but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in."
Napoleon Bonaparte
I was going to post some practical professional questions I found on the internet to ask ourselves while de-cluttering, but it was just all so stupidly generic and magaziney-ish I thought "OH how dumb".
I'm a mom just like you, so here are my unprofessional REAL-LIFE thoughts when I am making decisions to rid my house of something:
I'm a mom just like you, so here are my unprofessional REAL-LIFE thoughts when I am making decisions to rid my house of something:
- Do I want this in my house anymore?
- Where the heck did this come from and why is it in my house?
- Do I love this toy for my children? (Was it just a gift that I would never have bought, or did I make a mistake thinking it would be hit and it's plain old dumb.)
- Do they play with it often?
- Do I look good in this shirt or do I never wear it because my bra straps always show and bug me or the sleeves are too short, or some other annoying thing?
- Do these pants make my butt look big? Or do they make my butt look bigger than it already is?
- Will my child look like a rag-a-muffin wearing this?
- Will he/she EVER wear this in spite of my attempts to force them into it?
- Does it have stains?
- Do I want to dust this for the rest of my life?
- Do I want to look at this for the rest of my life?
- Is this really me or do I feel I need to keep it out of obligation?
- Do I use this daily, weekly, or monthly?
- How long will it be before anyone even notices it is gone?
- Will I be able to sleep at night if I get rid of this, or will I be racked with guilt?
- Do I really need more than one of these?
- Do I swear at this thing a lot? (Like a small lamp that was in my kitchen once that shocked me all the time. Or that battery toy that never shuts off and drones on and on and on? So long, sucker.)
Or more eloquently put, I always keep this quote in mind:
Have nothing is your house that you do not know to be useful,
or believe to be beautiful.
william morris
william morris
Posts
We are planning on moving in the next year so as I declutter I ask myself: "Do I want to unpack this into a new house?"
ReplyDeleteOh thank you for this! We just moved and I am so OVER unpacking! I consider myself a minimalist and detest any kind of clutter but I still find myself surrounded by it. I am determined to get rid of 1/2 of the stuff left to unpack.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog it has been so motivational for me. I went out and bought black trash bags so the kids can't question anything, and I've already done 5 black bags, and 6+ trash bags this week alone and it is only Tuesday! ,Thanks for all of your inspiration!
ReplyDeleteJust discovered your blog. Love it! This post is great! I think I just may de-clutter tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThis is great a great list. The beauty in getting rid of things is that you realize that they are only things... I am going to steal that quote.
ReplyDeleteI love your questions you ask yourself. I think most of us do go through that process. I love going through and getting rid of things cause usually I am making room for something new. Or I just don't want it anymore.
ReplyDeleteBut mostly I get rid of Stuff because I am so afraid of being a hoarder that it scares me to getting rid of things. I don't like the feeling of having things as more important then people.
oh man, I need to drive a dumpster to my front door! love the list, especially the noisy toy one and the shirt and bra strap one!
ReplyDeleteI picked up a new childrens book at our library - How to Clean Your Room in 10 Steps - its a bit cheeky but hysterically funny to me. I was completley cracking up reading it last night!
Gonna keep this list in mind as I go about my cleaning day today. I am tired of stuff! Drowning in it really. Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteI love these suggestions! Another suggestion I have is that you don't need 15 things that remind you of a loved one. I had a hard time with this one because I didn't want to get rid of knick-knacks that deceased relatives had given me. Then I thought..."If I just keep the really special/useful/beautiful things, then those few treasured pieces will be that much more special." For example, I don't need five perfume bottles that my grandmother gave me when a) I don't use them, b) I don't even really like them; but when I get rid of them I can remind myself that I have her piano, silver, antique decanter set, chiming wall clock, etc. All pieces that I LOVE... and actually USE! (PS Per your suggestion, I went on the Power of Moms Myrtle Beach trip and it was life changing for me. I'll be posting about it soon! Thanks Sarah!)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a SAHM (ah, the good old days!) I read the Fly Lady book and she said while decluttering, to ask yourself "Does this bless my house?" I've always remembered that and use it frequently. My husband even says it while cleaning to help me get rid of more junk!
ReplyDeleteI HATE keeping things because I feel obligated to, whether it being a gift from someone to my children, or clothes..... I feel bad getting rid of it in fear that one day I'll be asked.... "Where is that article of clothing that we bought them such-n-such a time ago?" AHHHHH.... make me feel anxious. How do you deal with those types of feelings? I don't want to appear ungrateful.
