How Do You Eat an Elephant? One bite at time. Questions to ask yourself as you declutter and/or as you become a minimalist.

Written By House of Order .

You are ready to tackle your burn out, get your time back, and get your home in order.

Your home is your budget. The withdrawals are the mental and physical labor that go into keeping your home clean, neat, tidy and organized. The deposits are the fun things that you add, the ones that make your life whimsical, efficient and beautiful. What is worth your time and what is worth you energy? Lets find out with these questions that were carefully curated to get clients to think about the top three reasons that challenge them in getting rid of things.

Financial - This is called the “sunk cost fallacy” in psychology. The person (you)  feels that because they spent money on something, they need to hold onto it, even if it’s no longer serving them. Here are some questions to get you to the bottom of what is worth it and what is not.

  1. How much did this cost me?

  2. Could I purchase this again for less than 30?

  3. Is this an item I could borrow from somebody?

  4. What is more valuable to you, the peace of mind that comes from a clutter free house or holding onto this item?

  5. Would releasing this item help your space be more free and light?

  6. If you saw this in the store, would you buy it at full price again?

  7. Does money or memory matter to you?

  8. Is holding onto this item helping your burn out recovery or adding to it?

  9. If you could ‘trade’ this item today for peace of mind, would that feel like a fair exchange?

  10. “If you think of your home as prime real estate, is this item paying rent in joy or usefulness?”

  11. Does this item actually add value to your life, or is it just holding the memory of the money you spent?

Emotional -  with these, the goal is to separate the memory or meaning from the object itself. 

  1. Does this item hold the memory, or do you already carry that memory in yourself?

  2. When you see this item, does it hold happy memories or do they feel heavy?

  3. Has this item served its purpose?

  4. Could releasing this be a way of closing the chapter while still honoring the memory?

  5. How would it feel to donate this to a family or person who would renew the love and use of it?

  6. If you kept the top ten sentimental items you own, would this make the cut?

  7. Does this item represent who you want to be or who you used to be?

  8. What does this item mean to you? Is there a way you could translate that into an action?

  9. Is there a way to store this item in a less intrusive way?

  10. Does keeping this item help you live the life you want now, or is it keeping you tied to the past?

Rainy Day Use / One Day I Will Use This

A form of scarcity thinking, rooted in fear of future need, regret, or not having enough. These questions are to prompt you to think about the aforementioned.

  1. Would you remember this item if your professional organizer secretly got rid of them ?

  2. Did this item exist to you before you saw this?

  3. Have you used this item or something similar to it in the last 6 months?

  4. Think about the other items that you have rid your home of- would getting rid of this feel like that?

  5. Would this fit in your “just in case box”**?

  6. Does this item serve your life today, or is it a backup for a life you’re not actually living?

  7. What would happen if you let it go and needed it later — what’s the worst-case scenario?

  8. Do you want your home to be filled with ‘what-ifs’ or with things that truly serve you right now?

  9. Does this item give you freedom, or keep you tied to clutter?

  10. Would future-you thank present-you for keeping this, or for creating a calmer home?

A Few Extra- just for funsies.

  1. Is this investing in the future and the life you want to create?

  2. Do you truly have space for this?

  3. What does life look like without this item?

  4. Would releasing this item create more calm?

  5. How would keeping this item impact your life?

  6. Could we keep this item and display it?

  7. How much whimsy/beauty/function does this bring into your life?

  8. What’s the worst that could happen if you make the ‘wrong’ decision about this item?

  9. Do you keep this out of love, or out of guilt?

  10. If you fast-forwarded 6 months and had the calm, polished home you dream of, would this item be there?

  11. Would future-you thank you for keeping this, or for letting it go?

House of Order .