Abundance of Good Things: Part 2
May 7, 2015Summer Routine
May 11, 2015The final installment of this week's series on how to deal with an abundance of good things — aka the backlog that is cluttering much of your life.
Today's installment will address the backlog in recipes and craft ideas. If you are anything like me, you have stacks of magazines and print outs and notes and digital bookmarks of recipes and crafts that you want to try. Unfortunately, you don't have enough meals in the next year for all the recipes and quitting your job wouldn't give you time for the crafts.
What to Do? What to do?
- Dedicate an hour or so at least once a month to sorting through the stack. (The first few hours might need to be dedicated to making the stack.)
- Immediately toss out any recipe or craft idea that requires a special ingredient or supply that you do not have in stock or have no other need for. You want to subtract from the clutter – not add to it.
- If you aren't immediately enthusiastic about making the recipe or craft, toss it. You are unlikely to become strangely compelled by it in the future. If you do, you will likely find it online.
- Make one day a month "new recipe day." Make it a point to try at least one new recipe that day. Don't try to pack too many new recipes into a single meal. It's too stressful and, if they all turn out badly, you'll be stressed AND hungry. At the end of the meal, decide if it's a keeper. If not, into the recycling bin.
- Prioritize the craft projects. Focus on those for which you already have the necessary supplies and for which you have an immediate use. If you do the craft and either don't enjoy it or like the result — or if it's a one-off thing — like a special paint treatment for your bathroom wall — toss it.
- Try to start a system of categorizing new recipes and craft ideas. You can use am accordion file for hard copies or you can scan and upload to computer folders. Make common-sense division so that you will know where to look in the future (e.g., appetizers, party food, quick week-night meals, vegetarian dishes, cookies, etc. for recipes and Christmas cards and ornaments, Halloween projects, baby gifts, jewelry, clothing, easy gifts, etc. for crafts).
- Once you have a system in lace, everything new goes into it. And if you try something and don't like it — out it goes.