Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff

by Dinah Sanders

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 toward living the less stressful life of your dreams!

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Personal Development, Unfinished, Productivity, Amazon, How To

282 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2011

About the author

Currently self-employed as a writer, I hold degrees in History and Library Science. I put these skills to work on cocktail history and taxonomy in The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level and on the Bibulo.us blog. My first book, Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff, explored letting go of what doesn't make life awesome.

Dinah's Projects

Bibulo.us
Bibulo.us brings my 'quality over quantity' philosophy to cocktails. The blog is co-authored with Joseph Gratz and covers recipes, ingredients, tools, resources, bars, people, and general essays on all matters relating to classic cocktails and fine service. You can follow Bibulous on Twitter. My second book, The Art of the Shim: Low-Alcohol Cocktails to Keep You Level, came out in hardcover and ebook formats in September 2013. It was nominated for the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Award, the Oscar of the cocktail world, and named one of the 30 best cocktail books of all time by the internationally esteemed Diffords Guide.

Discardia
Discardia, a holiday I founded in 2002, is celebrated by carving away all that nonsense which isn't making us happy, and uncovering what does. It's about letting go of what doesn't add value to our lives - whether physical object, habit, or emotional baggage - and replacing it with what makes our worlds more true to our essential selves. Discardia.com brings together my online Discardian writings and comments from members of the growing Discardian community. You can follow Discardia on Twitter. My first book, Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff came out in fall of 2011 and has sold over 4000 copies around the world.

Sanders & Gratz
Through my publishing partnership with Joseph Gratz, I am involved in every stage of creating my books and bringing them to market in their various formats.

MetaGrrrl
MetaGrrrl.com is my personal site, where I have been blogging since 1998. It is a portrait of my life and what is on my mind at various times in it. I am gradually extending it backwards in time to fill in my pre-Web history, as well as integrating past online activity which took place on other sites.

Reviews

[Dinah]

Well I like it, but then I wrote it. :)

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book!

My husband teases me about all the self-help books I read. I'm not sure I'm going to need another after this one. Really.

I'd recommend reading it bits at a time over the course of a year - keeping up with the discardia holidays that come four times a year.

There are, however, immediate benefits. I put Discardia: More Life, Less Stuff in the bathroom last night and this evening my husband told me he'd gotten through two bags of his stuff, and thrown a lot away. These are bags that have been in place in the basement since 2004.

Discardia isn't a book you need to read all at once. I'd recommend a bit at a time, and begin forming a mindset that will allow you to plow through your overload, giving much away. I've begun the process, and every bag that goes I feel better. (Although I saw the new Sherlock Holmes with Naoomi Rapace playing a gypsy. That's me! I thought. I'm going to start wearing that long gypsy-ish skirt and sweater that I haven't touched for years... oh. I gave them to ARC two days ago. Even so... the organized closet of clothes I actually wear outweighs the fleeting fantasy of becoming a gypsy.)

Sanders offers organizational tips for the parts of your life worth keeping - and it goes far beyond your stuff into your vision of yourself and your relationships with others. She has three principles: 1) Decide and Do; 2) Quality over Quantity; and 3) Perpetual Upgrade.

Simple! Just those three. Good. (How Ignatian, in fact; the Jesuits also advise "decide and do" - after discernment.) Sanders also has great quotes: "It is easier to act your way into a new way of thinking than to think your way into a new way of acting." - and cut-to-the-heart insights - like the title of one chapter, "The Museum of Me" Yep.

Absolutely recommended.

[Yvonne Stegall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must honestly say that this is the best book I have received through First Reads so far. Even if you have read every de-clutter book out there and even if you think your home and life are clutter free, you can benefit from this book. Sure, you may read a bunch of stuff that you already knew, but you will also find random tidbits of info that you hadn't discovered elsewhere yet.

I was a pack rat, my mom is a pack rat and my grandma was a pack rat. I graduated from that "lifestyle," or "illness," many years ago, but through Discardia I learned that there was much more I could let go of. My favorite part of this book, this lifestyle change, was the push to change to the digital age in order to lessen the things laying around my home. I only owned (past tense now, due to Discardia)about 25 music CDs, but now I have none. Those that I thought I may want to hear again I ripped onto my laptop. Those that I hadn't listened to in months just disappeared.

I think I have even finally been convinced to graduate to a Kindle, instead of having this clutter of books (which are a pain to move when switching homes).

I started out giving this wonderful book only 4 stars because I am an editor at heart. I find the mistakes in writing, spelling and grammar, in everything I read. But, I too make mistakes, and realized I shouldn't hold that against such a wonderful self-help book. If you are looking for something life changing, if your New Year's resolution was to change your life for the better or revolved around getting rid of clutter, then this book is for you. But it isn't just about clutter. Discardia can put you on the path to losing weight, finding your dream job or finding the love of your life.

