Do you have a problem with clutter? (Yeah, I mean YOU!)

frahse · 03-02-2014, 10:12 PM

"Do you have the urge to purge LPs or CDs, but not books and magazines?"
Steve Guttenberg, CNET
March 2, 2014 8:06 AM PST

"Are people more obsessed with reducing clutter now than they were in times past? A mastering and recording engineer friend recently told me he was selling off all of his CDs and LPs, and from now on Spotify would be his only music source. I was taken aback by that remark; this man has spent his entire working life making the best-sounding music he could, but from now on he'll be streaming tunes. So I asked if he heard something new on Spotify he really liked, would he buy it? He just smiled and said, "Why?" So it seems that for some industry pros, supporting musicians by buying their tunes has stopped making sense."

"I get it; he wanted to take back some living space in his NYC apartment, so eliminating CDs and LPs would be a big clutter reduction."
More

I have to admit that though most of my books are gone except those I have saved for reference when I start writing again, down in the storage section of the basement, are boxes of LPs, cassettes, and CDs with mp3s. Probably also a few 8 tracks and certainly VHS cartridges. I keep promising my wife and myself that one day I will retire and have time to look into those clutter matters.

pidgeon92 · 03-03-2014, 01:38 PM

I have a lot more clutter than I would like. My New Year's resolution was for this to be The Year of the Purge. Most of the stuff I want to get rid of is in the basement, and it's been too cold down there to spend any real time getting it sorted. We're going to have our neighborhood yard sale in June, and I hope to get rid of the majority of it then. The DVDs in particular are going, as are a lot of unused household items.

Yolina · 03-03-2014, 01:59 PM

My pbooks and vinyls are still present, accessible and used regularly

I have no intention of getting rid, and still buy some too. I have had a few culls over the years so what's still here is the stuff I really want to keep (there's currently about 500 vinyls and 850 pbooks so it's a manageable amount). I don't consider it clutter, everything has a clearly defined allocated space - the vinyls are in a cupboard in the living room and the books in floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the corridor. Works for me

doubleshuffle · 03-03-2014, 02:11 PM

No clutter here - I can still walk among the piles without having to jump over them, know which pile 95% of the stuff is on - and I located the dead cat before it started to smell.

HomeInMyShoes · 03-03-2014, 02:20 PM

Moving a lot has reduced some clutter for me, but not enough. I'm thinking of a big spring purge this year.

Catlady · 03-03-2014, 04:14 PM

I don't consider books, records, movies, and the like clutter. These things present a storage problem, and I reluctantly weed out items because of that, but they're not clutter. Clutter is useless old receipts, paper clips, unopened junk mail, mysterious keys, batteries, scraps of notes, expired coupons, etc.

Katsunami · 03-03-2014, 04:40 PM

There is a difference between clutter (= useless stuff) and having too much stuff you don't need (anymore). The latter can *become* clutter, if you're not careful.

Yes, I have a problem with clutter, both in rooms, and on my computer. I want everything organized on my shelves, in folders, and to the last bit of (relevant) metadata.

My paper books fell into the category of stuff I didn't need anymore (because they are all replaced by ebooks), so they were in danger of becoming clutter. That is why I gave them all away to a second hand charity store.

theducks · 03-03-2014, 05:01 PM

LP's (some Mono, some Quad)
Open Reel Tapes (some Quad)
Paper books and magazines
Cassette tapes
Laser Discs (note I had Laser before VHS)
5.25 Floppy discs
VHS tapes
3.25 Floppy discs
Zip discs
CD's (music and computer)
DVD's (movies, music and computer)
Bluray

Nah! I don't have clutter.

I have a storage disaster

xg4bx · 03-03-2014, 05:08 PM

Sort of. I have found myself questioning the need for my shelves upon shelves of books&movies that I'll never rewatch or re-read.

QuantumIguana · 03-03-2014, 05:18 PM

Even very useful stuff can be clutter. Your plates are clutter if they aren't put back in their proper place. Sometimes eliminating clutter is getting rid of stuff, other times it is just putting it back where it belongs.

Katsunami · 03-03-2014, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

Nah! I don't have clutter.

I have a storage disaster

Mwuhahaha

I must remeber that one

cfrizz · 03-03-2014, 07:07 PM

Moving helped me get rid of a lot of stuff. A lot of books were packed in boxes and put in a storage locker where it stayed forever. Then I moved in 2008 and I dragged those boxes from the storage locker right into the garbage room! Then I ruthlessly went through my bookcase and dumped all the books I read once and never read again. I dumped all of my vcr tapes as well as my vcrs. Gave away my record player and small collection of vinyl.

I hadn't touched any of them in years so there was no point of taking it with me when I moved. I now have just a small number of books that are slowly being replaced by ebooks, at some point I'll get rid of those too. I refuse to do clutter

Freeshadow · 03-03-2014, 08:27 PM

No problem. I know on which height and depth of which heap the stuff Im looking for is.

