Peace of Mind Organizing

Hello, computer-related clutter!

6 March 2009

The other day I decided to sell my Palm T|X handheld on Gazelle. It’s a website that buys used electronics. (I’ll write a post after the transaction is complete to let you know how the experience was.) I’d replaced the Palm with my beloved iPod Touch, so thought I’d divest myself of it.

I needed to check off whether I had the original software and documentation that came with the Palm, so I went hunting for it. The good news is that I had it. The bad news is that it wasn’t alone. Not by a long shot.

I keep computer-related stuff in a closet in my office. When I get some new software, I put the CD on a pile and the manual in one of two or three magazine holders. (Other types of manuals are more carefully organized in a filing cabinet upstairs.) Trouble is, only I ever add to the stuff in those magazine holders. I don’t tend to subtract.

So in looking for my Palm documentation, I dumped everything out on the floor. Here’s a photo of the mess:

My computer manual "archive."

When I went through it I found that well over half of the stuff could be tossed. Here are some of the highlights of what I threw away:

• Hardware and software for a laptop I retired in 2004.
• Software on 2.5” floppy disks written for Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Me
• TurboTax software for Tax Year 1997

Yikes. I tell my clients that to maintain order they must weed constantly. Clearly, it’s time to practice what I preach!

Tagged with: clutter, computer, decluttering, disorder, gazelle

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