“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.
My life recently transformed in a big way as I adeptly fit my most important possessions into my 2004 Subaru Forrester and relocated some 800 miles away from my home town. Everything – clothing, photographs, precious keepsakes and my only furniture piece — a 1920’s library table given to me as a teenager. I sold, gave away and donated furniture, household items and what I thought I’d never want to give away — my 20+ year collection of oriental and other decorative vases. But I did it, and do not have any regrets. None!
Throughout my process of ‘de-owning’ various possessions, it occurred to me that I was simply allowing others to begin the joy of ownership as I had for many years the beautiful antique pieces I so treasured. I felt happy to see how excited others were to do so. Yes, this may seem an extreme measure to most, but I was simply ready to re-invent myself and start anew….at the tender age of 57. My three children – now in their 20’s – supported me wholeheartedly, as did my family, and this made the process easier and far less painful then perhaps it would have been. Also, my conviction in making such a drastic decision did not waver which means I remained clear-headed throughout this cleansing process and did so without the burdensome filter of emotional attachment. There is something fundamentally empowering about releasing from the emotional weight of all that I thought defined me. It is just ‘stuff’ in the end. Who said “You never see a U-Haul following a hearst.”? Wow. That’s a visual!
So, when I begin to build my new, cozy nest, I know I will maintain this minimalist attitude because I understand more than ever how much more there is in life, and at the end of the day, I will still feel whole and authentic and happy with only those precious items which I believe do truly define me. Oscar Wilde said it best….”Life is too important to be taken seriously.”
Thanks, Joshua, for offering your inspiring stories. Now I can relate more than ever.
Just wondering to which part of the country/world you moved…sounds like a dream freya
Just recently I DE-OWNED: approximately 20-25 bags and/or boxes of items such as clothes, linens, craft items, books, videos, cd’s, papers, figurines, collections, pictures and odds and ends that I hadn’t touched since I brought them home…
I also DE-OWNED: eight large pieces of furniture and seven small pieces of furniture…
I have gone through every area of my apartment and disected the contents and rid myself of what was not needed or would be used sometime within the next six months…
There is now nothing under my bed, only a couple of boxes of craft projects under my dresser and my sewing projects are now in the bottom drawer of my dresser instead of in boxes under my bed since I cleaned out my dresser of unused clothing…I am able to see the floor of both of my closets and the ceiling which was not possible before the clean out…My closets are now emply of unused clothing and what is left has more room…
My one three shelf bookcase now holds my music cd’s, a few favorite movies, most used books and about 12 candles…Before I two shelves of movies with probably 50 or more on the floor in front of the bookcase…My books were on two shelves of a three shelf bookcase and 1 1/2 of the case was candles…Gone,gone,gone…
I cleaned out my bathroom undersink cabinet and the undersink cabinet in the kitchen of items I did not use…
This was something that I had felt very strongly in my spirit that I needed to do and so I just did it without questioning since I know that YHVH would never lead me wrong…
Since I started this the middle of August I have talked with several people who have been feeling they need to do the same thing…
It seems that there are a lot of people being guided to bring there life into a place where they are more in control of their time, energy and their focus on life…
You have a good thing here…Keep it going…
We are trying to live with one car instead of two. More walking and public transportation. Scheduling better. Hopefully, we will save money and use less gas and make less pollution.
After reading most of these comments, I’m going to work on decluttering a room.
And I have taken pictures of things so I could get rid of them..
thanks for the comments everyone
I started pairing down my stuff years ago and it’s been the best, most awesome thing I ever did ever. I don’t know if I’m a minimalist but I live clutter free, I’m organised now and no longer mindlessly consume. It’s a way better way to live. This goes as far as freeing your mind up too. For example, books, I donated all of them, gone except 2 reference books I still refer too, kept em because I use them. Oh and I had a copy of the bible and Koran, they went straight in the trash(recycle bin). No point in cluttering up other peoples minds with fantasy. Another form of minimalism, freeing your mind of all those stories other people want you to believe. This includes other stories like ” commercials”!! Be free people.
