Discardia_ More Life, Less Stuff - Dinah Sanders [105]
You deserve a life you love.
Gratitude
Thank you for reading! It’s a multiyear labor of love and an incredible adventure to bring a book into the world.
I hope to write more. If you received this book for free and if you found at least one idea that will help you move your life in the direction you want to go, please consider supporting my efforts by buying your own (very modestly priced) copy. I really appreciate it!
I would like to thank my wonderful partner Joe for being awesome. Also, my mother Jinx for existence and for encouraging me to be a writer. Thank you to: my editor Joanne Shwed; cover model Modesty B. Catt; cover photographer Reverend Dan Catt; cover designer B.J. West; cataloger Rice Majors; literary agents Janet Rosen and Ted Weinstein, whose early advice helped shape the project; many inspiring indie authors; the makers of the tools that helped me build this book: Scrivener, OmniFocus, and “Getting Things Done”; my encouraging friends and family; the musicians whose creations kept me in forward motion; everyone I’ve quoted and cited in the book; all the Discardians past present and future; and my patient and helpful beta readers/cheerleading squad Jinx, Joe, Rose, Holly, Bryan, Rebecca, Robert, Elizabeth, Heather, Lucia, B.J., Beverly, Jill, Keely, Gordon, Ann Larie, Vicky, Beth, M-D, Anne, Chris, Charlie, Annalee, Sacha, Fred, Jason, and Tara.
Glossary
80/20 rule. A general principle of spending 80% of your time on the 20% most important activities (Symptom #9)
Agile self development. A technique of focusing on a limited list of quickly achievable goals over a limited amount of time (usually between one week and one month) in order to reap benefits faster and be able to adjust more frequently to changing conditions than is possible with larger, longer plans (Symptom #8)
Chunks. Groups of items representing the same kind of action or supporting the same active project; distinct from “stacks,” which are amorphous blobs of unknown obligation (Part I, “March Discardia: Getting Started”)
Completion by deletion. The priority-affirming act of deciding to remove something from our actual and internal to-do lists (Symptom #26)
Dream duty. A quality of belongings which represent an unachieved goal (Symptom #40)
Five-minute fairy. That magical being into which you can sometimes turn without significant effort or even remembering, but which your future self praises highly (Symptom #2)
Fresh eyes. The technique of setting something aside long enough (or clearing your thoughts enough) to view it anew, free from habits that have formed around it (Symptom #40)
Friday Night Look-Back. A quick review of what worked well or poorly in the past week (Symptom #33)
Harmonic intersection. That which appears on both parties in a conflicts’ lists of acceptable solutions (Symptom #32)
The Lap. Though it takes many forms, always a short burst of activity that is intentionally limited to a brief period in order to maximize motivation to start (Symptom #2)
The Look-Ahead. Examining the upcoming time (and often the equivalent past time) to identify preparations that will reduce or avoid hassles (Symptom #24)
The man with the hammer. The role to which a creator must shift when it is time to stop tweaking and get the finished creation out into the world (Symptom #6)
Microbreak. A brief respite from focused work, usually only a few minutes, to clear the mind and refresh the spirits (Symptom #10)
Most Important Things. Leo Babauta’s technique of choosing a small number (usually three) of priority-driven tasks on which to focus on at a time (Symptom #9)
The Museum of Me. All that we retain which represents who we used to be (Symptom #12)
Nanobreak. The shortest possible break—sometimes only a second—to jumpstart mood and energy with a random encouraging image (Symptom #10)
One Bag at a Time. A decluttering game in which the goal—one less grocery