Why less is more
Traveling has not only given me new impressions; it has shaped an entirely different way of thinking and sharpened my sense for what truly matters.
Especially when traveling, unnecessary possessions quickly become a burden. The focus shifts to experiencing something new. During a six-month journey living out of a car, I was forced, simply because of limited space, to reduce my everyday belongings to the bare essentials. That was the moment I realized how little one actually needs to experience life, and to truly live it. Makeup, facial toner, my once-beloved hair straightener. Suddenly all of it felt unnecessary, even irritating.
"... and then I realized that adventure was the best way to
learn..."
Owning many things we believe we need often causes us to lose sight of what is important. I distinguish between passive and active unnecessary things.
Passive things are items like the dress you bought on vacation and that has been hanging in your closet for years, still with the price tag on it.
Active things, on the other hand, are items we use in everyday life but do not truly need. Their origin usually lies in daily routines. What makes them dangerous is the accumulation: together, they consume an enormous amount of time, space, and mental energy. Examples include smoking, the pursuit of perfect makeup, constant smartphone use, and similar habits.
How to identify unnecessary things in your everyday life
You don’t need to spend six months living out of a car to understand what you don’t need. There are effective methods and approaches that can help you regain focus.
To get rid of passive, unnecessary things, decluttering is the first step. This is often harder than it sounds. We tend to believe we might need these items someday, or they are emotionally tied to memories or people. In such cases, organizing philosophies like Dan-Sha-Ri can help. Originating in Japan, its core idea is to declutter life in order to free the mind and soul.
Active unnecessary things require a different approach, as change does not happen overnight. A good first step is to analyze your daily routine, or specific situations within it: What do you do step by step? Which items do you use along the way? It is important to link each step with the corresponding item. Then, assign priorities to each item. Once this is mapped out, you can begin experimenting with leaving things out, starting with those of lowest priority. Since humans are creatures of habit, setting a defined time frame is crucial. Over time, a sense of lightness will emerge in certain everyday situations.
The burden created by the sum of unnecessary things in our lives can steal our time, push what truly matters into the background, and even make us unhappy. That is precisely why it is so important to consciously make time to declutter.
And if you still want to discover something new, reconnect with yourself, or simply embrace an adventure, traveling is, at least in my view, one of the best ways to do so. Just remember: traveling light makes the journey much easier.
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