I have been listening to podcasts for a long, long time[1]. These days, most of my favorites come from the 5by5 Network. In fact, if I sat down and calculated it, during the week I probably hear Dan Benjamin’s voice more than my wife’s.
One of the best shows on the network is Back To Work, with Dan and co-host Merlin Mann[2]. They knocked it out of the park with their recent episode One Giant Beholder Dinosaur.
That episode was all about the cost of clutter. How even though we tend to compartmentalize and try to ignore the growing clutter in our lives, it eats away at us. It is about clutter in general more than paper clutter specifically (though that is mentioned).
Here is the show description:
Merlin and Dan talk about your attachment to old coffee cups, Captain America glasses, and Grandma’s underwear cabinet—all the physical (and emotional) clutter that keeps you from making the things you love and having the life you want. The Kipple.
See: it’s not a red snapper problem, it’s an emotional problem. So, quit being scared of your fridge, or your inbox, or your todo list. Just suck it up, buy some contractor bags, and never organize another thing that’s not worth keeping.
Merlin also talks a lot about the book It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh. For some reason I have barely mentioned it on the blog[3], but that is an excellent book about the emotional side of clutter.
If you are having issues dealing with clutter, I recommend giving the episode a listen.[4]
(Photo by Mild Mannered Photographer)
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Since Adam Curry and Dave Winer were BFFs. Anyone remember iPodder Lemon? ↩
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I met him at Macworld. Super nice and generous guy. ↩
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Though I do mention it a lot in the Paperless Action Plan. ↩
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I can’t endorse Merlin getting rid of his Life’s Rich Pageant shirt though. That’s outrageous. ↩