There are any number of questions we can ask about our possessions as we seek to minimize them.
Some have offered questions such as:
Does it spark joy?
Does it add value?
Does it serve my purpose?
I personally recommend two questions:
1. Do I need this?
2. Why do I have it?
You will find both incredibly helpful in your decluttering journey (especially if you include the added step of touching every physical item in your home).
But I have come to recognize a third question that is helpful to many. And once people ask it, the decluttering process seems to go faster as more and more items are identified as unnecessary.
Ask yourself, with every item in your home:
What would I use if I didn’t have it?
If the question can be answered quickly, it is not an item that you need to keep.
I first discovered this question when I minimized the things in my kitchen and stood face to face with countless tools and gadgets.
Mark Bittman in his article A No Frill’s Kitchen Still Cooks lists the only 30 items you need in your kitchen and I used his list as a template to declutter my own.
I had collected WAY more than 30 items, including countless gadgets and tools I thought necessary to cook dinner for my family.
As I stared at a stainless-steel egg-separator that had lived in my drawer for years, I thought to myself, “Surely I need to keep this. How else would I separate the yolk from an egg?”
Until I asked myself the question above, “What would I use if I didn’t have it?”
Within seconds I discovered that you can separate eggs with a simple spoon or even no spoon at all.
I thought I needed an egg separator cluttering up my kitchen drawer, but in reality, I didn’t need it at all. There is more than one way to solve a problem and I already owned everything I needed to separate eggs. (Incidentally, I got rid of the egg separator that day and haven’t missed it at all).
When we ask ourselves the question, “What would I use if I didn’t have it?” and quickly discover an answer, it becomes easier to let go—even if the item is one we use.
Another time I saw this question help someone declutter was helping a friend of mine minimize her kitchen. Over the years, she had collected decades and decades of items.
We began the process asking the questions, “Do you need it?” “Do you use it?” “Why do you have it?”
We weren’t making very fast progress. At one point, I pulled a red Santa tray from a cluttered cabinet and asked if she needed it.
“Oh yes,” she responded, “I put cookies on that tray every Christmas Eve.”
I asked a follow-up question, “Well, what would you use if you didn’t have it?”
She didn’t have to think long before her reply, “Oh, I’d probably just use one of the other red serving trays that I have in that cabinet.”
And in that moment, as she was working hard to own less and free up space in her home and life, she discovered something important: Just because you use an item doesn’t mean you need to keep it.
Especially when there are numerous things in your home that serve the same purpose.
The question, “What would I use if I didn’t have it?” allows us to see our possessions in a new way.
It forces us to recognize the number of duplicate items in our home.
The average American home has 300,000 items inside of it. And most of them are simply duplicates.
You can make quick progress decluttering your home by removing the duplicate items that you own. The question above helps us recognize them.
And it allows us to find new solutions to the problems we face.
There is almost always more than one way to solve a problem. You can offload many of the possessions you think you need by simply reminding yourself that you already own a solution to that problem elsewhere.
Do I need it? Why do I have it? What would I use if I didn’t have it?
Ask yourself these questions and declutter faster.
Own less, live more. You’ll love it.
I know this is from a few year ago. LOL.
But the real question we’re asking here is,
“How many of a particular thing we use do we really need?”
The answer might be just one (or more than that) but seldom do we need DOZENS or more of anything.
Doesn’t matter if the thing in question is a pair of jeans, a serving platter for cookies, or anything else. We should decide how many we truly need – and get rid of the excess.
I got a really good deal at a moving sale on some Christmas dishes that were worth much, much more than what I paid. But after admiring and washing them at home, I felt guilty for buying them because they were a want and not a need. My white Correlle goes with everything and that’s why I bought it more than 30 years ago.
The question “What would I use if I didn’t have it?” has totally changed how I look at my belongings and made an amazing difference in how I am able to let go of items. The example of the red tray was a huge ah ha moment. This article and that question has been one of the most influential in my minimalist/simplicity journey. The idea that you don’t need to keep things that you use as there are other ways to get the same result has opened up endless possibilities to simplify my life.
