Joshua Becker's Blog, page 47

It’s Not That Possessions Won’t Make You Happy…

…it’s that they distract you from the things that do.

There’s a common saying in our world and it goes something like this, “Possessions won’t make you happy.”

Almost everyone agrees with it.

Once our most essential needs have been met, the long-term happiness that can be found in material possessions is fleeting at best. And because nobody wants to admit that they are looking for happiness in their next purchase from the department store or car lot, we generally agree aloud that “possessions won’t make you happy.”

Studies back up our presumption.

But the problem with possessions goes beyond the fact that they won’t make us happy. The problem with excess possessions is that they distract us from happiness.

“Possessions won’t make me happy,” while agreed to by most, only results in thinking that is indifferent to the accumulation of physical items. There may not be long-term benefit in possessions, but there is also no harm. We begin to view them as entirely neutral.

“Sure, possessions won’t make us happy,” we may think, “but I’m going to buy x anyway, because I have the money. It probably won’t make me happy in the long-run, but it’s still fun to have.”

But excess possessions are not indifferent to our happiness.

They become an obstacle and barrier to it. And the more we have, the greater the burden we have to carry.

Everything we own requires a bit of ourselves. Possessions cost us money, time, energy, and focus. They become a physical distraction and mental distraction. Every increased item we own adds increased stress and anxiety onto our lives.

I was first introduced to the word minimalism on a Saturday morning while cleaning out my garage. The responsibility of clearing out the clutter, sorting through the piles, hosing down the floor, and returning items in an organized way took hours to complete. All the while, my 5-year-old son was begging me to come play catch in the backyard.

As my frustration with the spring-cleaning project began to mount, my neighbor provided the remedy when we struck up a conversation. “That’s why my daughter is a minimalist. She keeps telling me I don’t need to own all this stuff.”

The juxtaposition could not be more stark. To the left of me stood a pile of dirty, dusty possessions I had spent the entire morning cleaning and organizing. To the right of me, my son swinging alone on the swing set in the backyard.

In that moment, I began to understand the weight of possessions.

Not only were my possessions not making me happy… they were keeping me from the very thing that did.

This is a very different realization. In fact, it’s probably what separates those who pursue minimalism from those who do not. Owning less frees us to pursue happiness, joy, meaning, and fulfillment in things that actually matter—however we choose to define that.

Our possessions are not passive.

They are not merely indifferent in our pursuit of happiness and meaning.

They often stand in the way of it.

Designed to Part You from Your Money

When I was younger, I worked at a small department store in North Dakota. It was my first job actually. I remember, specifically, my first day stocking soda in the fridge.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I headed over to the refrigerated case and started loading cans into the empty rows.

Before I got too far in the job, the manager who hired me walked up and gave me more detailed instructions, “When you stock shelves, always put the label facing out. It looks nicer and neater, and customers are more likely to buy if they can see the name of the product.”

It was a simple selling technique. So simple, that even a first-day, minimum-wage, high school student could figure it out. And yet, it was designed for one reason: to make a sale.

Earlier this week, I happened to walk past a large clothing store. On the window of the store, in as large a print as possible, the store was advertising their semi-annual clearance sale (60% off every item in the store).

When I entered another store down the street, I was immediately met with soft music and shelves upon shelves of color-matched items with smaller signs announcing the sale price on each of them.

And I was reminded, in that moment, almost everything in this world is designed to sell you something. From the smallest detail to the highest executive decision, stores are designed to part you with your money.

No detail is overlooked.

The signage on the outside and the inside of the building—designed to get you to buy.

The original price, the sale price, the limited time offer—designed to get you to buy.

The smells, the sounds, the colors, the free samples —designed to get you to buy.

The items placed at eye level, the items displayed on mannequins, the items placed at the very back of the grocery store—all designed intentionally to get you to buy. Even the exact layout of your local mall.

Even the refund policy is designed to get you to spend more.

The brand credit card, the rewards card, the loyalty punch card—designed to get you to buy.

The payment options, the financing, the warranty—designed to get you to buy.

And the list continues.

Even worse, these strategies are utilized by far more than retail brick-and mortar stores. Restaurants use them. Grocery stores use them. Gas stations, service technicians, your favorite sports team, podcasts, streaming services, even your favorite free-to-download app.

