ORIGINS

Beyond Clutter Control:
The Origins of the 1000 Things Projects

This web site is about my journeys through what I call the 1000 things projects: building a healthier relationship with my stuff by getting rid of it, 1000 things at a time.

The first 1000 things project started from a desire to move beyond clutter control. I’d been doing clutter control for many years, and progress was being made. My house was more organized and less cluttered -- to some degree, but doing more of the same wasn’t doing it for me anymore; my decluttering started to feel more like puttering -- something which passed the time without having the desired effect on my house -- or more importantly, on my psyche and well-being.

Eventually, I began to realize that I was really after something much deeper than simply getting rid of stuff, or tidying up, or feeling organized. A different idea emerged: a desire to live in a home where everything had identifiable purpose or value.

And I wanted to do the process thoughtfully, to explore my relationship with my things and the hold they had on me.  So that's what I did; this web site describes some of the things I learned along the way. I also discovered that many of my friends and colleagues were very interested in hearing my story and learning from my experience.

So this web site is a way of getting the word out -- to:

• Share my experiences about the process of getting rid of my things thoughtfully
• Promote the book(s) -- I'm working on it!
• Create a place for you to share your stories and experiences with dealing with your stuff.

[more on this later; this needs to be revised]

there is content that goes over here as well.