The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Morgan from Morganize with Me.
With an impending major move on our horizon, I’m super motivated to declutter every inch of our home. You can bet I’ve got my super decluttering cape on and I’m flying around my house like a speeding bullet!
While preparing for an overseas move is overwhelming and daunting, it’s also a really good motivator. (I’m trying to be a glass half-full kind of gal.) And even though I like to declutter (nerd alert) I still find myself getting stuck from time to time. I’ll fall into the trap of moving things around versus actually dealing with them or holding onto things when I no longer have a purpose to keep them.
Thankfully, I’ve learned through trial and error, and many hiccups too, that there are three essential questions you should ask yourself when decluttering. These three questions help to make your efforts effective so you can more easily declutter your home and life.
Question #1 : When was the last time I actually used this?
If you have a hard time answering this question, you may have answered your decluttering question right off the bat! Don’t keep things (in general) that you don’t use at least once a year. There are of course exceptions, but in general things you keep, should be things you use.
Question #2: Will I really need this “someday?”
Often you hold onto something because you think you’ll need it someday. So ask yourself honestly, if you will really use this item someday. If so, make a purposeful plan. If not, don’t keep it if you know deep down it will not be a part of your future.
Question #3: What is the cost of keeping this?
Every single item you own requires something from you. Really question if the dynamic of keeping your item exceeds the demand of keeping it. Count all of the costs of the things you want to keep, store, maintain, and use. The cost should always reap a good reward and/or benefit.
Efficient decluttering helps to minimize your stuff, versus simply shuffling your stuff from place to place. I challenge you with an overarching goal to have less stuff in general, whether or not you are moving! When you have less stuff you have more time and less stress.
Everything counts, so make sure it counts if you keep it.
If you need a little organizing jumpstart be sure to sign up for my free 10 day Seasonal Organizing Challenges. Organizing and decluttering can easily be done in as little as 10-15 minutes a day.
Happy decluttering, don’t forget your super decluttering cape….up, up, and away!
Morgan is the energetic and motivated, but also realistic girl, behind Morganize with Me. She is a list lover, fitness fan, and chaos controller! Her mission is to share tried and true techniques that she hopes will encourage her readers and clients as they focus on their health and homes. Join one of her Challenges and be sure to check out her Shop full of fabulous organizing printables!
Alice says
We moved from the US to Canada and back, so I get how stressful international moving is! (Plus, our stuff got impounded due to a clerical error on the shipping company’s part. Avoid that!) I think I worked it out that 100 pounds was $100 of the moving cost. Every time I donated a box of books or some things, I was calculating how much I saved. Thinking weight helps detach a bit of sentimentality, because would you pay twice for something? If the answer is no, why move it?