On stuff

Another great, spot-on essay by Paul Graham:

I first realized the worthlessness of stuff when I lived in Italy for a year. All I took with me was one large backpack of stuff. The rest of my stuff I left in my landlady’s attic back in the US. And you know what? All I missed were some of the books. By the end of the year I couldn’t even remember what else I had stored in that attic.

I’d like my home to be almost totally empty, with only a few top-quality items. In order to do this, over the past couple of years I’ve been trying to abide by this principle: everything new that enters my life must replace something else. For example, if I get a new shirt as a gift, I must look for a shirt in my closet to donate to charity. It’s not something I mangage to do in every instance, but still a good habit to cultivate.

August 6, 2007 | Archived in Productivity