I would just use a plate. If I had Christmassy serviettes I might put one on the plate
Love this idea and am using it as I put everything back into my house after a remodel. I will add it to my Fawcett’s Favorites on Monday.
Thanks,
Dr. Cory S. Fawcett
Financial Success MD
My go to question when my decluttering had lasted long enough was:
DO I EVER WANT TO NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON THIS ITEM AGAIN?
I had struggled letting go of some stuff, but that question made me see that I really didn’t want to see it again on my next round of decluttering (which of course will come up at some point)
YES!!! That certainly helps on many occasions! I deal with the same places once a year maybe and if I come across items that haven`t been touched or noticed since the last revision I feel free to declutter them :)
Thank you for this! ❤️ I have been nurturing my minimalist self, living this way increasingly for years now, but am still finding those “duplicates”. This time it’s our cutting boards. We have one, which is usually fine, but the other day I needed two. Feeling too lazy to wash it, I just pulled out a plate. ??♀️ I should have been doing this all along: good for veggies or meats, durable, and (most importantly) dish washer safe! ? I’m probably late to the party on this, but so glad I finally arrived! One more kitchen gadget down! Thank you for your guidance & encouragement!
Cutting on a plate can dull and damage your knives and your plate. Maybe a shortcut next time is to flip the cutting board over.
I love “nurturing my minimalist self”.
Thank you for this, it is very informative, and encouraging. Great post Joshua.
This is your best post, thank you Joshua.
Here is another question from minimalists.com but maybe not relevant to kitchen items: If this item spontaneously combusted, would I feel relieved? If so, let it go.
Brilliant! This question gets right to the heart of our clutter problem and speaks to that “just in case” mentality as well. It also encourages us to be flexible and creative. I love it.
Brilliant! It gets immediately to the root of our clutter problem and takes care of the “just in case” mindset too. Reminds us to be flexible and creative as well. Thanks Joshua.
That is a great question and although I am minimized in most areas of my life, I’ll bet I can use this question to weed out more things I don’t need. I’m noticing I’ve accumulated a few flashlights and half finished journal or reminder notebooks lately. ? hmmm
This is the BEST extra question to ask!
I love these questions. They are simple, smart, logical, and helps to make a quick – sensible decision.
Thank you!
Someone also told me just recently that another question to ask yourself about an item you do not know if you should get rid of us -If I saw this in a store today would I buy it again? Maybe refers mostly to clothes but could apply to anything.
Love it! I’ll definitely be using that question to help myself and my family Declutter more. I have found that we tend towards the on hand solution rather than dig for specific tools anyway so I try to keep it simple and believe in my own ingenuity. It not only keeps my home Decluttered but it also teaches me new skills and build confidence that I can handle whatever situation comes my way.
A very simple thing that immediately comes to mind–I have 4 cutting sheets: for bread, fruit, veggies. I’m a vegan, so don’t use the 4th one. I’m getting rid of it! It’s a start, right?
Hi Kathy,
I am a vegan too, and have been on the journey of Simple Living, Sustainable Living & Minimalism for a very long time. Believe me,
once you start to see some progress on this journey you will not want to stop. Baby Steps do apply to many things in our modern world and I have learned that it is best to avoid getting too discouraged or experience burnout. Good Luck.
I would love the 30 items you need in your kitchen but it wouldn’t let me read the article unless I subscribed. Is there anyway you could send me the article or list the items please?
I am just beginning this journey after a rough 1 1/2 years of battling Cancer.
Thank you
That article was written and paid for by the New York Times. I am not at liberty to send it out. Sorry about that.
I put the title of the article in the address bar of my IPad & it brought the article verbatim( I think) . Try it and see.PatriciaMack
Hi Lisa,
As a fellow Cancer Survivor since 2019 I wish you the very best on your recovery. I am in Northern California and have been going to a wonderful online support group. It has made a huge difference for me to connect with other lovely ladies too.
Would I pack this if I was moving? Is THE question that works for me now I’ve been years asking all the other questions.
Love this site and the Simplicity magazine. Thank you.
Good one, Marilyn!
I do this, Joshua… and it is very helpful ❤️
This article is very down to earth. This makes for an easier way to disengage with things.