Less-stuff is not about chucking everything out and leading a minimalistic lifestyle, it’s about choosing with intent the things you keep around you. If everyone else around you thinks something is hideous, but it means something to you, has good memories and makes you happy then keep it!

For everything else, here is a way to identify quickly what you don’t need in your life.

Today, we are going to tackle one shelf or surface in your home. It can be in any room but as an easy start, just choose the one nearest to you.

Look at the clutter on it and….

Ask yourself:

• Do I use it?
• Do I like it?
• Is it a part of something else I lost a long time ago?
• Is it broken?
• Should it be there?
• Have I got more than one of them?
• Will I ever use it?
• Is it ugly?
• Is it something you mean to finish but probably won’t?
• Is it something you are keeping because it was a gift but you don’t like it?

If, on your way,  you find broken things then throw them away or recycle them.  You can count them in your 5 things too if you like.

The whole point of this is to get your home full of usable things that you like and that make you feel good.

If your shelves are full of things that make you very happy then keep them. If they don’t make you happy then why have them in your house?

Just 5 minutes for 5 things. It’s easy.

Want to talk about it?

I'm Lisa Cole. I'm a designer and writer who lives in Bristol. Less-stuff is about my journey to live a more organised life. I document little things I can change to live more sustainably. I'm not a minimalist!

If you found this post interesting and want to discuss it you can find me in the less-stuff Facebook group or you can Tweet me here.

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