4 Thoughtful Questions To Ask When Decluttering

Simply + Fiercely

Marie Kondo famously inspired a worldwide movement with the question, “Does this spark joy?”

But it’s not always that simple. Decluttering is personal and sometimes you have to approach clutter from multiple angles before you find the perspective you need.

With that in mind, here’s a list of decluttering questions I used on my own journey from shopaholic to minimalist. Store them in your ‘decluttering toolkit’ and pull them out next time you’re struggling with stubborn clutter.

When decluttering, I like to begin by thinking about my goals. – What will this space look like when I’m finished decluttering? – What will I be doing in this space?

How does this add value to my life?

I keep this vision in mind while working, and use it to guide my decluttering decisions. This mindset helps me stay focused on the big picture, which is essential while decluttering.

When I was in university, my economics professor told me that everything in life comes with tradeoffs, and often think about this often, especially in relation to decluttering and minimalism.

What’s the tradeoff and is it worth it?

Whether conscious or not, we trade time, money, and energy for the things we own. It starts with the initial cost of purchasing an item—but it doesn’t end there.

This applies to most things in life, from our careers to our closets. Collectively, we’re taught that we need to be working towards something, but to what extent?

How much do I need to be happy?

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