40 Bags in 40 Days™ How To Decide What To Purge

Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go in.”

Napoleon bonaparte

A Simple List of Questions – How To Decide What To Purge During The 40 Bags in 40 Days Process

As we decide what to purge, this process of letting go and decision making will get easier, but the first time doubts can creep in and most of those doubts have the element of fear-the fear of regret or fear of feeling guilty for not keeping something we either spent hard-earned money on or someone else did in form of a gift.

We all deserve to have a beautiful, cleanly, and organized home, and we are all capable of it, even if we aren’t in our dream homes. We can cultivate contentment and practice gratitude right now, and we can also learn to appreciate and honor the possession we have. In my opinion, the best way of doing that is to only have those things that warrant care, appreciation and are of good use to us.

Having less enables us to appreciate more, and that’s one of the goals of purging and simplifying. It helps us to be very careful and discerning about future purchases, to let go of materialism and the quest to have more and more It is an act of generosity also, as we donate items that aren’t of use to anymore.

Here are some practical questions to ask as we go room to room making decisions.

1. Where did this come from and why is it in my house? Was it bought or gifted with care or impulsively?
2. Is this item meaningful to me or did I just buy it on a whim to fill a space?
3. 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 not.)
4. Do they play with it often?
5. Do I like this item of clothing and do I wear it?
6. Are these pants really comfortable? Life is too short of uncomfortable pants!
7. Do these shoes hurt my feet? Life is too short for shoes that hurt!
8. Is this the style of clothing my child likes to wear or that I like them to wear?
9. Will he/she EVER wear this in spite of my attempts to force them into it?
10. Does it have stains?
11. Do I want to care for this item for the rest of my life or is it simply taking up space?
12. Do I want to look at this for the rest of my life? Does this item fit with the way I picture my home looking?
13. Is this really something that speaks to me and I appreciate it or do I feel I need to keep it out of obligation?
14. Do I use this daily, weekly, or monthly?
15. Would anyone notice if this item was missing or is it that inconsequential?
16. Does this item hold a lot of sentiment or am I keeping it out of feelings of guilt?
17. Do I really need more than one of these?
18. Is it functional and in good repair?
19. Will my grown children want ten bins of special things or just one? (We all know the answer to that.)
20. Will my space look cleaner and neater without this item?

It is often easier to make one pass and then another over a space when purging. Making quick decisions and not dwelling on the answer once it is made-practicing detachment from things-makes it easier.

All 40 bags in 40 days posts here.

Have nothing is your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

William Morris