Comments on: A 3-Step Cure for Digital Packrats, and How to Know If You’re One of Them http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/ Simple Productivity Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:14:22 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Fan Site http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-76126 Fan Site Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:25:33 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-76126 A good article, but it doesn’t necessarily cure it. It deals with the symptoms of the problem but doesn’t really get to the root, does it? A good article, but it doesn’t necessarily cure it. It deals with the symptoms of the problem but doesn’t really get to the root, does it?

]]> By: Ride on mowers http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-69398 Ride on mowers Thu, 07 May 2009 17:15:03 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-69398 Well hopefully, I am not one of these people and I am glad that I am not. Mike. Well hopefully, I am not one of these people and I am glad that I am not. Mike.

]]> By: adam http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-68120 adam Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:12:24 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-68120 i'm definitely a digital packrat; especially when it comes to music. i have gigs and gigs of music and it's difficult for me to ever delete music (even if i don't like it) because i think there will be that day when i want to listen to this song or i need this song or album for something. the problem is, (and this goes for more than music) an over-abundance of something limits my ability to enjoy it. however, i still can't bring myself to delete this stuff. thanks for the article. i’m definitely a digital packrat; especially when it comes to music. i have gigs and gigs of music and it’s difficult for me to ever delete music (even if i don’t like it) because i think there will be that day when i want to listen to this song or i need this song or album for something.

the problem is, (and this goes for more than music) an over-abundance of something limits my ability to enjoy it.

however, i still can’t bring myself to delete this stuff.

thanks for the article.

]]> By: Jeanna http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-56792 Jeanna Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:35:59 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-56792 I'm so glad you included the last suggestion about putting purging reminders in your calendar. This is where I always go wrong - I usually don't remember to do a clean up until 6 or 8 months of crap has re-accumulated. Thanks! I’m so glad you included the last suggestion about putting purging reminders in your calendar. This is where I always go wrong – I usually don’t remember to do a clean up until 6 or 8 months of crap has re-accumulated. Thanks!

]]> By: Valeria | TimelessLessons http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-51216 Valeria | TimelessLessons Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:09:46 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-51216 A good article, but it doesn’t necessarily cure it. It deals with the symptoms of the problem but doesn’t really get to the root, does it? A good article, but it doesn’t necessarily cure it. It deals with the symptoms of the problem but doesn’t really get to the root, does it?

]]> By: Intervention… « Proudly Nerdy http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-50202 Intervention… « Proudly Nerdy Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:22:20 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-50202 [...] Find out if you’re a digital packrat, and take the quiz Q. Do you have 20 or more folders and sub-folders in your documents folder on your hard drive? [...] [...] Find out if you’re a digital packrat, and take the quiz Q. Do you have 20 or more folders and sub-folders in your documents folder on your hard drive? [...]

]]> By: Are you a digital pack rat? http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-49231 Are you a digital pack rat? Thu, 16 Oct 2008 13:45:53 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-49231 [...] Each of those folders has several folders inside them. For example, I manage several websites so in the master website folder is another one for each of the sites. I work on several projects for the ACO so there are subfolders for the upcoming convention, one for last year’s conference (there is some stuff there I know I’ll need again), one for the bylaws project, etc. However, I know there is a lot of stuff I’ve saved that I really don’t need so I was interested to find this article at ZenHabits.net, A three step cure for digital pack rats and how to know if you’re one of them. [...] [...] Each of those folders has several folders inside them. For example, I manage several websites so in the master website folder is another one for each of the sites. I work on several projects for the ACO so there are subfolders for the upcoming convention, one for last year’s conference (there is some stuff there I know I’ll need again), one for the bylaws project, etc. However, I know there is a lot of stuff I’ve saved that I really don’t need so I was interested to find this article at ZenHabits.net, A three step cure for digital pack rats and how to know if you’re one of them. [...]

]]> By: Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life « scatterbrain http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-48903 Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life « scatterbrain Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:42:48 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-48903 [...] packrat, and cannot seem to control your digital clutter, there is still hope for you. Read this guide to curing yourself of this [...] [...] packrat, and cannot seem to control your digital clutter, there is still hope for you. Read this guide to curing yourself of this [...]

]]> By: Saskia http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-48517 Saskia Wed, 08 Oct 2008 18:11:49 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-48517 I'd have to say I lean towards agreeing with Joanna Bertrand, although I might state it in slightly more gentle terms! Digital hoarding is not the same kind of thing as hoarding physical objects, it doesn't have to have any negative impact on your life unless you let it. By way of an analogy, imagine you are very rich, live in a vast mansion and have staff on hand to clean, tidy, run errands, carry out administrative tasks etc. Hoarding wouldn't be much of a problem for someone in that situation provided they set up a reasonable system for organising their possessions. But for most of us, who have limited storage space, no one to help us keep things organised and to take the boring tasks off our hands, and all the normal stresses and strains of life, hoarding almost always leads to problems. When it comes to computers, however, most of us are in a privilaged position these days, since modern computers have huge hard drives, additional storage is cheap, and we have all sorts of software to help us organise and find items amongst our "digital clutter" (e.g. Google desktop, Evernote, Delicious). OK, so some people are struggling on with out of date computers with small harddrives, but they are in an increasingly small minority. The key is to keep it relatively organised, although in theory things like Google Desktop mean this matters less and less (it still makes sense to have a logical folder structure, however, as an alternative means of finding things). And computers are much easier to organise that a house is, as you're not limited by physical constraints like the size and shape of the room, cupboard etc. and it takes less effort to move things around on the computer than it does in real life. As long as it's all reasonably well ordered the volume of data isn't really important. I’d have to say I lean towards agreeing with Joanna Bertrand, although I might state it in slightly more gentle terms! Digital hoarding is not the same kind of thing as hoarding physical objects, it doesn’t have to have any negative impact on your life unless you let it. By way of an analogy, imagine you are very rich, live in a vast mansion and have staff on hand to clean, tidy, run errands, carry out administrative tasks etc. Hoarding wouldn’t be much of a problem for someone in that situation provided they set up a reasonable system for organising their possessions. But for most of us, who have limited storage space, no one to help us keep things organised and to take the boring tasks off our hands, and all the normal stresses and strains of life, hoarding almost always leads to problems. When it comes to computers, however, most of us are in a privilaged position these days, since modern computers have huge hard drives, additional storage is cheap, and we have all sorts of software to help us organise and find items amongst our “digital clutter” (e.g. Google desktop, Evernote, Delicious). OK, so some people are struggling on with out of date computers with small harddrives, but they are in an increasingly small minority.

The key is to keep it relatively organised, although in theory things like Google Desktop mean this matters less and less (it still makes sense to have a logical folder structure, however, as an alternative means of finding things). And computers are much easier to organise that a house is, as you’re not limited by physical constraints like the size and shape of the room, cupboard etc. and it takes less effort to move things around on the computer than it does in real life. As long as it’s all reasonably well ordered the volume of data isn’t really important.

]]> By: Digital Serenity at Creativity Coaching in Birmingham http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-45752 Digital Serenity at Creativity Coaching in Birmingham Mon, 01 Sep 2008 16:12:05 +0000 http://zenhabits.net/2007/08/a-3-step-cure-for-digital-packrats-and-how-to-know-if-youre-one-of-them/#comment-45752 [...] - most of which will be deleted tonight! I am sorry to say that I fell badly into this category Digital Packrat. The relief from deleting most of those emails was palpable. I have kept a few by saving them as [...] [...] – most of which will be deleted tonight! I am sorry to say that I fell badly into this category Digital Packrat. The relief from deleting most of those emails was palpable. I have kept a few by saving them as [...]

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