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Anca Tiurean

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How have you re-edited your life/space?

I invite you to contribute with ideas as to how be practical in reducing the "stuff" we own and to how we can fill the void they leave with something that money can't buy.

Related Talks:
Topics: behavioral economics happiness
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  • John McKim

    • +2
    Oct 10 2011: The thing I did recently to declutter my home was to get a divorce, she took half. That was a joke. In seriousness it forced me to actually open and look inside those boxes and most of what I found was either thrown away, donated or is getting put into a garage sale. I still have my 2500 square foot house, and while I'm not finished decluttering, I have made a very large dent in it and I'm happier than I've been in years.
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      Anca Tiurean 10+

      • +1
      Oct 10 2011: Perhaps the divorce adds to your happiness or/and perhaps the change in itself feels like a fresh start. I guess your house does not look emptier - I guess it looks like full of possibilities (?) :)

      • John McKim

        • 0
        Oct 10 2011: I agree a certain level of happiness goes along with the divorce and it is a fresh beginning. It also forced me out of my comfort zone and I had to adapt. I discovered an inner confidence that I didn't know I had which gave me the strength to make the necessary changes to better my life. I now want to live a simpler life and eliminate the clutter.

    • David Simon Cousens

      • 0
      Oct 11 2011: I had a similar editing experience - going from a three-bedroom house, two vehicles, an attic full of who knows what, a garage full of who knows why and walls of "stuff" from floor to ceiling. That got reduced down to 4 medium sized boxes and my guitar. The fact that it was motivated by a divorce is incidental, the important thing is that having cleared all the accumutated rubbish that seemed so important at the time I feel so much better. Sure, 3 years on I can't still claim to be able to fit all my posessions into 4 medium sized boxes but at least now I think before I accumulate each new item - Do I really need it, or just want it? If I just want it, will I still want it in a week or a month when the initial "consumer buzz" has worn off (I force myself to hold off and see). I also have a rule that if something comes in, something goes out - and I don't cheat by buying something like a flat-screen TV and giving away a pencil either :)

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