Well, you have made the decision to declutter your home, but letting go of things is just too difficult? Who can relate?
Personally, I haven’t had any issues like this, but my husband is one of those people who have sentimental attachments with things and find it difficult to let things go.
And I get it.
You have some memories associated with a particular thing. Remember that tricycle your kid used to ride when they were little? Maybe you find it too hard to let it go because letting it go, somehow means letting go of those memories.
Letting go of things is hard sometimes.
Sometimes it’s not even this. Letting go or donating/throwing away things is just difficult because you have no idea what you should throw away and what you shouldn’t. What if you throw away or donate something and then need it later?
You certainly don’t want to make that mistake now, do you?
So here are the Questions that you need to be asking yourself while decluttering:
1. Is it something that you have used in the last 6 months/1 year?
If the answer is yes, of course you can keep it. And if the answer is No, then you need to be asking yourself are you keeping it just because you have some memories associated with it? If yes, then probably you should try and learn to not attach sentimental value with things.
Detaching from material things and not seeing happiness in material possessions is somethings that’s learned over time. But when you do, life becomes so much easier and you will have so much space for everything in your life.
And if there is no emotional tie and you haven’t used it in the last one year, you probably won’t use it again, so you might want to consider letting it go.
Clothes that you haven’t worn in a year but that you are keeping just because one day you might lose weight and be able to fit into them again? Well, let them go.
Because overtime if you do not end up losing the weight, these clothes that you have accumulated will only bring you guilt. And if you are keeping them because “you think” they motivate you to lose weight, then probably you are looking in the wrong place for motivation. So it may be the time to let them go.
Of course there are some exceptions. There are things that you haven’t used in the last year, but still shouldn’t throw them away. There are things like tools etc, which are only used every once in a while. And it’s perfectly okay to keep them.
Just like it is okay to keep winter jackets and coats even if you live somewhere where it never gets that cold. Because they simply cost too much for a good quality jacket. And buying one again for when you travel doesn’t make sense. But make sure you only have as many as you’d need and not a complete winter wardrobe.
You simply need to be more mindful of what you’re keeping and what you should be getting rid of.
2. Would you buy it right now?
The next question to ask yourself is, if you were out shopping right now, would you buy it? If the answer is no, then it’s time to let it go. And if the answer is yes, then yes you can keep it.
So often we give into fast fashion trends, that we don’t end up wearing that often(or ever). Now is the time to let those “things” go. And maybe make a mental note to not give into these fashion “trends” that come and go so quickly.
It is in fact advisable to invest in high quality basics to build a wardrobe that lasts you forever. It is good for the environment as well as your pocket.
I highly recommend trying out a capsule wardrobe. It makes getting ready so much easier and hassle free and feels like such a bliss especially on busy mornings (or every morning if you’re a mom).
And the best part is, you KNOW that everything fits you well and you look good in everything that you have in your wardrobe. You are confident that whatever you decide to pull out and wear, you’ll look good and that’s empowering.
3.Does it fit you or your style?
It goes for all things whether they are clothing or otherwise. If something doesn’t fit you or is not your style anymore, you need to let it go. You do not need to keep the graphic T shirts you bought back in college days but don’t like anymore.
For things like home decor that you keep accumulating over the years, it is also important to ask whether they fit your style. As humans, we grow and our style and taste change overtime and letting things that no longer are according to your taste is perfectly okay.
In fact letting these items go will allow you to keep only the things that you resonate with or that bring you joy.
Letting these things go will also urge you to look deeper into your buying habits and to only buy the things that you truly like or you find some value in.
4.Is it broken?
We all keep things that are broken and that we will one day get repaired. Let’s be honest though. How often do we get those things repaired?
Is it better to let go of those things. And if you really think you will get something repaired and then get a lot of use out of, then don’t throw it right away. But also, don’t keep it back in the place. Instead keep it right next to your main door. So when you are going out, you remember to take it to get repaired.
It is also a great idea to set a time frame for yourself and if you don’t get those things repaired in let’s say a a week or two, you will donate or throw them away. I find setting a time frame the most effective as it gives me sort of a deadline to get things done quickly.
5.Do You have something else that serves the same purpose?
While taking a quick sweep through your house, try to eliminate the things that serve the same purpose. Do you have multiple can openers when you only really need one? Get rid of the rest.
Do you have more pans and pots than you could ever need? Perhaps some of the same size etc? Get rid of them.
Do you have two keychain holders? You only need one.
So go around your house and see what things are duplicates of something else in terms of the purpose that they serve and eliminate all but one.
Now of course, for somethings you need duplicates. And it is perfectly fine to keep a spare too, but understand the difference between keeping a spare and duplicate and hoarding things. Keep duplicates of things that you are essential like camera battery (if you film a lot) or your glasses because you can’t do without them if you lost or broke one.
6.will it make someone happier than it makes you?
This is a great question to ask yourself when you are struggling to let go of something. Would it make someone else happier than it makes you? Then letting go and donating that particular things becomes so much easier, doesn’t it?
This is great when you are looking to declutter gifts. Getting rid of gifted items can be tough but if the gift doesn’t make you happy, then it’s totally okay to let it go. And maybe it can bring someone else the joy that it was intended to, in the first place.
And if you think you shouldn’t give away gifted items, think of it in this way. The person who gifted it to you, wanted you to either use it or to find joy in it. And if the gift doesn’t do that for you anymore, then it needs to find a second home.
7. Is it beautiful or useful?
We all have little beautiful baubles that are just too difficult to get rid of, don’t we? The question you need to be asking yourself is whether you are keeping something because it serves or purpose or simply because it looks beautiful?
If you are keeping something that serves no purpose, then maybe it’s best to let these things so. Of course you don’t have to get rid of all the things. You need some things simply for decor and that’s totally okay.
On that note, we love practical items for home decor. We use books and bookends for decor or vases to store things as well as as a piece of decor.
These are all the questions that you need to ask yourself while decluttering. If you still have no idea where and how to start your decluttering process, here are our top tips to get started with decluttering your space.
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