Perhaps the hardest part of decluttering is the fight that happens in our mind while deciding what to donate and what to keep. When we actually go to put something in the donate box, all of a sudden emotions start to surface that are tied to the object! Do you know what we’re talking about? Even if we know we don’t need it, our emotions can talk us into keeping it.

All of these little decisions and wars over donating/keeping add up and can become a mentally exhausting task! Whether we realize it or not, it takes A LOT of energy to make these decisions. So in light of our 30 Day Minimalism Challenge, we’ve put together 20 questions to help make this decision-making process easier for you.

Each day of our 30 Day Minimalism Challenge, we will post a small and focused area of the home to declutter. Our goal here is to make decluttering and spring cleaning less of a burden and more of a fun project to tackle every day. As you walk with us through these 30 separate challenges, use these questions to guide you in your decision making.

20 Questions to Ask Yourself While Decluttering

1.     Could I live without this?
2.     Have I used this item in the past year?
3.     Do I LOVE this? How much?
4.     Could someone else love this more?
5.     Could I borrow this when the occasional need rises?
6.     Could I find this used and cheap should I ever need this again?
7.     If I was shopping right now, would I buy this again?
8.     Would I keep this if I moved?
9.     Am I holding on to this because I don’t want to “waste the money”?
10.  Am I holding on to this for sentimental value?
11.  Do I have a similar item that serves the same purpose?
12.  Do I have a realistic plan to use this?
13.  Does this item fit me or my living space?
14.  Am I holding on the this to fix or repair in the future?
15.  Am I keeping this out of obligation or expectation?
16.  Am I holding onto this because I think I should love it?
17.  Am I saving this just in case?
18.  Do I have multiples of the same thing?
19.  Is this item worth the time I spend cleaning/storing it?
20.  Could I use this space for something else?

If it doesn’t “spark joy”, let it go.

Some of these questions are quite brutal and require a deeply honest assessment. After reading through this list, maybe you realized you’ve been holding on to things out of obligation, expectation, or simply “just in case”.

If it doesn’t “spark joy” as Marie Kondo says, let it go. Someone else will love it more than you.

Let us know how the 30 Day Minimalism Challenge is going in the comments below! We’d love to hear about how this journey is changing your home and your life.