Careful consideration is in order. You are the primary force preventing the complexity from engulfing you. Here are some suggestions to keep packratism under control, but keep in mind that whether it's a collection or simply piles of stuff, consider anything you retain as potentially hazardous to a simpler life.
Separate your possessions by seasons. There's no need to have all of your clothes crammed into your closets all year long. If spring is coming, pack away all of your winter clothes. With the first frost, it's a safe bet that you can stow all of your summer clothes if you don't already engage in such practices. Likewise with garden utensils, athletic equipment, toys, and anything else in your possession that you only employ during particular seasons. The hour or so that it takes to put your possessions into "seasonal holding bins" is more than offset by the freed up space and sense of simplicity you gain thereafter.
Store frequently used items in multiple locations. If you wear contact lenses, you know the value of using multiple stations. Lens wearers know to keep extra saline solution and storage tubes at the various stations in life: your desk, car, health club locker. Hence, you are always prepared without having to carry these materials.
What else can you store at multiple stations, freeing yourself of the responsibility to carry or be concerned with it? Pens, note pads, calendars? What else is inexpensive, often used and easily missed, such as a comb or brush, note pad, or even the kids' medicines? Anything you need at various checkpoints in your life is best stored there.
Actually, placing small items in multiple stations is a variation on the theme of dividing and conquering. In the case of your child's medicine, it's as if you have a large container and decide to parcel out portions of the medicine into smaller containers to be stored in various appropriate locations.
Manage your environment to support you. Set up your home, car, office, or any other space to accommodate the way you sleep, eat, drive, work, live. Never mind how your arrangement appears to someone else. The noted psychologist Erich Fromm once remarked that it's important not to jump too hastily to the conclusion that you're mentally ill, when indeed, it may be the society all around you that is ill. When you manage your environment, it may not look conventional or "normal" to others. Big deal. Which would you rather have? Simpler ways of doing things and being, or more involved, more complex ways of doing things merely to meet the expectations of others?
Rotate and replace what you use. One of the most effective ways to stay in control of your possessions is to engage in a form of replacement. One of the easiest ways to control the spaces in your life is to pay homage to the "replacement principle". You probably have a collection of 24 videos that you've accumulated over the years. Some are copies of your favorite movies, and others are presidential speeches, or sports contests. When you are about to videotape some other program, use one of the existing 24 tapes and copy over it. You can do it--there is one video out of those 24, if not 5 or 10, that you can live without, particularly something that you haven't looked at since you taped it six years ago!
As long as you keep your collection at, say 24 videos, or whatever you deem to be a reasonable number, you'll avoid spending any more money on video tape, control of the spaces in your life, and even be a role model to others in households that are becoming overrun by their "collections".
Focus on small items that accumulate quickly. The replacement principle works best when the items are small, relatively inexpensive, tend to accumulate quickly, and contain no one item of particular importance to you. The principle also works well when you can readily copy over or reuse existing items, or relabel them, and re-store them on your own without taking a lot of time and effort, having to make additional purchases, or without having to rely on others.
There but For the Grace of God
An effective method for paring down your excess holdings is to identify other parties who could benefit from what you have to offer. Whether it's clothes, books, games, toys, sports equipment, appliances, knickknacks, or paddywacks, there's somebody out there right in your own community who would greatly appreciate what you have to offer. Here are all kinds of suggestions for deftly distributing the goods you have to offer.
Fill boxes with target recipients in mind. As you go through your closets, drawers, shelves, and storage areas it’s far easier to fill up the box if you've already identified who will be receiving it. A home for the elderly? A school? Street people? If you have a particular charity to whom you'll make your donation and if that charity will give you a gift letter suitable for including in your income tax returns, then you benefit again.
Identify the worthy local groups. Obtain a list of all of the groups in your community that accept donations of household goods. The local branch of the United Way often maintains a roster of all such community groups, including addresses and phone numbers. Some newspapers publish an annual or special features listing such groups as well. If you call your local newspaper's back issues desk, someone there may be able to get the right issue or list into your hands for a token or no fee. Some charitable organizations themselves maintain a roster of other such local organizations.
Charity begins among relatives. Especially when giving away clothes, think about your relatives. Does your brother have children younger than yours who would benefit from a big box of toddler clothing? Does your second cousin once removed have an elderly parent living in her home who is no longer fashion minded in the least and would greatly appreciate your five old cardigan sweaters?
No "Thank You's" Necessary
A couple times a year one man from Delaware routinely sends old clothes up to New Hampshire to his brother's somewhat portly wife. The couple lives in the semi- wilderness and care little about fashion. They need lots of clothes for the layered effect necessary in winter and because those who lead the outdoor life so often rip and tear clothing as they hike through the woods. The recipient of these packages has never asked for them, but at the same time has never requested that they not be sent. She has been spotted on frequent occasions to be making good use of such offerings.
Stock your local library. Have you received books as gifts, years ago, that you have never touched and have no idea when you ever will? Do some books that you have read no longer have any connection to you? Many town libraries, particularly those in small towns, face severe budget crunches. The cost of new books continues to climb. Therefore, the books you have to donate to your local library are most welcome. The books don't need to be in top condition, but if they are, it helps. The library will issue you a gift letter, which you can use at the end of the year when compiling your taxes if you itemize your taxes using Schedule A.
Support the Salvation Army and Goodwill. A branch of the Salvation Army or Goodwill can be found in nearly every community. Both organizations are routinely listed in your local telephone book and telephone information directory. If you haven't made a donation to such a group before, it's as simple as boxing or bagging up old clothes and items, and simply dropping them off, preferably during hours the establishment is open for business. Although clothes should be clean, these operations even wash and disinfect everything they receive.
