In this weeks blog I am sharing some questions that a women with ADHD can ask herself to help you decide whether or not to declutter an item. Practice decluttering and gain confidence to declutter more effectively. One of the strategies that helped me the most when I was first beginning to declutter my apartment was to ask myself questions about each item. These decluttering questions made me really think about the item, when I last used it, the value it added to my life (not just monetary value) and whether I was holding on to it because it was useful or important, or because just through habit. However if you are new to decluttering or struggling with knowing what to keep and what to get rid of, asking yourself the following questions may help.
What do you use this item for? Do you rely on it being around? Do you look for it if you can’t find it? Does it serve a purpose and do you use it often enough to justify keeping it? If it’s a high value item that you use, but not very often, and would be expensive to replace, then keep it. If the item’s not useful, doesn’t serve a purpose or you can easily buy, borrow or rent a replacement, then let it go. I suggest that you think carefully about how many items that you keep “just in case” and work out whether you have enough of those ‘just in case’ moments to justify having to look after the item for the rest of the time.
Is this a sentimental item? Is this an item that is something that you love to look at, or it reminds you of something that you love to do, a place you love to be or someone you used to love. Or it could be something that you love to use or to wear. If you LOVE it, then keep it. Liking something isn’t good enough when you have plenty of things you like and need to weed out the important from the unimportant. To use this question as a filter for your clutter, you really have to LOVE the item!
Does item hold value to your home or life? When you ask yourself this question it is about whether the item adds value to your life, or you appreciate it enough to make space for it in your home or your life. It might not be something that you love, or you need, but it’s something that you really, really WANT in your life. Ask yourself whether your life is enhanced by having this item in your life and would your life be any less if this item wasn’t in it? If you really WANT it, then keep it. Just be mindful that you can’t want everything! If you find yourself with this dilemma then sort out your WANT pile and priorities it. Keep the three most important things and let the rest go. You don’t WANT them badly enough or you’d have put them at the top of the list!
How many times do you use the item? Now that I have already discussed whether you need the item, but ask yourself how often do you use it? One of my coaching clients told me recently that she received a house warming gift from her parents and she has only used once If this is the case, do you really need to look after and store it the rest of the time? Everything you have in your home requires you to manage it and this costs money, space, time and energy. If you use the item regularly, every day or week, then it’s probably worth keeping.