A lamp showed me what my favorite decluttering question was missing.
It sits on the little table next to my spot on the couch. I turn it on every single evening when I sit down to read.
So for years, it passed every test. Do I use it? Yes, every day.
Is it broken? No.
But the shade has always leaned a little to the left. The light is too dim to read by without my glasses pushed up my nose. And the switch is so stiff that my sore fingers have to twist it twice.
One night this fall, I was fighting with that switch again, and a new question popped into my head. If this lamp broke tomorrow, would I go out and buy this same one?
The answer came right away. No, I would not.
That one question found more clutter in my house than I expected. If you’ve already let go of the things you don’t use, try asking “Would I buy it again today?” next. It finds the things that slipped through.
Why “Do I Use It?” Wasn’t Enough
“Do I use it?” is a wonderful question. It helped me clear out the bread maker, the extra spatulas, and a whole shelf of “someday” things.
But it misses one thing. It only catches the things we don’t use.