Given that I am not a big proponent of going through the motions I resisted suggesting downsizing tips here as blanket new year’s resolutions since they are rarely effective. But I did experience some downsizing of my own recently that moved me to own and operate even less stuff than ordinary so I thought I’d share my process here. The breakthrough for me came when I purchased a new backpack more suitable for the winter weather we experience here.
As pictured above, it is a rather rugged black bag made by Oakley, the popular lifestyle company best known for its sunglasses. I got it half-off at a local sporting goods shop and it accommodates a ton of stuff, the basics of which I call my daily dozen. Besides the bag itself, I carry my MacBook Air laptop, Altec Lansing headphones, iPhone SE, Moleskine notebook, Pentel pencil, Pilot pen, Melitta commuter mug, RayBan sunglasses in a Levenger case, and Peepers readers in an Osgoode Marley case.
In an ironic twist, the simple act of buying a new bag caused me to reevaluate the type of stuff that I typically carry and to get rid of what no longer suited me, including unused or outdated notebooks, gadgets, etc. While I am not prepared to live out of one bag as more radical minimalists propose, this intentional exercise called “bag-mapping” was helpful with honing my stuff to an essential kit for daily use in my mobile lifestyle.
Speaking of such exercises, I recently read a useful book titled User Friendly: How the Hidden Rules of Design Are Changing the Way We Live, Work, and Play by Cliff Kuang and Robert Fabricant, who quotes fellow designer Jan Chipchase: “Bag-mapping is a useful exercise to become acquainted with the norms of a society…What we do or don’t decide to carry is a reflection of ourselves and the environment in which we live and work.”
And in another book I read called Fewer, Better Things: The Hidden Wisdom of Objects, author Glenn Adamson writes, “What if we were to approach every object according to its potential for narrative and meaning…This would mean attending closely to the qualities of all our possessions. It would require us to make a place for each thing in our lives, treating it as singular, special, and significant…If we were to bring objects into our lives one by one, each time with genuine care, it would be better for us, better for society, better for the planet.”
For you inveterate travelers author Rick Steves shares his thoughts on traveling as lightly as possible in A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration with Michael Shapiro: “I live out of a carry-on-sized suitcase for a hundred days a year. I spend a quarter of my adult life in Europe living out of one suitcase and it’s a beautiful thing. I don’t need all that stuff…In Europe, it’s me, my suitcase, and Europe.” So, here is to traveling light, whether abroad or closer to home!