OUCH! :-o You're right! I had not thought in that way!
Subclinical
Posted: 25 March 2018 - 06:44 AM
Mar, i'm Glad the timer is working for you.
Try thinking of the free things as not free. They don't want to GIVE you something, they want to TAKE your space and time.
Resources were used to create that thing. If it is not something you need right now, and you take it, you just committed to the use of resources for no reason. - waste! Because when they run out of free pens, or whatever, they will order more. The more people who say "no thank you" the longer it takes for this to happen.
Eventually, you will probably have to get rid of that thing. Where will it go?
Mar
Posted: 24 March 2018 - 08:27 PM
Hi Subclinical!
People in the chat room suggested that I set up a timer and do 15-minutes work sessions. The day I created this thread, I did it that way and didn't read papers longer than enough. The problem is when I forget to work in this way and lose track of time. So, perhaps doing brief sessions with an alarm can be helpful.
Yes, refusing items it's easier. Lately I've been refusing flyers and brochures. Not accepting free things it's not so easy, hehe.
Also we prefer reusable bags and reuse those we already have. I carry some bags with me when I go shopping.
About waste and recycling, I wrote on your post in "Why Do You Hoard?"
Hi Tillie!
Yes, I can take photographs with my laptop. In fact, I've taken several ones, but resolution isn't very good. But right now I have some space issues on my hard drive...
Tillie
Posted: 22 March 2018 - 11:28 AM
Subclinical you have been doing a FANTASTIC job reducing the amount of things coming into your home!
Some places that ship packages also will box items for customers. So, they will accept packing Styrofoam packing peanuts. Some places also accept the other shaped pieces too. Here, we take them to the UPS place. The private "mailbox" service that receives people's mail and packages then ships them out to the their customers here also accepts them. It's worth a try anyways to get that stuff out and recycled. :)
Mar Do you have a way to photograph or scan some of those papers that are not important but have special memories? This way the physical item is gone but you will still have it saved.
Subclinical
Posted: 22 March 2018 - 04:46 AM
Mar, I can relate to a lot of what you are saying. Waste is a huge issue for me, and I also get bogged down interacting with items. I can start to work on a bookshelf and end up spending the day reading a book on the couch.
I don't have a good answer for the reading yet.
But I have tackled the waste problem at the front end. I find it is much easier for me to refuse items than to let them go.
I have been trying not to buy items unless I absolutely need them, refuse unneeded free things, say no thank you to bags, and buy as much as I can at thrifts or otherwise without packaging (avoiding packaging at the grocery store has improved my diet)
Styrofoam is still the bane of my existence.
It sounds like you have more limitations renting a room as far as good options and the ability to make choices like washable napkins, but maybe that will be better when you get home?
I have a bag in the garage so I can toss unwanted mail into it for recycling before I go into the house. Also I went to the mail preference website and opted out of everything.
Mar
Posted: 21 March 2018 - 04:15 PM
Hi!
I will move definitely from here to the home in the city of my family.
Here I've a big disaster in a small room and I feel stuck. I have too many stuff. There are things dispersed everywhere and I must organize, clear, and clean all this ASAP.
At home we also have clutter problems (you can see about that here), but the state of this room is worst than that of the house.
What kind of stuff I have? Lots of papers, brochures, flyers, tickets, newspapers, magazines, cardboard boxes, "disposable" dishes & cutlery, unicel, empty bottles and containers, plastic bags, used foil, etc. Also, constantly come more bottles (water, milk, juices), plastic containers, some papers and bags.
Every day I go out with some of them. I've been taking out bottles and papers to recycling containers at university. But when I come to my room with the idea of organizing or discard something, I feel anxious and would like to run out of here immediately! Feel I don't know where to start. Overwhelmed.
Sometimes, if I manage begin to pack useful things in boxes, I end up, say, reading them, and time goes by.
I want to recycle as much as possible instead of throw it away... I hate to send reusable or potentially usable/useful things to the trash. I really hate to waste. Today I threw a cardboard container and it hurt me to do it!
Also is soooo difficult to let go certain things. Like some papers today. They no longer have practical utility, but they're memories. Aren't important, but it is difficult anyway!
My plan for today is to pack useful papers in a box and send them home. At the same time, gather recyclable stuff I find in the process and take it to where it corresponds. I'm doing that right now. I hope to fulfill my goal.
