Friday, March 2, 2012

Project Unclutter - Paper edition



I started this blog with the intention of documenting my efforts to decrease the stuff in my life. Like most things I endeavor to do, the project took many strange and paradoxical turns along the way and it seemed I was adding more stuff to my life rather than reducing it. Today, I am happy to report that I am finally making some progress.

This week's project: reduce the paper in my life.

Although I do not cook, I am always collecting recipes and cookbooks. I like to think that someday I might learn to cook and when that happens, it will be critical for me to have a recipe for caramel apple cake from the October 1998 issue of Cooking Light.

The same thing with magazines. I harbor some odd paranoia that in a few years I will want to buy a pair of boots that I saw in Lucky Magazine in 2008 so I keep the magazine (or more often a clipping) for reference.

For months piles of these clippings have been building up all over the house and totally draining my mental energy.

The solution was simple, but it took me a long time to implement it.

I started by picking up a Fujitsu scanner (I realize the sad irony of buying more stuff to have less stuff). If my documents were just black and white (and I was unethical person who did personal work on company time*) I could have used my scanner at work but many of my documents are color so I went with the Fujitsu).

The I started the process of scanning the piles. The recipe files I've placed in DropBox or Evernote. Magazine inspirations I've been posting over on my Pintrest board.

I'm only 1/4 of the way in but already I feel lighter. I've even thrown away a few things without scanning them!

My progress so far!




* technically I may have brought my scanner to work today to work on this for a bit, but I've done lots of work stuff too - I swear.


1 comments:

Anonymous said...

That's a great idea! I have both Evernote and Dropbox accounts, but hadn't thought to use them for such a purpose.

I'm in a bit of the same boat: too much stuff. My closet and garage scare me.

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