If you like your tools, and they fit your lifestyle, and they fit in your home without spilling out of closets and shelves, then you've achieved what she advocates.

Having those books itself is not an issue. I just think it's worth considering whether you are actually rationally attached to those reference books, or whether they represent an emotional attachment to the possession of objects that signal your identity (career, hobbies, and interests).

When I look at the reference books on my bookshelf, the honest answer is that I really don't ever look at them, they're just there to tell visitors about me. When I need to look up information, usually I go various websites via Google search.

I actually admire the passion for minimalism they have, I just can't do it myself.

To me there's a deeper point here about not using material possessions as a crutch for finding happiness and purpose, because it's a common crutch and its effects are temporary at best. The same applies to other sources of unnecessary, self-inflicted complexity in your life.

Purging material possessions that you don't need seems like a useful conduit to reflect on a particularly common source of unnecessary, self-inflicted complexity.

So if you need those tools to pursue your hobbies or career, then great, you should probably have those tools. Then the point applies to you in two questions:

1. How about all of the stuff you might own that isn't about your hardware/software projects?

2. Do you really need all of those gadgets? Perhaps you do, but I'd bet that there's some amount of semi-justifiable redundancy in there because there's an inherent rush of pleasure that comes from acquiring cool gadgets.

My wife and I bought the book and read through it and loved it, but we certainly don't follow all of it. Really we just did it for our clothes and general commodities (kitchen stuff, random shit in the house) and it works great.

However, your example perfectly summarizes where you should steer away from "the program".

This method doesn't make sense for a good number of things. However, for those issues it does apply for, it is fantastic.

Are you reacting to the title of the article instead of its actual content? It specifically addresses your situation of "having lots of crucial stuff":

"She is often mistaken for someone who thinks you shouldn’t own anything, but that’s wrong. Rather, she thinks you can own as much or as little as you like, as long as every possession brings you true joy."

She has also reiterated this point when discussing her book/philosophy in interviews (Google Author Talks, etc).

So yes, if you're a serious hobby photographer, you may have 20+ fixed focal length lenses. A weekend woodworker my have 100+ different clamps and all sorts of power tools and various gadgets. All that gear is compatible with her decluttering advice.

Instead, she's talking about all that other stuff that doesn't bring you joy: clothes you don't wear, the trinkets accumulating in the kitchen's "junk" drawer, the inappropriate wedding gifts that's been taking up space in the top shelf of the closet, etc.

I find a cosiness in a study or office space that's lined with books and stuff - think Sherlock Holmes' study. That's not to say I want the same clutter everywhere in the house.

It's interesting people can live minimally as I would probably last a week in a nicely minimal space before it didn't look so any more!

== Starting comments ==

- Pay most attention to your common everyday objects. That is, anything that takes up your immediate space: on your body; in the room with you. Also those things that take a lot of your time

- Buy the best possible common everyday objects you can. Most importantly:

-- your bed: you spend a third of your life in it. Consider the per-hour cost

-- your chair: stop whining about your wrists and back hurting and buy a really good chair. Again consider the per-hour cost

- Ditch anything you haven't used in the last 12 months. eg: wedding china, tuxedo, everything in your storage locker

- Only buy real things you really use

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== How to get rid of stuff ==

First, note that getting rid of stuff is HARD (but doable). Do NOT start on impulse. Think hard about it and make sure you're morally prepared. Then... for each item in your life ask the following questions:

Q1) Is it beautiful?

Test: You have it on display. You share its beauty with the people in your life.

If yes then keep it, otherwise...

Q2) Is it emotionally important?

Test: It has a narrative. You share its story with other people.

If yes then keep it, otherwise...

Q3a) Is it a useful tool, piece of equipment, or appliance?

Test: It efficiently performs some useful function. It actually works. It is the best possible tool. (Do not put up with broken or shoddy stuff)

Bruce's side comment: There's nothing more materialistic than doing the same job 5 times because your tools are inferior.

Q3b) Are you experimenting on it?

Test: You methodically work on it and you publish your results.

Bruce's side comment: Beware brand-new time-sucking beta-rollout crap.

If yes to either then keep it, otherwise...

-> 4) It is unworthy of taking your space or time. Virtualize it (take its picture; record the barcode; record any anecdotes about it) then get RID of it. If you ever need it again, get another one from eBay.

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(recycled from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1767990 )

I do not wear a suit regularly. I work in a lab and dressing up would be physically impractical (they would get destroyed) and culturally odd. Despite that, there are a few occasions where I absolutely need a suit and nothing else will do. Sometimes this even happens at short notice (e.g., for a funeral).

How does this fit into your four-part test? Q3a?

The upside of this is i) all items were carefully chosen for quality. They are a joy to use. ii) Radical simplicity means less costs, less maintenance, less mental burden.