30-day Minimalism Game.

I'm a "just-in-case" guy. I keep things "just-in-case" I need them in the future, never really knowing when that will be. I guess I have acquired this habit from the people around me... or maybe it's just one of those 'Filipino' things where we don't remove the plastic wrapper of a newly-bought TV, keep the box of shoes that we bought (even years after the shoes were gone), or keep the gifts we received somewhere in the wardrobe, in the cupboard, or on the table, just because they're 'too good' or 'too expensive' to use.

So why do most of us like having these ‘just-in-case’ things?

Why do we like keeping stuff that we don’t use? There are many reasons. One of those is because we never really know when we might need them, so in a way, it’s for our security or our comfort in the future that we are worried about. For others, it’s the sentimental value—maybe from a loved one, a product of an unforgettable experience, or from someone we admire the most--- that matters because they make us remember some important moment, something that we don’t want to lose, something which we have identified as already a ‘part’ of ourselves.

Now there are hundreds of reasons out there but I guess now that I’ve mentioned two common reasons, let me narrow the root cause into two: The Past and The Future.

The past

We keep these ‘just-in-case’ things because we hold on to the past. We do not want to lose our identity or the things that make us remember who we were, what we experienced at a certain time in the past. We want to somehow remind ourselves that we’ve done 'this' or that we’ve become like 'that' at least once in our lives. And this feeling sometimes gives us ‘hope’ that we can still change things. It can give us a burst of happiness. It can also make us sad or even feel nostalgic—and that feeling feels good even if we feel bad (got that?) thinking about it.

The future

We keep these ‘just-in-case’ things because we want to feel secured in the future. Ever wondered why most people want more money than what’s enough for them? It’s that thing called ‘saving for retirement’. We keep the ‘just-in-case’ things around so in case we need them, we have access to them.

Having these things around is not something that’s bad. But we don’t always need them. In fact, sometimes they hurt more than they help. Instead of them helping us become focused on the things that we need (or at least the things that we want), they stop us from really knowing what we need. They become clutter. And instead of adding value, it decreases the value that we give both to the useful things and to the ‘just-in-case’ things that we have. Instead of really valuing the shirt that my mom gave me, it’s difficult to appreciate it because I have 50 other shirts--- and it’s causing me headache just to choose a shirt to wear.

Realising this, I guess it’s time for me to do something about it. I think that Barry Schwartz was right in “Paradox of choice” where basically he was saying that having too many things to choose from often leads to the consumer feeling bewildered when facing the choice and less satisfied even after taking a decision. The more options we have, the more difficult it is to choose, period. This doesn’t only apply to choosing, but also to actually ‘doing’. The Pareto principle for example, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

How is that connected with the excess or unused items I have at home?

Simply put, the more shirts I have, the more difficult it is for me to choose from them, therefore wasting valuable time. 80% of the shirts that I wear are 20% of all the shirts I have, this means that 80% of my shirts are technically useless! The sad part is, there are thousands of people out there who don’t have shirts (or at least nice shirts to wear) yet here I am letting my shirts (or other things) collect dust in my wardrobe.

What can I do to help myself then?

It’s not simple and it takes a lot of emotional power to ‘let go’ of things especially the ones that seem important to us. However, I think that it’s worth the ‘letting go’ or ‘letting be’. So I decided to play the 30-day Minimalism Game. I’m going to remove one thing (that I think doesn’t add value to me anymore) on the first day. On the second day, I will remove two things. On the third day, I will remove three things. And on the 30^th day, I will remove thirty things. If I am able to keep it going for 30 days, I win. If I play it with someone, then whoever can keep it going the longest, wins.