I want to not own stuff. The things you own end up owning you. You often don't even realize it.
Moreover, this isn't merely excluded to stuff. A fundamental part of this world is our relationship with things, people, nationalities and other abstract entities. For example, I live in the United States, where fairness and equity in the law is highly prized. Because of Justice and the sixth amendment, I have the duty to serve on juries every once in a while. I was recently called for jury duty . My only permanent address, the only address I have for longer than a few months, is my parents' home address in Florida. So, I have to take a long not-vacation trip home at a specific time mandated by the courts in order to serve at the courthouse, and I seem to keep getting called every couple of years. This interrupts my flow, and forces me to do one thing where I would rather be, say, working or visiting someone.
But, day-to-day, stuff is the largest factor. Stuff controls your activities and creates errands that both suck up hours from your day and interrupt the flow which you spend so many hours to create. For example, you must wear clothes every day, which builds up in the laundry bin. This can cause a large, long laundry process which is quite cumbersome and annoying. It can take hours, and the flow is interrupted many times as you have to switch from wet laundry to dry at specific times. You have to wash and dust things. You must pack and store and rearrange every so often. Things break, then you have to find a repair man or replace it.
But there is freedom. Freedom from these things can help you. You can have the same, or greater, utility by eliminating key things bit by bit until you have optimized between stuff and happiness. You need much less than you think, just follow the Stress Minimization framework I developed to get to that point.
1. Get rid of closet litter that you never use.
Very often, you pick something up, and you want to throw it out, yet you think, maybe I will need this some day, then I will really regret it. You are operating on a regret minimization framework, so you hoard. I do too, except you can be more rational about it. How bad will it be if you throw it out and then need it in a few hours? Well, in a few hours, you can probably just take it out of the waste bin. A few days? Well, you can probably just go out to the CVS and buy a new one or a temporary disposable one for a couple bucks. Or, maybe a friend or neighbour has one you can borrow for an hour. Actually, the consequences are minor at worst.
More importantly, evaluate the likelihood that you will actually need it. This isn't a complicated guessing game; it is actually quite easy. Ask yourself 2 questions:
Do you need it specifically for a specific event for which you have a planned date and time in the future? If so, it probably doesn't make sense to throw it out.
How often did you use it in the last week? Last month? Last year? Last few years? Think about it, if you have played that board game maybe 2 times in the last 3 years, then you can safely give it away. On the next board game night, you can play somebody else's game or go bowling or something else. No loss.
2. Digitize.
Move everything over to a digital format. Take, store, backup, and share all of your photos digitally. Most modern cameraphones can take pictures that have acceptable scan-quality photos. Any documents or receipts you have, just take a picture with your phone and upload it to a backup server. Throw out the paper. You can always refer to it for information or print it out later. You can create a physical copy of paper as easily as a digital copy, so it should serve all purposes both informational and legal.
3. Unify your stuff.
Do you need both an X and a Y? What if you got one small Z and got most of the benefits of both in one small package? My iPhone 4 replaces numerous things I would normally need to keep. It replaces many notebooks and pencils and pens, a camera, photos of documents eliminate paper and file cabinets for archives, and so much more. Jeff Atwood agrees, it replaces his Nintendo, GPS, camera, browser, email client, mp3 player, HD video recorder, audio tape recorder, DVD player, ebook reader, watch, alarm, emergency flashlight, scanner, level, and ruler.
4. Use minimal things.
I have a 3 oz. green travel towel from Marmot that does as good a job as a thick towel yet fits into the palm of my hand. My Vibrams work just as well as normal shoes, yet they are flexible and can squish into small compartments in a bag as an afterthought. In fact, this is not a compromise at all, since they are even better for running than normal shoes, plus people compliment me and dig the cool style when I wear them around. Do you need a massive 5 pound laptop or a netbook or an ipad or just your phone?
5. Buy disposable things.
Do not buy quality things that are very expensive and which you want to care for. These will tie you down the most. My friend saved up to buy a Macbook Air. This can be over a $3000 device. A year out, now it runs dog slow (many seconds to open anything) and overheats constantly. He can't upgrade it, and he can't replace it because it cost so damn much. He has to buy expensive peripheral equipment to keep it safe, and he constantly has to worry about theft or damage. This is a prime example of the stuff you own owning you. I, on the other hand, spend on the order of $400 for a netbook. Buying one every year is twice as cheap as these expensive computers. Plus, they are better since the new ones I buy will end up being faster than the "fast" one by the second year, run newer software, and be cleaner. Maybe disposable (and sometimes reusable) recyclable paper plates and cups will work for you and end up being cheaper than a set of china. Investigate and experiment.
6. Do not buy new stuff.
Of course, if you need it, do so. If you are unsure, ask the 2 questions in part (1) and try to imagine yourself using the item every day. If it is a rare occurrence, or can be bought at that time, then do not purchase. Also, as things break or get used up or worn out, do not repair or replace them. Take your time. If after a few days or weeks you find that you can live just fine without the item, then you have a achieved a little bit more freedom.
After minimizing the stuff you own, you will find that you have much more freedom and flexibility to do what you want to do every day. Instead of being interrupted by errands, you will be able to work (or play) for 12 hours at a time non-stop. The first step is to remove the interruptions by removing your possessions.