As the name suggests it is a short book, if you can get rid of things you don’t need you are then not ruled by your possessions and can have a better life. Starts off with a challenge that you can set yourself and a friend remove one item out of your house for thirty days, but increase by one a day, so by day 30 you are removing 30 items.
To help declutter put things into three categories
Essentials: food clothes sheltered. Most needs here are universal.
Non-essentials: things we want in our life
Junk: Items we think we like but they don’t serve a purpose or bring us joy.
Get rid of junk. 90/90 rule have you used it in the last 90 days or are going to use it in the next 90 days – if not get rid of it.
Consider getting rid of 10 items for every 1 item you purchase – so buy things deliberately. This would include items you keep ‘just in case’, note these differ to items such as fire blankets which are emergency items and ‘just for when’ items which are consumables such as toothpaste.
Avoid unnecessary purchases by putting off purchasing items by asking yourself if you can get by without the item. The more expensive the item, the longer you wait. The aim is to purchase items with intention, not impulse.
Don’t upgrade items, when they break or wear out, consider then replacing, repairing or going without.
If struggling to sell things add a time deadline and if this passes just donate the item to charity. When you look at an item think what if it spontaneously combusts – would you care or be relieved?
With giving gifts gift experiences, not items, equally if receiving gifts be more specific about what you enjoy and perhaps point them in the direction of the experiences you want to enjoy with them.