Read it, you'll love it and you'll forever be changed! (received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads)

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a smarty-pants friend of mine, this book is helpful, motivating, chummy, and wise.
(I was proud to be one of the proofreaders/beta readers, before I got too sick to read for awhile there...)

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 bullshit-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 ass 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 ass into shape, her book is the next best thing.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read October 2011.
Reread January 2015.

Not just another “throw out your crap” book.

The main principles - I am either generally quoting from the book or at least paraphrasing - are:

1. Decide and Do
Decide what belongs in your life and what does not.

2. Quality Over Quantity
It's not about denial; it's about being selective. Your time and attention are finite.

3. Perpetual Upgrade
Fine-tune your life! Little actions add up to big changes. In every possible moment, lean toward experiencing the good stuff.

* * * * *

The book includes SYMPTOMS (It's Hard to Start, It's All Too Much, Oh No I'm Not Perfect, etc.) and SOLUTIONS about procrastination, managing email, job stress, money, home life, clutter, and more.

I found it useful and think others might, too.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book brings the philosophy of David Allen, Merlin Mann to a general audience. Readers not familiar with inbox zero, getting things done and other methods of de-cluttering our lives will find this book a great introduction to the process of living without stuff and tasks weighing us down. It was light breezy and very easy to read. One of the better general "simplicity" books I've read.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing was life changing, but keep in mind that it's a "how-to" guide, so it's supposed to be practical instructions. And it is!

I was expecting the same advice about cleaning out your crap and maintaining a tidy house you see on every mummy blog out there, but this was so much more than this. It's not just about keeping the physical clutter out of your house, but also out of your social life, your professional life, hobbies, pyschological clutter... the list goes on.

This has completely changed how I view my posessions, but also how I approach my job. Don't underestimate how significant even the most simplest ideas in here can be. It's stripped stress out of my job (to a large extent) and taken the pressure out of my personal time, to the point that I'm pissing my husband off because my improved quality of life and amount of personal time I've been able to reclaim is making him jealous.

I read this book on kindle, but ironically, I think I'll need to get a hard copy so that I can continually refer back to sections easily when I need a refresher.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a neat read. Discardia is a holiday invented by the author which "helps you solve specific issues, carve away the nonsense of physical objects, habits, or emotional baggage, and uncover what brings you joy." Another look at simple living. Not just about physical hoarding/cluttering, but also how we can lighten our emotional/mental/time management load. She divides the year into quarters, focusing on a different aspect for each season. Some felt more relevant than others, but she had some handy takeaways:

--She suggests getting rid of books and bagging them up to donate, commenting "Putting the books in the bag does not remove them from the universe." (p 26)

--She differentiates between habits, projects, and dreams/desires: "Building a habit is a gradual process to which you commit effort and measure progress. it does not have a deadline or an end point. Making that effort and improving over time defines success. Doing a project is taking a set of steps to achieve a result... Being currently successful with a project depends on whether it is active or inactive... identifying the end conditions that you seek and the first actions that you need to take are keys to succeeding with the project.... Having a dream or desire is envisioning the way your world could be... Knowing whether you still want this dream or desire defines success." (p 29-30)

--Four choices in any decision: "1. Do it and enjoy. 2. Do it and don't enjoy. 3. Don't do it and enjoy. 4. Don't do it and don't enjoy." (p 31)

--Chapter 9 gives some great time management prioritization exercises for the workplace. (p 55-63)

--Chapter 11 offers some new ways to approach email. (p 74-85)

--Quote from essayist Joseph Epstein: "Reading is experience. A biography of any literary person ought to deal at length with what he read and when, for in some sense, we are what we read." (p 90)

--"Preparing isn't only a useful trick when leaving town. You can take the opportunity to "precuperate" at any time to make the following week easier." (p 159)

--"Continually skimming over things in a rush, without taking time to consider, can push you into a state where stopping creates anxiety." (p 163)

[Doskoi_panda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll start this by saying I don't generally read self help books/life instruction manuals, etc. There isn't usually much by ways of entertainment or relaxation to be found in them, and I tend to read for pleasure rather than under the guise of grand self improvement. But a manual for cutting out the junk/baggage in my life seemed interesting, as I've been steadily working on that for the last few years (Books don't count against me in my ideal minimalistic world. I should point out that they are actually what I own the most of, but I enjoy them...) So I took on Discardia to read, to see if there were handy tips/hints (there are. And all is addressed with a sense of humour, which helps to alleviate the whole notion of reading a self help type book.)

