Break Free, Create Space

When you break free of the clutter syndrome which is endemic to 20th century man and woman, and you both physically and figuratively create open spaces in your life, you gain an enhanced perception of more time in your life. I advocate looking at your shelves and determining which books you can give away. Ask yourself who would appreciate receiving this as a gift. If you can't think of anyone, identify schools, libraries, hospitals, and retirement homes that might appreciate such gifts.

A Nation of Internet Addicts?

The U.S. could be rife with Internet addicts as clinically ill as alcoholics, an unprecedented study suggested. Based on a telephone survey, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine concluded that more than one of every eight U.S. residents showed at least one sign of "problematic Internet use." The findings of this survey was consistent with those of previous, less rigorous studies.

The typical Internet addict appears to be a single, college-educated, white male in his 30s, who spends about 30 hours per week on non-essential computer use. Some people hide their Internet surfing, or go online to cure foul moods in ways that mirrored alcoholics using booze, using the Internet to “self-medicate."

Information is Stored in Spaces

It's important to understand that you control the spaces in your life, because information is stored in spaces--tables, shelves, desks, disks, hard drives, web sites, etc. If your desk is a mess right now, strewn high with piles that are growing higher, remember you're the one who controls that space, as well as your filing cabinet, your shelves, the top of your dining room table, your kitchen counter, your glove compartment, or your back seat. You are the one controlling your space, and this acknowledgment will help you to stay in control of your information.

Too Many Choices!

If making product purchases was as simple as choosing supermarket items, we could all cope. But the tyranny of choice extends to large products, as well as services like insurance, retirement options, investments, and frequent flyer programs.

By the time we absorb all the rules and regulations, we heap on more stress to our already stretched-thin composure. I recommend that you judge the merits of any product or service on two criteria:

(1) the intended benefit, and

(2) the ease with which we can understand and enjoy those benefits.

Getting Your Name off of Lists!

Here’s a website titled “How Consumers Can Opt Out of Directory Assistance and Non-public Information, which explains that “there are many websites that sell or provide for free, personal information about individuals. This information is gathered from many sources including white pages listings (directory assistance), publicly-available sources and public records.”