Decluttering

July 01, 2007

My first month of vacation is coming to an end.

I’ve had a really great time. And I spent a lot of that time getting rid of things and organizing them. Like I threw out some things I didn’t need, or took them to a recycling center. And I got some shelves to organize my junk in the storage area better.

I’ve also gone light on the Internet and work-type of things. I threw out most of my RSS feeds, either because they were related to my previous work or they’ve otherwise become obsolete. I haven’t been posting too much on the blog. And I haven’t worked on some of the projects I said I’d be working on. Their time will come. Or if not, they weren’t good ideas to start with :)

But I’ve been to a lot of other things. I’ve been to many great events and hanged out with cool people and loved ones. I’ve worked on my health and finances. And some personal and team productions that may become public in due time.

Most importantly of all, I’ve managed to clear out any remainder of stress and dark thoughts. I’ve decluttered my mind. My head is empty, and that’s a good thing, as I can then load it up with stuff again. I haven’t felt this good in a very long time. And that’s one of the reasons why I have no remorse about not “working”.

The other reason is that many loved ones and other people I know that I have spoken with hear about my summer and then go, “gosh, I wish I could do the same”. It’s sad to see many people overworked and overstressed and unable or unwilling to have an extended sabbatical once in a while. Typically you can have a month or so of vacation in Europe, but people tend to have it in small chunks. Single days off are also good, but anything less than two weeks won’t let you really tune out of work, and a month or more is necessary to truly recharge.

Up next for me is some European travels in July, including some long-distance driving again :) plus a great event, Assembly 07 in early August.