During this recent journey of decluttering, I have used the concepts of inventory management and essentialism to shape my decisions. I first heard of Inventory Management from Dawn at Minimal Mom on YouTube. This statement references that the things in our homes are inventory for living our lives and as a result they must be managed in some form.
For example, we acquire, clean, put away the dishes and then at some point in the future these dishes may get replaced or given away. Now imagine everything in your home that the statement could be applied to. That’s a lot of inventory, yes? We many not be able have zero inventory. However, we can chose the amount of inventory we manage.
Now that I understand the concept of inventory management, I am actively pursuing the inventory threshold that provides me the most peace and calm within me and our home. I am combining this with the essentialism concept, which I wrote about here.
I’m asking myself some questions. If it’s not essential to our needs or provides us a sense of joy or fulfillment, why then am I storing and managing it? What inventory is essential to a life that is seeking peace and calm in a busy world?
Let’s walk through some of the inventory in my home under review this year.
Christmas Decor
The first thing I found in our Christmas bins was an outdoor power strip for Christmas lights we have NEVER used and was given to us. Clearly not essential inventory. One full bin contained two strands of garland possibly not used in any form in at least four years, plus a wreath with a similar situation. Again, not using equals excess inventory.
The decision to let this Christmas inventory go resulted in an empty storage bin. I love storage bins, so it’s tempting to keep ‘just in case’. This time I could see the bin as excess, particularly as I could see another empty bin the same size nearby also being kept ‘just in case’. Turns out releasing inventory will result in excess storage bins. I’m taking this as sign we are on the right track with managing less.
The Garage
A trip into our garage is a huge lesson in excess inventory. I have things grouped and organized quite well, it almost doesn’t look cluttered. However, I found many packages bought with multiples, when we only needed one. We tend to keep the rest just in case. I found several plastic pots that new plants came in. I’m kept them just in case too! Turns out I’m not even sure in case of what. They could be useful right? Instead, they have wasted our space and now my time hanging around. I look around in the garage and see more inventory that will go this summer. A new in box window air conditioner that doesn’t fit any windows in this home, half a pallet of bricks, a washer hose, sprinklers not used in 7 years (we have an automatic sprinkler system!!), and more. The excess, unused inventory is not essential and it’s time to stop managing it.
Memorabilia
The biggest inventory that has been on my mind in recent years is the tubs of memorabilia we are storing and toting around the country when we move. Much of these sentimental items just stay bound up in bins never getting any air or our attention. I do understand this because for we tend to be in the present or looking forward, time looking back is limited, particularly at physical items.
I pulled out two shoeboxes of letters my husband and I wrote each other in the early 1990s while we were dating and living in different cities. We have said for years we should look through them and we finally did! We both agreed that we are ready to let them go. That is the past and we can’t quite imagine reading them again. Plus, they feel like excess inventory. They are gone, but there’s more work to do. I’m close to letting go of my junior high and high school yearbooks, but I’m saving a book I wrote in 6th grade called The Secret and for which I won a young authors award from my school.
I will never have no memorabilia, but I do know I want less to manage and leave to others to remember me. I’m not sure my kids will remember me for the 6th grade book I authored, but they will know I was once a child with ideas, which seems more meaningful than a curated book of classmates of whom they never met. What is essential to leave to the next generation? What amount of inventory do I want to leave and manage until I go?
It’s All Under Review
Everything in our home is under review this year. I will keep pecking away at my things, to whittle down the inventory that gives me the most peace.
We have this one precious life and I’m convinced it’s not primarily to acquire and manage a lot of inventory. There are people to meet, places to go and inspirational words to write. The pursuit of less to find more. More time, more peace, more calm.
My new role of inventory manager is clear. I have to keep asking the questions. What is essential? What do I want to manage?
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