If we decide to observe backwards on how we go through the process of adopting a passion, an interest, show incentive or just occupy our mind with things ranging from materialistic to interpersonal, we will notice a rather disturbing trend of buildup and then a sudden retrogression.
For the sole purpose of not overwhelming you with broadening the concept, I will rather stick to the material aspect of it. It both serves the analogy perfectly as well as offering a model which, when perfected, can dramatically improve the quality of our lives through the concept of minimizing the clutter which we so often experience.
What remains is always unnecessary clutter
Here is the experiment:
Just take ten minutes away from your day and try to scan your home for all the unnecessary things that are there.
(Go on if you will, I’m waiting)
The thing is, you will find plenty. It could as well been twenty minutes or more, if you really started looking.
So, let’s say that this is everything you managed to find
Now ask yourself how, and by all means try to compare the feeling, of how you felt when you purchased those same things, and how you feel about them now?
The picture of the spike on the graph coming back all too sudden, huh?
This constitutes the clutter in your life – At least the basic, bottom level materialistic one. After that, as interests, passions, and interpersonal relations step in it gets quite of a roller coaster ride.
But lets focus on the materialistic level now again, shall we?
The concept of eliminating clutter while dramatically improving your life
If you take those items you previously labeled as clutter from your home and put them in a box you will see how much of a junk you’ve been holding on to.
But here lies the twist.
Remember when I said that all can be reinstalled and even upgraded upon as in terms of experience?
Well, hear me out.
Take those things you just collected, the box if you are the neat guy or gal, and start auditioning one item at a time. (This requires more than ten or twenty minutes, so for now just scroll down through this article). Oh, and the audition applies to taking those items back into your life.
Now here is what you do…
Take the first item and see if you can find a place or a situation where you can use it. A day, two, even more… Just try hard to see if there is a place in your life for it.
If there is, then great, you just brought back an experience that you almost forgot.
And if not, then by all means, you are eliminating clutter which is another great thing.
The concept in practice
I came up with this idea while cleaning the house. It took a lot of time, so this somehow struck a chord. Hence the idea occupied my mind, and I tried to apply it right away.
The epilogue?
Couple of shirts and jeans in the box, together with some old unnecessary items spread across my desk and throughout my room. Even the old Orbitrek was lined up for de-cluttering.
On the other hand, I took the dust off from some old Magic the Gathering decks (leave the nerd alone) and invited a friend for a game and couple of drinks.
I too found my swimming pool yearly pass (been laying around collecting dust since I started with 5K running and The Insanity program), so these days around I will look up for my speedos and definitely give it a try.
You see, only by taking a portion of my time, as small as one hour, I was able to decide what is unnecessary in my life and what deserved a second chance.
I try to think about broadening this concept even outside of the boundaries of the material, but selecting one item after another surely gives perspective and implies how this process works.
Now add even a second level of improvement
Cool, you now decided which things you need and what is complete garbage. This is great at a number of levels.
But what about the things that you don’t need any more?
Well it happens so that there are many options.
First of all, you can sell them on Ebay (don’t get discouraged by the way – you will be amazed as for how many not useful things are listed there) and even get some financial boost.
Or, you can decide to give them away as an act of charity and help others while feeling good yourself too.
Of course you can just throw them out, but I would urge you to choose one of the previous two.
Now deal with your clutter once and for all
Still haven’t scanned your home? What are you waiting for?
Or you are probably scared from all the necessary thing that you will find in the closet?
Don’t be. Not only it will be amusing for you short term, but this will indeed solve a lot of problem in terms of how you decide to deal with clutter – you either detach from it, or you decide to sweep it under the rug.
You will reinstall some experiences back that are worth giving a second chance, and on top of that you may even earn some or make someone’s day better.
P.S. if you really stumble across some Magic the Gathering decks, I’m open for a game. :)
Image credit: By Chris Martin