Written by
on February 8, 2018

Good Habits: The 100 Things Challenge

Summary:

I have 103 things. Having few, high quality things has made my life easier because I don’t have to think that much.
The point of the challenge is not having a limit, but limiting consumption.
Impulse buys are the worst. Whenever you want to buy something, don’t think you’ll miss out if you don’t buy it. Just wait for a few days before actually buying the thing.

I first heard about the 100 Things Challenge when I was a college student. I’ve been following it for a few years. At first it was easy to do since I didn’t really buy things when I was a student, but when I started working, it became harder to maintain, especially with stylish co-workers with their 10+ pairs of shoes and their never-repeating clothes. I’ve cut back on my spending though, and here are all my things in the world:

Programming/work related related stuff (9):

1x 2015 Macbook Pro.
1x Leopold FC750RT mechanical keyboard.
1x Logitech G502 mouse.
1x Razer Goliathus mousepad.
1x Huawei Nova phone.
1x Romoss power bank.
1x Bose Quietcomfort 25 noise cancelling headphones.
1x Samsung 24” external monitor.
1x notebook/pen.
1x Seagate 1TB external hard drive with case.

Outerwear (8):

1x black blazer.
1x black hoodie.
1x black sweater.
1x grey windbreaker.
1x black winter fleece.
1x black portable windbreaker (brought when cycling to work, just in case it rains).
1x black thermal pants.
1x black generic scarf.

Going Out Clothes (5):

3x long-sleeved shirts (red/blue, white/black, green/blue).
1x blue long-sleeved shirt.
1x blue “mechanic” shirt.

Home Clothes (11):

1x green Boston Celtics cotton shirt.
1x olive green Star Wars cotton shirt.
5x workout shirts (black, grey, blue/black, yellow/black, light green).
5x sleeveless shirts.
Underwear (I have like 10, but I group them as 1).

Shorts/pants (13):

1x pair of black jeans.
1x pair of blue jeans.
1x pair of olive green chinos.
1x pair of grey slacks.
1x pair of grey shorts.
1x pair of olive green shorts.
2x pairs of Lagalag convertible trekking pants.
1x pair of North Face convertible trekking pants.
3x pairs of black running shorts.

Shoes (7):

1x white Adidas Ultraboost.
1x brown Salomon XA Pro 3D trail runners (these are falling apart).
1x blue Brooks Adrenaline shoes.
1x black Timberland boots. Used just 3x, I regret buying these.
1x Jordan 1 KO Sport Blue basketball shoes.
1x black Aldo shoes.
2x Flipflops.

Bags (3):

1x black North Face Slingshot 35L bag.
1x Deuter Speedlite 20L bag.
1x generic Dry bag 20L.

Accessories (11):

1x cycling sunglasses.
2x eyeglasses.
1x knee brace. (Knee insurance).
3x buff.
1x face mask.
1x Ushanka/Russian hat for cold weather.
1x black baseball cap.
1x wallet.
1x headband.
1x pair of arm sleeves.

Swimming (2):

1x trunks.
1x goggles.

Board Games (1):

1x Settlers of Catan.

Books (7):

Tim Ferriss Tools of Titans for bathroom reading.
Tim Ferriss Tribe of Mentors for bathroom reading in the other bathroom.
Mastery.
48 Laws of Power.
Grit.
Man’s Search for Meaning.
The Richest Man in Babylon.

Fitness and Bike-related stuff (13):

1x Cannondale Caad12, with bike bag containing 2x inner tubes, multi-tool, tire levers).
1x Bike trainer.
1x Garmin Edge 520.
1x Yoga mat.
1x Kettlebell.
1x Push-up assister.
2x Podium Designs cycling bib shorts.
2x Lagalag cycling jersey.
1x UP Mountaineers cycling jersey.
2x Podium Designs jersey.
1x Basketball.

Photography (6):

Mirrorless camera + batteries + dry bag (they are always together).
Camera bag.
Tripod.
Gorillapod.
Crystal ball. (Gift)

Camping and travel (15):

1x Deuter Aircontact 55+10 full pack (with bag cover).
1x Osprey Farpoint 55 (with TSA lock, bag cover).
1x Thermarest sleeping pad.
1x Pittman sleeping bag.
1x Eagle Creek Packing cubes (I have 3, but I count them as 1 since I never really move them anyway).
1x toiletry bag.
1x camping cookset.
1x camping stove.
1x pair chopsticks.
1x tent with footprint.
1x hammock.
1x tarp/temporary shelter.
1x headlamp.
1x dark grey trekking polo.
1x light blue trekking polo.
1x travel mug.

Other (2):

1x weighing scale.
1x Dota 2 Juggernaut mug.

Musings

For most things, I prefer the higher quality versions. The problem with cheap stuff is that they break down so easily, and you regret buying them. I’ve had most of my camping stuff intact for the past two years since they never broke down anyway. My cookset’s been with me for the past 5 years.

Clothes are the big thing. At first you’ll feel weird wearing close to the same clothes every day, but you’ll realize that people don’t care. I don’t have shirts that I don’t like wearing. So, every shirt is my favorite shirt. Making decisions on what to wear is easy especially because I have the same color scheme anyway (black, olive green, maroon, navy blue, dark grey). Just pick the clothes at the top of your drawer and don’t pick pants that are the same color. Then add stylish shoes and you’re good to go!

If you’re trying a hobby out, you can start with the cheaper things first. I used to have a folding bike when I was just learning how to ride it. I rode that bike until it broke down and was unrepairable. Seeing as there were multiple benefits in biking to work, I decided to upgrade to a faster and lighter road bike.

That bike is the most expensive non-programming thing on that list, and it has more than paid for itself with the amount of money and time it saves.

The point of being minimalist is intentionality. Just have the things you need. 100 is literally a number. I don’t really care about violating the rule because I’ve used every single thing in that list in the past months. (Well, everything except the hammock.)

To start, just start segregating your stuff. Be really ruthless on if you need those things or not. I’ve actually just started segregating things again-I’ve bought some stupid crap lately, and it turns out that I still had too many shirts.

I’ll continue this article next time. But I have to ship! :)

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