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.
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. And it might be time to let them go.
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. 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.
3.Does it fit you or your style?
It goes for all things whether they are clothing or otherwise. If something doesn’t fir you or is not your style anymore, you need to let it go.
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.
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 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.
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.
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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