So, I was reading Real Simple the other day... ( Click the cut for Sarey's ramble on clutter and emptiness )

Sarey's Five Essentials for 'Decluttering'. (Can you call a major life shift like this, 'decluttering'?)

1. Realize you've got more shit than you need and begin to deal with the stuff that you clearly have absolutely no use for, what so ever. In this case, 'deal with' is the painless euphemism for sell/donate/throw away, or otherwise get rid of.


2. There's ancient wisdom about how your space affects your life. It's ancient, and more importantly, enduring for a reason - there's a serious amount of validity to it, and whether or not it's been proven by modern science is completely besides the point - it's been proven by centures of human experience. Learn up on it, start to apply it.


3. Differentiate between the person who presented you with something and the thing they presented to you. Feel free to sell/give away/donate what you no longer wish to have in your space. And don't forget that even family heirlooms are maintained by you - at some point you'll give them up. Do you only wish to declutter when you die, or do you wish to reap the rewards of decluttering in this lifetime?


4. Put your life in a global context, because that's the context you actually exist within. At what price do you own your stuff? Is that the price you're willing to pay? If these questions make no sense, continue your research on the price of consumerism, and the ethics of consumerism.


5. Take a good hard look at your life, your activities, your assumptions, your spending habits, and your possessions. What do they say about your values? Do you like what you see? When you've finished doing this, do it again. And again. And again. And next year, do it again and again. And the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that. If at any point you don't like what you see, do something about it. After all - it's your life. You can change it, if you wish. In fact, you're the only one who can.