Questions to Ask When Decluttering
By Pamela Wong
Pamela is a Trained Professional Organizer based in Oakville, Ontario and is the owner of Zen N Organized. She helps homeowners and small business owners transform their homes and home offices into organized spaces. She has a practical, non-judgemental approach to organizing. Her objective is to create functional and harmonious spaces for her clients.
Why Declutter?
Is the clutter holding you back?
Do you own your stuff, or does it feel like it owns you?
If you feel overwhelmed, then you are not alone.
No matter the reasons that caused the mess, there are steps and strategies to help you achieve your goals and bring some harmony back in your home.
Spring is the best time to start your decluttering journey. If you have decided to start the process but feel stuck, as you are not sure how to decide what to keep and what needs to go, then read on to find out the best questions to ask yourself to help you make the decisions.
Questions to Ask When Decluttering
Depending on the area of the home you are in and what you are dealing with, there are many different questions you can ask. Here are some of the most common ones:
- Where do I start?
- Do I still use it? How often do I use it?
- Does it fit? Does it still fit my current lifestyle?
- Do I have more than one of these? How many do I need?
- What do I do with my kids’ artwork? Which artwork is not my favourite, but my child’s favourite?
- Have I used it in the last 3/6/9 months? Will I use it in the future?
- How should I name my files?
- Bins or baskets? Clear or opaque containers?
- Do I have to keep it? Do I need it? Think tax related documents. I don’t need to love them, but I need to keep them.
- Do I still love it?
- Is it still in good shape or do I have to fix it? Am I going to fix it? How long has this item been sitting there waiting for you to fix.
- Is this item enhancing my life?
- Does this item add value to my life or is it just causing me stress?
- Am I giving this item respect? This is particularly true for sentimental items. Display one or two items, so that I am honouring my loves one, and not leaving them in a box that is left untouched for years.
Note my list of questions do not include how much the item costs or whether it was a gift. In my opinion, regardless of how much it is or if it was a gift, if you are no longer using it, then it is just clutter!
Let’s get your decluttering journey underway so you can confidently say that you won your stuff and not the other way around.
