Ask Unclutterer: Is texting clutter?

Reader Allen submitted the following to Ask Unclutterer:

I recently received my T-Mobile bill for this month and my text message sent count was 14,657. I mean, thank god for unlimited texting, but it seems like texting might be cluttering my life, or cluttering my mind too much? What do you think, should I cut back on my excessive texting (yes, I admit it) or should I just continue?

I receive questions similar to this one all the time — How many shoes should I own? Should I own a car? How many sets of silverware is too many? Am I sending too many e-mails?

The truth of the matter is that only you know what is clutter in your life. Only you know if texting is distracting you from focusing on what really matters to you. Only you can weigh the positive and negative effects texting is having on your life. This is not a decision I can make for you.

Texting is certainly keeping you in touch with someone — friends, family, co-workers. And, if these people matter to you and keeping a close relationship with them is one of your priorities, then constant texting might not be clutter.

On the other hand, if texting is replacing a deeper relationship with these people, all the texting would be clutter. Additionally, it might be prohibiting you from focusing on people you’re with in the present, because you’re constantly looking at your phone.

Assuming it takes you on average 30 seconds to send a text, you spent a little more than 122 hours last month texting. If there are 720 hours per month, and you slept for 240 of those, you were probably awake about 480 hours last month. So, if you were writing texts 122 of 480 hours, about a quarter of your waking time was spent sending texts. And, since this doesn’t include reading texts from people who write back to you or thinking about your response, it’s possible texting is consuming half your waking life.

Are you okay with this? Would you rather be spending half of your waking time hanging out with these people, face-to-face, instead? Would you rather be spending half of your waking time focused on something else beside staring at your phone? Do you have a job? Do you go to school? Is there anything else you need to be doing or want to be doing?

Like I said earlier, only you know if texting is cluttering up your time. Determine what it is you really want out of life, and then work to clear the distractions that get in the way of the life you desire. If texting is cluttering up your time, you can change your behavior to reduce the amount of texts you send and receive. Turn off your cell phone when you’re doing what really matters to you. Send texts to people only when it is convenient for you and when it advances your life’s priorities.

Thank you, Allen, for submitting your question for our Ask Unclutterer column.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.


Must-see vid: Charlie Bucket’s fluid-filled dress

Though she describes her Casual Profanity website as “a series of ridiculous clothing experiments,” Charlie Bucket’s fluid-filled dress, which she spent years working on, is more jaw-dropping than funny-bone-tickling. The five-pound dress (eight pounds when full) is made from 600 feet of tubing knit together and connected to a backpack-based pump. It must be seen to be believed:

Fluid Dress from Charlie Bucket on Vimeo.

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LPA Futures 2011

This year’s LPA Futures competition for young photographers is now open to entries, with representation by one of the UK’s top agents the prize

LPA Futures is part of the Lisa Pritchard Agency. Every two years, it takes on five young photographers for a two year period, providing representation and support in the early stages of their careers. The winning five are chosen by a panel of industry experts: this year’s panel includes DDB London art buyer Sarah Thomson and Saatchi & Saatchi Design head of photography Tim Cole.

The current crop of LPA Futures includes Laura Pannack (whose image is shown above), who has since gone on to great things, including winning a World Press Photo Award.

For details on how to enter, go to lisapritchard.com. Deadline February 7 2011.

Windows 7 : The Future of Technology

Une nouvelle campagne de pub institutionnelle pour Windows 7 et Windows Live, autour de la technologie devenue plus accessible et facile pour le grand public. Elle met en scène les produits principaux Microsoft, ainsi qu’un propos texte à découvrir de manière classique puis en inversé.



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Previously on Fubiz

Head on Top

Découverte du travail du photographe allemand Thorsten Schmidtkord, avec ce projet intitulé simplement “Head on Top”. Il se base sur des retouches du visage en inversant le haut de la tête, avec le bas. Plus d’images de la série sur son portfolio et dans la suite de l’article.



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Previously on Fubiz

Just a few left…

If you’d like a set of the available back issues (issues 3, 4, 5, 6) plus a subscription, we have just a few left! Thirteen, to be precise. Only five! Once these have gone, then issues 3 and 5 are officially sold out! (Issues 1 and 2 are sold out, issue 4 has fewer than 100 copies left and issue 6 just 30 copies.) And when they’re gone, that’s it. As is the nature of magazines, they will not be reprinted since my resources go into putting out future issues.

