The New Minimalist

Or how I learned to stop worrying and embrace the clutter-free life.

- Trina Epilepsia Boutain

“You have to throw that out,” I said to a colleague cleaning out his cabinet at work. The item in mention was a plastic case that could, in theory, hold change, medicine or tissue, but in practice simply acquired dust and despair in its uselessness. ‘No, I can re-use it!’” he said, a note of panic in his voice. An admitted hoarder, he had several piles around him during this supposed purge, one for disposal, another for keeping and three more that he didn’t—couldn’t—explain to us.

Many of us struggle with clutter. I know I do, which is why I have a quarterly clean up of shelves and cabinets, a relentless and ruthless activity where I throw or give away items that have ceased in their usefulness or have spent a year unable to fulfill their potential (like a great many thank you cards—thanks email). There are also many people like my colleague, who will keep loose buttons and old sticky notes for sentimental reasons. Then there are also those like my husband, who refuses to part with floppy disks, his fourth-grade astronaut costume (which is now kind of cool) and an ornate wooden photo album that an ex-girlfriend gave him (definitely not cool, but we have a prenup so all is fair). “Sayang” is something that many Filipinos often say when it comes to the things that take up space in our closets and garages. While it’s sometimes very cool to remember that we have just the thing packed in the recesses of our attics, it’s often not enough to justify holding on to everything.

LET IT GO