I’m not the only one that’s deeply disturbed by this advertisement, right?
Transcript:
“Let’s talk about Stuff.
The Stuff that lives on your hard drive, your devices and on the web.
It’s who you are stuff, where you’ve been and where you’re going stuff.
The stuff that connects you to the people you love.
But sometimes bad stuff can happen to your Stuff.
Your Stuff can get lost. Even stolen.
The thing is, stuff happens.
Which is why you need Norton.
Because what are you without your Stuff?
Better yet, without your Stuff…who are you?”
This week I’ve decided to do a series of posts about how documenting your project, whatever it may be, can be extremely beneficial to your progress. This is Part 2 of 3. [EDIT: This was intended to be a four-part series. I've decided to save the fourth post for much later. ]
Photo by joelmontes, via CC 2.0
Before you even begin to track your project, you need to make sure that you know you what you’re setting out to accomplish.
First Set Smart Goals, Write it Down
One of the most obvious first steps is to set good goals. Envision the end result that you’d like to achieve with this project down to the last detail. With this in mind set your “ultimate” long term goal. Write down all the different aspects of this goal, and more importantly describe what the accomplished goal should look like.
For example, for this project I set the following goals:
All Floors and surfaces are cleared and visible.
All doors can open fully and shut properly.
When a house party is possible.
When 75% of our belongings are organized and in their place.
Once you’ve detailed the big picture, break the beast of the project down into smaller, more manageable goals and tasks. Make sure you write these down as well. While I don’t have these smaller goals posted publicly, I keep track by using a list of all the rooms in the house then breaking each of the rooms into areas. Read the rest of this entry »
This week I’ve decided to do a series of posts about how documenting your project, whatever it may be, can be extremely beneficial to your progress. This is Part 1 of 3. [EDIT: This was intended to be a four-part series. I've decided to save the fourth post for much later. ]
Photo by joelmontes, via CC 2.0
When you are taking on a huge project like this one it is easy to feel overwhelmed, or to feel like you’re not moving forward. I’m not just talking about trying to clean out an extremely cluttered home. I’m talking about any project or goal that will take more than a few months to complete or achieve.
One of the best things you can do is to keep track of the progress that you make, whether it be through journaling, blogging, creating a photo album or scribbling in a spiral-bound notebook.
You may be thinking that your project in and of itself is time-consuming and energy-sucking enough that documenting it would just add more to your plate unnecessarily. But here’s why I think putting in that extra time and effort will be worth your while: Read the rest of this entry »
Over a month ago right before I started this project I attended San Diego Comic-Con International–the mecca of pop culture geekdom. One of the most anticipated panels featured two ‘geek gods.’ Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog) and JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost, Star Trek) filled Hall H with fans like me as well as aspiring writers and filmmakers.
I thoroughly enjoyed the panel complete with fangirl squee until an audience member asked if they got to keep any props or paraphernalia from their movies or television series, to which JJ Abrams responded:
“…I do love that stuff. I don’t want to hoard it and be a scary person that is on the show Hoarders. Have you seen Hoarders, by the way? Who in the shit? How can that be a show? How many hoarders…? It’s unbelievable!” [source]
I cringed. My boyfriend looked over at me and held my hand a little tighter. I didn’t realize how sensitive I was about this until I heard it straight from JJ’s mouth. Then I wondered how many other people in that hall cringed too.
The more you research hoarding and chronic disorganization, the more you see the horrified reactions people have about it. Some are sympathetic to those who live in such situations but many others are not.”These people are so lazy and disgusting,” they say. “How do they let this happen? They’re crazy and have no self-control.”
Sound familiar? To me (and others like Linda), this reminds of me of how people perceive obesity. There are far more people affected by obesity and more people familiar with it than with hoarding. However, the more I think about it I notice many similarities between the two and the more sympathetic I get to both.
The past few days have been difficult for me during the clean-up process. I haven’t put in enough hours nor have I gotten enough done to put together a decent post. I also don’t have the typical WTF Stuff post for today. So in the meantime while I get my butt back on the grind, I’d like to give you this little treat that I wrote in one of my journals almost three years ago. I hope you enjoy it. I’ll be back soon.
When things bother me, I find writing helps me work through my problems. Three years ago I got frustrated to a point where I felt I couldn’t release my stress to anyone except through writing.
At the same time, I’d just read an article from Litemind about tackling issues with lists of 100. The result? A List of 100 that I’d like to share with you now entitled:
“100 General Complaints I Have About the House & Related Topics”
You can’t find things when you need them.
You find things you needed before at times you don’t need them.
You end up buying stuff because you can’t find the ones you already own.
Buying stuff you’ve lost leaves you with duplicates and more clutter.
Buying more stuff than we really need.
Having stuff we don’t need.
Not having designated places for things.
Not having routines or assignments for cleaning.
Not being able to get into storage spaces like closets.
Not being able to sit on a couch.
Not having everyone sit at the dining table at the same time.
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