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As of a couple days ago, I’ve joined the ranks of those super hip “extreme minimalists” that have less than 100 possessions (sort of… more on that later). To be honest, it took me by surprise. It’s not at all something I was aiming for or planning on. It just kind of… happened.
I started decluttering on December 22, 2010. I made an announcement on the blog here that because I had so much stuff, my New Year’s resolution would be to get rid of one thing every day for 2011 document it all on a blog. The goal was to get to the point where I could fit everything into my car.
This is my car, a 1996 Plymouth Breeze:
The Breeze.
Now, when I say I had a lot of stuff, I mean a lot of stuff. I’m single and share a furnished house with my buddies, so it’s not that I had a lot of furniture or kitchen appliances or anything like that. Most of my stuff fell into two categories: books and outdoors equipment.
I have limited space in my house, so most of my stuff was in storage. Here are some photos of the storage unit before I started purging:
Books and boxes
More stuff. Not everything in the back was mine, but most of the stuff in this photo was mine.
All told, my stuff in storage filled 18 file boxes, 5 really big plastic bins, and 4 smaller-but-still-about-twice-the-size-of-a-file-box plastic bins. Plus there was a lot of stuff that was too big to fit into any container. And all of that is in addition to everything I had at home.
The decluttering process
First I went through in one fell swoop and threw away as much as I could. This included old school papers and memorabilia/keepsake stuff. The school papers were easy to trash (good riddance), and the “keepsakes” were really just old letters and travel brochures from when I was a teenager. I didn’t care about any of that stuff anymore so that wasn’t difficult to throw away, either.
Then I went though and rounded up everything that was still good but that I just didn’t want any longer (clothes, books, etc.). I donated it all to the local thrift store.
This left me with stuff that I still had an attachment to or that was too valuable to just give away. My books were particularly hard to part with. I love reading, and I loved keeping the books I’d read as trophies of my conquests. But once I’d sold some (on Amazon) and donated others, it got easier and easier. I’m guessing I parted with nearly a thousand books.
It got easier and easier to get rid of everything, not just the books. The more I “practiced,” the easier it got. Eventually it became almost like a game. I wanted to see how few things I could get. I wasn’t counting or anything; I was just constantly looking around me and asking what else I could part with. Stuff that a couple weeks earlier I wanted to hang on to I’d look at and instantly decide to part with.
Anyway, to make a long story short, over several months I downsized my library (I now have only 4 books), my wardrobe (15 shirts instead of 30, 5 ties instead of 20, 5 pairs of socks instead of 20, and so on), my electronics (got rid of a camera, a netbook, a couple mircrophones, lots of cords and accessories, etc.), and just about every other aspect of my life. I got rid of domain names I wasn’t using and deleted old and unnecessary files and emails. I sold a lot of stuff and made a few thousand dollars in the process. I then spent part of that money on upgrading the things that I DID keep. I just bought a new laptop, for example, to replace my 4-year-old fossilized Sony.
Now remember when I said earlier that I *sort of* have less than 100 possessions (I’m at about 92)? There needs to be a giant asterisk after that statement. I have 100 “normal” possessions (clothing, personal items, furniture items, electronics, etc.)… PLUS all of my outdoor equipment. Hiking, rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering, and camping are all pretty gear intensive, and these are all things I love doing. So I’ve pared all of that stuff down to 2 big bins and one suitcase that fit under my bed:
All the outdoorsy-type stuff under my bed.
So I’m not as “extreme” or “mobile” as those minimalists that can fit everything into a carry-on bag. But I have cooler hobbies that I need stuff for :) Props to those minimalists whose favorite hobby is running in those hideous finger toe shoe things, but that’s just not me.
Some minimalists who count their stuff count their books or clothes as one item. I count my outdoorsy stuff.
And that’s really the great thing about all of this. It’s not about how many things you own. Nobody cares how many things you have; I couldn’t care less whether you own 50 things or 5,000 things. It’s all about YOU and how it makes YOU feel. If you just can’t bring yourself to get rid of your books or your beer stein collection or your grandfather’s World War II uniform, you don’t need to. Nobody’s making you. But start getting rid of the stuff you CAN part with, and you’ll be amazed at where that takes you.
The aftermath
And bam. Just like that, I woke up one morning and realized that I wasn’t surrounded by stuff. And believe me, it was a fantastic feeling. This whole minimalism thing might be kind of a cliché part of lifestyle design (which itself is becoming a heavily clichéd), but that doesn’t mean it still can’t be life-changing.
