Discardia (Dinah Sanders)'s Profile

I strongly recommend Swap.com for its ability to turn the books you've moved on from into the music, movies, games, and, yes, other books for which you've been wishing.

It helps with some of that feeling of responsibility over the fate of a book which seems to rest very heavily on some people. Goodwill is great for getting stuff to someone who'll love it—Goodwill knows way more people than you do—but if you need the confirmation that things are going to someone who definitely want them before you can feel comfortable letting them go, then Swap.com and, for other things, Freecycle and Craig's List can really help you make room in your life for what is CURRENTLY awesome to you.

I tend to recommend several different "outbound trains" to help move things along. As some folks have noted, an outbox that you see every day can feel cluttered or make it harder to take that final step of taking the things out of your home.
First, I like to have a "give back" basket for (generally smaller) things to return to people or with a known and convenient destination, such as the stack of old comics I gave to my neighborhood shop for their free giveaways.
Second, I always have a charity box which is easily accessed but out of sight. Things go there as soon as I think something like "this is never going to be my first choice of what to wear" and, out of sight, lose their remaining emotional stickiness.

One last thought: I see lots of people feeling responsible for finding the perfect home for their old things. Remember that Goodwill knows way more people than you do and many more people walk through their doors than down your block; if it's not worth the time and trouble to sell, let it do the good of reaching the right person and helping workers build job skills along the way.

(If you want to hear more about Outbound Trains, that's all in chapter 1 of Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff.)

This is a great way to keep something you love but don't use in its current form, whether its an album you now listen to digitally or, as tbgboodler mentions, great t-shirt art. Much more satisfying than the back of a closet!

Actually, I think everyone can edit every day to trend towards just the ideal basics. I don't mean you have to add a big daily chore to your list; rather, start making decisions and doing tiny actions in the moment that help prevent clutter.
A few places to start:
- When you finish reading a magazine (or decide the rest doesn't grab you or notice it's two months old), put it in the recycling.
- Sort your mail over the recycling bin so that junk gets gone immediately.
- Have an inbox for each person in the house and stick stuff there when you find it out of place or new stuff comes in for them.
- Most importantly, when you see something and think "Meh. Why do I even have that?" pick it up and immediately put it in the trash, recycling or charity box. Life's too short for things that are not useful or beautiful or both!

This idea of constantly making small positive actions in the moment shows up in all the core principles of Discardia: Decide & Do, Quality Over Quantity, and Perpetual Upgrade.

One thing I especially love in the desk cure above is the decision about where to place the side of the desk and the power strip. It's a little thing, but a very satisfying way to handle what can be a messy tangle.

With the medicine cabinet cure, I wonder if a next step there mightn't be mug hooks on either side of the mirror to hold that power cord out of your view while shaving or blow drying?

'What's suboptimal and how can I give it a nudge toward awesome?' is a very rewarding game. :)

What a fun place! Thanks for sharing this.

Also, faaabulous socks. Good work. ;)

Beautiful place and I love your Discardian attitude! With "bring nothing into your home that you do not love" as a touchstone, I think the detail photos make absolute sense. (Don't let the snarking get you down. Some folks don't always remember that the web is made of people and that Apartment Therapy is about apartments first and foremost. I'm sure there are plenty of nice photo sites elsewhere for anyone requiring perfection in that department.)

Thank you for giving us such a personal tour of your lovely home and things! Very inspiring!

Trying to get this at the foot of all the posts folks land on here about Discardia... (You've been lovely promoters of the holiday!)

Discardia news: as my book nears completion, I'm leaping into action in lots of places. You can hang out with other folks who are making room for more awesomeness in their lives by visiting facebook.com/discardia and get a little tip or other tidbit by following @discardia on Twitter and of course there's always good ol' discardia.com

Hope to hear from you somewhere about what you're letting go of or upgrading and how it's making your life better!

cheers,
Dinah

Thanks, AT for keeping the Discardian love flowing!

Discardia news: as my book nears completion, I'm leaping into action in lots of places. You can hang out with other folks who are making room for more awesomeness in their lives by visiting facebook.com/discardia and get a little tip or other tidbit by following @discardia on Twitter and of course there's always good ol' discardia.com

Hope to hear from you somewhere about what you're letting go of or upgrading and how it's making your life better!

cheers,
Dinah

Discardia news: as my book nears completion, I'm leaping into action in lots of places. You can hang out with other folks who are making room for more awesomeness in their lives by visiting facebook.com/discardia and get a little tip or other tidbit by following @discardia on Twitter and of course there's always good ol' discardia.com

Hope to hear from you somewhere about what you're letting go of or upgrading and how it's making your life better!

cheers,
Dinah