Jessica Lares · 03-03-2014, 09:55 PM

Oh yeah, I have a drawer, and then one of my bedside shelves with stacks and stacks of magazines. The stupid thing about it is that I have digital copies too, so not sure why I'm even holding onto them... Stuff like Rolling Stone, Time, Bloomberg Businessweek, and various food magazines. That's what I get for taking those $2 per year offers.

I gave away the majority of my books a few years ago. The only ones I have left are my Harry Potter/related stuff, To Kill a Mockingbird (I had two to begin with though), and then Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. Those and my comic books. Otherwise everything is digital.

I've been buying music digitally since 2003, before that I had like three physical albums I bought a few years earlier. Now, it's just as big as a huge shoebox. I have a separate box for my vinyls.

Computer stuff, on the other hand, that's all over my house. You open up the bathroom closet, and there's an IBM all-in-one. You look under the bed, there's a few Thinkpads. Lots and lots of floppies and old software too.

Anthem · 03-04-2014, 10:21 AM

I try to keep everything as organized as possible. But the years start to add up and all of those purchases result in some extremely organized clutter, for me. I do purges, occasionally, but I usually end up regretting them later on.

I have the same problem with electronic documents and books. They get cluttered. Not pictures and music though. I have them organized in my Pictures and Music directories and both collections are managed by a single application each (Shotwell and Banshee, in these examples). My electronic documents are all just jammed in my Documents directory in some semblance of organization.

My ebooks are an utter embarrassment. Some are in Calibre (and Calibre related directories). Some are in Adobe Digital Editions (and related directories). Some are in my Kobo library. Some are in my Nook library. A bunch are in my Kindle library (and related directories).

It's a gigantic mess.

03-02-2014, 10:12 PM	#1
frahse occasional author Posts: 2,315 Karma: 2064403292 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Wandering God's glorious hills, valleys and plains. Device: A Franklin BI (before Internet) was the first. I still have it.	Do you have a problem with clutter? (Yeah, I mean YOU!) "Do you have the urge to purge LPs or CDs, but not books and magazines?" Steve Guttenberg, CNET March 2, 2014 8:06 AM PST "Are people more obsessed with reducing clutter now than they were in times past? A mastering and recording engineer friend recently told me he was selling off all of his CDs and LPs, and from now on Spotify would be his only music source. I was taken aback by that remark; this man has spent his entire working life making the best-sounding music he could, but from now on he'll be streaming tunes. So I asked if he heard something new on Spotify he really liked, would he buy it? He just smiled and said, "Why?" So it seems that for some industry pros, supporting musicians by buying their tunes has stopped making sense." "I get it; he wanted to take back some living space in his NYC apartment, so eliminating CDs and LPs would be a big clutter reduction." More I have to admit that though most of my books are gone except those I have saved for reference when I start writing again, down in the storage section of the basement, are boxes of LPs, cassettes, and CDs with mp3s. Probably also a few 8 tracks and certainly VHS cartridges. I keep promising my wife and myself that one day I will retire and have time to look into those clutter matters.

03-03-2014, 01:59 PM	#3
Yolina Wizard Posts: 1,179 Karma: 11573197 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: London, UK Device: Voyage	My pbooks and vinyls are still present, accessible and used regularly I have no intention of getting rid, and still buy some too. I have had a few culls over the years so what's still here is the stuff I really want to keep (there's currently about 500 vinyls and 850 pbooks so it's a manageable amount). I don't consider it clutter, everything has a clearly defined allocated space - the vinyls are in a cupboard in the living room and the books in floor-to-ceiling bookcases in the corridor. Works for me Last edited by Yolina; 03-03-2014 at 02:08 PM.

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03-03-2014, 01:38 PM	#2
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	I have a lot more clutter than I would like. My New Year's resolution was for this to be The Year of the Purge. Most of the stuff I want to get rid of is in the basement, and it's been too cold down there to spend any real time getting it sorted. We're going to have our neighborhood yard sale in June, and I hope to get rid of the majority of it then. The DVDs in particular are going, as are a lot of unused household items.

03-03-2014, 02:11 PM	#4
doubleshuffle Unicycle Daredevil Posts: 13,944 Karma: 185432100 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Planet of the Pudding Brains Device: Aura HD (R.I.P. After six years the USB socket died.) tolino shine 3	No clutter here - I can still walk among the piles without having to jump over them, know which pile 95% of the stuff is on - and I located the dead cat before it started to smell.

03-03-2014, 02:20 PM	#5
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	Moving a lot has reduced some clutter for me, but not enough. I'm thinking of a big spring purge this year.