The simplest measure is to drop off your box and be gone, although you may also ask for a gift letter to use for completing your taxes.
Visit the school closest to you. Virtually all schools today face budget crunches. The elementary school in your neighborhood could use a helping hand in the form of books, magazines, paper, pens, pencils, rulers, any type of writing or desk equipment. Do you have wall posters suitable for a school building? How about charts, maps, or historical memorabilia? Schools could also use globes, educational puzzles, and video and cassette tapes (which can be copied over for their own purposes).
You may not realize it, but there's a battle going on over who controls (influences) the classroom. As reported at length in U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek, major corporations are making substantial donations in the form of branded audio-visual materials and supplies to classrooms across America. If you're concerned about the commercialization of the classroom, making donations to schools of your excess holdings is one small way you can help stem the tide.
Make a direct donation to a street person. The fastest way to make a donation is to simply hand it to the end recipient. Toward that end, you could keep some old clothes or shoes in the trunk of your car. Then, if you see someone in need, you could politely ask them if they would like to have the item you have to offer. Whether express an eloquent appreciation or mutter something incoherent, you've helped someone quickly and easily.
If you're skittish about approaching a street person directly, then make a donation to your local shelter for the homeless. Often, the staff there know who could use and will appreciate a new pair of shoes, a belt, or what have you, and will dispense your gift for you.
Give your old glasses to the Lion's Club. The Lion's Club collects old glasses, with or without the lenses intact. If your prescription has changed in the last couple years, and you're still holding on to an older pair of glasses that you never use, go ahead and donate them. Sure, you're only freeing up a tiny portion of some drawer or shelf space, but you're achieving another easy win on the road to simplifying your life. You're conveying to your subconscious that you don't need to steep yourself in excess. You can be happy with fewer possessions in your life. You are not attached to them.
Bring canned goods to your local food bank. In many communities the fire department, community shelter, or another charitable organization maintains a food bank. Considering all the stuff in all the kitchen cabinets you've been retaining, there surely is some canned item you haven't touched in a while, are not likely to use and hence can donate. The same applies to other dry, packaged, never-opened goods you have on hand. Take a whole three minutes to peruse your kitchen cabinet drawers and pantry shelves. Round up everything you know you're not likely to consume in the near or intermediate future.
Get thee to a nunnery. Churches, synagogues, and mosques can all use the most mundane and ordinary donations, such as cleaning supplies, sheets, pillowcases, towels, and even rags. Such places of worship can directly consume such items themselves, and hold rummage sales. They are always looking out for the needy in the community. Churches can also use gardening and lawn supplies and equipment.
As you survey your attic, house, basement, garage, and tool shed, don't make a value judgment as to whether or not these groups will appreciate your donation. Grab everything you know you're not going to use and donate it. Let them dispense and allocate the items how they want to.
Prepare a bundle for the Red Cross. At any given moment, some region of the world is experiencing a flood, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, tsunami, drought, famine, or epidemic. The Red Cross is always in need of sheets, blankets, pillows, pillowcases, towels, washcloths, bath mats, bathrobes, pajamas, and anything else you can prune from your overloaded collection. The Red Cross can use all types of games, toys, and gadgets. If your tiny village has just been racked by some natural disaster, you've lost everything, and you're eight years old, even the smallest toy from some well-wishing stranger halfway around the globe can bring comfort.
Round up all your old computer parts. Someplace in your community there is an art center, a youth center, a visitors' center, an historical society or some other such group that can use your old computer, printer, modem, or monitor. Such groups can also put to great use an old fax machine, TV, telephone, or any old thing that is still in good working condition. (Once again you can get a tax write-off, although this is the least compelling reason for paring down the excess you're retaining).
Creating Clearings in Your Life
As you begin to clear out portions of your home, your car, and your office, you gain the feeling of space and ease, control and simplicity. What do you do with the spaces you've created? For one thing, you don't fill them up again with more clutter or things that will re-complicate your life. Here's what you can do to have a plethora of clearings in your life.
Practice the art of restraint. Given the inherent complexity in society in general, it makes sense for you to maintain some slack in your file drawers, desk drawers, closets, kitchen cabinets, pantry, and on the shelves, mantles, and ledges of your life. There's no trick to filling up these spaces. Keeping them unencumbered requires a discipline all but unknown to the great masses of people in society today. Resist the inclination over the next several months and years to "restock" the areas you just "destocked".
Get yourself some houseplants. Visit a local nursery or home center super store and pick up a couple of low maintenance houseplants. The taller the better. Install these in the spaces previously consumed by clutter. Plants can go directly on the floor (with a flower pot), or on a table. Give them sunlight, water them, talk to them if you will and, all the while, keep your life simpler.
Rearrange your furniture. Arrange your furniture so that less covers more. Experiment with moving furniture around so the fewer items you've retained appear to occupy or provide nearly the same coverage around the room as the greater number of items previously did.
Where is it written that every square yard of floor space has to be covered or every open wall space has to have something in front of it? One obvious place to keep clear is in front of windows. Another is near doorways and entrances. You can get used to having less in each room, just as previously you were used to having your rooms more filled.
Reevaluate what you take in. Hereafter, to keep your holdings simple, evaluate, and then reevaluate what crosses your path before making the decision to retain it. Whether it's paper and documents, small items, clothing, or larger items, such as home furnishings, be vigilant as to what you choose to retain. By safeguarding at the top what enters into your personal kingdom, or queendom, you avoid having to de-clutter again later.
Ask yourself some basic questions. As you encounter each new item, ask yourself the following types of questions:
• What impact will this have on my life?
• Will this make a difference in my life?
• Do I need to have this at all?
• Is this easily retrievable if I decide to have it in the future?
• Are there any consequences of not retaining it?
• Will this make things simpler for me?
