What Do You Do With All The Stuff When You Minimize?

What do you do with all the excess "stuff" when you minimize a room or a space? This is definitely a problem, one that I cannot put off solving.

First, by cleaning up and minimizing the stuff in my office, I have created chaos in the hallway outside of the office, and on my kitchen table.

Do I have a solution? Yes, but take a look at the scene of chaos I created by clearing the office...


Even using "artistic" black and white photography cannot cover up TOO MUCH STUFF!

Of course I knew this task was coming. Everything that came from the office had to go someplace. This is where the real challenge of minimizing comes in. Previously, when I have made an attempt to get organized and get rid of stuff, I would get an area cleaned up, create a repository of stuff (also called a "dumping ground"), and there the stuff would sit until eventually moved someplace else where it would return to its natural state of "clutter".

But this time I vow it will be different.

A key to minimizing is that there must be a place for everything, even if the place is in the garbage or in a donation box. Yes, it seems like it might be hard to get rid of things that have emotional meaning, or that I might need someday, but things are just things, they are not people or relationships. Other people need some of this stuff now - I do not need it all.

The bottom line: Rather than letting the stuff sit around and stall my quest to become a minimalist, it goes today... Yes, today! Look for a report later today to find out how I did.