As do websites of every size. Just yesterday I received several emails inviting me to attend a webinar on “Amazing One-Hour Webinar on the Small Tweaks your Website Needs to Become a Money-Making Machine.” Something tells me even that webinar intended to sell me something.

Everywhere we go, it seems, is designed to sell us something and get us to part with our money.

I fear, however, we don’t even need to enter these stores to be bombarded with their strategies anymore.

Billboards, junk mail, and email newsletters contribute volume to the already noisy world of ads we see every day. Each designed to encourage your purchase… or get you in their store where their other sales techniques can further the work and persuasion.

There are some practical steps we can take to be sold to less, such as not walk into these stores unless necessary I suppose.

But we’re never going to avoid it altogether—and we’re probably not going to change society to the point where this no longer exists.

However, we can become more aware of it. We can get better at recognizing when it is happening. And we can learn the tactics retailers employ to sell us something so we don’t fall so easily into the temptation.

In so doing, we can keep some of that money around for more important pursuits than buying stuff we don’t need.

Designed to Part You with Your Money

When I was younger, I worked at a small department store in North Dakota. It was my first job actually. I remember, specifically, my first day stocking soda in the fridge.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it. I headed over to the refrigerated case and started loading cans into the empty rows.

Before I got too far in the job, the manager who hired me walked up and gave me more detailed instructions, “When you stock shelves, always put the label facing out. It looks nicer and neater, and customers are more likely to buy if they can see the name of the product.”

It was a simple selling technique. So simple, that even a first-day, minimum-wage, high school student could figure it out. And yet, it was designed for one reason: to make a sale.

Earlier this week, I happened to walk past a large clothing store. On the window of the store, in as large a print as possible, the store was advertising their semi-annual clearance sale (60% off every item in the store).

When I entered another store down the street, I was immediately met with soft music and shelves upon shelves of color-matched items with smaller signs announcing the sale price on each of them.

And I was reminded, in that moment, almost everything in this world is designed to sell you something. From the smallest detail to the highest executive decision, stores are designed to part you with your money.

No detail is overlooked.

The signage on the outside and the inside of the building—designed to get you to buy.

The original price, the sale price, the limited time offer—designed to get you to buy.

The smells, the sounds, the colors, the free samples —designed to get you to buy.

The items placed at eye level, the items displayed on mannequins, the items placed at the very back of the grocery store—all designed intentionally to get you to buy. Even the exact layout of your local mall.

Even the refund policy is designed to get you to spend more.

The brand credit card, the rewards card, the loyalty punch card—designed to get you to buy.

The payment options, the financing, the warranty—designed to get you to buy.

And the list continues.

Even worse, these strategies are utilized by far more than retail brick-and mortar stores. Restaurants use them. Grocery stores use them. Gas stations, service technicians, your favorite sports team, podcasts, streaming services, even your favorite free-to-download app.

As do websites of every size. Just yesterday I received several emails inviting me to attend a webinar on “Amazing One-Hour Webinar on the Small Tweaks your Website Needs to Become a Money-Making Machine.” Something tells me even that webinar intended to sell me something.

Everywhere we go, it seems, is designed to sell us something and get us to part with our money.

I fear, however, we don’t even need to enter these stores to be bombarded with their strategies anymore.

Billboards, junk mail, and email newsletters contribute volume to the already noisy world of ads we see every day. Each designed to encourage your purchase… or get you in their store where their other sales techniques can further the work and persuasion.

There are some practical steps we can take to be sold to less, such as not walk into these stores unless necessary I suppose.

But we’re never going to avoid it altogether—and we’re probably not going to change society to the point where this no longer exists.

However, we can become more aware of it. We can get better at recognizing when it is happening. And we can learn the tactics retailers employ to sell us something so we don’t fall so easily into the temptation.

In so doing, we can keep some of that money around for more important pursuits than buying stuff we don’t need.

The Psychology Behind Not Adding New Things Into Your Life

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Louis Chew of Constant Renewal.

It’s hard to stop adding things to your life.

When I spot a new phone app or a new physical object that confers a benefit, my first instinct is to try to acquire it. I look at the cost; if it’s free like a cool phone app then I don’t think twice. The only thing that makes me move along is the price tag.

I’m sure I’m not alone. It’s normal to want to have things that add value to your life. But as people are slowly realizing, that can come at a hefty cost. You pay not only with your wallet but also with your time and attention.

