I woke up this morning. I woke up naturally without an alarm. I have nothing in the world to rush me. I have little commitments this weekend. I opened my eyes but the soft bedding pulled me back in. I snoozed another hour or so and jumped out of bed, full of energy. There is no inertia here. I slept late and I slept well. I am fully rested. The habit of waking up and pulling that mobile phone towards me hasn't changed yet. I want to know the time. But at the same time, there are messages from last night, from another country, another time zone.
I checked my emails. 2 emails this morning as supposed to the usual 20s. My minimising is working. I have been unsubscribing to the nonsense for the past few days and the declutter is happening now. I feel so free not to be bombarded by the various emails asking me to buy stuff. As much as I am trying to be minimalistic and sustainable, those emails are most enticing. They make me feel like I needed those things, that looking at those happy people in there make me feel like I am missing out on some things. But no, I should know better that those are tricks. I am ok. Many people want to be me. Just as I want to be them. But I know that being bombarded is not a good thing. Those emails, those ads are working on my subconscious. I don't need that. I need my energy for better things.
And so, I woke up and continued to backup my files on the computer. I erased files, hard disks, backed things up, overwrote things. It is never ending almost. It will end soon. I believe I have organised the folders and I just have to backup the files into different hard disks. I just need to let the computer run. I just have to do this. This will free me of the clutter in the work and leisure arena. My portfolio and my memories.
I went to the kitchen to prepare my lunch. I bought those eggplants and red peppers from the bargain bin at the supermarket a couple of days ago. I sauteed all of them and ended up with a big box of it for the next few meals. I took some and tossed them with noodles for my lunch. I continued to backup my files. I still have my music to backup. I have digitalised all my compact discs years ago. However with the few hard disks I have, and the confusing backing up system, all the files are not consolidated. I got music from myself and friends. There are so many duplicates and I do not need duplicates in my life.
I feel that I function better when I have a to-do for the day when I am on this minimising process. It is easy to sit in front of the clutter and be lost in it. Of course there is inertia and procrastination. There is always the, it is ok, there is tomorrow. So here is my list to help me today.
THE 2-MINUTE RULE
We all procrastinate. It is ok. That is life. Some things are more difficult to get started. But this is it, I read somewhere about this 2-minute rule. Some things are difficult because you know that once you start them, you would be there for hours to come. Other things are easier, they take minutes. Be if putting the laundry away, ironing that shirt, wiping that table. So the 2-minute rule is, if it takes just 2 minutes to do, just get off the butt and do it. That is one thing done.
THE SYSTEMS AND BACKUP
Once upon a time the hard disks are small. I am saying they are small because I used to deal with huge files at work and hence I need a lot of storage. It came to a point when one disk wasn't enough and I had to split the storage. I split the storage and then I still had to duplicate a backup just in case. I now have a huge disk of 2TB. This is my main storage now. The little ones are the duplicate backups. It is just so much easier to do it this way. But with years of storage, no wonder it is taking me days to sort the files out. Always have a system to store things, and if you can, one main disk for everything.
THE TRAVEL PACKING
I am into backpacking these days. And that means limited space, light packing. I am trying to identify light and thin clothes that will maximise my packing. I am also sorting out a pile of old clothes to bring to this upcoming trip. I am not going to look fashionable but who cares really. I will not come back with those old clothes. I will leave them in a bag at the accommodation and the cleaners can either take them or throw them out.
THE HALF BOTTLES
We are all guilty of having lotions, oils and creams that are half used and forgotten. Time to bring them out and finish them, or bring them along to your next travels. Finish them and toss them.
THE HALF BOOKS
The books you are procrastinating to finish. This is considered clutter too. I am making a point not to keep books. I am trying not to buy books anymore, as long as I can help it. A lot of novels come in pdfs or as ebooks now. I agree that it is missing the tactility when you read from an electronic device but it is greener. Besides, in this part of the world where humidity is high, books brown so easily and they start to look shitty after a few months. Finish that book and pass it on. Or as I plan to do, bring it with me to my travels, finish it and leave it for the next traveller.
THE MINIMALIST MEAL
I just cooked a big batch of veg. But I also used the condiments in the kitchen. All of us are always craving for specific tastes and hence we have way too many condiments and spices in the kitchen. I finished 2 bottles with a pinch left in each. Declutter, use and toss. Yes, it happens in the kitchen too. I didn't buy anything else, just used the dried noodles in pantry.
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