Thank you! This is what I needed.
I don’t need 4 teapots and 7 flower vases in my tiny apartment.
I now have given myself permission to use Great Grandmother’s fancy teapot and the silver spoons on a daily basis – basically because I no longer own any other teapots. The kids think it great to drink from their special china mugs their Grandparents got for them – because I gave away most of the plastic cups.
How may beach towels does a family of 4 really need anyway? Now we are down to 4. So far so good. Speaking of towels …Do I really need 14 baby towels!!! As for sports equipment: we are a big skiing family and I found a Ski Outfitters who will fit our kids (now 3 and 6) in skis,poles and boots for two seasons (sizing upgrades free of charge) for about the same cost of purchasing all of the equipment ourselves. They do this for kids until 16 years old! The great thing about this is that I don’t end up with racks of skis, boots and poles that don’t quite fit anyone because everything is returned at the end of the second season. I love it! Check your local sports outfitters, they might have a similar deal for kids.
Thank you again for the inspiration,
Former Pack Rat (aspiring Minimalist)
I’m doing this today! So far I have 4 large bags for the garbage and 3 for charity dropoff. Feels great.
Declutttering is a major issue in my family. Especially where it comes to the point that at the end of the day you are just the step-mum. I tried having my step-kids get rid of stuff and I’m known as the bad guy. They have a bunch of stuff that just lies around the place and no one seems to be using them and I’m like “hey guys, would you like to donate this to an orphanage, kids there would really appreciate it” and the reply is “No!My mom gave me that, I can’t give it away” yea my bad. So we came to an agreement to have these stuff boxed and place in a storage. Thanks to A-1 Moving & Storage, the job was done and I can finally call my house a home. Check out their website at http://www.a1moving.com/storage.cfm
I agree very much with this post, particularly your fourth bullet point. When you eliminate the irrelevant, it takes deliberation and sometimes even courage. I’ll take every dose of that I can manage. Thanks for this.
Is it morally OK to gift your unwanted/unneeded stuff to a friend who thinks he needs it (and is grateful for getting it) even though we know that our friend is a pack rat and just collects pretty much everything “because one day it might be useful”?
(And we do know that he won’t really need “it” because he will never be able to find it in all his clutter anyway?)
I have the same dilemma a year later than you, sir. I want to make my friend deliriously happy but I don’t want to be her best enabler at the same time.
Eight years ago I began preparing for retirement, and began reading articles about it and managing my retirement money. Now two years into retirement, I’ve got the hang of that part. I no longer shop and purchase only necessities. I now have the chore of de-cluttering and de-owning. So in order for me to get through this, I’ll do the same and read three articles a day on minimalism, de-cluttering, and de-owning until it sticks in my brain. I’ve lived like a hoarder for years (runs in the family) and no longer want that for my life. Like one person said, I want to keep only those things that give me pleasure now, and fixing my chi. Thank all of you for contributing because each of you bring bright and wonderful ideas with each post. Wishing all of you a clutter free life full of happiness!!
I’ve been selling everything that is not needed. Take the money and pay off some debt or have a nice lunch. It feels good to get rid of excess things that just lay around.
Oh does this ever ring true! We recently decluttered in an effort to stage our home for the market (http://naomihattaway.com/2014/06/stage-your-home/) and I have found since then, that it is SUCH a more enjoyable way to live! Less things means less to clean up, keep up and polish and dust! Hopefully we can keep this same way of lifestyle when we end up in the next home!
Hi Joshua, great post (and blog). Made me rethink my purging efforts and I believe I may have more to go. I am into organising and I agree that purging is the 1st and most important step. Some people have mentioned that their lifestyle made it impossible to be minimalist, but I believe being minimalist starts in the head – a change in our mindset about our lives. If we keep in mind some principles of minimalist living and keep applying them, there’ll definitely be changes in our lifestyle. We will not always be the same people and I believe there will come a time when we just have enough and WANT to change. Do what is good for you now, but have the courage to change when you find yourself needing and wanting to. Cheers.
