There’s an old joke about treadmills. It goes something like this:
One time I bought a treadmill, now it’s the most expensive clothes hanger in my home.
People laugh—they know it’s true.
The fact is we often buy items with good intentions but never end up using them.
Of course, in the scenario above, if the treadmill was only serving as an extra clothes hanger in the corner of our bedroom, that would be one thing. But the reality is, that unused item is more than a hanger.
It is taking up space—lots of it.
It is taking up valuable physical space in your home.
It’s another physical object, in your home, that you need to dust and clean and vacuum around. It’s just another thing to walk around every day… or pack up when you move.
But more than physical space, it also takes up mental space in your mind.
As Randy Alcorn says, “Every increased possession adds increased anxiety onto our lives.” And that is definitely true.
That unused item (a treadmill or anything) is visual clutter in your home. It calls for your attention every time you walk into the room. It surfaces guilt that you wasted money on it. It causes regret every time you see it. And it serves as a constant reminder that at some point you have to decide what to do with it.
Our unused items are not passive, they are active. They take up space—physical space in our home and mental space in our mind.
Which leads me back to the old adage about treadmills: One time I bought a treadmill, now it’s the most expensive clothes hanger in my home.
There’s a lot of truth in that statement—maybe more than we realize.
If a treadmill is not being used as a treadmill, what is it exactly? If it’s not being used for exercise, is it even a piece of exercise equipment? Maybe it really is just an expensive clothes hanger in the corner of my room.
This question quickly extends far beyond exercise equipment. We could begin to ask the same of other items in our home that are not being used.
For example:
If a shirt in my closet is never being worn, what is it? Is it actually a piece of clothing? Or is it just a piece of fabric hanging in my closet?
If a coffee mug in the back of my cabinet hasn’t been used to serve a drink for as long as I can remember, is it really a coffee mug anymore? Or is it just a piece of ceramic taking up space and gathering dust?
If there are countless tools in my garage that never get used, are they really tools anymore?
If that plastic spatula is never used, what has it become? Just something I need to rearrange every time I open the drawer?
If a book has never been read, is it really a book? I mean, isn’t the purpose of a book to provide education or entertainment? Clearly it isn’t doing that. Is it just a collection of papers, bound together, taking up space on my bookshelf?
If that old desktop computer is never used, what is it? It’s certainly not something I use to solve problems or accomplish tasks. It’s just a big box of electronic components sitting on a desk.
If I never listen to the CDs… if we never use the camping gear… if those old phones are just sitting in a box… if I don’t know what these cords go to… if I never play that piano… if that purse never gets used… if I never wear that pair of shoes…
It seems to me, the items in our home should serve a purpose. They should be used for the reason we purchased them.
If they are not, they are no longer serving their purpose.
They are only taking up space.
Or being used as a really expensive clothes hanger.
Heather says
Great article! To begin with, it is about inventorying what you have. Grouping, counting and then discarding or donating to go all along to have a nice and spacious place to live in. Has anyone have a good idea. Thanks for inspiring, Joshua. Love your posts.
Mac says
You can never have too many tools! Purge the duplicates, trash or repair the broken ones, but never get rid of a tool just because it “isn’t being used”. If you do, sure enough a week/month/year later you or your neighbor or your brother will need it. Catalog, organize, inventory your tools so you know what you have and where they are, but don’t indiscriminately discard them to claim Minimalist bragging rights.
Debra Lakin says
Absolutely agree100%!
Kara says
It’s all just stuff but understanding that it is taking up mental energy is the key to lasting change. I’ve got whozits and whatsits a plenty… oh my! I don’t want mooooore ha! Thank you for the reminder.
Gail says
Truth, simply and clearly stated.
Gail says
What are everyone’s thoughts on sentimental items? I have a bunch of papers and books from college (30+ years ago!) that are truly just taking up space, but I can’t seem to part with them.
Pablo says
Hi, I had the same troubles with a few items in the past and I realized (with articles I read from here, zen habits and the minimalists) that we own nothing, only our memories and what I advice to you is, meditate about death and in the fact you won’t be here 100 years from now. Feelings, memories and emotions are inside, not outside, not in objects, we only care about people who give them to us.
Greetings
Lori says
Had the same thing from my dad’s belongs after he passed. After 6 yrs of storing them in boxes decided it was the memories I already had and I would never use the stuff I was storing so was able to get rid of. I also recently decided my kids would not keep my cards from my wedding 28 yrs ago and I did not look at them they were stored. Same with other items. I suggest taking a photo of things if you want a visual memory.
Ellen says
I also Just threw away a box of old love letters/cards from my ex husband. I showed the Kids, and asked if they wanted to keep them-but ofcorse they did not want them. I guess all the stuff we keep for our kids are not for them maybe but for us? Not the cards though. They were sole kept for them. Now they are gone too. The wedding cards I also threw out, but ofcorse wedding movie and pictures stay.
Shirley says
Please get rid of those items. My ex passed away and left a mess for our daughter to deal with. You don’t want to leave your mess for a loved one to have to deal with!!!
