"about as useful as a screensaver on a PalmPilot"
I like it!
If you keep up the decluttering long enough, it'll become a habit. Especially if you keep finding ways to improve your decluttering, and make it more convenient for you.
Yeah, I hope so.
One thing I didn't mention is the link between "cool stuff" and clutter; a lot of the vaguely interesting toys and what not are for most practical purposes irreplacable. They don't add much to my life, don't pay their rent, but if I got rid of them, I couldn't get them back. Which kind of wouldn't matter if I forgot about 'em, but even that is sad in its own little way.`
Come to think of it, this principle extends to web stuff and e-mail for me as well. I'm so worried I'll miss seeing an email just as it comes out, or not be able to be one of the earlier (and thus more read) voices on various message boards
I have been purging lately as well, and I have to say that for some reason it is much easier this time around. It used to be a simple test, "do I have room for it?" Now I have been factoring in many other things, and it's more comfortable to toss things. With regards to electronics, I just threw out a couple of answering machines, on the premise that if I ever need one, I can run to any store and get one cheap. I did keep the cords and adapters though, because they are much more of a pain to replace. I tossed a few old cell phones, but kept the batteries for some reason, and I also kept my first cell phone because of a bit of sentiment. All told I think this new approach has allowed me to lighten my stuff by a third in the past month.
Err, you throw out the answering machines but save the cord that runs to the wall? Or you just keep stuff that is generically useful, like phone cord?