- HubPages»
- Home and Garden»
- Cleaning»
- Organizing & Decluttering
10 Questions to Ask Yourself when you are Trying to Get Rid of Things
Many of us have decided that we want to live with fewer things. We want to get rid of the clothes that we don’t wear to make room in our closets for the clothes that make us feel our best. We want to pare down our furnishings to reduce clutter and dust collection in the house. We want to keep what we need and stop storing what we don’t. But actually going through all of our stuff and purging it is so difficult that most of us never actually get around to doing it.
It’s not easy to get rid of your things, even if you know that you want less stuff around you. We have emotional attachments to our stuff. We think we might want it someday. We aren’t sure if items should be stored or donated. Asking yourself the following ten questions can help you make smarter decisions as you go through your stuff.
1. Do I love this? Go with your gut instinct first. You might feel obligated to keep that old china cabinet that grandma passed down through the generations. However, if you take one look at it, ask yourself if you love it and hear a resounding “no” inside of your head then it’s better off finding another home for it where it can be loved. Having only things around you that you love instead of just a bunch of stuff that’s meaningless or even steeped in negative feelings is a very freeing situation.
2. Would I save this in an emergency? If you can’t decide whether or not you love something then put it to this simple test. Ask yourself if your house were facing impending fires or a forthcoming flood or a swirling hurricane, would you want to save this item. If you’d leave it behind (not out of convenience, assume that you could easily take what you wanted) then you probably don’t love it and it can be purged.
3. If I moved to a new home, would I take this with me? Many people find it a lot easier to get rid of their stuff when they are starting fresh in a new home. You don’t have to actually move to make this happen, though. Simply stop and ask yourself honestly whether certain items would make it with you in the move. If not then there’s really no reason to keep it around now is there?
4. Would I pay someone to move this across the country for me? You might think that you would take certain items with you if you were to move but put those items to a second test by asking this question as well. If you wouldn’t bother to pay someone to move the item to a home a thousand miles away then you don’t love the item enough to keep it in your current home. Get rid of it.
5. Does this make my life easier? Think about whether the items that you have in your life make your life easier in any way. Even if you’re not in love with an item, you might find that you want to keep it simply for the fact that it’s going to simplify certain things in your life.
6. Does this make my life more difficult? In contrast, there are some things that you love but they make life a lot more difficult for you so it may not be worth it to keep those things. For example, a collection of crystals and figurines may be lovable but if you have to constantly dust it and worry about it breaking then you might discover that the difficulty it adds to your life is worth letting go of.
7. Does this make me or my home look stunning? We should keep those things that make us feel best about ourselves. If you have a dress that you don’t wear that often but it truly makes you feel great about the way that you look then go ahead and keep it. If you have a dress that’s been hanging around but it makes you look a little chubby then by all means, it’s time to ditch it. The same is true of things that make your home look great … or not so great.
8. Does this item match where I’m at in life now? There are so many things that we keep around our homes because we remember when they really resonated with who we were. The lava lamp that we couldn’t live without in college, the stack of children’s books that we treasured when we received them for Christmas back in kindergarten … but if these things aren’t relevant to your life anymore, it’s not necessary to keep them. Keep one or two items, take pictures of items, do something to pare down the stuff and surround yourself with things that really matter to you today.
9. How does this item make me feel? Be honest with yourself about the feelings that different things evoke in you. Do you feel joy when you hold your favorite chipped tea cup? Do you feel pressure when you look at the crock pot that you’ve never used. Your feelings about your stuff are great clues to what’s going on inside of you and they’re also good indicators about what to keep and what to ditch.
10. What would happen if I got rid of this? Is the item replaceable if you change your mind about it? If you did get rid of it, would you feel a pang of missing it that would probably pass or would you be filled with regret? Would someone be upset with you if you got rid of the item? Looking at these issues helps you to figure out why you’re hanging on to stuff and can make it a lot easier to make smart choices when purging your home.
- Managing Your Household: Tips for Stay-at-Home Moms
Many people still have the myth in mind that the stay at home mom doesn't do anything. She just kind of picks up the house and enjoys time with the kids and spends her free time going shopping and to day... - De-Cluttering Your Life
Now what? You're here, so you must have something you feel you need to de-clutter. What is it? Too many material possessions? Too much going on in your head? Too many chores or tasks on your 'to do list'?... - How to Declutter and Live a Fuller Life with Less St...
I used to love having stuff. I was happy to see my bookshelves piled high, my closet bursting, and my drawers overflowing. Books were always my greatest weakness and it wasn't unusual for me to spend way... - Drowning in Clutter: Cleaning Tips for Pack Rats
I'm a pack rat. I collect things, I store things, and above all, I save things. What if I need that for a costume one day? What if I want to give that to my kid (who isn't born) one day? I can't give that...