Wednesday, April 23, 2008

3 questions that will reduce your clutter by 50%

Flylady says you can't organise clutter and I absolutely agree with that statement.

One of the mistakes we all make is we try to organise the stuff in our home by buying storage containers, moving it around from room to room, and arranging it differently within the room.

I want to propose a different approach:

Before you even bring it into your home, ask yourself these 3 questions:

  1. can I afford it?
  2. do I need it?
  3. where will it go?

I've been asking myself, "where will it go?" for years now and just this ONE question has stopped me from many an impulse purchase. It's definitely working for me.

Write these 3 questions on a post-it note and stick it in your wallet.

If you have a clutter problem, next time you're at the shops, make sure you ask yourself these 3 questions before you buy anything. And if you've bought some things recently and you don't have the money or the space for them, return them!

Which other questions can you add to this list?

7 comments:

Jen said...

I just wrote these on a post-it! Thank you! I think this will really work for me. I think I ask the first two without even thinking, but the last question should really make a difference!

Unknown said...

My favorite question is where I will put it. We have a tiny apartment so this has prevented me from buying a lot of things. But, also, What will I really use it for? Am I willing to get rid of something else in order to have this? I will often put something in my cart and think about whether or not I REALLY want it while I finish my shopping. 9/10 times I'll put it back at the end.

Jen said...

Thanks for stopping by. 20 purses...wow! I think I am more like 10-ish.

Anonymous said...

How about, Why? do I want it? Sometimes once I stop and examine my motives, I find that I want to buy or have it simply out of selfishness or greed. Ugly, but true. Do I want it because someone else has one like it?
Because it is popular? Because I just want it? Usually a good time to put the thing back and walk away. :)

Sing4joy said...

Ouch! You're squashing my stuff-bug. I'll have to employ this technique! Thank you.

Kathy in WA said...

Great questions to ask when you're out shopping. Now to browse around your blog and see if I can find some other insights into organizing my existing mess. :)

Marcia Francois said...

Wow, everyone - some great questions esp from you, Tina :)

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