We packed a small U-Haul trailer with only the necessities we needed for our stint of training and stored, sold, or threw away everything else. While I missed a few items, I really enjoyed my half-empty cabinets. I never wasted time sorting through drawers to find what I needed.

Two years later we paid to move our stored items across the country to our new home. I unpacked our treasures and wondered why I’d paid to move them. My children had outgrown many of their toys and we’d found better replacements for many of ours.

After finding a pair of earrings I’d bought for a gift and a lost safe deposit key buried in my catchall drawer I realized I’m still paying to store and move junk. The clutter in my drawer had stolen the precious time I’d spent looking for lost items.Continue Reading