The book is presented as a series of symptoms with the appropriate treatment/cure or problem/solution, and had plenty of examples of ways to implement new habits, and break old ones. For a self help type book, it was a pretty fun read, and had some very useful advice in clearing out emotional baggage and promoting healthier ideas on handling a variety of stress inducements.

My only complaint is that the book felt long. It isn't that it was overly wordy or dragged it's feet; it just felt long. (I feel like the Emperor in Amadeus "too many notes.") This could be attributed to how I read the book (in 2 sittings) because it goes over similar ideas/ solutions repeatedly (repetition being key to retaining information and creating a new healthy habit.) Overall, though, this is an excellent book for anyone looking for ideas on how to lighten their life's load of baggage, both accumulated physical items, and mental baggage that goes with it.

Overall rating: 4 stars
Review copy supplied through LibraryThing's Member Giveaway Program.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 2002, Dinah Sanders created a new holiday she called Discardia. It rolls around four times a year, arriving with each equinox and solstice and running through their following new moons. "Unlike many holidays," she writes, "[Discardia] doesn’t involve obligations or expense or overblown expectations of specialness.... Discardia is celebrated by letting go of what doesn’t add value to your life--whether physical object, habit, or emotional baggage—and replacing it with what makes your life truer to your essential self. The core concept is this: If we continually discard what doesn’t help us, we’ll be left with more of what does--more space, energy, and time to make our lives even better."

It’s a wonderful concept that I wholeheartedly support, which is why I was so disappointed when I read Sanders’s book. Repeatedly, I was struck by the haphazard and arbitrary structure of Discardia and her misguided ambition as a writer. Sections often have no obvious unifying topic, and she attempts to cover such a broad range of material that her discussion is often quite superficial. The book is also loaded with distracting punctuation and grammatical errors.

Despite these shortcomings, Discardia remains inspiring. I think most readers of the book will find themselves imagining a life less physically and emotionally cluttered, one that increasingly leaves room for more important and satisfying experiences (“More Life, Less Stuff!”), and I think most of these readers will make an effort to discard some of that clutter. I collected two bags of books to give away while I was reading it, and I intend to continue working my way through the rest of my house. I hope to regularly ask the question that Sanders herself asks during the course of her day--"What doesn’t belong here?"--and then to act on it.

[Jeremy Preacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discardia is basically the intersection of two books I am extremely fond of - Simplify Your Life by Elaine St. James and Getting things Done by David Allen, written in extremely accessible, intelligent prose, and aimed at modern middle-class people with white-collar jobs. (Not that there's not a lot in it that would work for, say, stay-at-home moms, but it's worth acknowledging that there are some class and technical-skill assumptions here.)

Sanders appears to hang out on the same parts of the internet that I do, and I find that charming as hell. (She quotes both my boss and two of my customers at different points.) And the advice, from decluttering to goal-setting, is sensible, achievable, and well-presented. The "holiday" framework (Discardia is a quarterly event, as presented in the book) works fine as a rhetorical device, and is clearly offered as a take-it-or-leave-it idea.

I'd definitely recommend it to folks who like personal-organization books, and people who need some decluttering or general life-goal-setting encouragement.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just couldn't get through this book. I think I expected it to be a short and somewhat prescriptive read, like, "On day 1 of Discardia we do this!" but it's not like that at all. It's quite long, and each chapter is a thoughtful reflection of some decluttering principle (including things like decluttering your friends, etc.). It's something that I generally enjoy, but I felt like the book lacked focus or theme, ad instead was just a very long series of essays that were loosely tied together. Which I found bizarre since Discardia is supposed to be a new "holiday" and thus seems like a great theme for a book.

My reaction could entirely be that I have temporarily burned out on decluttering books, or that I've read so many recently that the eloquent ideas expressed in this book just felt repetitive. Perhaps the best audience for this book is someone who has not been initiated into minimalism/deculttering ideas. Hence the 3 stars.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't actually recommend reading this book in its entirety, but it is definitely worth a skim or even some very focused reading of certain chapters. The title gave me the impression that the book is about getting rid of your excess junk, but the author strays far beyond that and offers advice about how to organize all aspects of your life. Some chapters held no salience for me, but I really appreciated the many different suggestions Sanders offered about how to cull your crap. And more than that, I valued the suggestions she offered for dealing with the psychology of why we hold on to things. I started reading this on vacation and on my second day home, I was already pulling out tons of crap I have been meaning to get rid of for ages, and my family is on board, too.