It’s especially evident with digital products. Google changed everything when it realized that it didn’t have to make money off consumers. Instead, they targeted advertisers who not only had deeper pockets, but were also happy to pay to get their product in front of thousands of eyeballs.

For a long while, it appeared that this was a win for everyone. Consumers won because they no longer had to pay for the products. Advertisers won because they could finally get the attention of consumers. Google won because they figured out how they could generate billions of dollars.

Today, Google is joined by Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and a consortium of other companies. The name of the game has changed. They’re no longer going straight for our wallet, but instead for our attention.

What does this mean for us? For one, we can’t go about viewing things through what Cal Newport calls the “Any-Benefit Mindset.“

It’s a brilliant description of what we do. We identify any possible benefit as sufficient justification for using or acquiring a tool. But this disregards all the negatives that come along with such usage.

To use the example of Facebook, we use it to connect with friends, catch up on the latest news, and find like-minded communities. It’s a network tool that sounds brilliant, but we’re also paying for it in extremely subtle ways. We spend more time and attention on our phones and laptops, hunt for social validation in the form of likes, and even risk our personal data.

Of course, not all devices or tools can hurt us in such a manner. But every purchase or acquisition comes with it hidden costs such as time, attention, and storage. We cannot just chase benefits without factoring in costs as well.

The solution to this problem is what Cal Newport calls the craftsman approach to tool selection: adopt a tool only if its positive impacts on these factors substantially outweigh its negative impacts. When we view things this way, we’re more hesitant about adding more into our lives.

With less clutter, we have more space to pursue what really matters. Beyond just objects, I think it’s worth considering how we introduce things into our life. When our life is filled up, it’s hard to remember what’s important and what isn’t.

The jar analogy, while cliché, provides some guidance here.

If we were to fill a jar with rocks, pebbles, and sand, there is a fixed order we must follow. We can’t fill up the jar with either the pebbles or sand first, because that lives no place for the rocks. The biggest object must come first, then the next in size, and finally the smallest.

It doesn’t matter if the biggest object is your family, health, or career. The important lesson is that we must put first things first. If we introduce new objects into our life indiscriminately, we’ll quickly find that there’s no space for anything else.

We can’t have it all. For everything we include, there’s something we must exclude as well. That’s the mentality we must have when deciding whether to introduce new things into our lives.

The people and things we already possess will thank us for it.

***

Louis Chew blogs at Constant Renewal where he inspires others to overcome mental barriers and fears to live their best life.

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

Fill your life with stories to tell, not stuff to show.

The simplicity/minimalism movement is a beautiful community. And I enjoy any opportunity to promote writing that encourages people to live more by owning less.

So fix yourself a nice warm cup of coffee or tea. Find a quiet moment this weekend. And enjoy some encouraging words to inspire more simplicity in your life today.

Experience: I’ve had the same supper for 10 years | The Guardian by Wilf Davies. I have two pieces of fish, an onion, an egg, baked beans and biscuits. Being a farmer means every day is the same.

Family’s Well-Rounded Off-Grid Tiny Home Sits In The Swiss Alps | TreeHugger by Kimberley Mok. This family of minimalists are living in a unique tiny house, after having downsized over several moves.

Just get rid of it! Decluttering the house is about so much more than tidying up | The Independent by Shappi Khorsandi. It’s very clear that when you deal with your clutter, you are dealing with your head and heart and emotions.

Minimalism: Why it’s important to tell your minimalist story | Female First by Lucy Moore. To help others understand that not one size fits all…

Inheritance is More Than You Think | Joshua Becker on YouTube.

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Uncluttered. If you’re looking for help trying to minimize your possessions, my 12-week course will help you own less, live more, and discover the life you want. Registrations ends this Sunday, May 02. The experience begins on Tuesday.

Do You Like the Person You Are Becoming?

Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher, is credited as first saying, “Change is the only constant in life.”

And I think he’s right. Change happens all around us, all the time. The weather changes, leadership changes, culture changes, our jobs change, our families change… and we change.

Sometimes quickly, but often slowly, we change.

Our worldview changes, our attitudes change, our goals change, our habits change, our hobbies change, our fears change, our relationships change, even our bodies change.

With that in mind, I have a question for you today:

Do you like the person you are becoming?

