6 Decluttering Questions: Question 3

by Jess Lex

When you start the process of decluttering and downsizing, you will have to make a lot of decisions to help you sort your things. I recommend asking 6 questions in order to help you make decisions about your items. Today’s blog will cover question 3: Is there sentimental value to the item?

Sentimentality can REALLY get us stuck. That’s why I recommend starting your process with more mundane things and leaving the decisions about sentimental items for a little later. This will give you more time to exercise your decluttering muscles, in turn making those decisions much easier to work through when they come up.

You are going to find a lot of things that make you really emotional. Sometimes it’s not even the item itself that is making us feel that way. More often than not, the item is just a representation of a really important memory. We fear that as soon as we get rid of that thing, POOF! There goes the memory right along with it.

For that reason, the best thing to do with sentimental items before you get rid of them is to take a picture of them. That way, you will still have a visual representation of the item which will ensure that you don’t lose the memory associated with that item. Make a digital scrapbook or a physical photo album. You could even get one of those scrolling digital photo frames and put your sentimental item photos on a loop so you can look at them every day!

I think it’s important to stop here and say that, just because you are decluttering doesn’t mean that you have to get rid of EVERYTHING you own. Those items that mean a lot to you can stay if you think that’s the best choice. This is your process and it’s up to you how you handle it. If you have things that logically you should probably get rid of but emotionally you can’t bear to, that’s ok! Just make sure you leave some instructions for whomever has to make the decluttering decisions on your behalf when you’re no longer able to. Let them know that they have your permission to donate or throw away those items, or whatever choice seems appropriate. You can store this information in your “Decluttering Notebook” or put a note on the item itself or the container where you keep the items.

Decluttering is really hard. Sentimental feelings make it even harder. Remember that the job will get done one way or another. Either you’ll have the opportunity to do it or someone else will have to do it for you. If you’re having a hard time making progress with all the information you have about your life and past, just think how much harder it might be for someone to step in and make those decisions WITHOUT all that information. Have compassion on those folks and try to make as many decisions as you can ahead of time!