Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash
When we're decluttering & organizing, getting rid of the things that don't spark joy isn't exactly easy, because what do you do with it?
Do you put things out with the trash? Recycle them? Pass things to friends & relatives? Donate? Sell? Just thinking about what to do is overwhelming! But you haven't actually decluttered until the unwanted objects are out of your life. (Shoving things in a closet doesn't count.)
Some things are obvious - the broken things, you recycle or toss; the things your friends love and want, you pass along to them.
But what about the rest? Donate or sell?
The case for selling: it makes back some of the money you spent buying all the things, and who doesn't appreciate an extra money in their pocket?
The case against selling: it takes a lot of time, and energy - you have to deal with listing, shipping, and lots of trips to the post office.
The case for donating: it gets everything out of the house in a couple trips, if feels good, and there might be a tax write off.
The case against donating: finding organizations to donate to can sometimes be tricky, especially for less common items.
So, which should you choose? Instead of trying to logical it out, try asking "which sparks joy?"
Would you get joy from selling your things and seeing them go to people who very much want what they're getting, acknowledging and being ok with the fact that it might take a little longer to get everything out of the house?
Or would you get more joy in donating the things you no longer want, passing them along to a charity and trusting the things find their way to people who want/need them?
Marie Kondo answered this question in an "Ask Me Anything" on reddit, she says, "I am sure there are several different ways to get rid of books, by selling them or donating them. You should figure out which way sparks joy, makes you happy. If it sparks joy to sell them one-by-one, go for it. But it takes so much time and energy, if it does not spark joy, maybe you can donate them to a library or sell to one organization."
I think it's amazing that the question "does it spark joy?" is so telling, and can be applied to so much more than just deciding what possessions to get rid of and what to keep - it can also clarify how to declutter in a way that works and feels good to you.