ReplyDeleteThank you ! I love your blog !!!!!
ReplyDeleteI started cleaning out some rooms ( with vengeance) a couple of days ago and thought " why does all this junk bother me now, I was fine with it a month ago ?" Do you also feel this overwhelming desire to clean and purge around spring time ?
I love that William Morris Quote!! You have inspired me to work through my house, especially my closets. Now that I am on the other side of pregnancy I have realized that I don't need/fit in a lot of the clothing that I own... Thanks for such a great blog!!
ReplyDeleteGonna be asking myself ALOT of questions today :) Thanks as always Sarah!!
ReplyDeleteI am 35 weeks pregnant with my 3rd and have been decluttering for the last few months - my husband is going nuts, but it feels so good to get rid of STUFF. Goodwill drop off has become apart of my weekly routine. My husband has encouraged me to keep stuff for a garage sale, but then it doesn't leave my house. I feel like I have been through everything once and that I could go through everything again and get rid of just as much..... we will see what I can accomplish in the next few weeks.
ReplyDeleteOne of the best posts in blogger history. Now to roll up my sleeves and tackle the pantry!
ReplyDeleteYour blog is like a good book that doesn't end. Thanks for the tips and tricks. One question: What do you say to kids if they ask about toys you've tossed?
ReplyDeleteYour closet looks awesome....thanks for the tips. I need them!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that last quote. Sums it all up!
ReplyDeletei love the one "keeping it out of obligation"
ReplyDeletesometimes.....
i donate things......
the week i receive them as gifts.....
from a certain someone who thinks i love trinkets for very dang holiday invented.
You are brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI like your questions a lot better than the generic magazine questions. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteI've joined you on the 40 day clean-up and I'm already 18 bags down. I basically go through the same basic checklist you just posted and then quickly DOUBLE KNOT the bags and throw them in the garage for shipment to the trash/thrift store.
ReplyDeleteThe best outcome so far, is that I've run errands several times since and I've refrained from making even one unnecessary purchase. Not even one "ooh! $5.00 t-shirt!" from Target! Once I started seeing how much "clutter" we have in our house, it kind of got embarrassing. Now, nothing comes in that I don't absolutely love or need. Plus, my kids do a much better job of playing when they aren't overwhelmed by a TON of options. You were great incentive for me! But I still have many rooms to go!
I have such a hard time getting rid of things - I love those questions you've written down to ask yourself. Thank you for this!!
ReplyDeleteLove this inspiration today! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWe've been doing a major, house-wide declutter since January, and I've found this to be the MOST helpful: Set your default for EVERY ITEM to "OUT." Convince yourself of why it is needed. Then apply the beautiful/useful rule. For some reason, that alone has helped us get rid of TONS of stuff.
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you: will you come clean out my house? Pleeeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please with a cherry on top?
ReplyDeletewell, I just found this blog...I don't even know how I got here... Anyway, I love this idea, but I'm going to have to shorten it to about 20 bags in 20 days (we are traveling quite a bit in April and well, like I said I just found this).
ReplyDeletePS I really probably need the whole 40, but ...
Great tips.
ReplyDeleteI'm 9 bags in and I feel like I've just scratched the surface.
hey! i just wanted to let you know that i linked your post about how to make a header with picasa. it was so helpful, i just wanted to let you know it worked! I know you posted it a long time ago, but thanks so much for putting it up- i so appreciate it. :)
ReplyDeletecome and visit me at
thestyleprojects.blogspot.com
thanks! sharde
Love this post. I feel like I've been purging my house for so long now.....adding a child meant adding so much stuff, and continually adding more. So, I'm in that "get rid of" stage quite often. This post inspired me to get rid of a few larger kitchen things that we have not used in years. It felt good! Thank you! :))
ReplyDeleteA couple more questions I sometimes ask when de-junking: If this were my mom's (or dad's), is it something I would want to remember them by? Is this something I want my kid's to remember me by?
ReplyDeleteperfect! I'm on bag 8 and am going to takle the girls rooms this weekend. I think I can get 8 more bags out of that alone!
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog today and I love this post! These truly are more practical thoughts and questions than the ones you see in those dumb magazine articles! So, they are truly more useful! I had a good chuckle while reading some of them, but only because they ring so true. I also use a version of the dusting question, except mine is more like "Is this thing worth my time to dust it?" Usually the answer is NO! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for an inspiring post and blog. Makes me want to go start cleaning out!:)