What To Do Against Hoarding

[Psychonaut]

I recently moved and realised how much crap I have. I thought I had little compared to others. I have been sorting out my stuff for literally dayssss. Before moving and after moving.

I have a whole box of electronics I need to sell on ebay, one box of electronics that are worthless, bags and bags of paper and just stuff I decided to throw away.

I think it's good to give everything a second thought before buying it and think if you really need it. But I believe you will just accumulate stuff nevertheless because your hobbies change and then you dont need the things anymore. You think you will get back into the hobby but never do and then it just collects dust and looses worth.

So my question is: Do you have any habits of actively working against just accumulating more and more and more and more and more stuff. I think there should be a routine of purging your stuff, just like we meditate everdyday to purge our mind. We should keep our house in order aswell.

[T1r1on]

I kind of naturally organize and throw away things. I didn't use to. The first real time was about a year ago. I just got a wild hair to do it. It seems like about once a month I get the urge. But, now I've reach a point of equalibrium. 

So far as a routine goes just go through and organize stuff until you can't anymore. Just do a check every month once you hit this stage. The more I think "it's just stuff" the more I get rid of.

[FindingPeace]

On 26/02/2016 at 9:38 PM, A Lone Wanderer said:

So my question is: Do you have any habits of actively working against just accumulating more and more and more and more and more stuff. I think there should be a routine of purging your stuff, just like we meditate everdyday to purge our mind. We should keep our house in order aswell.

I think before I buy something. The important questio is "Do I need it?" as apposed to "Do I like it?" or "Is it good value?" or even "Do I want it?".

The way I look at it now is this: the more stuff you have the more suffering it brings. Why? Because it become more of a liability. The more you have the more you have to lose. The more you need to maintain, protect and store. The more you haveto think about. It creates stress.

How much of the 'stuff' even gets more than a second glance once you have it? How long before it gets filed away and lugged around from one house to the next? How many of those "it might be useful one day.." items do you still have and never didn't become useful?

I go through stuff several times a year. And I get ruthless about throwing it out. There is also huge relief you feel when you do. But most importantly I make sure that I don't replace stuff that I discard with more new stuff.

Minimalism is my new philosophy. How happy does all the stuff make you anyway? Do you really need it? I have discovered that I don't and that I actually feel much happier without it all.

Seems counterintuitive because society conditions us to believe that accumulation of material things benefits us. But you'ld be suprised about how much better you feel with less material acquisitions. After all, as we self-actualize we should be seeing beyond the hedonic rewards of material possession.

[Cabot]

I highly recommend this book: 
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo 

Short, simple and powerful concepts regarding the way you view your possessions.  
I listened to the audio book while driving, it's only about 4 hours long if I remember correctly.

[MIARIVEL]

I am guilty of this.. although I am a sucker for personal development programs, books, audi books, printing out e-books. I just can't seem to stop but my justification is that it is my business so I continue to buy these sort of things for personal and professional growth. 

Everything else I am very minimal and picky. Take it from someone who moves a lot, I hate having a lot of things especially when you can't afford a mansion to fit everything I used to buy sometimes lol. Its true though, the more you have, the more problems it does seem to create (unless its personal development material) can never have too much of that =)

[DayTraderEdward]

Being motivated by growth cut out most of the junk I would collect. Now it is mostly about experiences, something junk can no longer satisfy. 

[Anna]

I organize my stuff on a regular basis. I always ranted when I saw my mother hoarding stuff.

I also think twice before I buy something. Saving money for traveling or going out seems more beneficial to me.