2007 was a great year for myself and this blog. I started a company with some great people and gained some business sense from dealing with the inner workings of a startup directly. PaulStamatiou.com received a revamp complete with new logo and branding. I got to ride in CMU’s winning DARPA Urban Challenge SUV, starred in a Nike+ ad, received Dean’s List and Faculty Honors merits for semesters in 2007 and a few other noteworthy events.
But how can 2008 top that? Well, if all goes as planned I will have just graduated from Georgia Tech this time next year and started my real life. Without further ado, here is my tech new year’s resolution.
Less Clutter
As I prepare to get in the California/startup life mode, I plan on having less and thus leading a simpler life. I just have too much crap, for lack of a better word. I keep telling myself I’m going to move to California with just my laptop and a suitcase of clothes. I’ve started decluttering in the last few months by throwing out stuff I didn’t need and sending home the more valuable but still useless things I own. By having less clutter, I feel I have to less things to worry about and less stuff floating around in my mind.
The clutter-free Steve Jobs at home in 1982. Photo credit: Diana Walker
Take for example my small DVD collection. I don’t often rewatch movies so having them taking up space in my room was a waste. I’ll also stop buying DVDs – both for the clutter factor and that DVD is eventually going to dwindle away in favor of a newer HD format (my money is on Blu-ray, but I’ll leave that for another post). The same goes for my large collection of tech/programming books that spend their time sitting on my bookshelf only to be flipped through once every few months for reference. To get an idea of where I’m coming from, read Paul Graham’s Stuff essay.
It’s this clutter-free lifestyle that has me thinking whether I even need such a large display; besides, Spaces in Leopard is my savior.
This also corresponds to my workflow and how I deal with my computer. I keep much of my data online with S3 and should my hard drive die randomly one day, I won’t feel much more than a speed bump. That allows my computer to be clutter-free as well and just have the few applications and music I need.
Normally I would have more resolutions but I think this is the only one I plan to focus on for 2008. What are your new year’s resolutions?
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I agree man. I went home on leave last month and took 2 huge suitcases with me. I came back with one suitcase only half full with clothes. I have too much “crap” as well. I’m working on it, I’m moving to GA soon to settle into my new duty station, and I don’t want to bring all this stuff!
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I ripped all my DVDs to my external hard drive, and sold them to upgrade the drive – also means now all I have is my laptop and clothes!
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Great post, Paul. I love that photo of Steve Jobs. I looked at it for a solid 10 minutes when I first found it, a month or two ago. We really don’t even need stereos anymore- I’ve got headphones and a laptop.
My goals for this year: 1) Get to California. 2) Stop screwing around (essentially- start working for myself).
Similar to you, I plan on going to California next year (maybe as early as Feb!), and taking only the bare essentials. Desk, bed, laptop, clothes, and a couple of boxes of other stuff (toothbrush, pot & pan, some plates, etc). What else do you really need?
Speaking of clutter, I’m going to be switching my life to 100 things mode when I move down to North Carolina next fall. I think having a set number of ‘things’ you own, that you can’t change no matter what, might really make it easier to force yourself to keep things simple.
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I’m in with you on that DVD Collection front. I buy too many DVDs and my plan now is to sell most of them off to some shops here. And of course, not to buy too many in future.
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I need to declutter my apartment as well. That is my only resolution at this point.
Sidenote: as for Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD my money is on no winner. This war is ending in a stalemate.
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I am with you all the way. This year I went media green and have long used a Macbook w/o a display (though Spaces makes this even better). I also make heavy use Gmail as my Personal Nerve Center that is also available offline. I plan to play more with S3 and Transmit.
So, with my physical stuff decluttered my challenge in 2008 is to eliminate my mental clutter – to really get anything off my mind that isn’t productive (like worry). “The David” talks about this extensively.
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Hi Paul, Thanks for making this post, really enjoyed the picture of Steve Jobs. Really puts things in perspective.
The goal of decluttering is one of two goals for my husband and I this coming year. We want to move to a house in 2009 and we really don’t want to haul/lift/find a truck to fit all this stuff.
Paul Graham’s essay is perfectly put. It’s amazing what you really don’t need when your away from it for a while.
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There’s a couple things I’m wanting to do.
