Clearing Out
We just finished one of our regular pushes to clear out our wardrobes, bookshelves and drawers.
I love getting rid of shit we don’t need. Life becomes so cluttered with the “maybe-this-will-be-usefuls” and it’s important to me to reset regularly.
It helps that we live in a relatively small flat in North London, and so the extra space makes a difference in and of itself. But I also think there’s a mental release from reducing the amount of “stuff” around you. For me, it underscores the fact that there isn’t really that much that I need in life when it comes to objects and material possessions.
My usual rule to triage what to get rid of and what to keep is to ask myself this question: “If I needed this, would I know it was here?”
If the answer is “No”, then by default it has to go. OK, but what if I did need it, wouldn’t it be worthwhile having it somewhere? Maybe, but the reality is that if I needed it and couldn’t immediately find it, it’s highly unlikely I would turn the flat upside down to do so. Obviously if it’s blatantly obvious that it’s in that camp of importance, then perhaps I’d break the rules, but usually it’s not. Allen keys, instruction manuals, boxes, random keys, random cables, spare chargers, old books, notepads, etc etc all fail the test - and so they go.
And what does “go” mean? That’s where Vinted comes in, if the thing has any value at all. Better for the planet than the bin, and a couple of quid here and there. What’s not to like?