Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff [Paperback]

Dinah Sanders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2011

Let go of everything that doesn’t make your life awesome!

With three key principles and numerous practical tips, Discardia—a new holiday—helps you solve specific issues, carve away the nonsense of physical objects, habits, or emotional baggage, and uncover what brings you joy.

Dinah Sanders, productivity and happiness coach, draws on many years of experience to provide a flexible, iterative method for cutting out distractions and focusing on more fulfilling activities. Join others around the world who use Discardia's inspirational—but not sappy—approach, and put your energy where it counts: toward living the less stressful life of your dreams!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

I am a post-boomer/pre-digital native who spends as much time online as off. Currently self-employed as a writer and productivity and happiness coach, I have worked in jobs ranging from bookstore owner to senior software product manager. When my work hasn’t centered on organization and effective flow, it has been anchored around the reading life, whether on the printed page or a glowing computer screen. A constant theme throughout has been streamlining processes to help achieve goals better, faster, and with more enjoyment along the way; in other words, increasing awesomeness. I created the holiday Discardia in 2002 and have been writing about its principles ever since, intensively with a Discardian tip a day during 2006, currently with active Discardia communities in Facebook and Twitter and a revived Discardia.com. My book, Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff, came out as an ebook in September and trade paperback in October 2011. Along with my keen interest in helping to define the next century of the movement born out of voluntary simplicity, uncluttering, and self-help, I write at varying lengths – from books to tweets – about technology, science, and classic cocktails and am currently working on my first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Dinah Sanders (October 7, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0983998027
• ISBN-13: 978-0983998020
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #802,501 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I am a post-boomer/pre-digital native who spends as much time online as off. Currently self-employed as a writer and productivity and happiness coach, I have worked in jobs ranging from bookstore owner to senior software product manager. When my work hasn't centered on organization and effective flow, it has been anchored around the reading life, whether on the printed page or a glowing computer screen. A constant theme throughout has been streamlining processes to help achieve goals better, faster, and with more enjoyment along the way; in other words, increasing awesomeness.

I created the holiday Discardia in 2002 and have been writing about its principles ever since, intensively with a Discardian tip a day during 2006, currently with active Discardia communities in Facebook and Twitter and a revived Discardia.com. My book, Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff, came out in September 2011.

I am a founding member of the blogging community, having launched my personal site, MetaGrrrl.com, in 1998 and acted as midwife to the word 'blog' in 1999, when I worked with the founders of Blogger.com.

In 1991 I was co-creator of Strafe's Guide to Streetspeak and helped bring it to the web in 1997, making it if not the first cyberpunk slang dictionary, the first one online.

I have been a member of the advisory board for SXSW Interactive and a technology advisor and an adjunct professor for San Jose State University's School of Library and Information Science (from which I received my M.L.I.S.)

I volunteer as the city-wide Twitter voice of the San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Teams and as a member of my local team.

Along with my interest in helping to define the next century of the movement born out of voluntary simplicity, uncluttering, and self-help, I write at varying lengths - from books to tweets - about history, technology, science, and classic cocktails and am currently working on two new books.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Declutter without guilt! November 26, 2011

By Kelli

Format:Paperback

Sometimes all you need is a swift kick in the ...

Discardia is the holiday that is set up to provide it to you. The book is divided into four sections with a series of small steps to get you moving in the right direction. Overwhelmed by all your stuff? Take a 45 minute walk around a room and put things away, or decide what to discard , or put things up in a "I'll decide later" box. Can't manage to get around to doing the really important stuff? Make a list and prioritize. For the most part, the suggestions are helpful in breaking tasks down to manageable segments. Also the author mostly manages to avoid preachy or self-righteous proclamations on how things should be done (the segment on weight loss and control could take metabolic rates into account instead of the rather simplistic discussion, but that is one step out of many). If one task seems too daunting, there are others that will help.

Perhaps my only complaint is that the book seems to assume that people exist in a vacuum: when deciding what to get rid of, I want to trash or give away my wedding gown because it takes up too much space, while my husband thinks we should hold on to it forever. A discussion on how to avoid conflict over stuff would be helpful for anyone who is married and/or has kids.

I would recommend this book with one warning: it is set up to help you simplify and streamline your life to allow for more productivity, time to complete what you really want in life, and as the author says, "awesomess" - so do not read the whole thing in one or two sittings. I read it before bed over a couple of weeks, and still felt rather overwhelmed at the end. If you buy it to improve your life (instead of getting it to review), take it slow and it will really help break down the large projects into manageable steps. Overall, I think it can be very helpful.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, helpful, motivating! December 11, 2011

By lucky

Format:Paperback

This book is helpful, motivating, chummy, and wise.
Most Americans I know of could stand to read this book and put its concepts to work for themselves.
I found it smarter, more helpful, and less complicated than books like 'Getting Things Done.'

Everybody needs this kind of help, not just hoarders and the organization-handicapped. I'm pretty damn organized and efficient, but I found lots of helpful tips and motivators here.
We need to let go of some of our crap periodically to keep our baggage light.

Helpfully, the author knows when you need a kick in the butt and when you need a gentle pep talk, and she provides them for you. She understands how you can get mired in procrastination and indecision.

If you can't hire to author to whip your frazzled butt into shape, her book is the next best thing.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring me to make changes November 7, 2011

By Stringy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read the Kindle version of this book after seeing the author's site and tweets online. Sanders has a friendly writing style, no lecturing or preaching, just good advice that's worked for her and other people with more ambition than time.

It's not just about cleaning the clutter from your spare room. She wants you to make the changes that are right for you, slowly but surely moving towards the life you want and away from the life that just happened while you weren't looking. With that goal in mind, she gives advice and examples that have worked for other people dealing with similar problems, some thoughts on how we end up with these problems and suggestions for how to maintain better habits in the future.

I found that the tips and suggestions seemed really appropriate for my life, unlike some other books and websites focused on ruthless decluttering and an endless routine of chores. Sanders' upbeat attitude was catching, and since finishing the book last week I've decluttered my wardrobe, reorganised the pantry to put frequently used things at waist level, and begun taking the stairs at work each day. None of this feels like a hassle, just like a smart choice I can make on the spur of the moment.