I’m reading a novel called “My Year of Meats” by Ruth Ozeki and was struck by the following passage. This quote is by a documentary filmmaker living in a small New York apartment:
“It’s a ritual I perform every year. I go through all my possessions, touching each one by one. I reconsider everything I own, and either choose it again or throw it away. It’s a deterrent to shopping and stuff stays special that way.”
I love this passage (except the throwing away part); I like the idea of touching and reconsidering each possession on an annual basis.
I can’t help but think that if I did this my garage would not look the way it does right now. Unfortunately, I don’t have a small New York apartment that forces me to reconsider everything I own. Instead, I need to be self-disciplined. Oy!
Seems overwhelming to go through everything, but I’ve found that breaking things down into small tasks helps.
Drawer by drawer, I’m trying to make it so that my possessions are ones that I would choose again today.
What are your strategies for tackling clutter?
