“Owning less is far more beneficial than organizing more.” – Twitter / Facebook
We are a culture drowning in our possessions. We take in more and more (holiday, birthdays, sales, needs), but rarely find opportunity to discard of it. As a result, our homes fill up with so much stuff. And because we believe the best solution is to find organizational tools to manage all of it, we seek out bigger containers or more efficient organizational tips and tricks. But simply organizing our stuff (without removing it) is always only a temporary solution. By definition, organizing our possessions is an action that must be repeated over and over and over again.
At its heart, organizing is simply rearranging. And though we may find storage solutions today, we are quickly forced to find new ones as early as tomorrow. Additionally, organizing (without getting rid of our stuff and decluttering) has some other major shortcomings that are rarely considered:
- It doesn’t benefit anyone else. The possessions we rarely use sit on shelves in our basements, attics, and garages… even while some of our closest friends desperately need them.
- It doesn’t solve our debt problems. It never addresses the underlying issue that we just buy too much stuff. In fact, many times, the act of rearranging our stuff even costs us more as we purchase containers, storage units, or larger homes to house it.
- It doesn’t turn back our desire for more. The simple act of organizing our things into boxes, plastic bins, or extra closets doesn’t turn back our desire to purchase more things. The culture-driven inclination to find happiness in our possessions is rarely thwarted in any way through the process.
- It doesn’t force us to evaluate our lives. While rearranging our stuff may cause us to look at each of our possessions, it does not force us to evaluate them—especially if we are just putting them in boxes and closing the lids. On the other hand, removing possessions from our home forces questions of passion, values, and what’s truly most important to us.
- It accomplishes little in paving the way for other changes. Organizing may provide a temporary lift to our attitude. It clears a room and subsequently clears our mind, but rarely paves the way for healthy, major lifestyle changes. Our house is too small, our income is too little, and we still can’t find enough time in the day. We may have rearranged our stuff… but not our lives.
On the other hand, the act of getting rid of stuff from our home accomplishes many of those purposes. It is not a temporary solution that must be repeated. It is an action of permanence—once an item has been removed, it is removed completely. Whether we re-sell our possessions, donate them to charity, or give them to a friend, they are immediately put to use by those who need them.
Removing possessions begins to turn back our desire for more as we find freedom, happiness, and abundance in owning less. And removing ourselves from the all-consuming desire to own more creates opportunity for significant life change to take place.
If you’re struggling with how to get rid of stuff, you can:
1. Challenge yourself to remove the unneeded things in your home.
2. Rid yourself of the extra weight in a permanent manner.
3. Carry a trash bag from room-to-room.
4. See how big of a donation pile you can make.
5. Eliminate debt by selling what you no longer need.
It doesn’t matter so much how you remove them, as long as you do. For it is far better to de-own than to always be decluttering.
Kay K says
Ok. Great comments! I had a garage sale, made a few $ hundred…then at the end of the garage sale I said…ok, everything left is very cheap or free, talk to me! I had people grabbing and walking and I only had 1 table of stuff left after the sale…it worked great!
Also…if you can start a declutter by getting rid of huge items first, then you get an immediate visual impact….it’s a boost.
And the little stuff or paperwork? Go through those piles when you are watching TV anyway. Also, listen to a really good book on tape/audio book while you are decluttering, it makes the process so much more enjoyable and you keep going/working just to listen to the story : )
Shankar G says
“Our “Stuff” is not who we are but a reflection of our values and tastes. It varies for each person but I think the main thing is to have ones needs met and have a few things that truly give you comfort.”
It is an eye opener
ℂℛᎽЅᎿᎯℒ~ Ꮛ says
Been on this journey awhile, but just recently figured out it had a name, & came across this blog, devouring all the posts and comments, But Teresa, post Jan 21-2016- the thread. You began, made realize , some things that I have been trying to, figure out for years , with you and the rest of the comments, it’s like a light bulb has came on, I hope this reaches all of you, and to poster KELI- 11-1-16, you left your email. To reach out to talk. & for support, if you get this comment I hope that applies , to anyone that could use some support. With having the same situation. & who is actually figuring out this path, in its entirety, Thanks so much for this blog, and to anyone else, reading this, I for one , do go. Back and read even the old , comments , great tips
Nicole says
Disowning versus de-cluttering really resonated as I’m starting to rationally minimalize, a lot of it is containers I bought for stuff I don’t use. I forget about it Brevard because it’s contained.
another challenge is working at a school- thinking this can probably be repurposed without me spending more$later.
