With everything that’s been going on in the past few months, it has made me realize how much stuff I have that I don’t need. Not only that, it made me acutely aware that I barely use a large portion of the stuff that I have.
One example is clothes. Suits, dress shirts, ties, sweaters, polos, etc. For months, I’ve hardly used any of them–just a handful. For the most part, they sit inside drawers or rest on hangers–waiting to be used. And if I do use them, I only wear the ones I really like.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that the stuff I’ve accumulated have rarely been used more than once. Books, movies, CDs, video games, etc. They sit on shelves or in boxes waiting to be opened and used. Last year, I did a purge of my belongings–getting rid of boxes of books, movies, video games, and clothes. It was a great feeling, especially since it cleared up space–made me realize that I could do without them.
Besides, why do I need to keep textbooks from college that I had purchased over ten years ago? Why would I reread a chapter or complete practice problems or questions from those books when they were solely used back then? And regarding technology books, they’re obsolete compared to the technology that exists today. Why would I reread chapters about dated forums and websites when newer ones have taken their place?
Anyway, I donated over a hundred books, especially since I never felt the need to reread them after so many years. It’s as if those books had a purpose at a particular time and place in my life, but no longer had a purpose today. The knowledge and ideas in them have been processed and absorbed. Now it’s time to move onto the next one.
Decluttering and reorganizing helps to free up space for newer things. Overtime, my preference and style changes, so there’s no need to hold onto the things of the past. The clothes I wore five or ten years ago no longer appeal to me. The same goes for the movies I used to like. They don’t have the same impact on me as when I first watched them. Since I already know what will happen, it doesn’t have the same element of surprise or suspense.
Of course, nothing is wrong with holding on to things that are important to us, or the things that we’ll use again. Whether they are records, games, movies, books, they have value so long as we invest our time into them.
The most important take away from decluttering and reorganizing is that we prioritize what’s important to us. Things that we hold onto that we don’t like or use is wasteful and takes up space. If we have other things going on like work, family, or if we primarily spend our time outdoors, the things we own should reflect what we’re in the habit of accessing or will use. Thus, there is a utilitarian value to the things we own, as well as a sentimental value.
Reorganizing and decluttering can be a hard, since we can be resistant to let go of things, but it is a necessary process to have more space and freedom.
Fallton Havenstonne 