Systems

Isn't it amazing how much crap people can accumulate? I'm continually cleaning out email, catalogs, and general clutter. It never seems to totally disappear. Each week on garbage night, we check the refrigerator to see if anything needs to go out. We collect the recyclables, newspapers, magazines, and cardboard to do the same thing. The next day, there's more where that came from.

I think Americans are already too compartmentalized. However, I think if they weren't they would be inundated with crap. If we didn't have a system for deciding what to keep and what to throw away, there would be no room for us. Isn't that already a problem? Aren't our landfills becoming overly full? Weren't there some bad decisions made about what could be put into a landfill?

Even having a system to stay organized, it doesn't always work. We don't always have the time to keep after the loose ends. We don't have the energy or other resources to make the crap disappear completely. I recommend simplicity wherever possible. Too bad it is easier said than done.

I, personally, find that it is easier to add to than subtract from anything. This is especially true in writing. We are more inclined to expand on something rather than minimalize it. Maybe minimal is the way to go. We have less time, less energy, and less attention to give to longer matters. Let's find a system that works and keep with it.