Keep a few items that have great value to you
Summary
- When decluttering, don't get rid of everything. Select a few items that have great value to you, and have a great story behind them.
Details
- Display these items, talk about them, tell people about them.
- This will also allow you to get rid of everything else that is not that important.
References
Quotes
A Legacy List—which I go into deeply in Step Five—is also a tally of five or six must-have keepsakes, items that have so much inherent worth that it just makes sense to hold on to them. They are the material possessions that you value the most. You will tell their stories for years to come. Preserving them for generations past and present can be a wonderful way of keeping your ancestors and loved ones alive. For all the importance of decluttering and downsizing—that’s why you’re reading this book, after all—it’s crucial to set aside a few select things that you are going to keep. For one thing, preserving the past, savoring the special moments and people from your life, is a deeply human activity. You’re trying to simplify and improve your life by paring down your possessions, not attempting to remove all traces of your past like Don Draper from Mad Men. Also, by allowing yourself to indulge in half a dozen essential artifacts, you’ll have an easier time getting rid of the less important stuff. Telling myself I’ll never eat mint chocolate chip ice cream again is not realistic; I can better stick to a diet where I have ice cream once a week (maybe twice).