Right now I am in the depths of decluttering hell as I prepare to move homes. While some items are easy to say goodbye to (I won't be needing that ancient T-shirt from Freshers Week after all) and some I can't imagine ever letting go of, aka my beloved air fryer, there are some items that that I'm never quite sure whether to hold on to or not.
However, thanks to a little scroll on TikTok there is one magical phrase I now use for every decluttering decision - and honestly, it's a game changer.
Shared and created by TikToker Brigette Muller aka @hummusbirrd, when deciding whether to keep an item or not this decluttering hack sees you ask yourself to envision if the item is going to be part of your life and how it relates to the person you want to be.
So what do you ask? Well it's one simple question -"is this who I want to be moving forward?"
Brigette explains the question is particularly useful when considering homeware and clothing, which makes sense as clothing is a very obvious indicator of how you feel about yourself and how you present the world.
This hack also allows you to acknowledge the item and what it meant for you at the time, but also realise it's now time to let it go. Brigette explains: "To me it makes it so easy. That’s who I was at some point and I loved that version of me and I loved everything she had going on in her life but is that the me that I see myself being in the future.”
Everyone's clicking on...
The question makes sense given how often we usually end up decluttering during a moment of change in our life - be it a breakup, house move or other significant change. And so as we change, so should the items in our life too to reflect that. It also doesn't have to mean you switch your entire personality up while decluttering, but just a way to focus your intentions for yourself and what items you're bringing with you into a new stage of life.
Brigette also added the phrase works really well when considering new pieces you want to buy too.
The TikTok has since been viewed over 200,000 times and the comment section is filled with people sharing their love for the hack.
One person revealed they ask a similar question to help them: “I ask myself ‘does this fit my rebrand??!’ Bc it makes it a fun game and like I’m working in a PR firm or something.” While another said they would use the question beyond decluttering: “I’m gonna start asking this question about everything in my life! Could apply to relationships, work, etc.”
And they're not wrong it does work in a variety of scenarios. Honestly, decluttering hacks really are a gamechanger for all walks of life.
Lydia Venn is Cosmopolitan UK’s Senior Entertainment and Lifestyle Writer. She covers everything from TV and film, to the latest celebrity news. She also writes across our work/life section regularly creating quizzes, covering exciting new food releases and sharing the latest interior must-haves. In her role she’s interviewed everyone from Margot Robbie to Niall Horan, and her work has appeared on an episode of The Kardashians. After completing a degree in English at the University of Exeter, Lydia moved into fashion journalism, writing for the Daily Express, before working as Features Editor at The Tab, where she spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Talk Radio. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of Gilmore Girls and 00s teen movies, and in her free time can be found with a margarita in hand watching the Real Housewives on repeat. Find her on LinkedIn.
