Ten Questions to Kick-Start Your Decluttering Journey

If you’ve been thinking about starting to declutter and organize your home but find it hard to make endless decisions about each item, I have a solution for you! As a professional home organizer, I often work with clients who are very motivated to get rid of things, but they simply get stuck deciding what should go and what should stay. Many folks need someone over their shoulder to offer support and ask the right questions. In this blog, I’m sharing these ten helpful questions in hopes that they will encourage you in your next organizing session:

1. Does this item energize or drain me?
We don’t think about this at the moment, but everything we own has the potential to satisfy, delight, or weigh us down.

Example: your favorite coffee cup. Absolute win. If it disappeared, you’d really miss it!

Example: your college textbooks. You haven’t looked at them since you got your diploma, and your heart sinks a bit when you see them still sitting there.

2. Is this item really worth the space it’s taking up in my home?

It’s easy to forget or dismiss the forgotten, broken things in our dark basement or guest room, but the truth is, they’ll have to be dealt with at some point, so why not now? Even if you have a 6k square foot home with tons of extra space, the psychological lift you’ll receive after removing it all is extremely powerful!

3. Does this item add value or overwhelm my daily life?

Items that add value include nice towels without stains or tears, a power drill, and bath salts in your favorite scent.

Broken appliances, clothes that no longer fit, and tax return documents from the 1990s add chaos to the list of items that cause overwhelm.

Ideally, everything in your home should add value or be things that you treasure. The other stuff is just taking up room and thwarting your psychological peace of mind.

 4. Does this item reflect and support my core values?

First of all, do you know what your core values are? If not, I highly recommend that you do a Google search and find resources to help you determine them. It may not seem like a good use of time, but knowing your values and then looking to them when making decisions is a recipe for success. If one of your values is relationships, think about how clutter is getting in the way of that with your family. If you have creativity as a value, you aren’t living that value if your art supplies are all over the house and you don’t have a clear surface on which to paint.

Don’t dismiss the power that unneeded or unwanted items can have on your state of mind and your joy!

5. If I was moving, would I pack this or get rid of it?

This question usually moves the indecisive needle pretty quickly. If the answer is, “hell no, I wouldn’t bring that to a new home,” then let it go!

6. Would I buy this item again?

Your answer to this question can surprise you by how effective it is. Imagine you’re in a store and see the item. Is it going into your cart, or are you walking right by it? Boom! There you go!

7. Would I pay full price for it?

I’ve never met a person who said yes to this one. We love a bargain, even if it’s a black T-shirt that you certainly don’t need because you have seven identical ones at home. Saving a couple of bucks on an item you absolutely don’t need or actually even want is not worth it!

8. Could someone else find this item to be way more useful?

Many times, we are reluctant to part with things because we hate the idea of them becoming trash. The thing is, there are many, many folks who would really appreciate your things for myriad reasons. Maybe money is tight, and they need those tools to work in their homes. Perhaps their kids are growing like weeds, and back-to-school season is looming. Donate and recycle responsibly, and your things will end up being useful in their second life.

9. Would my daily life be impacted if I got rid of this?

This is almost always a hard NO. Keeping random items “in case you need them one day” is a recipe for an overflowing home. Most things can be borrowed or even purchased again for very little money. Don’t let your home be a storage unit!

19. Does this item support and reflect the vision I have for my ideal life?

Are you scrolling through Instagram or Pinterest, looking at calm and organized homes, wishing yours was one of them? Yet, when it comes to making that a reality, you procrastinate on getting started with decluttering. At some point, you have to be honest with yourself and start. As Robert Frost said, “The only way out is through.” Pick one space, one drawer, and go through it. Then, continue with another spot and another. You can have that ideal life at home, but it won’t happen without action, so get going!

Think about your answers to the above ten questions and witness how helpful they can be when you are ready to get your home in shape and feel the positive impact!