Minimalism - a code I live my life by. I love coming home after a long stressful day at work and unwinding. I can't unwind under copious amounts of furniture, clothes, papers, unfinished affairs, unprocessed situations and goodness knows what else hoarders gather, surrounding me.
I like coming home to a clean, organised, light, open, fresh space and knowing there's no physical or emotional issues of garbage piled up all around me. It amazes me how people live that way, but to each their own.
For me to keep anything, It has to be extremely sentimental and or legal. I have a bed a desk and a chair in my room and that's it. Everything else I can fit into the built in cupboard with ample room to spare. Just to be sure I have nothing I don't need, that i've missed in my daily cleaning/tidying, every six months I do another clean out - it could be a few pencils or some cords found but they'll get tossed.
I try to do everything electronically so I have almost no paper. I never buy any books or movies for myself unless they're electronic and I can read them on my ipad. I don't buy any cd's just download the music and it goes on my ipod. As soon as the mail arrives I'll process it in the driveway - no envelopes, no papers are kept, goes in the trash on the spot - I pay all my bills online too.
If I have absolutely have to keep something temporarily I'll make use of the scanner and pop it on my mac book and get rid of it once the circumstance has passed and I no longer need it. I'm the same electronically as well, i'll constantly clean my mac and get rid of files I don't need to clear up the space.
Being a minimalist allows me to enjoy life in the present moment. Not have constant amount of stress and random messes piled up all around me of "to do lists" and "things put on the back burner" and to have processed all things of the past and put them away where they belong. It's a brilliant lifestyle and I'd recommend it to anyone.