The 3 bags I’ve taken so far are quite freeing.
Thanks Josh!
Maria Pinto says
Our “Stuff” is not who we are but a reflection of our values and tastes. It varies for each person but I think the main thing is to have ones needs met and have a few things that truly give you comfort.
As far as other people going overboard or not understanding your desire for decluttering, deowning, voluntary simplicity, minimalism,
you won’t have an understanding from other people if they can’t have an open conversation and care to listen.
Maria Pinto says
I hear things about places like goodwill that for instance get so much clothing that some of it ends up in a landfill. I think they should lower their prices (they are the highest of all the thrift stores) and that would hopefully sell more and folks would get a better bargain.
Le-Vadie says
Yes, to this date they keep doing it. It is a steal. I am working on finding new places to donate for good causes!
Mofeyi says
I need a clearer understanding of dis-owning and decluttering. All along we know organizing help to keep a house clean but since I became a MINIMALIST. Organizing is not sustainable infact it make u to have more stuffs. But since I stated decluttering a year ago I have come to understand the need to let go of even sentimental things that brings bad memories and other stuffs. But sometimes we declutter to organize some left over stuffs. So I can say organizing is still part of Decluttering just that if you Declutter a good number of stuffs there won’t be need of organizing at all times. But dis-owning I don’t really understand it
Charlotte Orth says
I just took about 30 coffee mugs out of my kitchen cabinet and put them in a box in my closet. All were given to me as gifts. I have trouble parting with them. I give stuff away every month but why can I not part with mugs
Michele moore says
Take a selfie with each mug then bless someone else with the chance to use it. I assume they are probably teacher or grandma or mom mugs. Then you can remember them and you can move on with blessing someone else
Christine says
The mugs are likely the tangible cue associated with a feeling or memory. You included each mug was a gift to you. How are your connections with the people that gifted them to you? Do the mugs correlate with decisions or paths along life’s journey? Resolving and/or honoring these relationships and/or moments in your life is way to “disown” the object or mug while acknowledging what it cues for you. Take a picture or video of yourself acknowledging the memories or path chosen associated with each mug and share it with those people or with others. Post the mug and gift each with a note to the recipient extending your memory to the use in their life. What do the mugs say in your thoughts when you see them. How do you feel? Start with one. And then there are some things we love and keep. If so, start using them! Let others use them and share who you are and what they speak to you. It’s okay to be present, vulnerable and keep those mugs. When you use them (e.g. water plants, tea, drinks, cocoa, soup, salts, and so in), the use may open up you acknowledging them for what they mean /give to you or even your fears and release you of your attachment to them. Bring them to life and enjoy. Let go and enjoy your mugs!
Maria says
Charlotte – start small with the coffee mugs. Maybe toss the ones that are chipped and donate those that have company names that no longer exist. I tend to keep most things that were given to me as gifts but am a non-shopper. I don’t add much to my own accumulation pile and still I have a lot. I feel it’s important to not have a set number of same like items you should keep or even same like items you need to get rid of. For the mugs – release the ones that are the oldest and look it. If you have enough mugs to drink from – you will never miss them or look back. I also repurposed a few outdated mugs to hold my permanent markers. I use 3 mugs for that and separated the markers by color. The mugs are stored in a cabinet by my stove where I also keep greeting cards and envelopes. When Christmas gift wrapping time comes – I just move the 3 mugs to my wrapping station (my dining room table). :) Use the coffee mug discards to hold pens, pencils, paper clips, rubber bands, erasers and anything else they might be useful for. Even small pantry items such as sugar packets could be stored in them. Plastic forks, knives & spoons could be kept in 3 different mugs. You get the idea. Once you’ve repurposed or donated the outdated ones, tossed the badly chipped ones – you’ve made some headway. If you have 25 left, oh well. You still made progress. Continue to do the same with other kitchen items such as cookbooks. Even if all you get rid of is one or two – that is still progress. I have very few cookbooks compared to many people I know and still found I could donate or discard one big cookbook and 4 smaller ones, 5 total. One was for a Cuisinart I no longer own and another was for a Magic Bullet which I’ve never owned. Who knew until I decided to take a closer look. Find ways to declutter/disown as you go along your normal days and routines. Maybe you have stacks of unread or even read magazines in your family room. Decide to recycle or give away the two or three oldest issues of every type. You are continuing to lessen the number of your possessions in a non stressful all or nothing way. Having clear tables, counter tops and open space gives me a sense of peace. I don’t want my house filled with items I can no longer use or have a need for. Good luck!
