such as external praise or fleeting moments of “fulfillment” – but instead about coming to the realization, repeatedly if necessary, that we’re already whole and already have what it takes to do anything we want to do.

1.Perfectionism.
I’m not someone who has ever been called a “perfectionist,” but maybe it’s because I hide it well… and/or because my demeanor doesn’t scream “Type A personality.” For example, in the past, I might have treated this posting as if it was the world’s single and sole opportunity to figure out who I am, rather than just a data point…and as a result, I probably would have been too chickensh*t even to write it. Yes, first impressions are important (and if this is how we’re meeting, then “Hi, and welcome!”). But the people who stress about the little stuff are NOT the world’s Gurus of Quality Control… they’re the ones who end up unhappy, unhealthy and prematurely gray.

 

If you’ve read this far, I’d love to know your thoughts on any of these. More next week.