You Need Less Than You Think
A few years ago, I came to a stark realization. I had too much stuff. Too many articles of clothing I hardly ever wore, too many shoes for sure, too many kitchen “necessities”, even too many books, and I’m a pretty avid reader. Why or how did I come to that realization? It was at a moment when I found myself shopping for something to expand my closet AND having discussions with my husband that we needed more storage in our basement along with more bookshelves. I heard my words describing this to my husband and it was as though a higher power or sense of the universe reached down and inflicted a good old slap on the back of the head and said “Hold on! Think about this some more!”. I was willing to spend money, hard earned money to save items I rarely used. I was willing to forego putting money in savings, building for our future, and even giving in the way I wanted to just to hold onto items I thought I needed. Josh Becker of Becoming Minimalist, nailed it when he stated in a recent blog “You need less than you think.” If you don’t subscribe to that mantra, I probably won’t be able to convince you here. But if you are considering that it may carry truth then you might also be wondering how you embrace it, how you make that a theme in your life. Let’s explore that a bit more and see if there are any ways to help you take advantage of the wonderful benefits as Josh describes it, that come with owning less.
If you have read any of my blogs on habit formation, you’ll recall I subscribe to the idea that the key to successful habit formation is built on four laws developed by James Clear and his initiative “The Habit Academy”. Those laws include making the new habit obvious, easy, attractive, and satisfying. Here is how I have applied those laws when I consider how much stuff I need.
The sheer number of things we have in our homes these days can be astounding and so the obvious law can be simple. Take a walk through your home. Make a mental note of all the things you see and try to remember the last time you touched that item, wore that article of clothing, read or referenced that book. If you live with someone, do it together. Grab a beverage of your choice or a fun snack and just wander through your home including your closets, drawers, kitchen cabinets, garage (oh yes the garage!) and/or basement. Make a commitment to yourself or your partner that you will each remove at least one item from each major area. Put all those items in one place and then have a conversation about the final decision to remove or keep it. This is how we make it obvious. We use intentionality to make changes. We put the home tour on our calendars and we may even do it over and over until we feel like we have eliminated enough of the stuff we don’t use or need to feel the benefit of the exercise. Be warned though, this exercise can become addicting itself once you begin to see your closet become more manageable, your kitchen cabinets become more useful and organized and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, you will be able to park a car in your garage soon! From a habits perspective the fact that it can be addicting is actually a good thing because it can easily become integrated into your life throughout the year(s).
Making this new approach to life easy can be summed up by asking yourself one key question when you are contemplating adding things to your life. “What happens if I DON”T buy that?” This is such an easy question and can literally change your circumstances in terms of both your finances and overall quality of life. If I don’t buy that shirt, will I still have something to wear tomorrow? If I don’t buy that newfangled kitchen gadget, will I still be able to cook dinner tonight? If I don’t buy that piece of jewelry or technology, will I still be a productive member of society next month? Simply get in the habit of asking that short question each and every time you go to buy something. Put that little question in big letters near your computer so when you’re tempted on Amazon you remember and can answer it accordingly. Now, sometimes, the answer to the question indicates buying that thing is the right call. When that happens move forward. Just make sure you’ve asked the question first.
I’m going to combine attractive and satisfying because on this topic I believe they are tightly connected. When we have less stuff in our lives we are free to move, to play, to enjoy life on a much deeper level. Remember Steve Jobs? Remember what he wore every, single day? Black turtleneck and jeans. Do you know why he made the conscious decision to do that? Certainly at his highest career achievement he didn’t need to save on his clothing budget. He made the decision to do so his entire life because he was not willing to spend any time thinking or deciding what to wear. He wanted his thinking time and decision brain power to be focused on things that mattered. Wow! What if we all freed ourselves up to know that each and every day we could dress ourselves in a split second and get on with our day. How much time would you be able to give back to your family or spouse or partner if that were your story? How much energy could you free up to advance your career or your social imperative in that scenario? I will admit, I’m still working on this aspect of my life but getting there quickly now. I desire to spend less time in my closet and more time with the people and causes that matter to me. That is both attractive and satisfying!
There is a litany of literature available that supports this notion that we need less than we think. I hope if you’ve read this far you agree there are benefits to owning less, spending less and maintaining less. I also hope you now have some ways to move toward that lifestyle by creating habits that support the journey. Good Luck! Next time, we’ll dig into the notion that money won’t make you happy. That’ll be fun! Hope you join me then.
