More day light, more time to re-organize our home, office, garage, even storage bins. Technology is not always the answer to saving space. In fact, if you look at computers and its paraphernalia, they take a lot of office space, even in small households. Here are some tips on physical space clearing and space saving.
1.A laptop ~ is more energy efficient, it uses about 10% energy of a desktop computer and it takes a lot less space, in fact, it doesn't even use any space if you keep it in your lap. But if you must have or need a desktop computer, consider an Energy Star-rated slim flat-screen LCD monitor, which will take up less space and use less electricity than other comparable monitors.
2. CD's ~ did you know that around the world, 1 billion discs are discarded every year? an e-waste problem. I, for one, rarely re-use any of the umpteen software CD's that I've accumulated over the years, not even counting the ones I donate to charity once a year. Why not download software instead? and upload the 'must keep' electronically, to clear up space.
3. Voice Mail ~ these free services automatically added to any phone lines in the U.S have made answering machines obsolete. According to the authors of the Green Book, if all answering machines currently used in U.S. homes were replaced by voice mail, the annual energy savings would be nearly 2 billion kilowatt-hours, equivalent to taking 250,000 cars off the road. They claim, it's simply more efficient for a centralized facility to process all that data, than to have each individual use his or her own desktop answering machine. No point on keeping One more gadget cluttering a desk.
4. Recycling Old Electronics ~ A decade or two into the information revolution, the typical household has generated a small mountain of E-waste like old televisions, VCRs, DVD players, video games, cell phones (and, uh ... answering machines). Chances are there's a drawer (or two, or three) in your home office that hold a mess of cell phones, wires and chargers. Clean it out! Electronics can be recycled, either by the manufacturer, the retailer or by community drop-off programs. Cell phone recycling is even easier: You can donate your old cell phone to charity or, if it hasn't been sitting around too long, even sell it.
5. Go Paperless ~ Except valuable documents or tax records need to be saved for a number of years, all other paper, junk mail, catalogs, old phone directories, obsolete information will only clutter desks, drawers, cabinets even dining tables. Receiving bills by email takes a little getting used to and it is best to do it gradually. The environmental impact it has to go paperless, saving paper means not only saving trees, but 171 pounds of greenhouse gases, 63 gallons of water, and 4.5 gallons of gasoline annually for the average paperless household, according to Pay It Green, a coalition of financial institutions and businesses promoting paperless billing.
6. And last, but not least ~ Stop Receiving Junk Mail ~ The average American household receives an estimated 850 pieces of junk mail every year —enough, as we all know, to cover our kitchen tables several times over.
It's no coincidence that paper makes up one-quarter of all landfill waste, or that the junk mail industry's environmental footprint is large, equivalent to the tailpipe pollution from 9 million cars. You can reclaim the calm of an uncluttered tabletop with a few keystrokes. Just register for the Mail Preference Service on the Direct Marketing Association Website. For $1, your name and address will be removed from prospective mailing lists, ending 75% of junk mail within about 90 days.
Daily Green offers very thorough and excellent advise on the subject.
By clearing physical space in home/yard and office will have a very positive effect mentally, in fact, it is a powerful way of letting go of possessions, emotions and thoughts that can keep you stuck. You will feel refreshed, light and ready to start anew!
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