I do not own much. That is my choice, and it is how I like to live at this moment. Keep things simple and easy to maintain. It might change in the future, but I doubt it. 

When I buy stuff, it just weighs on me and also adds additional weight to my surroundings. I like to keep that weight light. The space around you does have energy, and when you load it up with too much stuff, it can suffocate the energy and put a squeeze on your well being.

I prefer my energy to be breathing life into my well-being, so you need to give it the proper space to do so.

Recently, my wardrobe is the thing that has been weighing me down. I buy a tad too many T-Shirts. Uniqlo T-Shirts are of excellent quality and value – I recommend them. However, over time they have accumulated in a fair amount of unorganised bundles. They are tidy. They are just not sorted by washed-out status, age damage, size or fit.

I also have shirts and jumpers, which I brought to China with me four years ago, and I have not sorted them out. It now all just feels heavy. I have too many clothes, but I lack a bit of energy around organising them to what is good and so should keep and what should be hoofed out towards the recycling.

Clothes are not my thing. They are body coverings to me and not much more. No big fashion statement, just function and that they look good enough is the main reason I buy most items. I have never really seen any article of clothing and said, wow, I want that. 

Clothing and fashion just don’t do it for me. But I do fancy a bit of a change. Possibly an upgrade to my style because I can afford to be a bit more choice in what I buy. However, again, the thought of adding more weight to the wardrobe isn’t exciting for me and the idea of trying things on and checking them out for fit, well… not that appealing either.

So, the idea of clearing through my wardrobe and drawers etc. fills me with quality procrastination. This is one of the things I do find a reason to put off. No more, though, as I have found a way. I set a thirty-minute timer and then tried on my clothing items, and within that thirty minutes, I play a game of ‘retain or recycle’. When the thirty-minute alarm goes off, I stop and put aside the recycle clothes for the pickup and the others I tidy into an empty shelf.

Oh, I forgot to say. I bundled all the T-shirts from one of the shelves into the others so I could have an empty shelf to feed the keeper T-shirts into. So far, I have had one thirty-minute session, and it was good fun, I enjoyed it in a perverse kind of way.

I got through a decent enough bundle. I reckon I will need a few more thirty-minute sessions to get all my clothing items cleared, organised or recycled.

When you are doing this type of exercise, you have to be ruthless, and I have been. You have to be good at the old decision quality and be brutal in what goes out because it is coming down to protecting your own mental health. You need the space and the organisation back for the clothing and the sense of positive energy surrounding you. So be unmerciful and unforgiving with what you try on. No erring on the idea that you might keep it for when you need a duster or something old to do some painting in… none of that, get your killer instinct and be vicious.

Trust me, you have to do it this way. It is for the greater good.

I have slaughtered many of my simple black crew-neck T-shirts for being shabby and it has felt warranted.

---

---