Start From Nothing and Add Back In For More Effective Decluttering

It's a great feeling to get rid of things you no longer need or use.
But it can be hard to decide what to lose and what to keep. For more
effective decluttering, don't take stuff out—add it back in.












Apartment Therapy offers this simple tip:

Don't start by taking things away; instead, clear the decks and add them back in. It is incredibly difficult to create the emotional space needed to honestly assess our stuff (but, I really like that mug!)
and the process can be taxing. By focusing instead on the items that we
use the most and adding only those back in it becomes easier to see the
bigger picture and let go of what not longer fits in.

It makes sense. We declutter to pare down our stuff and only own what we "need." So why not start from scratch, and actually pick what we need, instead of trying to find a reason for keeping it?