Since becoming a minimalist, I’ve found that I have more time, I’m more productive, I value more the things that I do have, I don’t feel bad about spending some money on nice things that I enjoy more and that will last, and I can breathe more freely in general.
Am I done getting rid of stuff? Well, one of my favorites quotes is, “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
And I’m definitely not perfect.
- Do YOU have too much stuff?
- If so, what are you going to do about it? If not, how have you managed that?
- Do you have any desire to be a minimalist? If so, what’s holding you back?
{ 33 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post Tristan :)
So when you do go out and start buying things, do you remain conscious of the fact that you can only obtain 8 more items before you’ve passed the 100 mark? :P
When you buy books on your Kindle, will you count the separate files ;)? Or will your Kindle (with 10,000 books on it!) count as 1 item!
Books on an ereader are digital files. They do not count. Only the ereader counts as one device.
I went the minimalism route for a while. While traveling through Europe for 8 months it was of course great to only have as few items as possible. Since I got back I have also gotten rid of a lot of stuff.
But I decided there was no way I was going to really get to the count items stage. or the extreme minimalism. While I am all for keeping things basic this type of extremism to me seems a little bit pretentious. (no offense)
I DO agree that having less items certainly increases productivity, I am just not entirely sure where the dividing line between “streamlining” and “productivity” and doing it because it is “cool” is.
I will be interested to see if you stick with the 100 (or 92) items or just decie to keep it at a “reasonable level of declutter”
I am curious to know what your 4 books are…
This sounds like something I’d need to do as well, at some point. Especially from a techy point of view, I have so much stuff laying around from my old PC-era (aka old PC parts I don’t use and never will again) that just need to be thrown away. Now I am motivated enough to get it done, but I know it’ll pass before the weekend :p
Going minimalist sounds really cool and I think the feeling you got when you woke up and did not see the stuffs all around you did make you feel astonishing. Well, I to would love to go minimalistic but as far as I know it is not possible for me. Actually, I live far away from my home in a rented apartment but still I have so much possessions, I dunno how I will dispose all these if I have to move out somewhere else from here.
Hey Tristan,
Every 2 years or so I go through a “purge” of some sort where I basically either keep, sell or give away the items I own. Just recently, after coming back from my trip, I’ve had to do this once again but with a few exceptions because a lot of my things were ruined in a recent move so now I’m more or less down to well below 100 items (I know, cheesy minimalist blah blah blah) but I plan to go even further by trying to basically break it down to about 50 or so over time.
Traveling let me see that I can get by with a looooot less than I could ever imagine. I traveled Japan and Thailand for 9 weeks with 5 change of shirts, 2 pairs of pants, a laptop and a camera. It was enough to be comfortable and kept me focus on enjoying everything around me.
Anyway, I would highly suggest everyone else to make the shift because we also have to realize that everything is going digital. You don’t have to “own” things as much anymore because it will always be accessible in the cloud.
It sounds like you’ve figured out what makes you feel good, Tristan. And being more productive is a big plus! :)
I have a hard time getting rid of books, but if I think about moving again, some of those heavy suckers will be the first to go.
BTW- What happened to your Comment Luv? It’s missing. :( I’ve been on vacation so forgive me if you’ve already mentioned it.
Peggy
To me, it would feel a little weird to count the things I own. On the other hand, it would feel amazing to own as little as you do. I have way too much stuff, but that’s the problem living in a fairly large house. The more room you got, the more things you keep. I’m living proof of that.
It would be really hard to get rid of the books. I love reading as well, and I’m not sure if I keep them as trophies, but I like to keep them on the bookshelf. It looks good :)
I can only imagine the feeling you get when you own as little as you do. I have been following your decluttering-blog, and I have thought a lot about doing something similar… because it’s really great what you’ve accomplished.
I love the book I got from you :)))
But can not see how me and my hubby could ever do something like this. We are both pack rats, he is even bigger than me, cause I moved to USA with two suitcases. Still I do plan to move all my stuff here, including books which will be a fortune in shipping costs.
You really did an awesome job!!!
I recently moved from Minnesota to California and my wife and I went on a serious mission of getting rid of a lot of stuff we just didn’t feel like moving. We’d been in our current (now former house) for 7 years so we had a lot of stuff but it felt good getting rid of stuff. Not really thought of it as being a minimalist or anything deep like that we just wanted to start fresh with less stuff. We’re now down to one car here in San Francisco. I never thought that would be possible. But again it’s just more convenient living here than any big ulterior or noble reason. :-)
I DO agree that having less items certainly increases productivity, I am just not entirely sure where the dividing line between “streamlining” and “productivity” and doing it because it is “cool” is.
