When cleaning house, a great rule is to “use it or lose it” — in other words, to get rid of the things you haven't used in awhile. So, I decided to use a digital recorder I hadn't used in a few years …
It's normal to accumulate stuff. Maybe even a lot of stuff.
Once every so often at least, it's a good idea to take inventory to clear out, sell, give away, or otherwise dispose of things you haven't used in awhile.
The road to clutter is paved with good intentions
Isn't this how it is: There's a well-laid-out, superb plan for using something we're going to buy. Whether it's starting up a new hobby, expanding an old one, or launching a business, we can almost taste how we're going to use that new gadget.
And maybe we do actually use it. Once.
Then it collects dust in a box because life gets in the way. Or because the new activity is more work than we thought it was going to be.
Or — and this is what happens to me — I paralyzed myself with the possibilities, and try to do everything at once to get things moving. Or I fiddle with getting the thing to work so much that I can't really remember how I got it to work. Or I realize what a complete and utter novice I am at using this new thing, and chicken out actually trying something.
Basically, I spin my wheels, get tired, and move on to something else. Some new shiny.
This is a silly cycle to be on. It's high time that I stop. I have enough things. I need to use it or lose it, one thing at a time.
Use it or lose it: Zoom H2N Handy Recorder
I bought a Zoom H2N Handy Recorder (with an accessory pack) a few years back when I was in a band and looking for ways to record myself practicing, improvising, and so forth.
It's a neat little recorder. The quality of the recording is very good (at least to my mid-forties ears). It records to WAV files and has an MP3 encoder. I can get feedback on the recording level from the built-in display as I talk into the microphone. And sending the files over to my desktop is a matter of plugging in a USB cable.
At some point I get really fancy I can modify the strength of the sidelobes to change the recording mode for different purposes. (But I'm not there yet.)
I used it essentially for one job, then hadn't used it since. I saw it again a few weeks ago and decided to use it again.
I changed my tactic, though. Rather than overengineering things, overplanning things, overthinking things, I just shipped.
I finished something and put it out there.
And here it is: My very own first Mighty Bargain Tip.
Basically, I just went into a quiet room, had some idea what I wanted to say, adjusted the gain so that the bars didn't rail too much, and recorded. As I spoke, I tried desperately to remember something from my Toastmasters training from a few years ago. Next time I'll remember some vocal variation techniques hehe.
(Confession: I promised Bigger Pockets' Brandon Turner that I'd put something up by the end of this month, so there you go. This helps with meeting a deadline.)
Use it or lose it: Repurpose it
I'm not in a band at the moment so the Zoom's original purpose has changed. But I found a new way to use it, lest the whole thing is a waste of money.
What do you have hiding in your closet that you could be using?
(P.S. I invite you to share this post, if for no other reason to call attention to how far I need to come with speaking into a microphone! haha)
