Asking yourself questions is an essential part of the decluttering process. I believe that clutter is decisions that haven’t been made. Therefore, reflecting on a good question will help you make those decisions and liberate yourself from clutter.
1. What are the positive consequences of decluttering?
This is a good place to start. Decluttering is not easy, especially if you tend to hold on to a lot. So what really helps is to have a clear vision of what your goal is, and part of this is to identify the positive consequences of completing your project. These will be personal to you, but they may include:
- Saving me time and money
- Feeling comfortable inviting people over
- Creating more space and time for creative projects
- Feeling truly free from something difficult from the past
- Taking control of my home and my life.
Write these down and stick them up on a wall where you are decluttering, so you can look at it and remind yourself why you are doing it when you get stuck or bored.
2. Do I use this?
This is a fundamental question in the decluttering process and helps create meaningful change in your space and lifestyle because it:
Reveals actual usage patterns: This question forces you to confront the reality of how you interact with your possessions, rather than holding onto things based on theoretical future use
Distinguishes between emotional and practical value: It helps separate items you are keep out of sentiment from those that serve a genuine purpose in our daily lives
Identifies redundant items: Many people keep multiple versions of the same item without realizing it – this question helps eliminate unnecessary duplicates
Creates intentional spaces: By keeping only what we actively use, we create spaces that support our current lifestyle rather than past or imagined future needs
The related question: Will I use this? becomes a helpful filter when making decisions about purchases, preventing clutter from building up again
This question is much more helpful than asking yourself if you ‘like’ something. That is a given. In most cases you have chosen to bring those things into your home. Ultimately a successful declutter is about reducing what you have. What you need to keep in mind is whether your space is filled with the past and if that is holding you back from inviting in the new
Remember that ‘use’ can mean different things for different items. For example, for clothes it means ‘wear’, for food, it means ‘eat’, and for paperwork it means, ‘do I need to refer to this or keep it for reference, or can I find it online?’ Remember that some things might be used daily, others seasonally. The key is being honest about whether an item truly serves a purpose in your life. If it is something you use once in a blue moon, or ‘maybe one day’ it may be much better to hire or borrow it if you do ever need it, rather than cluttering up your life.
3. Can this go?
A common problem when decluttering, is that people go through their possessions with a focus on deciding what they want to keep. This is the wrong way around. Start with an intention to look for things you can let go of: duplicates; old, out of date and damaged items; things you never use; unwanted gifts etc. Focus on identifying these things and weeding them out, work quickly and trust your gut. Once you have said goodbye to all these things – I like to call them ‘easy wins’ – the process of making decision about and organising what you have left becomes much easier, as you have less to work through.
The criteria for what can go will vary for different rooms or types of possessions. For example, when it comes to clothes the criteria will be things such as: ‘Does this fit? Does it suit my current lifestyle? Does it look tired and worn out? Do I ever wear it? (The ‘reverse hanger’ method can help determine this). For the kitchen, it will be criteria such as: Is it out of date? How many of each item do I really need? Do I ever use it?
4. Is this holding me back?
Many people avoiding decluttering because they feel it will be unpleasant and keep worrying about the negative consequences, such as maybe letting go of things they might later regret.
To counter this and help motivate you, think about and write down all the negative impacts that clutter has on you. These might include:
- All that time spent looking for things
- Money wasted buying duplicates of thing you already have but can’t find
- Being too embarrassed to invite people round
- Not having space to do things that are important to you
- The stress and discomfort of living surrounded by unsightly piles of clutter.
- Holding onto a past you, that holds you back from growing into your potential.
If you find you are putting off starting your declutter project, it can really help to read your list of what clutter is costing you and increase your motivation to get things sorted.