The Art of Discarding

by Nagisa Tatsumi

  Don’t wait to finish them. If there’s anything you haven’t used for a while, simply throw it away. A regime of regular discarding (Strategy 5) is helpful here.

  • Medicines, etc.

  There are various ways that this type of thing can accumulate. You may be given four days’ worth of medicine for a cold, but take it for only three days and so have one day’s supply left. You may buy something for a headache when you’re out, even though you have painkillers at home. You may buy different ointments for various problems. Even if you think you’ll be able to use them at some stage, once you’ve had them for a while you wonder whether you should.

  Don’t let these things pile up. If it’s something prescribed by the doctor, throw any surplus away after you stop taking it. If you’ve got different boxes of the same type of over-the-counter medicines, and you bought them around the same time, combine them in a single box and try always to use that supply.

  • Freebies

  Giveaways, like towels, soaps, and tea, tend to accumulate. It doesn’t seem right to throw a new towel away, and tea and soaps can always be used, even if you don’t really like them.

  The towels can be used as cloths; you might want to keep them until your end-of-year clean-up then, once they’re dirty, throw them away. That way you get your cleaning done and get rid of the towels at the same time. Of course, you can wash a towel and use it again and again if you want to. But if you do that too often, the number of unused towels will grow.

  With things like tea and soap, open them up and see if you like them. If you don’t, throw them away. If you keep them, you probably won’t use them.

  • Wrapping paper, string, boxes, used paper

  These were all mentioned under Strategy 3—“Discard when you exceed a certain amount.” This means accepting the idea that it is OK to throw things away without using them up.

  3: THINGS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO USE UP

  • Spices

  Spices just sit there forever. You might have used them only once, having bought them when you were trying out an unusual recipe or when a friend recommended them.

  If you’re not used to a particular spice or flavor, it’s very difficult to use a whole jar of it. Don’t be tempted by an attractive container into buying too much. It might look good on the shelf, but your kitchen has far too much stuff in it already. It’s more sensible to get a small bag or sachet. And if it’s not going to be a regular feature in your cooking, get rid of it.

  • Product samples

  When you’re out shopping you’re often given free samples—perfume, shampoo, and so on. It feels good to get something for nothing. But do you ever use these things? Perhaps you try them and then, if you don’t particularly like them, you throw them in a drawer and forget about them.

  If you don’t like them, just throw them away. Or, depending on what the product is, it may be good to take on a trip. Use as much as you need while traveling and then dispose of it while you’re away.

  Why this strategy works

  With the “I’ve-used-it-once-so-I-can-get-rid-of-it” mindset a lot of things are easier to discard. Depending on the item, it may be a question of “once” or “this much,” but either way this attitude will stop you worrying about being wasteful. The approach basically emphasizes disposability.

  This is a slight digression, but the Western custom of making patchwork from old clothes can be helpful with this strategy. You may have clothes which you don’t want to throw away because of associated memories. If you keep patches of material from them, it is less difficult to part with the clothes. You can then use the pieces to make a bag, oven mitt, or bed cover—whatever your handiwork skills are up to. A lot of people in Japan already use this approach with children’s clothes, sewing patches together to make things like shoe bags for their children to use at school.

  Perhaps it’s a very female idea, but if you think that using one part of something may help you feel that the whole hasn’t been wasted, then why not give it a try? On the other hand, if you end up with ten oven mitts in the house, you’re just accumulating something else, so only try this idea with clothes that you find very difficult to throw away.

  You might, for example, like to make a purse or a bag from a kimono or dress your mother used to wear. Changing form and reducing size—it’s another method of disposal.

  7

  ESTABLISH DISCARDING CRITERIA

  “Sometime,” “… when I’ve used it as much as I can,” “… when it’s no longer necessary.” We’ve talked about these, and they are all too vague. They just don’t work as criteria for disposal.

  On the other hand, “… after three years,” “… when I’ve used it once,” “… if I buy a new one”—these are much clearer. Using periods of time, number of uses, etc., leaves no room for emotion and so facilitates quick, clear decisions.

  Strategy variations

  1. Decide on an amount

  2. Decide on a time period

  3. Decide on a number of times

  4. Discard when you buy a new one

  5. Have clear criteria for specific types of items

  6. Review existing criteria

  1. DECIDE ON AN AMOUNT

  Establishing an amount as a basis for disposal was discussed under Strategy 3 (see here for further details relating to particular items).

  You should set a maximum amount of space (a particular closet, box, etc.) to allocate for different types of item. When clothes start poking out of the dresser, for example, then you should be thinking about disposal.

  Alternatively, instead of space, you could think in terms of numbers of items. For example, you may decide to have three pans—one large, one medium, one small. If there’s any more than that, get rid of the surplus.

