I'm continuing the theme begun in the last entry, that I want to travel through life more lightly; not be a librarian – or worse, , a museum curator.

I therefore must jettison a lot of the stuff that I've accumulated over the years.

However, much as I want to travel lightly, I can't just grab a box of stuff and throw it, unexamined, into the recycle bin. I have to at least see what it is and then, if it doesn't measure up, get rid of it.

In the past, I would have had criteria to "justify" getting rid of stuff. Now I focus on the opposite: providing justification for keeping it.

This means criteria. I provide these criteria in the form of the following questions that I must answer.

• Is there a legal or contractual reason for me to hold on to a document?  No means go on to the next questions.
• Is it something that I will make use of in the very near future?
• Is it something that will bring me great pleasure to see again? Alternatively, is it something I would truly miss if I didn't have it? For example, stories I've written. Music I've composed, etc.
• Is it something needed for personal and/or family purposes?
• Is it part of my personal or business identity?
• Is it a record of my personal development and evolution? My journals, for example. For you it might be photo albums? Etc.
• Does it support my infrastructure?
• Lastly – given all my negative answers to the above – do I really want to override the implication, i.e., that I ought to be getting rid of the item?

If I can't answer yes to any of the above questions, out it goes.

I anticipate getting rid of lotsof stuff.

P.S. - If you think I'm missing any that ought to be in this mix, I'd love to get your suggestions.