Kelly Sutton, over at The Cult of Less has been receiving a bit of attention lately for his decision to dramatically reduce his possessions and digitise his life. I’m not sure if I’m keen to part with physical books yet but it’s made me start compiling my own list of essentials.

It’s not a new idea. Folks have been intentionally simplifying and downsizing their lives for years. In 2007, a guy called Dave Bruno set himself a 100 Thing Challenge where he reduced his possession count to less than 100 and then lived with only 100 possessions for 12 months.

My working list currently stands at 111 items (and it excludes consumables such as food stuffs, toiletries, notebooks, etc). There are whole categories of things I haven’t included (books, CDs, tools) because the number would lose all meaning if they were included.

Initially, I was aiming for keeping it under 100 items as per the 100 Thing Challenge – and sure, it could drop under 100 items depending on where I was living. The number is arbitrary though. This is all about minimising the clutter and noise in my life. If I own something it has to serve some essential function in my life or be so beautiful that every time I see it my heart swoons.

I still have a long ways to go…

But in the meantime here is my current working list of my 100 Things …

My 100 Things

Laptop

Phone

ipod dock / stereo / speakers

headphones/headset

Backpack

Messenger bag

Wallet

Keys

pen

glasses

long pants casual x 2

long pants work

shorts x 2

gym short

track pants

tshirts x 5

underwear x 6

bra x 2

socks x 3

Singlets x 2

Jacket – heavy

Jacket – light / sports

Jumper

Flannelette shirt

Long sleeve shirt – work

Long sleeve shirt – casual

collar shirts x 2

togs

boardshorts

rashie

Pyjamas – winter

toothbrush

wetpack

umbrella

shoes – boots

shoes – shoe

running shoes

thongs

hat

bed

side table

bedside lamp

heater/fan

desk

bookshelf

chair

dining table

dining chairs x 2

couch

lounge table

tv

tv table

bike

bike helmet

shopping bag

glass

wine glass

cup

plate

bowl

knife

fork

spoon

cutting knife

cutting board

small saucepan

small steamer

large pot

frypan

spatula

large spoon

bottle opener

large bowl

comb

brush

bathtowel

bathmat

facewasher

beach towel

sheets

pillows

doona

broom*

dustpan & brush*

mop*

bucket*

vacuum cleaner*

fridge*

washing machine*

outdoor chairs x 2 *

*these would depend on where/who I was living/with

It’s been an interesting exercise in discovering what physical possessions are important in my life and I intend to use it as a guide for what I keep and what I let go of. Interestingly, as I give each item consideration, I find I’m changing the way I think about consuming. For example, if I have one set of sheets (I’m not sure if that is practical) then they sure as heck are going to be beautiful.

I’m curious to see where I am with it in 12 months.

No related posts.

Apparently Henry David Thoreau said,

“Our life is frittered away by detail… Simplify, simplify, simplify! … Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose.”

It’s hard to believe that lives could be complicated in Thoreau’s time (1870s I believe?). His statement, however, is ripe for our times and I have a hunch that the mantra of “Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.” is going to be uttered by many over the next few years. It’s quite a paradox that simplifying one’s life isn’t always a simple thing. First, we’ve got to get rid of the material junk – all those toys, gadgets, and THINGS that we once thought were so essential and going to make us happy happy happy. But they just made us broke. And stressed. 

And then, once we ditch the physical crap we have to get rid of the beliefs, behaviours, relationships that really do not enhance our lives. As Mies Van De Rohe said, less is more. And Thoreau lets us in on a possible “more”: Purpose. When we clear away the crap, why we are here and what we are here to do begins to shine through. 

Related posts:

1. Apparently, Deepak Chopra said
2. Apparently, Albert Einstein said
3. Apparently, William McDonough said