Owning Less - Less Items vs. Less Volume And Mass

I believe in owning few personal items*. But I don't believe item counting is a good enough method for achieving true freedom from things.

Item counting has long since become a "lowest-score-wins" game among many adherents of a minimalistic lifestyle. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

I want to own less because I want more freedom, especially more freedom of movement. I want to be able to fit all my items in one light backpack. Therefore, the number of my items is much less important than their volume and mass.

For example; after writing down all the items I plan on possessing in the near future (after selling all I don't need and buying all I do need), I ended up with a list of 30. Some might think that 30 items would mean a remarkable degree of freedom from things. But not really, because one of these 30 items is my barbell with 110 kg of weight plates added on. I bought it years ago because I love weight training at home. But when it comes to being free from stuff, a hundred small and light items would mean much more freedom than one big and heavy barbell. So a person owning 130 things could be freer than me owning "only" 30. I am currently working on developing the strength necessary to perform some of the more difficult bodyweight exercises. When I succeed, I will not need the barbell and most of the weight plates anymore (I will keep some weight plates and use them as additional resistance).

Clearly, if you are reducing the number, you are also reducing volume and mass. But if you are focusing on the number, you are almost certainly not reducing volume and mass to the best effect. On the other hand, focusig on volume and mass will inevitably optimally reduce the number also.

I do believe item counting can be of some use as a motivational aid for aspiring minimalists. On the other hand, is it wise to waste all that time counting all of your 1000+ items just to find out you have 1000+ items? If you own that much stuff, isn't one look enough to conclude you own too much and wouldn't that time be better spent selling/giving/throwing away? If it takes more than a few minutes to list all your items, you can stop counting and start acting.



* By "personal items" (referred to simply as "items" in the rest of the text) I mean portable possessions. In other words, everything except land, living things, buildings, vehicles and such.