We ask a lot of questions of ourselves and each other: But one of the most self-reflective, and most helpful questions we could ever ask ourselves focuses less on what we are doing, and more on who we are becoming.

Because if something is changing, there are only three possibilities:

It is getting better.It is getting worse.Or the change is neutral.

The same is true of you and true of me. We are changing. And we are either become more like the people we want to be, or less.

Sometimes it is helpful to stop and evaluate and see which direction we are heading.

I once had a friend who was very excited about the changes taking place in her life. They weren’t changes of employment or external circumstances necessarily, they were deeper, heart changes about the way she saw the world and the way she began interacting with people. She was excited to share with me the things she had been learning and who she was becoming.

Amidst our conversation, she asked me about some accomplishments she had seen in my life (the blog, books, the YouTube channel, etc.). And she inquired how I felt about them. She was anxious to hear how my view on life had changed over the last 3-4 years.

I responded to her question, “I’m excited about the work I’m doing. But I don’t think I always like the person I am becoming. In fact, if I’m being honest, I think I’m a little less patient than I was ten years ago. I think I’m a little more prideful—maybe even less kind. I also sometimes wonder if I was a little more fun to be around a decade ago.”

I don’t think she was expecting that answer. But her question gave me opportunity to articulate some rumblings in my heart that I’d been feeling for awhile. Not all change is good, and I can see some changes in my life moving me away from the person I most want to be.

Either we are becoming more like the person we want to be, we are becoming less like the person we want to be, or the changes in our life are neutral in this regard.

But if we’re moving further and further away from the person we want to be, it is wise to notice that as soon as possible so the course correction can be easier, more efficient, and more effective.

Of course, this isn’t always an easy question to answer. In most cases, it’s not a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ We may look at our trajectory and be proud of some of the changes, but regret others.

*We may be excelling at work but becoming more demanding along the way.

*We may be getting ahead financially but spending less time at home than we used to.

*We may be losing weight but becoming more prideful or focused on outward appearances because of it.

*We may be excited about specific accomplishments, but worried about the ways we are coping with the stress of them.

*We may be making great strides in some habits but faltering in others.

In each scenario, we should ask ourselves, do I HAVE to be giving up positive progress in one area of my life just to succeed in another? When I get down to the heart of the matter, do I like the person I am becoming?

If you are not happy with the person you are becoming, here are some thoughts to help you change course:

1. You can always change.

Nobody can take away your right to change. No employer, no spouse, no toxic relationship. Positive change is always possible. You are the only person who gets to decide who you are going to become.

2. Don’t change your goals, change your habits.

Often the goals we pursue, when they are new, bring about these unexpected changes that move us away from who we want to be. If that is the case, and you can pinpoint the pursuit drawing you away, you have two options: 1) remove it, or 2) alter how you chase it.

Maybe you are striving to start a new business but are beginning to notice that its taking more time away from your family than you imagined—and you can see that is not who you want to become. Maybe the answer is stop pursuing the new business venture. Or maybe there is a different approach that you need to adopt in chasing it.

3. We love to see people trying to change for the better.

Our world loves to cheer people making positive changes. Oh, some get jealous and envious, and might try to keep you down. But for the most part, we are a society that cheers for the underdog. Take comfort in that and know that many will see your changes and cheer for you to succeed.

4. It’s never too late to change.

The best time to change for the positive may have been yesterday or ten years ago, but the second-best time is right now. If you’re still living (which I assume you are), you’ve got time to change. And while you can’t change the past, you can redeem it. And no matter how much time you have left, you can set an example for others.

5. People are remembered most for who they were, not what they accomplished.

If the accomplishments you are pursuing are resulting in the negative changes in your life (which is often the case), remind yourself that who you are is more important. The people who know you best will always remember your character and values more than your personal accomplishments.

May we all be changing for the better.

It’s Time to Finally Get Uncluttered

Registration for the May Edition of Uncluttered is now open!

Uncluttered is a 12-week online course designed by me to help you own less, live more, and discover the life you’ve always wanted. If you want to own less, but need a little help getting there, Uncluttered is for you.

I offer the course only three times each year.

But decluttering, it seems to me, is more important now than ever.

Our world is responding in many different ways to the uncertainty surrounding us. Some are responding to the crisis by hoarding as many things as possible—holding tighter to their possessions, looking for security.

