

Here's a good reason why you should get rid of things you don't use. - wizardofoz
http://nat.org/blog/2009/05/murder-your-darlings/

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bretthoerner
[http://diveintomark.org/archives/2008/11/03/the-pursuit-
of-h...](http://diveintomark.org/archives/2008/11/03/the-pursuit-of-happiness)

 _The pursuit of happiness_ (Mark Pilgrim)

1\. Stop buying stuff you don’t need

2\. Pay off all your credit cards

3\. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in your house/apartment (storage
lockers, etc.)

4\. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit on the first floor of your house
(attic, garage, etc.)

5\. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in one room of your house

6\. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in a suitcase

7\. Get rid of all the stuff that doesn’t fit in a backpack

8\. Get rid of the backpack

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erikstarck
You should check out the Bruce Sterling speech from Reboot11. He talks about
categorizing everything you own into four categories: beautiful stuff, stuff
that you have a strong emotional connection to, tools that are absolutely
needed to live a better life and "the rest". Everything in "the rest" category
you should get rid of. Video of speech is here:
<http://video.reboot.dk/video/486788/bruce-sterling-reboot-11>

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mixmax
_"The things you own end up owning you"_

\- Tyler Durden, Fight Club

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pg
"Murder your darlings" actually means something more specific than that. It
doesn't just mean not to be attached to passages you like, but to be
especially suspicious of them.

~~~
ivankirigin
Interestingly, that's the 3rd variant of the phrase i've heard in as many
days. Perhaps those using it should be obligated to rephrase it ;)

~~~
cracki
using -> ignoring

obligated -> doomed

rephrase -> repeat

huh?

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jamesbritt
For folks curious about the origin of the phrase, "Murder your darlings":
<http://www.bartleby.com/190/12.html>

~~~
mahmud
Or in "the parlance of our times"[1] "The things you own end up owning you"[2]

\--

[1] The Big Lebowski

[2] Fight Club

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edw519
You're preaching to the choir. Tell my SO.

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HeyLaughingBoy
Maybe it's just me, but I can't relate to a feeling of "guilt" simply because
I haven't used something in a while. I'm not attached to my stuff, I just
don't care as long as the place doesn't look cluttered.

The only reason I have to toss stuff (that's paid for) is if it takes up too
much space. And I have acres of storage room.

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spaghetti
My favorite method of getting rid of possesions is just sell the 10% you use
the least. Then repeat on the remaining stuff. The first iteration is pretty
easy. Once you actually experience how little you miss the items the 2nd, 3rd,
4th etc iterations come naturally.

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jimfl
Another good reason you should get rid of things you don't use: They're
flammable.

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catch404
I was wondering where I'd seen this before - It was picked up on
planet.gnome.org. :)

