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LESS IS MORE

© Linda Little

I said in another article - not for Suite101 - that people should reduce their resource use. I was rightly taken to task for it because, as the reader pointed out, it is all very well saying something must happen but far more helpful to give hints on how something can be made to happen.

The title of this article is "Less is More". At first this might sound contradictory but what is actually meant is that if you simplify your life by reducing the number of items you are hanging onto you might well get more out of living.

So, what are the benefits of simplicity?

• You use less environmental resources
• This means that you are doing your bit for the environment
• Your living costs are considerably reduced
• You take less time looking after your possessions
• You need less space to store them
• A less cluttered home looks more sophisticated and stylish.

Now for the important bit. How do you achieve this remarkable, simple lifestyle. After all, if you have been living on this planet for any length of time, your home will probably be jam-packed with a huge variety of objects. Where do you start. The task seems almost overwhelming.

The starting point is the easiest part of this and you will feel marvelous when you have completed it. Go immediately to TASK ONE....

TASK ONE - Get rid of the objects you hate!

There are three exceptions to this rule.

1. Do not get rid of the home you live in.
2. Do not get rid of any storage furniture that houses other objects.
3. Do not get rid of objects that do not belong to you.

With the exception of the above three rules, please look now for all the objects that you hate and place them in a huge (or hopefully small) pile. All these items will be leaving your home for good, but do not just stick them in the dustbin. After all, these horrible things might end up as someone elses prize possession.

Try to find a home for everything. Give family and friends first refusal on all of these things and make sure that everybody knows and sees these possessions before you do anything else with them. Many a family rift has been caused because someone has thoughtlessly thrown away an object that someone else in the family always wanted.

In this situation presents given by one family member to another might be particularly tricky. You will know better than I do what approach to take over this. Is the gift something that the giver might want for him/herself? If so return it and explain, gently, that you are trying to hold onto far fewer items. Would another family member appreciate the item? Would the giver be offended if the item was transferred? You could explain that the other family member wanted more. I don't have all the answers on this one.

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