When I was younger, I had a philosophy of touching everything I own at least once a year. The idea was partly to be aware of what I owned so I could find it again or use it or appreciate it, and in another way it was to simply be aware of it. This was especially important with regard to all my files and folders pertaining to my writing projects and/or art. Anyways, what I’m aware of now is as I try to downsize my possessions is that there are so many things we have that we’re not even aware of. Because of that, we buy things more than once, or we simply accumulate and fill space. The only thing touching much of what we own is dust because we haven’t touched it in so long.This summer, while home with my mother for near two weeks, I decided to tackle the area on and around my father‘s workbench, which had rarely been touched and never organized since he passed away more than 15 years ago. Each time I went home, it seemed to just be sitting there with things piled on it that would never be used. On the shelves next to it were containers with contents that probably were 40 or 50 years old. Some of them would never be touched again if I didn’t open them to see if they had anything in it that was valuable. This is how I found the $1000 bill. (Just kidding.)
That experience is what motivated me to start the process of cleaning my own workbenches, in the basement and in my garage. I've found things I never knew I had. And am storing things I'll never use.
How are you doing with your accumulated stuff? Remember, when you leave this mortal coil, you can't take it with you.
Here are a few quotes 'bout clutter to help you get movin'.
“Clutter is the physical manifestation of unmade decisions fueled by procrastination.”
—Christina Scalise
“Outer order contributes to inner calm.”
—Gretchen Rubin
“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”
―Joshua Becker
“The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we don’t.”
―Marie Kondo
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