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Welcome to part two in a four-part series on de-cluttering our day-to-day as a pathway to reconnecting with the simple pleasures in life.

Last time, we talked about the history of our obsession with stuff and how it has taken a toll on our culture. This week, we focus on all that physical clutter that surrounds us each day and concrete steps we can take to do away with it. Ready?

Shifting the mindset

“De-cluttering” assumes an ever-present flow of stuff in and out of our lives. It’s like a roller coaster: When going up the hill, we’re accumulating things, wildly excited about what’s to come. The crest of the climb represents that point when we realize we’re overwhelmed and need to “de-clutter.” As we go down the hill, we start to purge, allowing the de-cluttering mindset to gain momentum and bring us back to some sense of balance.

But what it we shifted the mindset? What if we got off the roller coaster and stopped the love-hate relationship with our stuff. What if we adopted the mantra of what minimalism advocate Joshua Becker calls “de-owning” instead of “de-cluttering?”

Think about what could happen: Owning fewer things (and buying better quality) frees us from the burdens of paying for them, ensuring their upkeep and ultimately replacing them when they become functionally — or what happens more often nowadays — socially obsolete.

The benefits go much further, too: Less stuff being consumed means less natural resources going into their production; less energy to manufacture and ship them around (and the resulting greenhouse gases pumped into the atmosphere); less burden on our landfills; better air, water, and soil health; time to experience more non-material things first-hand ... You get the picture.

Developing your strategy

Shifting your mindset regarding your stuff is one thing. Actually getting there is another. Trust me, it will take time, but you can do it. Over the past several years, I’ve worked to eliminate a lot of stuff that I don’t feel is essential to my life — many things that once held me captive in a way. There are a few strategies that helped me and can help you, too:

First, forget about the Joneses. Unplug yourself from the social pressures of competing on the playing field of material things. Live your own life and be free from the pressures to buy stuff – whether it’s from your neighbor, your best friend or the latest Super Bowl advertisement.

Next — and this could be the toughest strategy to employ by far — learn to see and accept emotional attachment to things for what it is. Then re-balance the emotional with the practical. For years, I held on to a box of cookie tins and dinnerware that had belonged to my Nana. I carted them from apartment to apartment, house to house. Then one day, I realized that my Nana would be with me whether or not I kept that stuff stashed away in a basement box. Memories meant more than trinkets. Voilà! That opened the door to many more “letting go” moments. The boxes started disappearing from there.

Finally, when you do buy things, invest in better quality so they will last longer and avoid things that might have a social shelf life to them (i.e., that must-have piece of clothing for this season). A little more money spent up front can help avoid more money spent down the line on replacements. Clothing fits well into this category, as do home goods and tools.

Managing your stuff

So how do you better manage your stuff and/or get rid of anything you no longer need or want without making a run on your trash barrels? Try out a few of these tips and tactics:

• Follow the one-two punch of the “everything has a place” and “clean surfaces” rules. Countertops, stairs, floors and seats inevitably end up serving as dumping grounds for stacks of this and piles of that. Find a home for everything. If you can’t, it’s a good sign you have too much of whatever it is.

• Avoid things that you could otherwise borrow or use only a few times. Libraries are great for books, CDs, magazines, games and other things. Think about your family and friends when it comes to tools and other bigger-ticket items.

• See dollar signs. Yard sale season is right around the corner. And don’t forget about craigslist.com. Why not profit from your purge?

• Give it away. Resources like Goodwill, Savers and the Salvation Army typically take a range of items. Or, sign up for a freecycle.com account and connect with people who might want your stuff.

Next time, we’ll tackle the ever-growing mountain of digital clutter in our lives. Until then, good luck!

Tiverton resident Bill Gerlach writes and speaks about the intersections of life, nature, being and community at www.thenewpursuit.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @bill_gerlach.