I'm always surprised by how little stuff I need to live well when I travel. It makes me wonder about the stuff I leave behind. Do I really need it? 

Why do I have it, then?

It makes sense if you think about it. Most of us pack only the very best of what we have, so of course we are happy with our edited selection. I believe that creativity comes out of limitation, and when you are left with less stuff to deal with you are forced to come up with new ways to use it. That's way more fun than sticking with the same old way of doing things.

If this works when you travel, why can't it work every day?

One trick that works for me is that when I come home from a trip I take a look at my closet before I even unpack and try to figure out why I left this stuff behind.

Do I need it? Is it beautiful? Do I care if it's gone?

So many times the answer is no, no, no. And it makes it so easy to find a new home for it.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/20110430-101642.jpg"><img src="http://www.everydaytreats.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/20110430-101642.jpg" alt="20110430-101642.jpg" class="alignnone size-full" /></a>