Cammy says
Amen to that! When my mom died, I traveled a 1000. miles to Mich. two summers in a row to declutter her house (that home eventually became my sister’s and mine). I made 13 trips to the charity thrift store, the recycling center, etc. and many hours cleaning out storage areas, including the garage and an out bldg. Even a brown recluse spider found it’s way into my car!
My advice to those who are still thinking their children, friends & any other loved ones will want your stuff, ask then now!
If the answer is ‘no,’ time to let go.
Joan Langdon says
No one wants my beautiful Waterford Crystal and Wedgewood china when I die. I love looking at it and using it only a couple of times a year. This brings me joy so I am not getting rid of it. My friend has become minimalist and has very few things in her house that speak of who she is; she is happy this way. I think her house is cold. I have wonderful things that fill my house with warmth and history. It might look better to some who feel it is cluttered and prefer simplicity but these things help make my life feel full and richer.
Nalini says
Have you ever thought if shredding or burning them … instead of “sentimentally” wanting to keep them … those don’t last long so are all the other papers . eBay isn’t an option
tina says
I took a picture of my college things that I wanted to remember and then either threw it away or donated it. =-) Good luck!! It’s hard but if I can do it, so can you!!!! =-)
Ana says
I am late to this comment, but same here. SO MUCH sentimental stuff I CANNOT seem to part with but I will never unbox it, never use it. Help!
Olie says
Same thing happened to me. A friend offered to give us a diner table set that was given to her as a gift but she has never unbox it! Then we saw each other and she showed the set. Really, it turned yellowish and couldn’t be cleaned because it stayed in her basement for too long. So she wanted to give it to the charity instead of trashed out and wasted. My five cent thought is that I don’t know if anyone would want to buy or receive it…it was just her fear of letting go
Dr Sushil KumarvSingh says
My dear Joshua Becker,
God bless you and your family
Excellent article.
Your teachings are precious. Your teachings have transformed my thinking.
Thank you so much.
I am truly grateful to you.
My love and blessings will be always with you and your family.
With lots of love and blessings,
Yours Sincerely
Dr S K Singh
Student, learner and teacher of Medical Phyiology for last 34 years
Pam says
This is a good reminder. Lately when I’m purchasing clothes I don’t think about whether I can afford them Financially ( I stay within my budget), I think about whether I can afford to give them the space they will take up and whether the trade off in space is worth it
Martha says
Since I started to read your news letter which are full of wonderful advice and inspiration I’ve started to de clutter my craft room and I am so overwhelmed by all the things I’ve accumulated that I’m not using… so thank you for your gift of minimalism!!
Tina says
I just took another carload of stuff to Goodwill. I also have a pile for the recycling place. I keep getting rid of stuff. My daughter moved in with us and can’t part with anything. She is back working two jobs. If I haven’t used something in a year, it goes. I like costume jewelry, but I have been giving some of that away. I was given several sets of china, and keep a few small bowls or a plate from each set. No one wants my mother in law’s wine glasses. I also passed on a bunch of hideous figurines. My daughter grabbed some horrid stuff her friend was throwing out.
Nancy Manly says
I had boxes of stuff in my car trunk, waiting to be delivered to Goodwill. Then the virus hit and Goodwill couldn’t accept goods. I finally unloaded my car, set everything on my driveway with a sign that said FREE STUFF. Within hours it was all gone. The next weekend I put more stuff outside. Gone. This is my fourth weekend unloading stuff and my mind is so much more relaxed. My house is becoming clutter-free and easier to clean. Even my hoarder husband is starting to let go of some of his junk. ?
Mark says
I just read your article in the Epoch Times entitled, “How My Life Has Changed After 12 Years of Minimalism”. I certainly enjoyed the article and have read several articles from you in the past, but I take exception to your intro on this article. Certainly you couldn’t have meant that taking one day a year to honor the sacrifice of so many American men and women in service to our country takes a backseat to you and your family becoming a minimalist? Is that really what you want your children to think of Memorial Day. I’m sure you did mean that, but being a little more clear would go a long way.
joshua becker says
Thanks for the comment. Was this sentence in the article not clear enough?
“Memorial Day is a holiday in the United States where we pause to remember those who died in active military service. May nothing I write in this article overshadow that fact…”
Marianne McNally says
Thank you again for all you do to help us out! I have gotten lots boxed up during COViD downtime to donate (when they open again). What has helped me most is your statement to deal with quilt of purchasing. So I say to myself, let someone else have this, someone who can’t afford to buy it brand new! I love helping people and this is helping someone have something that maybe they couldn’t get until I donated it! Today I will pick more items to donate! Thanks for your inspiring words!
Emma says
My husband is in the military and we move often, so I usually pack up early, putting minimum unused items for my children or for later use. I buy clothes one size up because they are young and grow up fast. The way I organize our trip is to have most of things in large plastic box that I can get. Then, once time has come we only have to get the boxes moving. We rarely toss nor do we get new stuffs frequently. My kids also pass on their clothes since they are two years apart.