But there are countless others responding in a different way. They are taking back control of their homes, their lives, and their schedules. They are seeing their clutter with new eyes—and are choosing intentionality instead. I hope that’s you.

Removing unneeded possessions from our home promotes calm, peace, and control. It fosters flexibility, freedom, and financial stability—in a time when each are desperately needed.

I expect this edition of the Uncluttered Course to be one of the largest I’ve ever offered. And I can’t wait to help people own less.

Now, if you’re anything like me, maintaining momentum once you’ve started something challenging (like minimizing all your possessions) is tough. And it always helps to have support and accountability around getting our priorities straightened out and sticking to them.

So it can be really helpful to be in a group where other people are solving the same kinds of problems in real time:

“I have a family of 6 and so sometimes spaces get a little cluttered when you have three kids in a room. I love seeing how other families declutter things, maximize storage, and organize spaces to create that clean, open look with families.”  —Tami C.

The private Facebook Group for the Uncluttered Course is literally active 24 hours/day with lovely people encouraging each other along the way to own less.

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If you’re considering Uncluttered, it could be a great fit for you if:

You started decluttering but need help staying motivated so that you can get uncluttered for more than a couple of weeks here and there…You’ve started and decluttered a room or two but have stopped working at it…Your stuff has you feeling trapped and  you’re ready to examine why you own the things you do…You find yourself ‘tidying up’ the same spaces repeatedly without progressing much (especially with kids)…You desire a simpler lifestyle—one where you don’t get swallowed up by the overwhelm…Your home feels like a place of work, not a place of rest… You’re ready to own less so you can live more.

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Uncluttered is an online course created for you, to help you own less and live more.

You’ll get lifetime access to 12 weeks’ worth of lessons, live Q&As, a committed community, interviews, and more. Take the course and bring calm to your home at your own pace, and in your own time.

Over 60,000 people, from all around the world, have taken the course to find how they can create the home they’ve always wanted.

Here’s the kind of transformation you can achieve. Meet Elke:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

What an incredible difference!

If you want to make real, positive changes like Elke, join Uncluttered today.

Registration closes on Sunday, May 2nd, so don’t wait.

I’ll help (and cheer you along every step of the way) while you discover the more of owning less. You’ll clear the clutter, focus on what matters most in your life, and enjoy a renewed sense of clarity in a difficult time.

Ready to bring about new peace and calm in your home?

Sign up for Uncluttered now, and make this the season you discover the home and life you’ve always wanted!

The cost is $89 (USD) for this upcoming edition of the course.

Also, you can find a 25% off discount code in the back of The Minimalist Home. The book is not required—but it’s cheaper to buy the book and use the discount code than it is to pay full price—the option is yours.

How to Declutter Your Life & Heal Your Heart

Note: This is a guest post from Jennifer Burger of Simply + Fiercely.

There are many wonderful reasons for decluttering your life, but one that’s very rarely mentioned is healing a broken heart. 

My name is Jennifer, and I’ve been a minimalist for nearly a decade. But before that, my life looked very different. I was a workaholic and shopaholic, and it was stressful and exhausting. 

There were so many things that I wanted to do and be, and it came from a place of deep longing. As a little girl, I never felt like I fit in. I was a first-generation American, and I felt most comfortable in our family restaurant, curled up next to my grandmother, packing fortune cookies into tiny wax bags. 

But at school, things were different. My round face and thick, dark hair set me apart, and I quickly learned to feel uncomfortable in my own skin. Most days, I longed to be anyone other than who I saw in the mirror. 

Then one day, I realized something exciting. With the right shoes and the latest jeans, I could fit in with everyone else. I begged my mom to take me to the Gap, and a new habit was formed. 

Throughout my teens and twenties, I shopped compulsively. My clothes were like a suit of armor; with stiletto heels and designer dresses to protect me, no one had to see the shy, insecure girl hiding behind a very expensive closet. 

Things only escalated from there. As I got older, I used owning and doing more to hide from all the pain in my life: my failing marriage, my dead-end career, and the loss of my younger brother. 

I learned that the more I worked and the more I shopped, the less I had to feel. 

But in the end, it wasn’t sustainable. I was exhausted and trapped in the gilded cage that I’d built for myself. I knew deep in my heart that something had to change, and somewhat surprisingly, it all started with decluttering my life. 

