keep it simple lifestyle

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Simplicity is king

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I have noticed an interesting personal trend over the last few years. I have been getting rid of alot of junk that I no longer use, or that I find pointless. (Note: When I say junk, I don't mean necessary things like food, sundries, and toiletries.)

I think it stems, surprisingly enough to me, from my professional career. I have constant struggles with overcomplexity, both in software development and in network infrastructure design. Cognitive load and pointless complexity are evils to be stamped out. Simplicity is king.

The Junk Accumulator

As you go through life, you tend to pick up junk. Family and friends go on vacation, and bring you back random knick-knacks from far off places. You get a new computer and the old one becomes yet another server sitting off to the side, getting little (if any) use. You accumulate a large assortment of random pci cards, ide cables, and motherboard screws.

My wedding, surprisingly, produced little extra duplicate junk. No man needs two toasters. I think the wedding registry helped here. We didn't register for things we didn't think we needed, so we got little that we do not actually use.

Reduction Assistance

Some things lend itself to the reduction of useless junk. For instance, over the last few years, I have had a tendency to move quite a bit. I think I have an average of a move every 1.8 years, or something like that. I haven't moved in about 2 years, and I am getting a bit antsy truth be told.

When you move, you uncover junk you didn't realize, or had forgotten, that you possessed. Moving things you don't use doesn't make much sense. Neither does keeping something that you have lived without for X months, and never once used. In fact, it sucks! So each time I moved, I always got rid of things I didn't need, and/or things I no longer used.

The fact that my wife and I live in a smaller apartment helps with junk reduction as well. I think our apartment is around 700 sq. ft. We have done considerable organization and optimization, and things are well laid out these days.

Thoughtful Analysis of current stuff

I try to prioritize things I own. I tend to think of it this way. "If I were to lose everything suddenly, what would I replace, and in what order?" Things that I wouldn't consider replacing (for whatever reason), I generally tend to get rid of. There are a few exceptions. One exception is artwork. I have accumulated some wall hanging artwork that would likely be impossible, or very difficult, to replace. That doesn't mean I get rid of it. I make a clear distinction between artwork and knick-knacky type items though. I mean, just how many pez dispensers does a person need?

Thoughtful Analysis of new purchases

I also question myself when I consider a new purchase. I ask myself why I think I need whatever it is I am considering.

Larger ticket items

Larger ticket items seem harder to get rid of, because they cost so much to begin with. I know that I certainly have a harder time letting go of something expensive that I no longer use. Maybe it stems from feeling foolish for having bought it in the first place if I end up not using it later.

So, for larger ticket items, I also tend to think about a purchase for longer than most people (or is this more common?). I will often go to the store and look at it, narrowing down the choices of brand, etc. I may even go to different stores to shop around. Then when I think I have found exactly what I want, I leave the store without buying it. I go home and think about it, away from the shiny store with advertisements and pushy salesmen. Away from the hunter gatherer mindset. When shopping for some things, I often head out with the purpose of only narrowing down my choices. I won't even consider purchasing as my goal for the day. This make it much easier to ignore impulse shopping which just leads to useless junk and money wasted.

If something is on sale, I try not to care. This runs counter to logical thought in some ways, but in the long run, I think it makes some sense. Larger ticket sale items are a store's attempt to get you to but something. Here is something to think about. Stores don't care if you get a good deal. They just want to clear their inventory. If it is something you need, good for you. If it is something you don't need, or just think you need today that you don't really need, then even better for them!

If you think that you have to buy something now because you find it on sale, and you haven't put considerable thought into whether you actually need it or not, then that is marketing induced wrong-thinking. Don't give in!

If you really need something, then you will get it whether or not it is on sale or not. If you can't afford it when it isn't on sale (here is another gem for you) then you probably can't afford it at all. Most sales prices are not really that far below normal prices. As it happens, today's sale price will often be tomorrows normal price.

There are exceptions, but I still try very hard to only buy something that I have thought about before hand. If it is on sale when I am ready to buy it, then great! If buying something today just because it is on sale now means buying it without thinking about it, then no.

Ways to get rid of things

I generally try to resell things that I no longer use. Craigslist is a great resource for this. Sometimes a local newspaper can be as well (both online and print).

However, I have often had trouble getting rid of things that are taking up space and no longer useful to me. I have found that it is sometimes better to just donate the item than to hold onto it trying to sell it forever.

There are likely many places in your local town that take donations. It may be prudent to call and ask if they accept the types of items you are thinking of donating before hand.

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