Hey Tristan!
What a big transition you made! First, I want to mention that those “hideous finger shoe things” you mentioned kinda creep me out.
When my husband and I moved into our new house 4 years ago, we both did a great job of purging instead of moving in all that junk. Then we had a baby last year. Yup, welcome to my stockpile of toiletries for baby and bins full of toys. Perhaps one day we will again clear out our home. I’m curious to hear from others who have kids and if any of them are minimalists.
This is funny. I remember thinking as you were going through your decluttering that you were going to end up a card carrying minimalist even if that was not your goal. Congratulations!
Wow Tristan, I’m impressed. I have to admit that I’m probably not ever going to that extreme, but I do need to declutter more stuff out of my life. Great inspiration.
I think I should read this article at least once a week. You inspire me. I remember when you first came up with this idea and look how far you’ve come!
Ya sure it’s hard to live in a small house………
Wow Tristan,
I am really impressed. Its good to check out once in a while to see what all you possess. I myself try it after every few months to get rid of everything that is not of much use to me. It makes you feel very organized and gives you more space for things that you actually need. Worth doing.
Tristan, now that is very impressive my friend.
I also followed the minimalist approach for a while but you know, with a young daughter around it is not easy. However, I am definitely not putting the blame on my family (O:
I still have lots of things that I need to get rid of..particularly the things that no longer interest me. But, I do go through this sorting out phase once in a while and get rid of things that are no longer a necessity (O:
I love this post, Tristan. Clutter creates chaos and getting rid of it opens your mind to new things. At least, that’s what I believe. :-)
I began living the minimalist lifestyle about six years ago and never turned back. Every six months I go through my house and throw into a box things that I no longer need.
I take the boxes to GoodWill or The Salvation Army. I also give stuff away to friends and family if they will take them.
Hi Tristan,
Congratulations on your successful downsizing endeavor. I’m a strong believer that having too much stuff can weigh you down–physically and mentally. I’m nowhere near as rigorous as you, but I have been cutting back over the years. I live in San Diego and we’ve had several devastating fires in the past 10 years. Although I wasn’t impacted personally, it made me realize that my possessions could be gone in minutes. So I try to stay in the mindset that if all my stuff disappeared today, I would be OK. Sad to lose photos and the like, but OK.
-Marianne
Hola, Tristan:
My name is Missy and I’m a minimalist. lol. That sounds dramatic, and to some it is. I want to pair down even more and whittle it down to under a 100. The biggest beast in my apartment is definitely clothes and shoes. But am working on getting rid of excess and extra weight, anything that will make me feel better knowing it’s not taking up space in my life and my head.
But this is no small feat. I’m going to set a goal and whittle things down by September 2011.
Let’s see how it turns out.
Cheers,
Missy
A large house does demand to be filled, but perhaps the best remedy to that problem is to downsize your house! Not only will you simplify your life with less extra stuff you probably don’t even remember you have, but you’ll use less energy and save money downsizing!
That’s the key in all this your single lol. Trust me it all changes when you get a family.
Life is a matter of choice you are free to do what is fit for you or what makes you happy.Every person has his own ability and disability. Being a minimalist is relevant to people who are easily content for what they have at present but still happy. They look for a sort to fit everything in a very limited space. They feel fulfillment by doing this. It only mean that this people are flexible.
we are really impressed. Its good to check out once in a while to see what all you possess. I myself try it after every few months to get rid of everything that is not of much use to me.
I agree with extrusion, i do it every month and helps run my business smoothly.
Having just 1 bag for everything you own, that might be a little too extreme. I might be a bit of a minimalist myself, I really don’t like clutter. I try to keep everything organized. Not too much though, just enough to find things and work easily.
Must be hard to get rid of your precious books, but you did the right thing. Good for you.
P.S. You can always stack on E-books. :)
I have a hard time parting with my grandmother’s antique dishes – they’re so beautiful…
i have one, climate neutral, grey set of clothing with a fleece and a windbreaker and a pair of boots.
i can;t camp anymore because of a sleep condition.
all computing is done on an iPhone.
books are tough but can be done. none.
kindle app on the iPhone.
you can do it. THINK!
Well, I to would love to go minimalistic but as far as I know it is not possible for me. Actually, I live far away from my home in a rented apartment but still I have so much possessions…
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