  2. DECIDE ON A TIME PERIOD

  This approach was discussed under Strategy 4 (see here), whereby items are disposed of when the period elapses. This is obviously very suitable for things that are only used for a limited time, such as manuals, etc. It can work well for other documents too—the time period will allow you to judge whether the documents are necessary or not.

  The first step is to acknowledge that things have a limited period of usefulness.

  3. DECIDE ON A NUMBER OF TIMES

  This was discussed under Strategy 6 (see here): instead of thinking you have to use an item until it gives out, decide on the number of times you should use it. When you reach that point, you can dispose of it. For many items “once” may be an effective basis. Free hand towels or T-shirts, hotel toothbrushes and combs, product samples, etc.—tell yourself that you can dispose of such things after just one use.

  4. DISCARD WHEN YOU BUY A NEW ONE

  This is similar to fixing an amount. When you replace an item—TV, mobile phone, PC, briefcase, mug—dispose of the old one immediately. You had the right number until now, so unless you discard the old one, you’ll have more than necessary.

  5. HAVE CLEAR CRITERIA FOR SPECIFIC TYPES OF ITEMS

  Things like clothes, crockery, and magazines accumulate quickly, but aren’t easy to throw away. It’s tedious to go through them and decide what to keep and what to dispose of. So it’s best to set clear criteria by type, so that you can decide straight away. If your box of shopping bags is overflowing, then tell yourself, for example, that you will keep all branded bags and throw away all department store bags. To control accumulation of drinking glasses you’ve been given, you could decide to throw away all those that carry a company’s logo. Magazines pile up quickly; you might decide to keep National Geographic for its beautiful pictures, say, but discard all others after a specific period of time.

  There must be no ambiguity in the disposal criteria. As soon as you see the objects, you should be able to decide whether they meet the criteria or not. And be careful not to give special treatment to items “for guests” or items which are part of a set.

  6. REVIEW EXISTING CRITERIA

  Everybody already has some kind of vague disposa
l criteria. But if things have been accumulating, then these are clearly not effective, so you need to rethink them. Just becoming more conscious of what your existing criteria are will be a good first step.

  Why this strategy works

  Simple criteria like “I’ll throw out any clothes that no longer fit” or “I only need three pots—small, medium, and large” are enough to keep you on top of things. Vague and complex criteria make decisions tedious and difficult, and the purpose of this strategy is to eliminate this kind of problem.

  When discarding something that can still be used, remind yourself of your commitment to your criteria. This may help you not to feel guilty.

  8

  HAVE PLENTY OF DISPOSAL ROUTES

  Disposing of something doesn’t have to mean throwing it away—it is simply a question of getting rid of it. You can sell it to a second-hand shop, pass it on to a brother or sister, give it to someone you don’t know, or make it into something else and use it up… The more of these different disposal routes you have, the easier it will be to get things out of your life.

  What sort of things?

  • Batteries, needles, etc.

  • Dolls, soft toys

  • Clothes

  • Books

  • Expensive branded goods and accessories

  • Sweets, cakes, etc.

  • Electrical goods

  • Paper trash (documents, receipts, junk mail, etc.)

  Strategy variations

  1: THINGS YOU CAN’T PUT OUT AS TRASH

  • Batteries, needles, etc.

  Of course the local authority will provide a service for the disposal of batteries, needles, etc. But chances are you don’t know what it is. It’s a good idea to find out, but you’re likely to discover there’s only a collection twice a month. In the meantime the items are still there.

  Check out the alternatives. Batteries are often collected at local libraries, large shops, etc. When you buy batteries for your camera, radio, etc., the shop assistant will often change the batteries for you and dispose of the old ones.

  • Dolls, soft toys

  Through my survey I was surprised to discover that many Japanese people find dolls and soft toys difficult to throw away because “they have eyes” or “they might curse you.” Anybody in Japan who feels uncomfortable disposing of dolls as trash could try a temple. Some Japanese temples, especially those that run pet cemeteries, hold special services for dolls. Participation would cost several thousand yen.

  2: THINGS YOU CAN’T THROW AWAY BECAUSE IT SEEMS A WASTE

  • Clothes, books, and expensive branded goods and accessories

  A welcome alternative disposal method for these is selling them or giving them away. You can sell online or use second-hand shops and bookshops, pawnbrokers, noticeboards in a local-authority office or local hall, specialist magazines, or “For Sale and Wanted” in a local paper. If the idea that they’re going to be used again releases you from feelings of guilt about waste, then these are good options.

  • Sweets, cakes, etc.

  You may have been given cakes, sweets, pickles, or boxes of fruit. If the alternative is leaving them to go bad, then get on and give them away. If you’re working, take them to the office—if you put a box of dried or fresh fruit near the coffee pot, people will take them happily. Towels and cups may be useful at the office too, so take them in.

