Summer Giveaways and Your Brain

A couple nights ago a friend said to me, "I got your email about giving away some fishing poles and thought, 'Yup, it's summer again! Hilary's getting rid of things!'" And it's true--it's a seasonal ritual where I send out lists of random things to sell or give away. Favorites include the vintage meat cleaver and an old hatchet--and yes, there were takers.

This summer I'm proud to say my load is lighter, but I'm left to ponder about some stuff--like what do I do with a electric-start gas mower that appears to be broken? Sell it for parts? And now that I don't have a truck, how do I transport it to a shop? Maybe craigslist is the way--or the super easy but no-cash-flow trick of putting it on the curb.

I will say it takes time and having more urgent things taken care of to even have the energy and, dare I use the term, "bandwith" to ponder such things. Disposing of this stuff can get so particular and detailed, and I don't think my brain is really suited to deal with stuff stuff stuff all the time.

Speaking of the brain and having time, I discovered open (i.e. free) university courses online...so if you want to check out free lectures, I find the MIT Intro to Psychology course pretty fascinating--especially the part about how the left hemisphere of the brain deals with details and the right side deals with things holistically. And the prof is delightfully nerdy and knowledgeable.

Tying back to my blog topic, I think decluttering is more of a left-brain activity and bet it's easier for folks who tend to be left-hemisphere dominant. And that would not be me! That's why some are suited to be professional organizers and some... are not!