I was interested in graphical and multimedia design for the longest time since failing high school by half a credit then picking up graphics in my extra half hear and finding out that I loved it. (So technically best thing I ever did was fail high school) So after getting my first mac earlier this month one of my resolutions is to get back into designing, drawing and overall anything with web and computers. However, i’d like to focus more on the actual artistic side of it and leaving less up to photoshop and stock photos.
Another one is to help advance my creativity by getting out more and just admiring my city for what it is. As well as finally visiting the Art Gallery. My DSLR camera will help with the artistic stuff.
I’m also trying to get back into shape. Your reviews of Nike+ really sold me on the idea. As well as broadening my music library and really switching to an open mind of music cultures. An ipod I’m ordering on Friday will help with both. the Nike+ will have to wait till next paycheque. Christmas took too much of a chunk out of my savings. Good thing “Santa Marty” is bringing me my IPod, MacOS X leopard and .Mac sometime next week. I really have been a good boy.
I’m with Andy- ripped all DVDs onto a hard disk, loads of space saved, and sold the DVDs back to Amazon. I recommend getting as much paperwork as possible digitised, (saves on paper and having to have a filing cabinet).
It would be great to have some kind of Time Machine / rsync system for S3, maybe that’s an application for anyone who understands such things. I keep meaning to learn Cocoa, but I am just not patient enough to learn. I’ll just whip up something with Automator.
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Have been on a de cluttering project for a year now!!! If you think you have accumulated a lot at your age try imagining how much a 44 horder has accumulated!!!
New Years resolution – do less and do it better.
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Being 34 years old, married, and with a new baby in the house, my definition of de-cluttering is a little different than yours but I’m still doing it in my own way. I just sold my Dell 3007 monitor and desktop PC; I’m now using only my ThinkPad T61 laptop. I’m in the process of getting rid of the HTPC in my home theater room and replacing it with a Sage HD media extender. Each computer in the house requires wasted hours of work every year; the fewer the better. My wife and I both find the Salvation Army and Craigs List to be great resources. It’s easy to let money slip out and unnecessary stuff slip in. It’s a constant fight and the battlefield shifts the older you become.
I envy your no-ties, start-up mentality. The freedom of working in such an environment is extremely enticing. I need to figure out how to integrate that into my professional life in 2008.
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You forgot the number 1 thing! “Finally meeting Colin in person!”
Have a great 2008 man… I expect great things from you padawan.
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I havent think about my new year resolutions yet but i think this one yours is a really good one to take care for all year long. I
ts a difficult task to be (and to stay) with only the necessary things, because eventually you get stuff you dont really need.
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I moved to San Francisco about 4 months ago with just my laptop, camera and a couple of suitcases. I don’t need much more. I basically lived like a rock star for two months. Stick with it, you’ll find that you will want to collect more and more stuff as time goes on, don’t give in. And man, if you’re moving to San Francisco leave your car at home, you won’t need it out here.
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I want a cluster free life style as well.
No more books on my book self. nor DVD, Games Box, just store all of them digitally. I always think when there is something i dont touch them for 6 months they odd to be consider digitalize.
The only problems is information or these “collections” are growing too fast while Hard Disk technology are moving far too slow. You could fill up a 1TB HD easily and you will still need at least 2 HD for redundancy. I hope Apple quickly comes up with a Home Server system to store all these.
And then hopefully have iPhone with 3G or WiMax or even Intel’s Smart antenna, a decent Camera integrated.
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I looked at that photo and thought “Does he sleep on the floor?”
When I moved out to California it was a pretty freeing experience, getting rid of so many things, trimming down possessions and deciding on what I’d like to have vs. what I needed to have.
Other helps: giving away books constantly (it takes me more time to listen to one than to just read one), investing in good shelving (two people in 497 sq. feet is not a lot of personal space), and ask myself before buying an item of clothing “Would I pay twice as much for that?”.
P.S. Thanks for getting me on an easy route to using S3.
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~7 years ago I moved abroad abroad with only a suitcase and a laptop putting everything else I had in storage(which I didn’t touch until last year when I gave stuff away to charity, old clothes etc). Then ~2 years ago I changed countries again, I sold the furniture but by then I had so much stuff I had to hire transport. Now I still have boxes unpacked after the last move which means that they don’t contain anything I really need. Your just reminded me to do something about it, thanks!
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i think he is doing youga that is why he is sitting on the floor.
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Nothing seems to be easier than seeing someone whom you can help but not helping.
I suggest we start giving it a try. Give love to the ones that need it.
God will appreciate it.