16. 1. When did you last use this? 2. Can you find another one of these easily? 3. Could somebody you know use this more than you? 4. Would any of your relationships suffer if you got rid of this? 5. Would you run back into a burning building to rescue this? Lifehack.org ................
18. .................. Define your “needs” Remember each purchase has several impacts “ Stuff” only makes you happy for a very short period Think what else you could do with that money Acquiring stuff is a evolutionary hangover
19. ................... "When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you." - Lao Tzu “ Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” - William Morris
Maslow Not one person will starve to death. Or die of thirst. Compare those needs to the “need” for an iPhone 4.
Define your needs They'll differ. This dude needs less.
Not just financial. There are ethical, environmental, moral and emotional impacts every time you buy something.
We're comsuming 3-5 planets. 2,000 trees a minute. Children as young as those in the kids tent are sitting in factories for 18 hours at a time, just so you can wear a cheap pair of trainers. You know all this stuff. I don't need to tell you. Besides, there are people here who are a lot more qualified to tell you all about it
Daniel Gilbert's (?) slide about millionaires vs spinal accident victims. Time and time again we've seen that there's no correlation between happiness and the amount of stuff you own. There;s a whole lecture on this stuff about our expectations of what makes us happy – Daniel Gilbert TED talk.
Whether it's a physical thing, or a life changing experience, there's huge evidence to suggest that happiness that comes about because of it is short lived.
So what makes us want things, and why do they make us happy? Nature AND Nurture Partly because we are constantly surrounded by very clever messages designed to convince us to buy more stuff.
Target driven. It's why we've evolved. And we also had to be aware that a drought or famine could just be around the corner. We had to stockpile and hoard. Obesity. We're hardwired to chase the next thing. We're hardwired to compare – winning a lottery, getting the new job, car, phone – shortlived joy. Happiness linked to “stuff” is like when you turn up your iPod.
And for me, it's these targets, grass-is-always greener attitude that is one of the biggest problems. As we've seen, once you get that car you'll want a bigger one. We've all experienced getting our dream job, and then being sick of it six months later. Friends, experiences, travel – these things make us happy. So why are we working so hard to accumulate more stuff when we could be doing more stuff like this? That glow soon fades, and you're left with a bunch of stuff cluttering up your life.
Buddhists are right. Everything you own has an emotional impact on you. But you're sad when it breaks or you lose it. Isn't it better to put time and energy into things that last forever, like friendships and experiences you'll never forget.
Not here to preach. And you'll have to prise my laptop and phone from my cold, dead hands. But here to maybe make you think about the amount of stuff you own, and buy. And now have a look at a few tips to help you simplify and declutter.
Some tips to help you do it. Think about the implications. What else could you do with that money? Whose life could you improve? Curry with a mate? Do I need it? Is it essential? Will it really make me more attractive? 1 in, 2 out.
We live in an age where it's becoming easier again to live with less stuff. We can buy and sell stuff we don't need.