With September just a few days away, the time has come to return to college for the 2016 -2017 school year. The next few days will be filled with gathering stuff together and packing. Dorm rooms, however, are not known for having vast quantities of space so you can't possibly bring everything. It's one thing to have a comfortably full side of the room and another entirely to have so much stuff that you need multiple cars to bring it all and give anyone who enters a small feeling of claustrophobia.

I find, as I go through my belongings and start packing, that a good way to determine whether or not I need something is to think about the last time I used it. If I know I brought it with me last year and never once picked it up (except to move it out of the way for something else) then it doesn't need to come back this year. Same goes for things I only used once or twice. For example, every year I bring my horseback riding equipment. I rode frequently for my first semester of freshman year but since then I think I've only ridden once. Therefore is it really practical to bring it all back this year? I think not.

This is not to suggest bringing the minimum amount of stuff. You want to be comfortable in your dorm room and use the little bit of space that is yours to show a bit of who you are. If you know you'll wear all the clothes you bring and need all of the other items you're bringing don't let anyone tell you you're bringing too much stuff. But, if you think back to last year and thought you had way too much stuff, then maybe it's time to dial back a bit and think about how much you used something in the past and whether or not it really needs to come back this time.