You probably have a box that’s devoted to useless-extra-cable storage…
But how much more exciting would your life be if you emptied that box and used it as a hat?!
I ask you…are you a cord-hoarder?
Do you have 6 gizmos that take a usb cable…and 26 usb cables “just in case?!”
If you have 3 things that take a three-prong-power-cord, then why do you have 12 cords?
It might not seem like much…”just a few spare usb cables.” Then again, it’s not just usb cables; it’s all types of cables. And it’s not just all cables; it’s all sorts of devices and clutter. When you add it all up, then it is too much.
Cables are just one piece of the gigantic picture of decluttering your life. No piece is too small to make a difference in the big picture.
So. Are you a cord hoarder? I was until recently! And why? Do you tell yourself “just in case,” like I did? Well let’s look at the situation together…
Some Facts About Cables You Can’t Dispute:
Whether you need to quiet the “but I might need it” head-voice or whether you just want to put things in perspective, here are the facts…
1. You can only use one cable at a time per device
If you have 1 camera that takes 1 cord, there is no use having 2 cords. There’s only 1 slot available.
And if you have 10 usb devices, the highest number of usb cords you could possibly need ever is 10.
2. You can only use as many cables as you have ports
Now…you may have 10 devices that take 10 usb cables. But if you only have 6 usb ports on your computer…then 6 is your magic number. There is no reason to have more!
The same goes with any type of cord. If you have 5 devices that take the same power cable, but only 2 wall sockets you use for them…why keep more than 2 power cables?
3. Cables almost never break
One hole in the “just in case” argument is the fact that cables rarely break. The only cable I’ve ever had that actually broke was a pair of headphones…and it was a slow crackly death. I had plenty of time to get another.
You might want to ask yourself: is the convenience of having just the right cord for the one or two times in your life a cord will actually die…is that worth the hassle and clutter of holding onto an entire box or two of cord varieties?
4. We usually have a few things unplugged
Even if we have 10 devices, 10 cords, and 10 ports for them. How often do we have every single one plugged in?
Most of the time, many of our mp3 players and cameras and ebook readers sit on the counter, in a drawer, in our purse. So you’ll probably never need even the maximum number of cords you could physically use at one time.
5. Cords cost nothing to replace
If you go to a big electronics store, it’s easy to convince yourself that cords have value. They sell gold plated, 40 foot, super-duper things with fancy packaging for $30. Isn’t that worth holding onto a spare to avoid? No!
In reality, cords cost nothing…most thrift stores have them for pennies. Most friends have spares they’ll gladly give you. Even new, most cords will cost a few bucks tops. And 95% of the time, if you buy something new, it’ll come with the cords it needs.
It’s obvious:
Zero Spare Cables Are More Than Enough For “Just In Case”
If you consider these facts, you’ll see that you really don’t need a spare. Look at how many ports or plugs you have, and look at how many devices you have…whichever is the smaller number, that’s the most you’ll ever need of that type of cable.
Now, on the flip side…
If you’re missing a cable for something, you’ll need to either go buy the cable or throw the item out.
Of course I’m going to tell you: get rid of the gadget! If you don’t have a cable it needs, you probably haven’t used it since you lost the cable a year or two ago. Why are you holding on to it?
But either way, get the cable, or get it out of your life, because without the cable, it’s dead weight.
The Doing…
Hopefully this motivates you to clear out your cable clutter. If it’s just not quite enough…stay tuned because I’ll be posting a practical how-to on this on Saturday! To make sure you don’t miss any updates, sign up for our free updates by e-mail or by rss feed!
Thanks for reading.
~loy
