Bookshelf

Image by JayMantri from Pixabay

This is part of my series on Decluttering Mental Models.

Early in my career, I worked in a cubicle. I covered every surface with programming books, manila folders, print-outs, knick-knacks, and office supplies. My space was cluttered, and I longed for a larger desk.

Eventually, my wish came true: I now work from home and use a dining room table. It’s 6 feet wide, very sturdy, and covered with stuff. Sometimes I dream of a second table. When I mentioned this to my wife, she rolled her eyes and said, “Do you really need another surface to cover?”

She’s right. I’d definitely cover a second table. And wish for a third.

More space → more stuff.

Now, all that extra stuff has a price. For example, I have several bookcases in my home office. Whenever I have a few inches of empty shelf, I buy books. It’s almost as if the shelf is lonely and wants to be filled.

And I hesitate to buy books when I run out of space. My little brain whispers, “Don’t buy another book. It won’t live with its friends in a bookcase. It’ll be an orphan and be lost forever on your cluttered desk!”

More space → more stuff → more money spent.

This idea extends beyond bookcases. No matter how many cupboards I have, I fill them with random things that I forget about because they’re out of sight. No matter how big my closet is, I fill it with shirts and shoes and ugly sweaters. And empty bedrooms—oh boy!—they’re the worst. They cry out for beds and lamps and nightstands. And their empty closets beg for boxes and last summer’s garage sale deals.

In my old age, I’ve come to accept this about myself. Filling every space is part of my nature. Part of my programming. I know there’s a strong correlation between how much space I have and how much money I spend.

Instead of fighting this, instead of paddling upstream, I use this to my advantage. I limit my space and limit my expenses.

Less space → less stuff → less money spent.

More Decluttering Mental Models:

Top 10 Favorites

  1. How I answer the question: “What if I need this later?”
  2. “The Container strategy” will simplify your decluttering
  3. Selling clothes is for suckers (unless you earn $15/hour)
  4. Wait 48 hours before buying stuff
  5. 21 questions to ask before you buy
  6. The radical way to measure wealth, part 1 and part 2
  7. We’re trained to be dissatisfied with what we have (and how to fix this)
  8. Clear clutter by zoning your home
  9. How screen time kills your motivation to declutter
  10. Dear car dealers: I don't want a "free" T-shirt with your logo

Get started

  1. Clear clutter by zoning your home
  2. How I answer the question: “What if I need this later?”
  3. “The Container strategy” will simplify your decluttering
  4. Hold each item and ask, “Does this spark joy?”
  5. When the “Does this Spark Joy?” fails you, ask these 6 questions
  6. Create your “Discard by Feb. 2022” box
  7. Decluttering yearbooks? Ask these 8 questions first

Shopping

  1. 21 questions to ask before you buy
  2. Wait 48 hours before buying stuff - version 1 and version 2
  3. How a grocery shopping list saves me time, money, and pounds

Manage your clothes

  1. Selling clothes is for suckers (unless you can earn $15/hour)
  2. Dear Dude with too many T-shirts: no one wants to buy them—just recycle/trash them
  3. Don't be like my friend Giorgio with his 400 Hawaiian shirts
  4. None of my clothes "spark joy"—so what do i get rid of?

Happiness & satisfaction

  1. Limit pleasurable things so they don’t lose their novelty
  2. We’re trained to be dissatisfied with what we have (and how to fix this)
  3. Craving never stops and my potato chip addiction
  4. Reminder: happiness levels stay consistent

Get motivated

  1. Want to boost your motivation to declutter? Immerse yourself in decluttering videos, podcasts, & books!
  2. How screen time kills your motivation to declutter
  3. Imagine your ideal home… Imagine all the clutter is gone…
  4. Feeling unmotivated? Declutter with a 5-minute time box

Manage your money

  1. The radical way to measure wealth, part 1 and part 2
  2. Save money by controlling aspirational identities
  3. I wasted so much money starting projects (and how I fixed it)

Manage consumption spirals

  1. How consumption spirals work
  2. Buying a house led to an enormous consumption spiral
  3. How craving completeness drives my consumption

Shift your Paradigm

  1. Change your environment, change your consumption
  2. 3 thought experiments to adopt a decluttering mindset
  3. Your home is not a storage unit for other people's crap!
  4. Before you buy stuff, do this little mental exercise
  5. Less space, less stuff
  6. That’s right, you and I pay for the privilege of seeing viagra ads
  7. Your home is an expensive container for your stuff. What’s your cost per sqft?

Manage your emotions

  1. Can you tolerate boredom?
  2. Fill the void with a long term goal

Control the Clutter

  1. Dear car dealers: I don't want a "free" T-shirt with your logo