Welcome to my series ‘Make a start on decluttering’ (because few people can do it in one fell swoop).

I’ll be releasing these blogs gradually, and while there is some practical, how-to information woven through them, the focus is on ways you can reframe and change your mindset to make decluttering possible.

Are you overwhelmed by your stuff, struggling to keep your house tidy, or finding it hard to focus on what’s most important to you? This is for you.

I have personal experience. I have twice been overwhelmed and had to fix it. Let me tell you I’m not going back for a third try! 😄

Four: But I might need it!

This old chestnut. Christmas pun unintended. I hear other people say, ‘But I might use this,’ and I look at the mouldy old box of stuff they’re talking about and think, ‘You must be joking?!’ Yet many times I’ve turned away and immediately thought the same thing about my own stuff!

I might need three sets of muffin trays because I used to bake muffins and cupcakes when I had younger kids at home. I haven’t used the trays in the last half decade, but I might.

I might read my copy of Gone with the Wind. I love stories set in the South, it’s a classic, and it’s a hardback. I love hardbacks! Except I’m known for problems committing to a book if I’ve seen the movie, and I also have a preference for averaged sized novels. Gone with the Wind is nearly 1000 pages long.

One more example. I had a gorgeous linen dress with a green hibiscus print. Loved the colour and the big pockets in the front. It’s just that it was a size 14, and while I do vary in weight from time to time, that dress was really outside the size I generally fluctuate to.

All three were items I might have used, read, worn, and needed. I kept them all (and many more things) for a long time and, instead of eventually getting use from them, they just clogged up my home and made me stressed.

So I removed them, and I haven’t regretted it.

Though at the time it can feel like a waste of money to remove an item that you “could” need at a later date, the reality is most things you don’t need and won’t use, and when you reflect, you’ll probably see that most items are attainable again if that scenario did occur.

Read The Money’s Gone.

Reality:

If I bake muffins again, I can get a pan for under $10. If I want to read Gone With the Wind, I can borrow it from the library (#LibraryLove) or get the ebook. If I put on more weight than expected, then I’m going to need lots of new clothes, so having kept one particular dress for two, five or ten years will not save me.

Strategy:

1. Is it possible or probable?

This is my favourite strategy. It’s a game changer because it’s simple, and it works well for a lot of distinct categories of belongings. When you find a box full of used sink plugs, bits and pieces that came with appliances you bought, and cords you have no idea about, you can apply this strategy. 🤗

This is about removing focus from how you might (someday, somewhere) use an item, to how probable it is that you’ll use it.

Decision making by possibility ends with keeping tons of things you’ll never use because most things are possible. Deciding by what is probable or likely, that’s when you’ll get somewhere in decluttering.

2. When did you last use it? When will you use it next?

This is a popular method among minimalists and declutterers because it helps you zone in on decision making in two ways.

You’re focusing on the reality of your lifestyle by looking backwards. If you’ve used it recently, it's more likely to be something useful. Then, in thinking about the next 6 months, you’re more able to make sensible judgements on seasonal items like coats, camping gear and swimming togs.

Anyone aiming for a more drastic minimalism than I am can easily tighten up this strategy, too. You could ask, seasonal items and special items aside, have I used this in the last three months? Or will I in the next three?

Making these decisions, which can feel difficult when you’re not used to letting go, leads to lower stress levels, less worry, and less cleaning. Retraining your brain to be able to make these decisions in a new way is priceless and well worth the effort.

That’s why I’m writing this series in the hope of helping you if you are just beginning your journey. Here are the links for part one, two, and three, of Make a Start on Decluttering, or you can read all my decluttering posts here (just scroll down to see them).

Good luck, and please let me know if you are stuck on any aspect of doing a major declutter. I’ll do my best to offer advice.

Thanks for reading, lovelies. I’ll be back shortly with part five.

Morgan x 💝

P.S. I’d love you to join my email list for (very occasional) news. Most emails are a wrap-up about my fiction writing, with some links to blogs I’ve written (whether it’s decluttering, writing, or simply life). Plus, occasional sales offers and competitions. I might run another competition in December or in early 2026, by the way. 😉

Four: But I might need it!

Strategy:

Three: The money’s gone.