Today, I read a very interesting article in the NY Times. The story of the woman in the article really resonated with me, especially since I recently expressed my own frustration with clutter. Since my blog post, I’ve totally cleaned my work desk so that on the large table-top there is only my monitor and a mug for coffee. Before, it held dozens of books to boost the monitor to standing-eye level (I stopped standing), as well as papers, a place to write with a dry-erase marker, food, a bowl, a fork, lots of crap, etc. I cleaned up the bookshelves around my desk too, and the results were quite pleasing. This evening when I got home, I cleaned up my side of the office, which made me feel better too. I stuffed some old shoes (goodbye sneakers!) into a donation bag and that was that.

The woman in the NY Times article has basically done what I’ve done, except much, much more thoroughly. While I merely wiped rubbish of my desks, she reduced her entire life to 100 items. One hundred, which perhaps seems like a lot until you consider that each item of clothing, each lamp you use for light, each fork you use to eat all count towards that total. Today, while my class took their final exam, I chatted with my co-instructors and we decided to reproduce the woman’s results, if only in a thought experiment.

Reader, I challenge you to repeat this thought experiment. Email me the results, or post them as a comment, and I will post them along with my list of 100 items. Feel free to add commentary, strategies, or your thought process at arriving at your 100 items. Here are my rules (which may differ from other rules, but hey, this is my thought experiment):
1) You are limited to 100 items in your life. Things that are bolted to your home do not count, but this does not exclude heavy objects. For instance, I would not count my shower or toilet as an item, but I would count my fridge.
2) Things that are a “consumable” do not count, but things that are a “wear-out-able” do count. So I would not count that tube of toothpaste, but I would count the toothbrush. Food does not count. Clothing does.
3) “Siamese twins,” such as socks or gloves, count as one item, but forks, knives, or other “set” items count as individual objects. For instance, if I kept my camera, I would have to add a lens as a separate item. I counted “keys” as one item, same as “computer + power cord.” Mouse and keyboard were separate, though.
4) Assume you are trying to live your life as you are now. You must stay in your present location, work your present job, etc. If you are living with someone, imagine they went on vacation (you can’t use a spouse to offload shared items).
5) Be realistic. If you only put two pairs of underwear on your list, ask yourself if you could do laundry every other day. If you don’t put any light sources, ask yourself if you’d really sit in the dark after sunset. If you could, that’s fine; be honest with yourself.

If you find yourself stuck, try the following exercise: mentally walk through your day, and write items down as you use them throughout the day. For example, I wake up in a bed (1) with my pillow (2), pillowcase (3), and sheets (4). I brush my teeth with a toothbrush (5) and cup (6), then shower and towel (7). I head to the kitchen, where I make coffee (consumable) in a press (6) and drink it from a mug (7). You get the idea. It sounds time-consuming, but you might be surprised at how quickly it goes.

I look forward to seeing your 100.