[Anetq · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maximise the stuff you love, what makes you happy and helps you move towards what you really really want! Minimize the stuff that doesn't. It's that simple! Yet so many of us could make ourselves so much happier, if we followed the advise (and practical ideas for getting started, keeping it up, and continuing to develop).
Great read! I especially liked the distinction between projects and changing habits - and their different criteria for succes. Also the simple point, that "what we want" changes over time, and our homes, plans and life needs to change accordingly. Otherwise we get stuck being custodians in our own personal museum of me. (or the me I thought I wanted to be. Or should be.
Read it now - and start doing something useful with your time -> making yourself happier!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a hodge podge of tips for downsizing and reducing material possessions and advice on myriad aspects of living. The topics change direction abruptly, like the ball in a pinball machine ricocheting off bumpers. The comcept behind the organization of this information totally eluded me. Although she uses the "Discardian" calendar to head various sections of the book, the content of those sections seems totally random. Still, I did jot down several quotes and tidbits for future reference. While I started out enjoying the author's breezy style of writing, the advice began to feel overbearing. The author kind of comes off as a smug know-it-all.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me forever to get through this book...because I'd read a little bit, and then want to go DO something, not just sit longer! I already use many of the concepts presented here, but it was great to see that there are others out there who think like I do. An excellent book for working your way through the mess of our houses, work, and lives one step at a time. My favorite quote was right at the beginning. "Don't worry about finishing, just START!" I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway...now to figure out who to share it with without offending! :)

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I get a lot of books from the library, as I feel it is important to use the public service, be environmentally responsible, read a variety of topics, etc. (blah, blah, blah) This book was full of well-written, useful and entertaining information regarding methods for making our lives simpler and more enjoyable as a result of that simplification. In a bizarre twist of irony, I want to purchase this book now.
Amendment (January 8, 2014): I have this out of the library again. Despite going on the Chapters website several times to find and purchase Discardia, I haven't done it. :)

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

While many of the concepts in Discardia weren't new to me, the gentle and cohesive way that they were presented made them seem fresh.

What's presented here is the ultimate "lifehack" - creating the life you want to have by optimizing the life that you do have. Discardia approaches this in a simple straightforward manner and I found myself implementing many of the ideas immediately with awesome results. This is definitely worth the read.

[MaryNell]

Received from the author as part of GoodReads give away. So far I like that the author is down to earth anf funny about all the gobs of stuff that overwhelms us. I am starting to put up decorations for the holidays and am using her advice to only use what I love...aand if it causes too much stress, forget about it! The holidays will still be nice without it. If that's all I get from this book, it will be well worth it for a relaxed and lovely Christmas.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book !! Really gives you lots of incentive for clearing out all the "junk" in your life, author gives you motivation and a timeline and organizes just how you should begin the process and continue it for the year. Made me want to begin all the techniques and great tips right away ! If anyone is looking for guidance and a jump start in organizing your life, this is the book for you !

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading these kinds of books (about living more, with less stuff, especially clutter of all kinds) for inspiration, especially at the beginning of a new year. They're really just filled with common sense things, but sometimes you just haven't thought of them yourself yet, or they give you a little reminder of things you can easily be doing to make your own world a little more pleasant. My favorite of these is "Its All Too Much" by Peter Walsh, but this is a close second.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. I now practice and observe the holidays of Discardia. The author is both an organizer and life coach and she does have good points about letting go of things. I was tempted to buy a copy of the book but I think I'll keep checking out a copy from the library when I need a refresher. It seemed to contradict the book to own a copy.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a great book that validates my existence! My only complaint is that the author does not address landfill issues or the main premises behind reduce, reuse and recycle to meet my inner torment in times of discarding items. I cannot just trash something without feeling guilty- this is for items that are too worn to be passed on (charity-wise) or that don't recycle. What then??

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the best I have read in a year or more! It really spoke to me. I drank the book in a bit at a time to fully absorb the contents. I have considered myself a minimalist for several years and have read many books on the subject. This particular book is the most inspiring one I have come across. I would recommend this book to anyone seeking more harmony in life.

[Caroline Niziol · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! This goes in the same category as Getting Things Donee -- it will need re-reading every few months or so. There were a ton of great ideas in this book beyond basic stuff decluttering that I know I will revisit it. Absolutely brilliant.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Sanders has a great writing style - very "tell it like it is". Some good decluttering tips plus overall strategies for living a less cluttered life.

[Elke Sisco · Rating 5 out of 5]

a good re-read this time of year.

[Sharon]

Good book; the plan requires a real commitment, but I got some good stuff out of it.

[Jacob Standish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas for simplifying the clutter in your life.

[Shauna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best way to read a book on de-cluttering is to get in in ebook form. That is what I did, this one is full of good advice.