19 Questions to Ask Yourself When Decluttering

The average American home contains approximately 300,000 items. Yes, you read that right! Having so many possessions can make it challenging to stay organized and find what we need when we need it. It also gets in the way of you being able to enjoy the home you live in, especially in a small home where space is so limited.

Here's another eye-opener: National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (NAPO) research reveals that 80% of our items are never used. Some of that 80% could be family photos, sentimental items to pass down one day, or items stored away with the hope of later use. But, truth time, there's no way all of those items we've kept fall into that category; some of it is simply clutter.

But once you’ve made the decision to declutter, it can be overwhelming deciding what should stay and what should go, especially if you’re out of practice. I honed my decluttering skills with 7 moves in just 15 years. It’s a little easier to say goodbye to stuff no longer serving you if you’ll have to pack it up and move it (see question #10 below). But what if there’s no move in your near future? Here are 19 questions to ask yourself to help you make decisions and get in the right frame of mind.

1. How does this serve my priorities for my life and my home?

2. Can it easily be replaced if it turns out I need it later?

3. What do I gain by keeping this in my life? What do I lose by keeping this in my life?

4. Am I holding onto this just because I’m concerned about being wasteful? Could I find a good home for it?

5. Am I worried that my child will all-of-a-sudden ask for the toy he hasn’t touched in months and throw a fit because I got rid of it? Can I hide it away for a few weeks and see what happens?

6. Am I holding onto it because it was a gift? Would the person want me to hold onto something I don’t want? If so, is that a reasonable expectation?

7. Am I having trouble letting go because I’ve had it forever or it reminds me of something in my past? Does it serve the life I want to lead now?

8. Do I need to keep the actual object to honor the memory? Can I keep a piece of it or take a picture and let it go? Can I turn it into something useful like a quilt?

9. Does this item bring up positive or negative thoughts? If it’s negative, why can’t I let go? Am I avoiding feeling something emotional? Can I face it to allow myself to move into the life I want to lead? Who can I talk to for support?

10. If I was moving, would it be worth it to pack it and pay the movers to transport it?

11. Is it more important to keep this than the space it would free up?

12. If keeping this means it will get in the way of having the space I need to do the things I want to do or it will get in the way of my relationships, is it more important than my relationship or plans for my life?

13. Is this more important than the things I’ll need to let go of in order to keep it?

14. Am I capable of using this now? Have my circumstances or health changed so that it would be unsafe for me to use it? Am I having trouble accepting my new circumstances?

15. Have I been saying I’ll use this for a long time and never have? Is it time to let go of this aspiration?

16. Would I buy this again if it broke or disappeared?

17. On my deathbed, would it be important to me to still have this? If not, when do I think would be the right time to let it go?

18. Does this item add value to my life? If so, how?

19. If I’m paying to store it, is the storage cost more than what it would be to replace it later when I need it again?

I hope these questions help. And if you’re ready to get started on decluttering, I’ve got a free 7-Day Decluttering Jumpstart challenge that gets you going with 7 easy things to let go of.

Have fun clearing out the clutter!