How to Declutter Your Life

When I first discovered minimalism, I hoped for a functional wardrobe and an easy to clean home. I thought decluttering would be quick and easy and that nothing fundamental would change about my life. 

Before long, I learned that this couldn’t be further from the truth. I quickly realized that decluttering is about so much more than letting go of old stuff. 

Instead, it’s a profound act of introspection. For every old handbag or never worn sweater that goes out the door, there are thoughts and beliefs that need to be released as well. 

This mindful approach is both the secret to effective decluttering and the unspoken benefit. Here’s are some tips to help you get started: 

1. Get Clear About What Matters Most to You

My life was cluttered and overwhelming because I was trying to do everything and please everyone. Deep down, I was still that little girl who felt like she didn’t fit in, and I was desperate to prove everyone wrong. 

I worked late, wore the most expensive shoes, and decorated my house like the stylish magazines that covered my bedside table. I thought that if I kept playing by the “rules,” I’d eventually feel better about myself. 

But you know what? I don’t know who wrote those rules, but it sure wasn’t me. I was never going to feel successful or good enough by chasing other people’s dreams. Instead, I had to get clear on my values and priorities—and if you want to declutter your life, you need to do the same. 

This step is an often-overlooked part of decluttering, but it’s essential.

Get out a pen and paper, tune out the noise, and decide what you believe. What are your values, and what kind of life do you want for yourself? This clarity will become the compass that will guide you through the decluttering process.  

2. Evaluate Your Stuff Against Your Goals

The beauty of defining what matters in life is that it helps you see what doesn’t. 

Slowly and systematically, I began to work through everything, from my closet to my to-do list. I questioned everything from this new perspective—what would help me create the life I truly wanted? And what was simply weighing me down? 

3. Understand The “Why” Behind What You Own and Do

Once you’ve identified the non-essential, the next step is to let go—and this part can be challenging to explain. Even when we know that something isn’t adding value to our lives, it can be hard to let go. 

I can’t tell you how many times I cried over something seemingly insignificant, like an old textbook or a silk blouse. I felt so silly— until I eventually realized that my tears weren’t for my physical possessions. Instead, I mourned for the hopes and dreams that my stuff represented. 

I couldn’t let go of that old physics book because it was proof that I was once smart—and if I was smart, then I mattered. But without the evidence, who was I? A college dropout who never lived up to her full potential. 

Decluttering my life meant facing stories like this time and time again. It wasn’t easy or comfortable, but I soon discovered that overcoming my limiting beliefs was the key to letting go. 

The more I understood my relationship with my stuff, the more empowered I felt. I began to declutter with confidence, and something inside me started to change. 

As I cleared the excess that had weighed me down for decades, I began to feel more like myself. And perhaps more significantly, I began to mend my long-broken heart. 

I’ve been writing about minimalism for over five years because I know that decluttering your life is about more than letting go of old sweatshirts.

Instead, it’s about bridging the gap between who we are and who we think we have to be. It’s life-affirming, and I’m grateful to share this story with you. 

***

As a shopaholic turned minimalist, Jennifer Burger is passionate about helping overloaded women clear their clutter and create space for joy. She blogs at Simply + Fiercely and is the author of Mindful Decluttering, a free decluttering guide that will help you clear your clutter.

Inspiring Simplicity. Weekend Reads.

For the last eight years, I have been compiling and publishing curated articles that inspire simplicity. At first, it was an exercise in communicating to Becoming Minimalist readers the most popular articles I sent out on Twitter.

But over the years, it has become more than that. It has become a place where people (every other week) come for a dose of inspiration. And it has become a place to promote and encourage writers around the world who are publishing content about minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living.

I think you will enjoy this collection of articles hand-selected for you this weekend. Grab some coffee, tea, or lemonade and be inspired to live a simpler life today.

Wearing One Dress for 100 Days | Christian Minimalism by Becca Ehrlich. I wore one single dress for 100 consecutive days, for at least eight hours a day. I found it to be life-changing.

Subtract: Why Getting to Less Can Mean Thinking More | Behavioral Scientist by Leidy Klotz. In our striving to improve our lives, our work, and our society, we overwhelmingly add. We overlook the option to subtract from what is already there.

Get the Biggest Cardboard Box You Can Find: How to declutter your home as lockdown eases | The Guardian by Stuart Heritage. Desperate to have a proper clearout after more than a year of semi-confinement? These expert tips will help you reclaim your living space. 

