Photography and excerpts from Goodbye, Things, courtesy of W. W. Norton & Company.
Minimalism has lots of rules: Do this, don’t do that; keep this, throw everything else out.
Which is why we were happy to come across Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism written by Fumio Sasaki, who is not a minimalism expert, but a regular guy living in Tokyo who used to live in an apartment cluttered with stuff (books, CDs, beer cans, electronics), like many of us do.
1. Gain a clear understanding of why you can’t part with your things.
The bare-bones living room of a minimalist couple, profiled in the book. Is it because you feel guilty about throwing it away? Does it feel like you’re throwing away a fond memory that is attached to it?
2. Let go of the idea of “someday.” Things we don’t need now will probably never be needed.
Living with fewer things cuts down on cleaning time, Sasaki notes: fewer things to wash, less to move out of the way.
3. Discard any possessions that you can’t discuss with passion.
Keep and display only favorite items.
4. Be social; be a borrower.
One woman’s summer wardrobe, profiled in the book, consists of only eight items.
Tatami mats in a minimalist room. We’re not trying to decide between a gift of $10 or $100, for example—we’re deciding between $1 or $1 and a penny.
5. If it’s not a “hell, yes!” it’s a “no.”
“There’s a phrase that I like that goes, ‘If it’s not a ‘hell, yes!’ it’s a ‘no.’’ When we ask ourselves, ‘Should I get rid of this?’ we can turn that around: ‘If it’s not a ‘hell, no!’ it’s a ‘yes.’’ It’ll help us discard everything except the things we absolutely can’t part with.
Goodbye, Things is available on Amazon for $14.68.