One word: crap.
Have you had to move within the last five years? Do you remember the amount of crap that you had to pack, load, unpack? Boxes and boxes of crap. I remember my last move, and the needless packing and unpacking of stuff I haven’t seen or used in years, and probably won’t use again. But I kept it all.
I’m a little slow when it comes to learning, and the crap burden of my last few moves didn’t register as a lesson in minimalism.
Then something magical happened. Right around the time I had the last coffee, broke and unsure if I could make rent, I went where many people do on that position: eBay.
I turned to my load of crap and knew it was time to part with some of it. First to go were my prized X-Files DVD’s. All 9 seasons. I knew it would hurt, especially when I sold the whole collection for less than I paid for one season. But when I mailed the box, it was a massive weight lifted off of my back. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to see what else I could part with. Freedom from crap, for the first time in decades.
In a world of Netflix, digital rentals and cloud storage, TechnoMinimalism allows for decluttering with no tangible sacrifice. And looking back, I don’t miss those DVD’s, or anything else I parted with back then.
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