Have you ever . . .

bought something you thought you needed only to get home and discover that you already had that very same thing packed away in a drawer somewhere?

I can't tell you the number of times I've returned from Staple's only to discover I already had a package of stickie notes still in the wrapper or a box of Ticonderoga pencils stashed away somewhere.  The same scenario has happened with purchases of white t-shirts, black tank-tops, guitar picks and nickel-cadmium batteries.  

With this in mind, depending on how I choose to view it, I am either half-disorganized, or half-organized.  I prefer, for the sake of optimism, to say I'm half-organized; but either way, letting even the smallest bit of clutter and chaos into your life can cause massive wastes of time, energy and money.

In a society where we are constantly being marketed to, it's easy to consumer more rather than maintain.  Part of maintaining naturally includes repairing broken things instead of just buying new ones.  This also, of course, means knowing what you already have.

Due to a heavy tour schedule and a fairly constant change of apartments in L.A. (don't ask) my childhood bedroom at my parents' house has become somewhat of a stockpile of my "stuff."  While spending several weeks there over the holidays, I took a good, hard look at my possessions and made it a point to "go over" things.

This included putting office supplies in carefully designated drawers; making piles of books I intend to read and get rid of this year; books I intend to read and keep and arranging my extra clothes by item in the closet.  I sewed on new buttons, polished leather boots (like  the awesome Frye motorcycle boots I graciously took from Jalan Crossland last summer when he offered them because they were too small - and a size too large for me, by the way, but they have good karma) and cleaned out old purses.

 I finally got my guitar some well-needed repairs and in the process of this, I discovered an old watch of my Grandpa Bill's he wore shortly before he passed away.  After several years of talking about it, I finally got the battery replaced and bought a new strap for it (now I don't have to look at my phone to check the time during gigs - I swear I haven't been checking text messages).

Ironically, it really didn't take me as much time or effort as it might seem.  More than anything, it took the decision to confront things and take inventory.  As a result, I feel quite content and resolved to make 2014 a year in which I take care of what I already have.  One of my goals is to "use and do" as opposed to "buy and consume."  Changes I plan on seeing as a result of this mentality are more organization - if you've ever seen my car while I'm on tour you know why!  I also intend to see more money in my savings account on New Year's Day 2015 and to feel more at peace, more simplified.

So . . . are there things in your life you need to assess and organize?  Are there things you need to repair?  Have you managed to tackle clutter and chaos?  How did you do it?  What things changed in your life as a result?

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