So it makes sense to carefully consider what we keep in our homes.Most of us own lots of things that make us feel bad (unused gifts, clothes we don't like or that don't fit, books we’ll never read, etc). And if it’s normal to have hundreds or thousands of possessions, then we are each, at all times, bearing the weight of hundreds or thousands of these relationships.

Every possession is a relationship

Our possessions are more psychological than physical. What a thing is is much less important than what it does to your mind when you own it.

The psychology of owning stuff

Getting rid of stuff can be quite liberating. Much of this process is about deciding who you are and who you’re not going to be. You can’t move forward when you’re trying to keep a foot in every door.

Decisions about your identity

Summed up, it goes like this: you go through every possession you own, hold it in your hands, and keep it only if it evokes some kind of “joy”.The theory is that any possession that gives you bad or mixed feelings is too costly to have in your life, if it’s possible to get rid of it.

The KonMari process

You will eventually find a lot of things that you need to keep, despite the fact they bring no joy. To help address this, keep a running list of things you want to replace with a more pleasing version.

What you 'need' to keep

I spent six weeks getting rid of several carloads of possessions, and three days arranging what was left. Now my socks are arranged by color, my apartment is way bigger, and being home feels like a vacation. Some of you have been following my experiment with Marie Kondo's The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

What you 'need' to keep

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Choosing What To Keep

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