  If a friend comes round, you can give them some of the food as a present—almost anybody would be delighted to accept jam, tea, chocolates, etc.

  3: THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO THROW AWAY BECAUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

  • Electrical goods

  In Japan, TVs, air-conditioning units, fridges, and washing machines are subject to a recycling law, whereby retailers are obliged to recycle items when requested by their customers. The law tends to make people think they shouldn’t treat such items as trash. But did you know that the cost is borne by the consumer? When you buy a new fridge you are charged for the removal of the old one. Thinking about how these electrical appliances are recycled makes me very uneasy. It may well be better to pay the local authority to pick up them up as large rubbish items.

  Of course, sometimes these items can be sold or given away. If you know someone who is moving into their own apartment, for example, you could ask them if they want your old television. They may be very pleased.

  4. THINGS YOU CAN’T THROW AWAY BECAUSE THERE’S NOWHERE TO PUT THEM

  • Paper trash (documents, receipts, junk mail, etc.)

  Have you ever picked something up, decided it was trash, but then, in the absence of a nearby bin, put it in a drawer and left it there? A simple answer here is that the more trash bins and baskets you have, the more you will throw away. It helps you to discard things on the spot. For paper and other burnable trash have at least one bin in every room.

  Why this strategy works

  Having a variety of places and methods for disposal makes the process easier. Choose the ones that cause the least trouble and anxiety. For example, if you can’t throw something away because of a sense of waste, then disposal via a second-hand shop might be the best option for you.

  In reality, things often end up being thrown away by somebody else anyway. But don’t worry about that, as long as your approach helps you to get rid of things.

  9

  START SMALL

  Choose a compact area—a table top, a kitchen shelf, or a washstand, say—and decide you will definitely not put anything there. Then keep your resolution.

  Strategy variations

  1. Decide on a place where you won’t put things

  2. Decide on a place where you won’t store unnecessary things

  3. Start with a place that’s easy to tidy

  Strategy variations in practice

  1: DECIDE ON A PLACE WHERE YOU WON’T PUT THINGS

  • The kitchen table

  • On top of a cabinet

  • On top of the fridge

  • A washstand

  • A desk

  • On top of a shoe-storage box

  Let’s consider the kitchen table. When not in use a table shouldn’t really have anything on it. It’s a place for eating, not a place for putting things.

  But is there any household where the kitchen table doesn’t have anything on it? Newspapers, junk mail, a clock, some medicine, family photographs, a vase of flowers, a bag of sweets, a toy…

  Then, when it comes to eating, all these things are just pushed to one side. They’re not cleared away.

  Try deciding that the kitchen table is a place where you will never put unnecessary things. Even if other places are overflowing, you will not put things on the table. So put the newspaper in the rack; if you want to keep any information from the junk mail or flyers, stick them on the door of the fridge and throw the rest away. Put bags of sweets away in a box. Throw away that medication you’ve stopped taking…

  The table top is a relatively small area, so the task is easily done. But it does require a little effort every day, a result of which you’ll develop a clear idea of the selection process: putting away what’s necessary and disposing of what isn’t. The regular repetition will help discarding become second nature.

  You’ll also have a nice, clear kitchen table and a sense of achievement.

  2: DECIDE ON A PLACE WHERE YOU WON’T STORE UNNECESSARY THINGS

  • Specific drawers

  Your handkerchief drawer, your towel drawer, the top drawer in your desk—anywhere will do. Just take a small storage area and decide that you will never put anything unnecessary in there.

  And then it’s the same as with the kitchen table above. If you find yourself about to throw a meeting file into your stationery drawer, stop. If you’re about to put a receipt in the telephone table for safekeeping, don’t. If a CD won’t fit onto its normal shelf, don’t just shove it in the drawer.

  If you manage to stop yourself dropping things into drawers too easily, you’ll develop the there-and-then
habit.

  3. START WITH A PLACE THAT’S EASY TO TIDY

  • Towel drawer

  • Cosmetics drawer

  • Hall closet

  It’s difficult to tackle the whole house at once, so start with a compact place used for things that are relatively easy to sort out.

  Take the towel drawer, for example. First, think how many towels are necessary (see Strategy 3, here). Remove the excess number and decide there and then on how to dispose of them. If the drawer contains giveaway hand towels or sheets and toiletries which shouldn’t be there, take them out and decide what to do with them.

  You may find all sorts of things at the bottom of the drawer. As you clear them out, contemplate just how much unnecessary stuff is there.

  Once you’ve had your test-run in a compact space, gradually expand your area of operation.

  Why this strategy works

  It can be tough suddenly to change one’s habits. Discarding isn’t simply about tidiness. It’s a whole way of relating to things. If you say to yourself, “Right! I’m going to put this Art-of-Discarding thing into practice now,” the chances are that you’ll be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff you’re confronted with.