I packed my life into a carry-on suitcase. It changed me forever.
The weeks leading up to last October were about decluttering, selling, and giving away 95% of our life before starting our digital nomad journey. All my remaining possessions got stuffed into a backpack ( later into a suitcase ). This decision changed how I look at material stuff in my life.
We have way too much stuff in our life
Everybody who moved even once said the following words: How did we get so much stuff?
That was our exact thought too. I wouldn't say that we were a hardcore minimalist household, but we were conscious in the last few years about our purchases. ( The only exception was my clothing shopping habits, but that's a topic for another day. )
And still, we had SO MUCH stuff. I use stuff as a word a lot in this article because there is no better phrase for those Ikea bags packed with cables, documents, weird mugs, pillows, pens… Things that just take up space and give you a headache when you need to deal with them.
You don’t need things “just in case”
The biggest mistake we made while packing was trying to make space for stuff just in case.
- 2 pairs of running shoes just in case the first one brokes
- 2–3 notebooks just in case I run out of paper
- Hair dryer just in case the Airbnb or the hotel doesn’t have one ( Actually this was true so I’m glad we got one in the end )
- A nice pair of Chelsea boots just in case we want to go….I don’t know maybe to London?
- An extra gym bag on top of the 4 backpacks we had. Just in case we need another bag for the…gym
- An extra charger just in case the other two dies on the same day
The truth is you don’t need them just in case.
The chance that we would change our minds and fly to London instead of Mexico is quite low. And even if we do… there are Chelsea boots in London. If we die in the need of this precious footwear we can have them again.
But most people do this throughout their lives. Especially if they grew up in lower-income households as we did. You can’t let things go because of the fear of never having the chance of having them again. Or at least that's my hypothesis.
Things are created for you and not the other way around
What I realized is that I was a slave to my belongings.
I created perfect little spaces for my socks instead of asking myself why I have so many of them and if I even like them.
During those 6 months living out of a carry-on suitcase, I learned so much about myself and what I like about life.
- I don’t like running shoes at all.
- I fill up a notebook in about 6 months so don’t need backups. And there are so many beautiful and unique notebooks out in the world. Let’s buy those instead of the mass-produced ones.
- I like to dry my hair even in the hot Mexican weather.
- Chelsea boots are not a must-have. Even in London.
- I can still go to the gym without a dedicated bag.
- Chargers don’t die on a daily basis.
What can you take away from my rumbling?
As I think you realized I’m still in the process of gathering my thoughts about my newly found minimalistic life view.
So instead of giving you a one-sentence-life lesson, I give you a little homework. Get out your favorite suitcase and start to play with it. What parts of your life would fit in it? What are things you can’t live out? What are those that you would leave behind without a thought?
Maybe it will also give you a new view of the stuff that lives around you. You know, just in case you would need it someday.