Nicole says
I love the idea of using them us pen ect holders.
I had many chip cups.
I now use them to house small sucllents.
But also hours
I was going to buy a 360 storage rotarer unit for my craft. .
Found I had a large clea22r lazy Susan rotarer , I brought for the purpose entertaining I forget about this
It was tucked away garage .
Marie says
Take a selfie as suggested, or pics alone, then make a bright, fun “coffee mug” book. Put it in a nice wire stand in your kitchen. Make it so you can add pages as you accumulate and discard mugs through the years and even write a little snippet of who gave it to you, why you loved it and who, where you passed it onto. A book takes up far less room and you get to peruse and enjoy them easily just by flipping a page.
*You can also do this as a file on your phone if you don’t want a physical book.
Miss Sue says
I love this idea! I have far too many coffee mugs and my loved ones keep giving me more….
Prakash ghai says
“Carry a trash bag from room-to-room.” – This is a fantastic tip!
Not only will I try this myself, but I will share this with my mom too. What happens is that we are so used to cleaning our own room that we sometimes forget that we could also “carry a trash bag from room-to-room” and clean the rooms of other people(with their permission sure) and the hallways and other areas of the house.
Maddie says
Yes, THIS!
Often people seek to simply declutter/organize their stuff when in reality to really see and feel a difference in their lives they should be de-owning AND making sure to break the consumption cycle to ensure unnecessary things do not make their way back into the home.
My husband and I have been steadily simplifying our lives for the past 3 years and have really ramped it up the last year or so. During this time we moved cross country and realized just how much STUFF we had accumulated over the years at our prior house. It really was eye opening and we vowed never to let that happen again.
Our families have been critical, which has been the toughest part. They are of the “you can’t get rid of that – what if you need it someday?” generation. I literally fear having to clean out our parent’s houses in the future when the time comes.
Our parents are also big-time gift givers and are constantly flooding us and our children with physical gifts. It’s tough because we don’t want to be rude or upset them, but we are very strict about things we bring into our home. We try to encourage non-physical gifts, things like zoo passes, etc., but they get offended at our suggestions and imply they are not “real gifts.”
It is so frustrating, but we will not change our lifestyle. Going through this process the last few years has been so freeing. Not letting the things you own, own you. Being able to focus on the things that matter, like spending time with our children. Having some extra money now for things like family vacations because we have essentially stopped buying random things.
It feels great to see that there are like-minded people out there (and to confirm that we’re not crazy!), so thanks!
Maddie @ Simplified & Satisfied Blog
Pitt says
Tell your folks, if you buy someone an experience they’ll remember it for life, buy someone a jacket they’ll like it for xxx days
The things I care about most in life are experiences and curiosity
Inema says
The toughest part of becoming more eco-concious and a lot more minimalistic in our family was my and my husbands families. I can’t understand how our loved ones, our parents or siblings, or even friends can so brutally shame our decisions. We were and still are, even after 2years after telling everyone our priorities, shamed and made fun off, with words like we are crazy to want only loved and natural things in our home, how we are so poor (!!!) to not own a lot, we are still receiving things we dont need just becouse they think were too poor to buy them… And people dont listen. If anyone will read my comment and you have the same troubles, just dont quit your journey, if it makes you happy. It doesnt, matter if its your parents or friends are making fun of you or offending you, everything that matters is that you are happy with your decisions
celine healy says
I love the idea of de-owning in stead of de-cluttering. Ownership attests to the idea that we are creating success when we have “things” that we and others can see. As you have mentioned if you simply organise or re-organise your possessions, they are still there and it does not:
* benefit anyone else
* it does not solve the overriding desire to own more
* it does not allow us to work out why we want to keep acquiring things, and
* it does not make room for the possible change that we could be experiencing.
I would also add that perhaps this desire springs from a lack of love in our lives, and we need to fill that gaping hole. To overcome that kind of issue I believe we need to understand and release those hidden, underlying beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that continue to do us throughout life. When you can get to that point of contentment with self, the desire to own more possessions may well abate.
Laura says
Love this! Very eloquently stated along with some very helpful insight.