HOUR#50-99 : EXTREME DECLUTTERING | EMIGRATION STYLE

"We cannot see our reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see."
Taoist Proverb

For the past few weeks I've been a man on an extreme decluttering mission...

So much of my worldly possessions have been given away, recycled (evil paper), freecycled, rehomed and sold (a few items).

What you see above is the culmination of my efforts and what I'm taking to with me as I emigrate :

Samsonite Backpack

Has the…

• Macbook Pro (plus power charger)
• iPad (plus power charger)
• important docusments
• 2x moleskines
• Kodak Zi8 & mic
• power travel adaptor
• assorted pens
• assorted nuts (for the journey)
• small folder of paperwork (passport, flight times etc)
  
• beanie

Suitcase (Large) The usual…

• more paper (important immigration docs, work letters etc)
• clothes
• bag of leads, chargers and other tech stuff
• hand wraps (for punching)
• two small bags
• toiletries

The Box (Largish)

Holding a myriad of stuff from coats to books, to flattened Mac boxes to punching pads etc etc. It will meet me in Christchurch when I arrive.

What got left behind is a filing cabinet full of papers (as the tax man wants you to keep stuff related to your business for five years), plus two medium boxes of various stuff yet to find a home (old photos, some DVD's, backup CD's from past work etc).


Afterthought

So there you have it.

A 100 hours of decluttering.

My mission complete and I'm double-chuffed with myself.

Obviously, the battle will be to remain a minimalist in both thought and function, not to acquire and keep things 'light'. 

My last thought as I put this blog / project to bed : if you're looking for probably the most extreme decluttering challenge ever… emigrate!


*the last calculation was that I had two weeks at home with the folks after moving out of my flat. What followed was about ten days of about 5 hours on average of going through my stuff to finally achieve the above.
**the above post was written in the air on my way to New Zealand—am now here and had some time to edit / post.

HOUR#18-22 : CREATING PILES

“The hardest thing is to take less when you can get more.”
Kin Hubbard

When you have stuff to sort out and declutter you end up making piles.

These stacks of stuff are crucial to deciding what stays / goes / gets sold / gets donated etc.

If you're like me and have built-in wardrobes in your home you'll quickly discover how much stuff is actually have hidden away which needs to be sorted.

Again, our usual nemesis paper is proving the worst pile-creator.

Don't fear the pile...

They are your friends to sorting.

Your tools to cut through the clutter.

Hour#15-16 : Paper Shredding

"The more you know, the less you need."
Yvon Chouinard

It's amazing the amount of paper you can accumulate. Hidden away in drawers and folders over the years this is the stuff you think you'll need but upon review know you will never find a purpose for.

So started the two hour shredding frenzy... scuppered a few times due to the shredder overheating!

Hour #12 : Saving Love Letters

"Through Kurt I saw the beauty of minimalism and the importance of music that's stripped down."
Dave Grohl

Came across two boxes full of letters / cards / poems / photos / notebooks etc from past loves.

There is nothing more personal than a heartfelt passage of words presented as an offer of connection and openness. Made my heart feel a little lighter and my soul was touched by how deep some of the feelings were.

It also brought up the question of whether to keep or recycle.

For me it's a simple answer : keep.

There is nothing more minimal than love expressed. The intent. The need. The beauty. The importance to cherish (even though it could've ended badly) the sweet manifestations of this emotion.

Image credit

Hour #6 : Drawers

Bet everyone has drawers like this in their homes... random junk collected from years of living.

This is one of mine!

Found stuff in this drawer over 5 years old and literally will never be needed. The other items have been binned, relocated and/or donated to others.

Now I'm only using two of the four drawers in my bedside chest—maybe I should get rid of it and move my pants and socks somewhere else?

Hour #5 : Post / Paper

I hate post.

80% is junk and the other 15% just needs to be filed and saved, leaving the last 5% (at most) which needs to be actioned (most of which can be sorted through an email or a phone call rather than killing a tree).

I just spent a best part of an hour sorting through a couple of months worth of post (I told you I hate it) and here's what I have left:

A. Shred—notifications from banks about rate changes, stuff with my name and address on etc

B. File (work stuff)—bank/VAT and other work-related statements, contracts with clients etc

C. File (personal bank statements)—maybe I shouldn't bother as I access my account online

D. Read (then recycle)—newsletters from organisations I'm a member of etc

E. Recycle—junk mail, stuff that comes in your bills informing you of other offers etc

F. File (household bills)—gas, electricity, water etc

The trick is to deal with each item of post as soon as it arrives plus having a filing system which is easy and on hand.

The other side of it is to see if I can receive certain publications via email and also cancel receiving certain bank statements.