03-03-2014, 04:14 PM	#6
Catlady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,418 Karma: 52613881 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle Fire, Kindle Paperwhite, AGPTek Bluetooth Clip	I don't consider books, records, movies, and the like clutter. These things present a storage problem, and I reluctantly weed out items because of that, but they're not clutter. Clutter is useless old receipts, paper clips, unopened junk mail, mysterious keys, batteries, scraps of notes, expired coupons, etc.

03-03-2014, 04:40 PM	#7
Katsunami Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,111 Karma: 34000001 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: KPW1, KA1	There is a difference between clutter (= useless stuff) and having too much stuff you don't need (anymore). The latter can become clutter, if you're not careful. Yes, I have a problem with clutter, both in rooms, and on my computer. I want everything organized on my shelves, in folders, and to the last bit of (relevant) metadata. My paper books fell into the category of stuff I didn't need anymore (because they are all replaced by ebooks), so they were in danger of becoming clutter. That is why I gave them all away to a second hand charity store.

03-03-2014, 05:01 PM	#8
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 31,054 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	LP's (some Mono, some Quad) Open Reel Tapes (some Quad) Paper books and magazines Cassette tapes Laser Discs (note I had Laser before VHS) 5.25 Floppy discs VHS tapes 3.25 Floppy discs Zip discs CD's (music and computer) DVD's (movies, music and computer) Bluray Nah! I don't have clutter. I have a storage disaster

03-03-2014, 05:08 PM	#9
xg4bx Are you gonna eat that? Posts: 1,633 Karma: 23215128 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Phillipsburg, NJ Device: Kindle 3, Nook STG	Sort of. I have found myself questioning the need for my shelves upon shelves of books&movies that I'll never rewatch or re-read.

03-03-2014, 05:18 PM	#10
QuantumIguana Philosopher Posts: 2,034 Karma: 18736532 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch	Even very useful stuff can be clutter. Your plates are clutter if they aren't put back in their proper place. Sometimes eliminating clutter is getting rid of stuff, other times it is just putting it back where it belongs.

03-03-2014, 07:07 PM	#12
cfrizz Wizard Posts: 1,570 Karma: 36389706 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Quincy, MA Device: Samsung 54A, Kobo Libra H2O, Samsung S6 Lite	Moving helped me get rid of a lot of stuff. A lot of books were packed in boxes and put in a storage locker where it stayed forever. Then I moved in 2008 and I dragged those boxes from the storage locker right into the garbage room! Then I ruthlessly went through my bookcase and dumped all the books I read once and never read again. I dumped all of my vcr tapes as well as my vcrs. Gave away my record player and small collection of vinyl. I hadn't touched any of them in years so there was no point of taking it with me when I moved. I now have just a small number of books that are slowly being replaced by ebooks, at some point I'll get rid of those too. I refuse to do clutter

03-03-2014, 08:27 PM	#13
Freeshadow temp. out of service Posts: 2,815 Karma: 24285242 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Duisburg (DE) Device: PB 623	No problem. I know on which height and depth of which heap the stuff Im looking for is.

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03-03-2014, 09:55 PM	#14
Jessica Lares Wizard Posts: 2,240 Karma: 5759170 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Near Dallas, Texas, USA Device: iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th gen)	Oh yeah, I have a drawer, and then one of my bedside shelves with stacks and stacks of magazines. The stupid thing about it is that I have digital copies too, so not sure why I'm even holding onto them... Stuff like Rolling Stone, Time, Bloomberg Businessweek, and various food magazines. That's what I get for taking those $2 per year offers. I gave away the majority of my books a few years ago. The only ones I have left are my Harry Potter/related stuff, To Kill a Mockingbird (I had two to begin with though), and then Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time. Those and my comic books. Otherwise everything is digital. I've been buying music digitally since 2003, before that I had like three physical albums I bought a few years earlier. Now, it's just as big as a huge shoebox. I have a separate box for my vinyls. Computer stuff, on the other hand, that's all over my house. You open up the bathroom closet, and there's an IBM all-in-one. You look under the bed, there's a few Thinkpads. Lots and lots of floppies and old software too.

03-04-2014, 10:21 AM	#15
Anthem Guru Posts: 704 Karma: 1622328 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle Oasis, OnePlus Nord	I try to keep everything as organized as possible. But the years start to add up and all of those purchases result in some extremely organized clutter, for me. I do purges, occasionally, but I usually end up regretting them later on. I have the same problem with electronic documents and books. They get cluttered. Not pictures and music though. I have them organized in my Pictures and Music directories and both collections are managed by a single application each (Shotwell and Banshee, in these examples). My electronic documents are all just jammed in my Documents directory in some semblance of organization. My ebooks are an utter embarrassment. Some are in Calibre (and Calibre related directories). Some are in Adobe Digital Editions (and related directories). Some are in my Kobo library. Some are in my Nook library. A bunch are in my Kindle library (and related directories). It's a gigantic mess.