Why Is It More Difficult ?

I like having organization and cleanliness probably more than the average person.  I have some OCD tendencies (don't we all?!) but mostly I just like things to be in order.  Clutter is distracting and decreases efficiency.  This is applicable not just in physical spaces but also in the virtual world as well.  In this post, I am talking specifically about electronic items such as pictures, emails, documents, music, and any other type of file you can conveniently save on your computer or electronic device.

We live in a day and age when the available space for saving electronic information is virtually limitless.  Even our phones (I hear they can actually be used to make calls too now!) have capacity to store documents or files that just a few years ago would have taken a whole hard drive to "keep" around.

I think most everyone de-clutters their physical space reasonably often (Spring Cleaning is in full swing around the office and at home for me), but when was the last time you de-cluttered your "virtual" space(s)?  How many pictures are saved on your computer or phone?  How many emails have you moved over to a folder or a longer storage program like OneNote?  How many Apps have you loaded on your smart phone that haven't been used in months?  How many spreadsheets and presentations and word documents have you saved to a u:drive or w:drive that are collecting "virtual" dust?  For me, the amount of files and documents is staggering and overwhelming.

As I have recently undertaken the effort of clearing the clutter, it has become very apparent to me that I am MUCH better at cleaning physical spaces than virtual ones.  For all the convenience of finding various types of documents on a computer, it is infinitely more time consuming to throw out whole piles of files from the variety of programs they are saved under, than to just toss a stack of papers from a desk file.  It is also not nearly as rewarding afterward because you cannot actually see the progress you made.  And THAT is why I think it is more difficult for me to complete!


Song Of The Day:
I've been a James Taylor fan for many years, especially thanks to my mother's playing his records during our family's "quiet times" each afternoon.  But I cannot recall hearing his version of "Paper Moon" until perhaps a year ago on a local easy listening station.  I immediately loved it!  I chose it for today's post because I think we consider our electronic device storage space to be a bit of make believe although it surely isn't.  Also, I just really dig the relaxing vibe of this tune and after spending hours de-cluttering an "e-space" it brings back my sanity!  :)

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