I spend a fair amount of time thinking about LifeHacking.  Getting my inbox filters just right so I can get to “inbox double-zero,” syncing my iPhone and my Google Calendar, setting up ssh keys in all the right places, etc.

But something I’m still not that good at is “LifePruning,” that is, the continual process of getting rid of all the old / no longer relevant shit in my life, the stuff that, if left untended, will crowd out all the good stuff.  It’s kind of hard for me, as I have natural hoarding tendencies, but I’m trying to live by a new code: prune first, ask questions later.

This weekend, with an impending move from NYC -> Boston, I’ve been doing some pruning, and boy does it feel good.  Huge bang for the buck.  I’m going to try and make this more of a regular routine.

Here’s the quick rundown of the LifePruning I’ve done, this week alone:

• Cleaned out my clothes closet and donated all the things I never wear anymore / don’t fit.  Amazingly, getting rid of those uncovered some real gems that I had forgotten about.
• Got a new computer and transferred my data and applications.  Not all of them, mind you; just the ones I really need.  The result is a leaner, meaner, faster machine.  (Note: getting a new computer is not required to do this, but it helps)
• Went through my Google Reader and deleted all the feeds I no longer read, or are just less into these days.  That means less distraction from the awesome ones I want to make sure I actually read every day.

I know that good things will come of this pruning, and I’ll try and keep track as they do.  For example, I’m sure I’ll read a great post I would have otherwise missed thanks to my RSS pruning, and I’ll look sweet at the office in that shirt I found in my closet (not sure of the practical usefulness of that), and so on.

This is just a start.  I’m going to keep an eye out for more LifePruning opportunities, and I’ll post them here as I do.  If you have a good life pruning suggestion, let me know.

Update: SVN has a post today on this topic: The Art of Taking Things Away.

// Pruning grahpic via Agriculture Guide