I just found this post and read all the comments. I give away 1-2 bags every week to Goodwill, Sal Army or the public library (books and magazines). Working on minimalism is an ongoing job.
The posts about the 4 seasons really hit me as I live in the suburbs of Chicago. I have gloves, hats and scarves and a winter coat. And one pair of boots. I keep the hats, gloves and scarves put away ’til winter, 2 pairs for each of us. A jacket for each of us for spring and fall. An umbrella for each of us. When it’s really cold I wear a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, then my winter coat. My husband used to be a school crossing guard so he had thermal underwear. The point is if you use the things you have, fine. But just keeping things you don’t need or use is bad for the earth and the people on it. Everyone’s minimalism will look a little different because we each have different lives. But not “stocking up” whether on quilting fabric, yarn or canned goods is always a step in the right direction.
Tina
Nice read. The truly rich are those who desire less for they have more time, which is the ultimatel resource that results in any other resource worth having.
Unlike the other problem of desiring more, I always desired less, but I thought I was just weird. Certainly in our N. American culture it was “crazy” to pine for only just enough amid of lifestyle of WAY more than enough. I couldn’t figure out whether it was some desire to be pious (I’m not religious in any way) or a guilt trip I felt compelled to have because I was so much “wealthier” than so many others. Then one day I stumbled across “minimalism” and it was like the clouds parted. FINALLY I could put a label to my desires and after 8 months of purging this house and my closets I’m still not quite there yet, if ever I will be.
I scour the ‘net daily for more inspirations and I always come back to this one. I love this site and some of the others I’ve found and I am so thankful for what they have given me: FREEDOM! ♥ ♥
Thanks to everyone for your input – has given me a lot of food for thought and has inspired me to start the de-cluttering/de-owning process which I have been wanting to do for some time now. I personally have come to the realization that the excess “stuff” (above and beyond the essentials ) doesn’t bring me joy but rather stress (when I come home from work to a messy, cluttered house in which I cannot relax in because I look at all the clutter and think I need to clean it all up) and frustration because I get overwhelmed by all of our excess “stuff” and am
not sure what to do with it all and where to begin in the elimination process. For me, more possessions = more work in keeping everything in it’s place – nice and tidy. I’d rather have less and am now motivated and encouraged by all of your comments to start the purging process! Also – would LOVE to downsize to a smaller home – just have to work on convincing my dear hubby – wish me luck! Cheers and God bless!
I found a new home or threw away most of my craft supplies and suddenly I had more energy to enjoy stitching again! I stopped being bogged down with works in progress that I came to dread or trying to organize the million skeins of dmc I had or finding the best deals on freezer bags for yarn. Good luck everyone! :)
Many people I encounter feel guilty about getting rid of an object that a family member or close friend gave them. I repeatedly tell them that it is OK to get rid of these items. I suggest, if they feel guilty about getting rid of an object, especially a memorability one, they could take a picture of all the items they want to get rid of from that person and create a collage picture and then frame and hang it to honor that person. Great post, thanks for sharing.
I have been minimalist-leaning since two trips to India in 2008 and 2009, where I witnessed whole families living in houses the size of my bedroom. I saw that as a single mother in a house with a huge yard, a basement and large garage, that I was headed in the wrong direction. I have moved several times since then, always downsizing. When I moved into my new husband’s house in 2010, I immediately began helping him remove 10 years of clutter in a four story house with garage! It has been a lot of work, but well worth it. We have sold both our homes and now rent an apartment with no garage or basement. We have no yard work and we have more time than ever to do what we love, travel, hang out with our family and friends, attend theater and films and run our two businesses. I get rid of more items every week. Our current challenge is how to tactfully convince our families not to buy and give unwanted things as Christmas gifts.
ask for vouchers instead, if they really have to give u smthg. they don’t take up much space and u can regift them if u think u may not get to use them :)
Some years ago I read a very interesting article on decluttering and have since followed one of the ideas: I regularly take pictures of things I like, be it in my house, in magazines or shop windows. I turn those digital pics into small photo books (you can DIY, they are fun to make and don’t cost much), so now I don’t need to own things that I like (I can get rid of stuff in my place once I took a pic) but can look at them whenever I like.
