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It is true that culling the volume of things owned by parents can be a nightmare. I had to do this for my grandmother years ago and am starting to help parents

It is true that culling the volume of things owned by parents can be a nightmare. I had to do this for my grandmother years ago and am starting to help parents with the same. It is amazing to me the volume of things they have held onto all these years for no discernible reason. Years ago I committed to reducing the clutter in my life. It was such a pivotal moment. It was no longer necessary to move things from here to there in order to put up Christmas decorations, etc. I do think that overall we see value in things that truly have no monetary value all while keeping this item of "value" in the attic or in a box without seeing the light of day for decades. Things take a great deal of time and energy and for me personally, there seemed to be a connection between a disorganized living space with a disorganized mind/life. I cleaned all of that up and found I had better health, had time for the things I enjoy most in life, and was far happier than I would have imagined by having "less."

will_brown 9y ago
>there seemed to be a connection between a disorganized living space with a disorganized mind/life. I cleaned all of that up and found I had better health, had time for the things I enjoy most in life, and was far happier than I would have imagined by having "less." I agree and think this concept is ancient, evidenced by the concept of spring cleaning and the idea of-not necessarily the quote - "cleanliness is next to godliness".
- jdbernard 9y ago
  If we're going to put this kind of stock in cultural perceptions we should consider also the converse: the long-standing association of disorderliness with inspiration, creativity, and genius.
  - will_brown 9y ago
    I think we can both agree genius is the exception to the rule, not all geniuses are disorderly and rather geniuses can function highly or even thrive in environments where people of average ability can not, but in no way does disorderliness create geniuses.
    - jdbernard 9y ago
      OK, exclude genius from my statement. Let just limit it to creativity and inspiration. Messy business. Of course, my real point is that both connections are tenuous and reductive. It's a fun bit of pop psychology, but I doubt either is actually true in general.
fspacef 9y ago
Came to a similar epiphany when I had to move out on short notice. Since then I follow what I call the "1 suit case philosophy" - If I can't fit all my stuff into one standard size suit case and fly, then I have too much stuff.
- dba7dba 9y ago
  I wish that's the case for me but can't with kids and wife. Looking around though, most of the stuff I use daily will fit in a suitcase, except for 2 monitors.
- vacri 9y ago
  That's a philosophy that most musicians can't adhere to.
  - thaumasiotes 9y ago
    They should take up the flute, or singing. ;)
    - analog31 9y ago
      Damn, I played the flute, and switched to double bass. ;) The problem is that my town needs roughly 2 or 3 professional flutists, but every band needs a bassist.
- imron 9y ago
  That will last until you are married and have children.
  - hrktb 9y ago
    You move to a 2 suitcase per person philosophy, but I think it’s still a valuable approach. Even if you keep around some stuff that are not vital but ‘nice to have’, maintaining a restricted set of things that are enough to live your life if the whole family had to move without notice helps for peace of mind.
yodsanklai 9y ago
> It is true that culling the volume of things owned by parents can be a nightmare. I recommend giving everything to a charitable organisation. They'll know what to do with all the stuff. Where I live, they'd come with their truck and take everything.
eighthnate 9y ago
Things that you own end up owning you.
ksk 9y ago
>I do think that overall we see value in things that truly have no monetary value all while keeping this item of "value" in the attic or in a box without seeing the light of day for decades. Things take a great deal of time and energy and for me personally, there seemed to be a connection between a disorganized living space with a disorganized mind/life. I cleaned all of that up and found I had better health, had time for the things I enjoy most in life, and was far happier than I would have imagined by having "less." I don't quite see how an item lying in an attic would make you unhappy.
- jbob2000 9y ago
  You are mentally holding on to those things in the attic, whether you consciously realize it or not. It occupies passing thoughts, and when you want to do something, it becomes one of the chains in a long chain of shit-that-needs-to-get-done. "I can't go an visit my mother because she'll want to go swimming, my bathing suit is in the attic under all my old hockey gear, and if I have to move the gear, then I'm just going to donate it. Well, donating it requires a trip to the thrift store, which is closed today. I guess I won't visit my mother". (In software development, we call this process "yak shaving"). An item lying in an attic saps energy from you, often when you least expect it. So yeah, it can make you unhappy.

will_brown 9y ago

>there seemed to be a connection between a disorganized living space with a disorganized mind/life. I cleaned all of that up and found I had better health, had time for the things I enjoy most in life, and was far happier than I would have imagined by having "less." I agree and think this concept is ancient, evidenced by the concept of spring cleaning and the idea of-not necessarily the quote - "cleanliness is next to godliness".

jdbernard 9y ago
If we're going to put this kind of stock in cultural perceptions we should consider also the converse: the long-standing association of disorderliness with inspiration, creativity, and genius.
- will_brown 9y ago
  I think we can both agree genius is the exception to the rule, not all geniuses are disorderly and rather geniuses can function highly or even thrive in environments where people of average ability can not, but in no way does disorderliness create geniuses.
  - jdbernard 9y ago
    OK, exclude genius from my statement. Let just limit it to creativity and inspiration. Messy business. Of course, my real point is that both connections are tenuous and reductive. It's a fun bit of pop psychology, but I doubt either is actually true in general.

fspacef 9y ago

Came to a similar epiphany when I had to move out on short notice. Since then I follow what I call the "1 suit case philosophy" - If I can't fit all my stuff into one standard size suit case and fly, then I have too much stuff.

dba7dba 9y ago
I wish that's the case for me but can't with kids and wife. Looking around though, most of the stuff I use daily will fit in a suitcase, except for 2 monitors.
vacri 9y ago
That's a philosophy that most musicians can't adhere to.
- thaumasiotes 9y ago
  They should take up the flute, or singing. ;)
  - analog31 9y ago
    Damn, I played the flute, and switched to double bass. ;) The problem is that my town needs roughly 2 or 3 professional flutists, but every band needs a bassist.
imron 9y ago
That will last until you are married and have children.
- hrktb 9y ago
  You move to a 2 suitcase per person philosophy, but I think it’s still a valuable approach. Even if you keep around some stuff that are not vital but ‘nice to have’, maintaining a restricted set of things that are enough to live your life if the whole family had to move without notice helps for peace of mind.

yodsanklai 9y ago

> It is true that culling the volume of things owned by parents can be a nightmare. I recommend giving everything to a charitable organisation. They'll know what to do with all the stuff. Where I live, they'd come with their truck and take everything.

eighthnate 9y ago

Things that you own end up owning you.

ksk 9y ago

>I do think that overall we see value in things that truly have no monetary value all while keeping this item of "value" in the attic or in a box without seeing the light of day for decades. Things take a great deal of time and energy and for me personally, there seemed to be a connection between a disorganized living space with a disorganized mind/life. I cleaned all of that up and found I had better health, had time for the things I enjoy most in life, and was far happier than I would have imagined by having "less." I don't quite see how an item lying in an attic would make you unhappy.

jbob2000 9y ago
You are mentally holding on to those things in the attic, whether you consciously realize it or not. It occupies passing thoughts, and when you want to do something, it becomes one of the chains in a long chain of shit-that-needs-to-get-done. "I can't go an visit my mother because she'll want to go swimming, my bathing suit is in the attic under all my old hockey gear, and if I have to move the gear, then I'm just going to donate it. Well, donating it requires a trip to the thrift store, which is closed today. I guess I won't visit my mother". (In software development, we call this process "yak shaving"). An item lying in an attic saps energy from you, often when you least expect it. So yeah, it can make you unhappy.