A Clarity Guide

This challenge was semi-inspired by the 100 Thing Challenge book by Dave Bruno. At one point in the book, Bruno mentions recording how many items he used on some of his “favorite” days of the year. He realized those days involved very few material possessions.

All we’re going to do is systemize his epiphany. This challenge requires less than 3 minutes of daily effort, and similar to the Hanger Challenge, requires zero commitment.

minimal effort + zero real commitment = no logical reason you shouldn’t try it

Step 1: Get Your Diary

Don’t worry, we aren’t making you record your feelings. All you need to do is designate a notebook, diary or planner where you can write things down. It doesn’t need to be fancy–but it does have to be something you can actually write on (no phones or computers).

Step 2: Set A Deadline

This challenge has a flexible time frame. Bruno recorded his results over a year. I’ve gotten results in as little as a month. Neither is wrong.

I recommend starting with six weeks.

Step 3: Get Recording!

Every day, write down every material possession you use and a few lines about that day. The few lines should include what you did and how your day was. The listed possessions do NOT include:

• Shared items (family couch/table/etc.)
• Food or drink
• Something that isn’t yours

Your listed possessions SHOULD include:

• Clothes
• Accessories
• Personal technology (phones/laptops)
• Toys and trinkets of any kind (surfboard, bike, etc.)
• Other “unshared” possessions (personal car, etc.)

Step 4: Highlight

At the end of each week, indulge in some self-reflection. Head into your diary and highlight (in yellow) your favorite day from that week. A little yellow star or check at the top of the day will do.

Just make sure you pick a favorite day for all six weeks.

Step 5: Evaluate

Your diary will actually serve two purposes: mental and physical decluttering.

First, mental. Look back at all six weeks, and go to your favorite days. The days you picked because you felt the most happy or fulfilled. Tally up how many “things” were involved in those days. Get an average of those six days. I can almost guarantee that no more than 15 things were involved in those days. Maybe even less than 10.

I’d also be willing to bet that very few, if any of the listed items influenced how good that day was. It was likely another person, multiple people, or an experience that made those days what they were.

The average American home contains 300,000 items… but our favorite days involve no more than 0.000075% of them. But we tell ourselves we “need” the other 299,985 items… “just in case.”

Even if you own just 0.01% of the American average, that’s still 3,000 personal possessions.

Then, physical decluttering. You’ll notice that a lot of your days involved the same possessions, over and over. You’ll also notice some things in your house that you’ve been saving never made a single day’s list.

The diary doesn’t lie (as long as you don’t). By the end of six weeks, you’ll have a very good idea of the possessions that actually serve you. This will give you quality insight as to what needs to go.

Wrap-Up

I help people transform their bodies for a living. I use before and after photos as a measure of progress. I always tell my clients, “The photos don’t lie.”

They can pretend they’re eating well. They can pretend they’re getting to bed at a reasonable hour. They can pretend they’re completing all of their workouts.

But the photos always tell the truth. Your diary will do the same thing.

You can pretend you “definitely use this.” You can pretend something is “good to have.” You can pretend an item “it too nice to get rid of.”

But the diary tells the truth. There’s only a small amount of things needed to live a fulfilled life. You might not admit it… but your diary will. Give the Diary Challenge a shot and let me know your results.