cherished mementos

One of the hardest things about simplifying your possessions is figuring out what to do with the mementos you have from loved ones: photos, notes, letters, cards, little gifts, and more.

It’s hard to let go.

Recently on Twitter someone asked: “Both parents gone. Tried to keep small things, photos – even then it’s alot of stuff. Regret tossing some notes & cards ..help?”

I can’t imagine how hard that would be, losing both parents and trying to hold on to memories of them. So I won’t try to give advice there. What I can do is say what has worked for me in allowing myself to let go of possessions but hold on to memories:

1. Scan. Old photos, letters, cards, notes, report cards, kids’ drawings, awards, etc. All can be scanned and saved into your computer. Use a program such as Evernote to keep them all organized, synced among your computers, and backed up online.

2. Take pictures. If the object can’t be scanned (a little teddy bear, or a wedding dress), take a digital photo. Keep them all organized via Google’s Picasa photo program — it’ll also store everything online, privately if you want, and you can use it to sync between computers. Wouldn't a picture of someone holding or wearing or using something you love mean more, anyway?

3. Share with others. Give some of the most treasured things to others who will enjoy having them. Allow them to pass them on to other loved ones, etc., so the love and memories can be spread rather than hoarded.

4. Box things. If you really can’t part with things, even after scanning and taking photos of them, put them in boxes and put them out of sight, in storage, marked with a date that’s 6 months from now. On that date, open the box and if you realize you didn’t really need the items, then pass them on or toss them.

5. Remember what’s important. It’s not the actual, physical objects that matter — these you can learn to let go of, with time. What matters is the memories. If you can hold on to the memories, by looking through scanned letters and photos on your computer from time to time, then you’re good.

This post was originally crafted by Leo Babauta and edited by me. 

Want to change the world? You can! Change the way you live. Change your world.

Want to live in a car-free world? Stop using a car. Now the world you live in becomes one in which you walk, bike, and use mass transit. Others might not follow, but that’s their choice. If you want to live where there aren’t any cars, there exist such places (seriously, Google it!) and you can move to one of those places if that’s important to you. But already, you can live in a car-free world.

Want to live in a world where your food isn’t shipped thousands of miles and grown unsustainably by agribusiness? Start a garden. You can just start with one plant, and then another, and another until you have enough to eat eventually. Or start a community garden, or use farmer’s markets, or join (or start) a CSA. You can make a difference in the world just by changing the way you consume your food.

Want to live in a non-consumerist world? Stop buying things. Make things last, reuse things and move to reusable things (such as cloth napkins and glass containers). Fix things when they break, trade your unwanted belongings to others, join Freecycle. Stop watching ads (which might mean you stop watching TV or reading ad-supported magazines and newspapers). Write to your local officials and ask them to create regulations on advertising to children. If you want to stop being a compulsory consumer, you can. 

Want to live in a paperless world? Stop buying and using paper. Want to live in a world with no orphans? Adopt. Want to live in a world with no trash? Embrace a zero-waste lifestyle. Want to conserve water? Do it. 

If you want a change, then make a change. You likely can't change the whole world for everyone living in it, but you can certainly change the world you live in. 

This post was originally crafted by Leo Babauta and edited by me. 

While paper letters (though cool) have become mostly outdated, most people still get a lot of mail. And it piles up, sitting unopened or unfiled or unacted upon.

The answer to this flood of mail isn’t in better handling methods or better systems of organization (though this is also a good thing), it’s in getting less mail. So here are my recommendations — though they won’t work for everyone, and they’re not comprehensive.

It’s simply a process of systematically stopping the mail at the source.

Look at all your mail, both personal and business, and figure out how to stop it from coming. Some examples:

1. Catalogs: Email or call the company, request to be removed from their mailing list. It takes a few minutes each, so either block out a chunk of time to get it all done at once, or just do a few each day until you’re done.
2. Junk mail: This is a tough one, but here’s a pretty good guide. The first step is the most helpful, in my opinion.
3. Bank or other statements: Go to your bank’s website and request for electionic statements or call the bank and request that they stop sending statements. If you do your banking online, as I do, it’s always available.
4. Bills: Set up autopay for all of your bills, where the utility or other company bills you straight from your bank account or credit card. Request e-bills or no bill at all if you autopay.
5. Checks: If you regularly get checks from a company (and if you do, congrats!), ask them to direct deposit into your account, or send via Paypal.
6. Contracts: If you get sent contracts to sign, ask the company to use an online service for e-signatures. They’re faster and perfectly legal — I’ve used them many times.
7. Invoices: Ask the business or company to email the invoice or use an online invoicing service.
8. Correspondence: Not sure why some companies still use paper business letters instead of email, but ask them to email you instead.
9. Magazines and newspapers: Cancel your subscriptions, read online.

There are probably many other types of mail I’m missing, but you get the point. For just about every type of paper mail, there’s a digital alternative (or, you might not need any alternative — just stop it from being sent).

I haven’t completely eliminated incoming mail. Some companies are just slow to adopt electronic alternatives. But I’ve eliminated most, and it’s been a huge relief - mentally, physically, environmentally... I highly recommend it.

This post was originally crafted by Leo Babauta and edited by me.