The Joy of Decluttering | No Sidebar by Taylor Buonocore-Guthrie. For twenty years, my powder blue vest sat in my closet, in the dark, going unworn. And within a few days of being given away, it was with a new owner, bringing joy to another person. Yes, how delightful.

7 Reasons We Buy More Than We Need | Joshua Becker on YouTube.

Declutter Your Collectibles with the Longaberger Principle

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest post from Jennifer Tritt.

As my love and I prepare to downsize and move, we are sorting through our belongings once again. We’ve completed much decluttering over the years as we’ve grown to embrace a minimalist lifestyle. We examined our belongings with discerning eyes and parted with what we no longer used or cherished.

Our living space is functional, open and peaceful. In my experience, decluttering stuff helps to declutter the mind and open the heart. Having less to do allows us to be. In this fresh space is where we can explore new interests and find new meaning in our lives.

We’ve donated clothing, kitchen items, furniture, art and books. We’ve invited our college-aged kids to take what they want. We’ve eliminated dumpsters full of unnecessary paperwork and sorted through mementos and keepsakes, holding on to the most precious.

Now we are looking at furniture and collectibles. We’re giving family furniture that won’t fit into our new home to family members who’ve expressed interest. We are planning a garage sale and attempting to sell some items on eBay.

I am doing my best not to push and am thrilled that he is ready to part with some sports memorabilia and work-related mementos, even though he’s holding on to the comic books and Hot Wheels for now. He may later decide that he’s ready to part with them. This is a personal process and there is no need to rush decisions.

The Longaberger Principle

Last night I coined the phrase, “the Longaberger lesson,” when we discovered, with shock, that some items he thought would be in great demand, failed to garner any bids on eBay. I had a similar experience, early in my decluttering, when I decided to let go of my once treasured Longaberger baskets.

I found an auction house that was about to host a Longaberger auction and anticipated making big bucks. The amount of money that I made on my collection would have paid for one basket during the heyday of my collecting.

This experience and resulting deflated feeling got me thinking. Why do we collect? How do we arrive at the decision to part with our collections? What is the true value of a collection?

I collected baskets, because I thought they were beautiful, many of them were useful, I enjoyed comparing collections and hosting parties with girlfriends, and loved seeking the sense of completion that finalizing a collection could bring. I spent a significant amount of money and managed to rationalize each purchase.

I believed my collection would increase in value, but never considered the monetary value would decrease. I parted with the baskets because they reminded me of a different time in my life and I no longer found them useful. I have eliminated other collections that were simply taking up space: collectible plates, jewelry, dishes and books—and it’s been freeing.

How to Part with Collectibles

Here are a few thoughts on how to approach parting with a collection:

1. Keep a piece.

When I sold my baskets, I kept a few that I use. If you have a collection in storage, for example, Hot Wheels, you could create a small display of your favorites that you actually enjoy seeing as you pass by, and part with the rest.

2. Seek collectors.

Find your kindred spirits! There are many ways to sell your collection: online, at a garage sale, or through an auction house or flea market. See any money you make as a bonus as you part with your collection. Even if the collection has decreased in monetary value, the sentimental value may be equally important to the new owner.

3. Embrace change and release guilt.

Our interests and preferences change over time. We grow. We expand our interests, our values shift and our tastes changes. Remember the joy you felt while collecting, and release the guilt you may attach to the dollars you spent and will not be able to recover.

My collection was packed and stored for a while, but when I saw the boxes, I felt bad. I was happy to free the space and release the energy. I also released the guilt for the money I had invested.

4. Define value more broadly.

Value extends beyond the price you can fetch for an item or a collection. What you once loved, but wish to release, someone else may love and treasure. Focus on the fun you had amassing your collection, and move on to pursuing your new interests. Live in the present!

5. Find joy in giving.

Seek friends or other folks who would appreciate your collection. Enjoy watching the joy on their faces when they receive. Consider donating or selling if you cannot find a friend or acquaintance who is interested.

I do believe that minimalists can be collectors. Although I’ve shifted my priority from things to experiences, I continue to collect refrigerator magnets from my travels. Looking at them makes me smile as I think about the associated visit.

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Jennifer Tritt is an academic counselor at a community college, has recently adopted a minimalist lifestyle, and is passionate about sharing her experiences.