Clearing the Decks

Yesterday, I announced that my next One Hit Wonder, which is my 100% commitment to a measurable process goal for one year, is playing 100 open mics over the next year.

That is, I started counting the ones I have played since June 21, 2026, and by June 20, 2027, I want to have played 100 shows. I have played nine, so I have 91 more to go.

I also shared that I have already picked the One Hit Wonder that will come after this one.

I started it yesterday and will “test” it over the next month before I publicly declare it. However, I can fill you in a bit on it now.

For lack of a better term, I am calling this One Hit Wonder Clearing the Decks, because it is about:

• Decluttering my stuff so I get to a higher percentage of only owning things that I love or absolutely need because they make my life better in some way.

• Tackling important “to do’s” that I have either neglected or not wanted to start because of the drain on my T.E.A.M. (Time, Energy, Attention, and Money).

• Taking action on dreams that have been on hold because I haven’t leveraged my T.E.A.M. to make them happen.

Therefore, for the next month, I will pick five things to do each day that help me achieve these objectives.

Here are a couple of examples from last week.

First, I finally got around to replacing and programming my garage door openers.

While I was gone in the Southeast, both garage door openers stopped working. Since they were older, I ordered two new ones.

And then they just sat there.

Every time I left the house, I had to back out of the garage, get out of the car, walk back into the garage, push the “close” button, get back in the car, and finally drive away.

An extra minute or two every time I left or returned.

It adds up.

I finally got so sick of it that I grabbed the instructions that came with the new openers and set about programming them.

As they sometimes say on SpongeBob…

Three hours later…

Well, it wasn’t that bad.

But I struggled to get them working using the instructions that came with the remotes, and it still took about an hour before I finally got one programmed.

Had I simply followed the instructions printed on the garage door opener motor itself, I probably would have saved 30 minutes, even though those directions were a little tricky, too.

Nevertheless, I persevered.

Now I have four working garage door openers.

That’s great.

I don’t mind having extras.

It is this kind of stuff that drains me.

It is this kind of stuff that infuriates me at times.

Jeez… can’t anything be simpler?

Second, I finally got around to ordering a hair-catching drain cover for my shower.

For years, I have let the hair build up in the drain. When the water would no longer drain fast enough, I’d pour in some liquid drain opener, wait 15 minutes, and everything would be back in business.

This time I bought a drain cover that catches the hair so I can simply throw it away.

Cost of liquid drain opener?

About $20 per year.

Cost of the drain cover?

About $8, and I expect it to last a good long time.

Do you see?

I am going to tackle five things each day that I have been putting off or that simply need to be addressed.

Some days that will mean getting rid of things I no longer need, use, or love.

Other days it will include these kinds of mini projects, like the garage door openers or the shower drain.

On Other Days, It will include coordinating, Scheduling, and Booking events, trips, or tackling other dreams that are on hold.

What I want to be able to say to myself is:

“I acted with integrity today by tackling five things that were necessary or that improved my life.”

Yesterday, my five things were:

• Ordered more toothpaste. I was down to my last tube. Better to do it before I ran out.

• Ordered more shampoo after noticing I was almost out.

• While I was at it, I ordered the conditioner I keep at my Southeast apartment so I can switch to that here when my current bottle runs out.

• Found and bought a new reading lamp. I had two floor lamps I loved. One broke a few years ago and I never replaced it. The other started going on the fritz last week. I found two great replacements and ordered them. This sort of thing takes longer than you think, but having two really good reading lamps genuinely improves my quality of life.

• Bought my next pair of walking shoes because my current pair is approaching one year of continuous use. Evidently, if I were actually running the distance I walk, I should replace them every three or four months. But I think one year is fine for walking. Nevertheless, I wanted to try a different brand. I kid you not—I probably spent two hours comparing options, researching them, and finally deciding which pair to order. I had started the research last week over several shorter sessions, but yesterday I finally pushed through and clicked “Order.”

They’re on the way.

Today I have already completed my five.

• Threw away three referral forms from a doctor visit last year. I never did anything with them. They had simply been sitting in my “to do” folder. I finally decided I wasn’t going to those specialists anyway because I received a new referral from my primary physician this year. Into the trash they went. Silly? Maybe. But I just eliminated some mental overhang.

• Threw away a page listing songs I had reviewed with my music coach. Old news. Didn’t need it anymore.

• Followed up on an item I ordered that still hasn’t arrived. I decided that if it never shows up, so be it. It cost $5.41. I’ll just absorb the loss.

• Got rid of the lamp that went on the fritz, along with another lamp in my back bedroom that also quit working about a month ago. It’s been a bad summer for lamps around here, I guess. By “got rid of,” I mean I moved them into the garage where I keep items destined for Goodwill or the dump. So there’s still another step to complete, but at least they’re out of the house.

Before I share the fifth item, let’s pause and look at those first four.

They are all about stuff.

Actual physical clutter.

Things that could simply sit there indefinitely—or I can deal with them.

This is what is so insidious about stuff.

There is always a hidden tax for owning it, maintaining it, storing it, or disposing of it.

Precious time freedom gets eaten up by clutter.

Now the fifth Item I tackled today…

• Reviewed my second-quarter cash distributions from one brokerage account and made my redeployment decisions and purchases. About 30 minutes. Tomorrow I’ll review the cash position in my other brokerage account and decide whether to redeploy those distributions as well. This is a quarterly mini project. Last quarter I finished it on April 9. This quarter it took me until the 20th to get around to it.

Is all this rather Mundane?

OMG, yes.

Necessary?

I think so.

Will I ever learn?

One would hope.

Anyway, I’m just teeing this idea up for now.

Next month I’ll make my official declaration and explain the rules for implementing this as a One Hit Wonder.

I want to test the process first and make sure I actually have the time bandwidth to sustain it.

I also want to make sure I’m not simply creating busy work that keeps me from doing more meaningful things.

This is a classic Zeroscaping problem.

How do you reduce the friction points in your life so that you develop the time and psychological freedom to live your truth and build a life you genuinely love?