Getting rid of stuff

We have a hard time throwing things away because studies have shown that negative emotions associated with the loss of a particular item is twice as strong as positive emotions associated with the gain of the same item. This natural tendency gets in the way of achieving a minimalist lifestyle.

Even if we were to decide to get rid of some things (perhaps we’re doing a seasonal cleaning or preparing for renovations), we may not know what to throw away. Everything seems like they’ll be useful at some point in our lives.

In today's post, I’ll share what I think about in such situations.

Ask: "Have I used this in the past 12 months?"

For example, if the full four seasons have passed and I haven't worn a certain item of clothing even once, I think it can be thrown away or given away. If we haven't yet cracked open a book that we bought a year ago, I'm quite certain that won't change in the future - and we can safely donate it or resell it.

There are some exceptions:

• Items for emergencies. We obviously don't throw out our car's spare tire, flashlights/batteries, or a first aid kit.
• Paper records or legal documents. Old salary slips, tax returns, contracts, and forms of identification should be stored in a safe place.
• Expensive things with aesthetic and/or sentimental appeal. Examples include a favorite painting, a yearbook, wedding photos, and so on.

Ask: "Is this simple to replace?"

There's no reason for us to get attached to anything that can be acquired from a local store for a couple hundred RMB or less. We can always re-acquire that item if we happen to need it later. For example, copies of the Harry Potter novels could easily be acquired in China, so if we've already read everything in the series, our copies can be sold or donated.

However, I would not part with The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (if I were to own it) because there are no copies for sale in Shanghai and delivery from overseas would cost a fortune.

Take notes of information we want to retain

With the advent of digital note platforms such as Evernote and technological improvements, we can simply take pictures of anything we may want to refer to in the future. Examples include the contact details (phone number, email address) of someone we just met or detailed notes from a course we took recently.

Word recognition technology is getting good enough that it can recognize roadside signage or numbers on slips of paper, making it even more effective to digitalize our information-based possessions.