What One Question Will Help With Decluttering?
Have you started an organizing project only to get stuck?
Are you not sure what to keep and what to give away?
One way to make the process easier is to have one thought in mind, and that is to ask yourself, “Do I love this?”
Using this one question to sort through your items whether they are clothes or memorabilia, can really give you clarity on the reason why you are holding onto an item and help you to only keep what you love.
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By asking yourself “Do I love this?”, you will be able to discern if you are holding on to something because you truly love and enjoy it, or if you are holding onto it because you feel obligated.
You may feel obligated because someone special gave it to you as a gift, or it is a family heirloom, or you bought it and thought you loved it at the time.
If it is because you feel obligated, the definition below will give you more clarity.
OBLIGATION – the act of binding or obliging oneself by a promise, contract, or sense of duty.
The definition of obligation is not the same as the definition of a gift.
GIFT – something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance.
Is this what you agreed to when someone gave you that sweater you don’t like to wear? You were not bound by contract or sense of duty.
Do you think the person who gave you the gift would want you to feel burdened and obligated to keep it?
I believe they would feel sad if they knew that you were keeping something only because you didn’t want to hurt their feelings.
Therefore, you have permission to give-away, donate or whatever you feel is best. No guilt. None.
On the flip side, don’t let someone’s opinion about something you love and want to keep influence you.
Keeping only what you love means you feel good in everything you put on each morning.
Keeping only what you love means you have released yourself from unwanted items.
Keeping only what you love means that you are living freely.
Keeping only what you love means you have open space for new opportunities.
Can you imagine yourself living with items you only enjoy and love?
This won’t happen overnight. But taking the time, even just 15 minutes a day or 30 minutes on the weekend, you will start to see a big difference in your space.
Asking this question can help you to keep focused. But staying motivated means you have a goal set for your space.
What is your plan for each room. Does its contents support the purpose of the room?
Keeping your goal in mind for your space and home will keep clarity when asking yourself the question for each item. “Do I love this?”
CONCLUSION
How do you know what to keep when decluttering? That answer may have slight differences with each person.
However, by keeping the process of decluttering and getting organized SIMPLE, it will help you follow through and get to your desired result.
Asking yourself if you love something in order to keep it, having your end goal in mind, and setting aside small units of time consistently, you will see the results before you know it!
Cheering you on!
