The Rules of Life

(Grace) #1

Prune Your Stuff Frequently


Why? Because collecting clutter clutters your home, your life,
and your mind. A cluttered home is symbolic of cluttered
thinking. Rules Players are clear and direct in their thinking
and don’t collect junk. If only. We all do, of course. All I am
suggesting is that occasionally clearing some of it out might be
a good idea, or it overwhelms you emotionally and gets more
and more cobwebby.


Pruning your stuff gives you a chance to get rid of anything
that is useless, broken, out of date, uncool, uncleanable,
redundant, and ugly. It was, after all, William Morris who said
not to have anything in your home that wasn’t useful or beau-
tiful. Having a good clear-out refreshes you, revitalizes you,
makes you conscious of what you are collecting—and any-
thing that makes us conscious is a good thing in my book.


Again, I have noticed a difference between successful people
and those who seem to labor in a backwater never really get-
ting their lives off the ground. Those who are punchy and
getting on with things are also those who have an amazing
ability to prune stuff, clear the clutter, sort the wheat from the
chaff. Those who are having trouble getting lift-off are those
running along the tarmac still clutching black plastic sacks
full of useless stuff they bought from the charity shop and
have never thrown away—or opened since they bought them,
cupboards full of junk that is just taking up space, drawers full
of broken things, and closets full of clothes they can no longer
get into or which have so long gone out of fashion they may
be worth something as collector’s items but will never be worn
again.

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