I have a drawer in my office I refer to as the "tech cemetery." It's the place where my out-of-date software, accessories and technology go to die. Believe it or not, there's a Sony Discman in there. It's bad.
I'm committed to cleaning out that drawer this week, because I've run out of room for things I actually need. If you're also guilty of keeping zombie technology on hand, here's some tips for keeping it under control:
Ask yourself: does it work? For me, the items that don't work will be the first to go. If you've owned it for years, it no longer works OR is no longer compatible with newer gear - chuck it.
Don't buy any new storage. This means no new under-bed storage boxes or decorative wicker baskets. If you don't have anywhere to put it, you won't keep it. We're all guilty of filling up a drawer, shelf or closet until it is a total wasteland of useless stuff, so don't bring in new storage containers. Clean up the problem zones and neatly organize the things you do regularly use in those places.
Try a different kind of "trial period." If you have a camera lens, hard drive, card reader or some other tool you like, but you haven't used in over a year, put it on a trial period. Then, place it in a high visibility spot where you will be forced to look at it everyday. If you go 6 months without using it when it's in plain site, you probably won't use it at all.
What are some of your tips for keeping old tech from dying and taking up space in your office?
(Image: Elizabeth Giorgi and Gary Barber via Flickr's Creative Commons)
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This is my biggest problem. Except, mine isn't contained to a drawer. It's a whole closet.
I just hung up all my old tech on the wall above my desk
I purge mine, but my husband keeps his. I refer to it as the Electronic Graveyard.
A box under the bed for me. I hate to get rid of anything I loved so much like my Palm Pilot and three or four Windows PDA's.
My friends laugh at me for my tech graveyard, until it comes in handy. Which is why I think I've never gone through all of it. Who knows when I might need a circa-2004 Sprint cell phone (I'm not on Sprint anymore) or a 128MB flash drive. After all, that flash drive was worth $50 once!
Please remember that any cell phone, no matter how old, can still call 911 as long as it has power. Keep one in your car in case your phone fails, but donate the rest to programs such as http://www.911cellphonebank.com/, who pass the phones along to the homeless, people trapped in domestic violence, the elderly, the disabled, and other vulnerable people.