This subscription set makes a great Christmas gift since your recipient gets a box of 5 magazines for some great holiday reading. Issue 8 follows quickly in early February, followed by an issue in April and July. To order as a gift, simply enter their name and address in the ship to fields and your name in the billing info. Order today to ensure ample shipping time. Or if you prefer that the box be shipped to you so that it can be gift wrapped, ship it to yourself and follow up with an email including the subscription address for issue 8 and beyond. Thanks!

Robert De Niro, Sr. Prize to Recognize Mid-Career Artists for Achievements in Painting

A new art prize will likely come with prime seats to the Tribeca Film Festival. Actor and festival co-founder Robert de Niro has launched the Robert De Niro, Sr. Prize, which will honor an outstanding mid-career American artist with an annual award of $25,000 for achievements in painting. “I am proud to honor my father as an artist and pay tribute to his painting through the Robert De Niro, Sr. Prize,” said De Niro (pictured, with one of his father’s canvases) at a reception held Wednesday at his late father’s New York City studio. “By annually awarding an American artist who is recognized for exceptional quality in painting, we hope to support artists who are making a lifelong commitment to their art.” The prize will be funded by De Niro fils and administered by the Tribeca Film Institute, but the selection process will be left to a committee of to-be-named art world luminaries. They’ll nominate and select three finalists—who will take part in a group show hosted by the late artist’s estate—as well as the winner. The first prize will be awarded in 2011.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Workspace of the Week: Home office haven

This week’s Workspace of the Week is Mandi’s office, her way:

The first thing that jumped out at me in Mandi’s office is the wonderful cable control. A simple cable tube groups all the cables together and reduces their visual clutter. I also like how she uses matching frames, all along one shelf, to group photographs. The coffee station located where she uses it — in her office — is also a great idea.

In the comment section to Mandi’s office image, she linked to her website, so I followed the link. On her site I found a wonderful page of free downloadable Christmas planning worksheets. If you celebrate Christmas, you should definitely check out the planning worksheets to help reduce the stress of the holiday.

Thank you, Mandi, for submitting your inspiring office to our Flickr pool.

Want to have your own workspace featured in Workspace of the Week? Submit a picture to the Unclutterer flickr pool. Check it out because we have a nice little community brewing there. Also, don’t forget that workspaces aren’t just desks. If you’re a cook, it’s a kitchen; if you’re a carpenter, it’s your workbench.

Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.

Payday Splurge (Give Your Hostess The Mostest)!

imageHere’s something to be thankful for: You’re not the one hosting an extensive Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends (unless you are …). While Thanksgiving is a time for family and comfort food, it’s no fun to clean house, cook and host the whole thing. We’d much rather show up in a cute outfit, eat our fill and go home and sleep off the tryptophan. But that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate the friend or family member who has enough love and patience to be the gracious hostess. To show appreciation, a bottle or two of sparkling cider just might not cut it. So we’ve gathered five great items that would make wonderful hostess gifts, in varying price ranges, for you to present and show your thanks!



Calliope – Wine Lines, $6.99



Rosenthal – Medium Fast Vase, $124.00



RabLabs – Crystal Platter, $375.00



Jonathan Adler – Bird Wine Stopper, $18.00



VivaTerra – Slate Cheeseboard Set, $60.00

William Light by Andrea Francesconi

William light by Andrea Francesconi

This blown glass lamp fitted at the end of a rope is by Italian designer Andrea Francesconi.

William light by Andrea Francesconi

Called William Light, the product is made of glass and ceramic in two versions – one with an angled aperture to be sat on a surface and the other cut straight as a pendant lamp.

William light by Andrea Francesconi

See all our stories about lighting »

The following information is from the designer:


William born by the grip to translate a technical drawing in a true object through the unknown give by the blown of the glass. The proding was to propose an object both emotional and simple by its materials.

William light by Andrea Francesconi

Which could get a smartness across the plainness and the average of the processing of its materials. The lights are two different suspension lamp of blown glass and ceramic.

William light by Andrea Francesconi


See also:

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Vessel Series 01-03 by Samuel Wilkinson for DecodeFriday by
Reinhard Dienes
More lighting on
Dezeen