We Need Far Less Than We Think

Do you feel overwhelmed by your stuff? You are not alone. Approximately 54% of Americans feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in their homes. This overwhelm keeps us from living the hell out of life. I am here to say you deserve better. You deserve to maximize your life and not be a slave to your stuff. Break free, maximize your life by simplifying your stuff.

Overwhelmed by this stuff

Maya Angelou said it best, “We need much less than we think we need.” A simple but very accurate statement but one that many people struggle with. But we’ve got this.

Once we see it, believe it and act upon it, it’s a life changing revelation. It’s the first and most important piece of advice I can give about simplifying your life so you can maximize it.

Our surroundings one-hundred percent influence how we feel internally. If you walk into a calm space that is visually clean, has only the essentials and has a pleasant or no fragrance your body and mind relaxes. There is no overwhelm.

If you walk into the same space with stuff strewn everywhere, piles on the floor, piles on the surfaces, everything and the kitchen sink, maybe even dust and then there is this odor. Your body gets tense, your face squishes up and you feel stressed. You want to just shut your eyes and forget that it exists.

These are two very different extremes, but it’s to illustrate that our environment has a direct correlation to how we feel. Which way would you prefer to feel as you walk into your home? I’m guessing it’s the first, calm scenario. No one intentionally sets up their home as the second scenario. To live your life without the burden of maintaining so much stuff we need to de-own it.

Back to the concept of more than we need. In the morning I need one cup to put my coffee in. I usually use the same cup everyday because it’s my favorite. I need one cup. But when I open the cabinet to get my cup there are over twenty cups there to greet me. Do I need the other nineteen cups? No. I can hear you all now, “What about the other people in the house? Don’t they need a cup?” Yes they do, you are correct. I don’t have nineteen other people living in my house. I have four other people. So we need five cups. Now is when our mind starts finding reasons to keep the other fifteen cups. What if you have some friends over? You’ll need a few more cups. Okay, I’ll keep an additional five cups. Now I have ten. Yes, I need ten cups for the other coffee drinking people who do not live in my home. I am using the term “need” here very loosely. With this math and reasoning, I still have ten additional cups that I do not need and do not get used. They are taking up space, collecting dust and cluttering up the cabinet and my mind. They can be donated and someone who needs cups can use them now instead of them hanging out in the cabinet.

Now do this with everything you own.

Holy, mother of pearl! That is a lot of stuff, that is just hanging around. No wonder you feel like you don’t have time to do the things you want to do because you are maintaining all this stuff you don’t need.

A widely used statistic is that the average American home has over 300,000 items in it. That’s the average. That means there are households out there that have way more and some that have way less. This statistic comes from a LA Times sponsored research study.

If we look back 100 years ago the average home didn’t have that much stuff. People lived with only what they truly needed. Their closets weren’t overflowing with clothes, shoes and bags. They had a few pieces of clothing for everyday work or home wear, one or two nicer pieces of clothing and maybe two pairs of shoes.

What changed? After World War II consumerism exploded. We were marketed that you need X, Y and Z to live the life you deserve for all your hard work and sacrifice during the war years.

Modern day is just as bad. You deserve to treat yourself. You “need” the upgraded phone, car, clothes, shoes, bags, TV’s and on and on. But do we? Do you feel more satisfied with life because you have twenty coffee mugs. I’m guessing not.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t have nice or special things. I’m saying if we have too much we don’t know what we have and none of it then is nice or special. If it’s just shoved in a drawer or in the back of the closet you can’t appreciate it, we just have stuff.

Here is a challenge for you. Only thinking of what you need as an individual, not you as part of a family unit. Write down what items are needed or essential for you to live. There is absolutely no judgement here.

Here is an example of part of my list:

Prescription Medications

Glasses / Contacts

Toothbrush and Paste

Hair brush and hair ties

Make up

Pants (work) (nonwork)

Shirts (work) (nonwork)

Shoes

Socks

Under garments

Cellphone and charger

Laptop and Charger

Sunglasses

Go through your day and write down what you actually use. This is a great way to start seeing what you are actually using. Not what you think you are using.

At the end of the day were you surprised by what you used or didn’t use? If you really want to dig deeper, continue this exercise for a week. Use the original list and add to it as necessary. Mark on the list if you use an item again another day. If you wear your watch everyday then mark it everyday.

Once you start realizing there are certain things that just never get used and you do not need them in your life. Then get rid of that item(s) as sustainably as you can. I use donations to let go of my unneeded items. I get the item out of my house and someone else who needs the items gets to use it. Win / Win.

Minimize your stuff so you can maximize your life!

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