NO DAMN ATOMS.

• Rocknerd: Sign up or go underground in the summer of '81.

Stuff used to be valuable and people didn't have much of it; these days, it's actually not the least bit rare or of value and most people have too much of it. That is: we're all rich now, and we don't know how to cope with the fact.

The key point I have discovered in my own recent massive household declutter:

Distinguish "generally useful" or "potentially useful" from actually useful.

No, you'll never eBay it. No, you'll never wear that shirt or those boots. No, you'll never fix that laptop. No, you'll never get around to finding someone who really wants it. No, that weird cable won't actually ever be used for anything, because it hasn't been used in the past five years. No, you haven't even touched that box of potentially useful tech in the past five years, and there's no evidence from your behaviour that you will in the next five. No, you'll never even get around to taking it to the charity shop. No, it may be a shame to throw out something so obviously useful, but it's a curse. No, you never did any of these things in the past so there's no reason to assume you will in the future. No. No. Stop making bullshit excuses. JUST NO.

Get a big roll of garbage bags. Go through everything, methodically, room by room, shelf by shelf. Skip nowhere and nothing. Delight in having so many full bags of discards that your bin overflows.

You have to be utterly uncompromising. Set the "when did I last use this?" to one year. Anything unused in longer than that better have a REALLY EXCELLENT justification.

If you swear you're going to eBay it, give yourself one week to do the listing. If it's not done, throw it out.

A very helpful method is to have someone else to help you be uncompromising. Particularly with kicking your backside when you make one of the excuses. This aids in developing the proper visceral loathing of stuff.

Paul Graham's essay talks about the problem. He lists books as an exception. THEY ARE NOT AN EXCEPTION. Be as ruthless with your book pile.

(I already don't read my paper books. I'd rather download a PDF than read the book that's on the shelf just over there. This appears to be unusual amongst my friends.)

NO DAMN ATOMS. EVERYTHING MADE OF ATOMS IS A WHITE ELEPHANT UNLESS IT CAN PROVE IT CAN PAY ITS BLOODY RENT. AAAAAAAA

Update: And when you think you've done every part of every room, start again. I just threw out two bottles of olive oil marked best before 2004. WHAT.