That’s what I do too. Best idea ever. :)
This is a good article. In America we one of the richest countries in the world yet we are poor in our thinking. I started in July selling things and donating. I have a long way to go. It is my number one drive in my life to purge of over-spending and over-accumulating of stuff I don’t even need. I’m looking forward to a roomier house. My husband and son are always on me to get rid of stuff. I got the message. It bothers me too. I want to have it where I can receive a guest at my house and not have to worry about how it looks. It’s embarrassing. The selling is inspiring. I am surprised to find that certain things really do sell — things I thought never would. Other things don’t. We make almost weekly trips to the local charity and it feels good to see things go. I have completely changed my spending habits. I am home more not at the stores. Feels weird. Hard to get used to not shopping. So I encourage everyone out there to go on a spending freeze. For 30 days, don’t spend a penny that you don’t absolutely have to. Only necessities — for living. It changes you. I see neighbors garages almost full. It’s a revelation that we all overspend as a whole. If we believe our needs are met and we can wear that sweater another year and those boots from years past and not have to have this years style of leather boots, we are taking a step in the right direction. If we live today (frugal) like nobody else, tomorrow we can live like nobody else.
Nice Dave Ramsey quote!
Love the list, David C. So many insightful and candid commentaries here by others as well. I got into the concept and practice of the basics of Feng Shui about 2 years ago. So much of the commentary here echoes the tenets of Feng Shui de-cluttering and the philosophy/psychology behind it. I downsized 2 years ago from a large apartment to an adorable bungalow guest house the size of a small studio apt. Before I left my old place I was in a favorite neighborhood bookstore – the kind with old sofas, an old cat lying atop a stack of hardcovers, and piles of used books for cheap. Sifting thru my fave section – the cheapies – a book called “Feng Shui in 10 Easy Sessions” revealed itself. Was as if this book knew I needed it. That was the beginning of my de-cluttering odyssey. I was energized and started going through every room, every box, closet, etc., like the Energizer Bunny. Had piles of stuff to donate – even furniture. I think my cats were worried they might be next (never!). It felt so freeing; I felt like I’d lost 15 pounds. Amazing what you discover you don’t need or even like. This is a fantastic, friendly little book that can gently ease anyone into being able to successfully de-clutter and simplify your home, office, and life. The book is very easy to understand and takes a step-by-step approach to the process. Also talks about the energy (chi) that redundant or useless objects, things we keep thru obligation, or things with negative origins drain us of. I could go and on about this book, but I won’t :-). I’ll just recommend it. Sorry, I don’t recall the publisher or author (I gave the book away during a de-cluttering frenzy).
We should have the freedom to choose…..when my stuff is rummaged thtough and taken…this is an invasion of privacy
I’ve been a minimalist for about 30 years. These are some guidelines taht I live by:
1. The Equation: Before eliminating something, consider; How likely is it that I will ever need this [thing, possession, object] ever again? How difficult/expensive will it be to replace it?
2. When in doubt, keep it. You can always get rid of it later.
3. Don’t be afraid to possess something that you actually need.
4. Get rid of it when you no longer need it.
5. Inanimate objects do not hold emotional value.
6. Be able to move everything I own in one carload.
7. Christmas is for children.
8. You can decorate my cubicle with anything you want, as long as you don’t mind it being thrown away 10 seconds after you leave.
9. There is always one more thing to get rid of.
awesome list! :)
Great list, this is helpful.