Some essentials to know about a 100 Thing Challenge:
What is a 100 Thing Challenge?
A person does a 100 Thing Challenge when she or he commits to living with only 100 personal possessions for an extended period of time (usually between 100 days to 1 year).
What counts as a "personal possession"?
This is a bit subjective, but I recommend that shared items are not counted. So a couch or kitchen table are not a personal possession. But a pair of pants or wedding ring are a personal possession. Basically, any thing you can say is all or mostly yours.
Why do a 100 Thing Challenge?
A 100 Thing Challenge is a great fit for a person who feels "stuck in stuff" -- who feels like his or her material possessions are interfering with living a meaningful life.
If everyone did a 100 Thing Challenge, wouldn't the economy collapse?
No! A 100 Thing Challenge operates on this irrefutable economic rule: "It is always good for the economy when we use our money and other resources well." Avoiding credit-based over consumption is good for our home economies and for our national economy. A 100 Thing Challenge can help reorient our consumer-crazy lives. It can help us change from being affluent consumers of things and instead become industrious stewards of money.
Is the goal to de-clutter?
Not really! The smartest person I've ever known (and don't plan to identify here) had the messiest office I've ever seen. I mean, it was a disaster! I personally am not a fan of clutter. And for most people, a cluttered office or house can be a genuine distraction. But I don't believe clutter necessarily leads to a lesser life. I am certain, however, that unrestrained consumerism leads to a lesser life.
Does a 100 Thing Challenge need to be religious?
Maybe! I am a Christian and feel strongly that a 100 Thing Challenge fits well with a Christian understanding of what's most important in life, loving God and loving other people. And I suspect that living for an extended period of time outside of the soul-numbing habits of consumerism will spark a bit of the spiritual in pretty much any person. But a 100 Thing Challenge does not
have to be religious.
Does a 100 Thing Challenge last forever?
No! And yet, it needs to last for an extended period of time. I believe 100 days is the minimum amount of time one should do a 100 Thing Challenge. My own feeling is that it takes more than 3 weeks to form a life-long habit; it takes closer to 3 months. Of course, a year will really let the lessons of a 100 Thing Challenge sink in.
What comes after a 100 Thing Challenge?
A lifestyle I call a "Little Goods Life" -- Living a life with little consumer goods, in order to focus on doing little charitable goods. I'll be writing more about a "Little Goods Life" in the future.