I think there can be an extreme, almost puritanical, approach to decluttering. A dear friend of mine wrote recently about how actually quite a lot of her Stuff was positive and made her happy and had brought good things into her life, and she just didn't see Stuff as this entangling monster. On the other hand, if she had two rooms' less Stuff, she and her husband could afford to buy a house that would hold them comfortably whereas now they can't, and are stuck renting from a series of slightly dodgy landlords.
I found it a useful counterpoint to the minimalist lifestyle: I'm not very interested in being puritanical and minimalist, but I think minimalism is not my problem right now! Mostly I am trying to tackle and remove the clutter that gets in the way of enjoying the nice things in my life. But I try to remember that I am supposed to be making my house nicer, not punishing myself for accumulating so many things.
Focusing on numbers helps me mark progress day by day and keep at it, when I can't see visible progress in a room or even a shelf. It also helps remind me that I live among abundance, and to think twice before bringing more in. However, I think what's more important is the meaning behind the numbers: stuff going out taking away unhappy/guilty/negative feelings associated with it, and stuff coming in chosen to meet a need or simply to make me, or someone I love, happy.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-01-18 10:33 pm (UTC)I found it a useful counterpoint to the minimalist lifestyle: I'm not very interested in being puritanical and minimalist, but I think minimalism is not my problem right now! Mostly I am trying to tackle and remove the clutter that gets in the way of enjoying the nice things in my life. But I try to remember that I am supposed to be making my house nicer, not punishing myself for accumulating so many things.
Focusing on numbers helps me mark progress day by day and keep at it, when I can't see visible progress in a room or even a shelf. It also helps remind me that I live among abundance, and to think twice before bringing more in. However, I think what's more important is the meaning behind the numbers: stuff going out taking away unhappy/guilty/negative feelings associated with it, and stuff coming in chosen to meet a need or simply to make me, or someone I love, happy.